Chapter 263
Chapter 263:
That gesture alone deepened Kristine’s certainty. Colton was behind this. Just days before, he had warned her she couldn’t protect the antiques on her own. Now, one of the city’s most formidable lawyers was standing at her door. Only Colton had the influence and the motivation to enlist Brendan — someone who matched Justin’s reputation — and all to make his point. He had joined forces with Monica and turned himself into her enemy.
A wave of icy dread swept through Kristine.
With a surge of anger, she slammed the door shut, the sound echoing down the hallway. Brendan simply arched an eyebrow at the abrupt farewell, then calmly slid the legal notice beneath her door. His duty was done — the message had been delivered.
On the other side, Kristine stood rooted to the spot, her hands trembling. She kept her eyes locked on the door, her heart hardening with nothing but bitterness.
Why couldn’t Colton let her move on? She had already stepped aside for him and Elyse. Hadn’t she given up enough?
Her phone chimed, snapping her from her thoughts. She shuffled wearily into the living room and saw the message was from Danica. She pressed her tired eyes with her fingertips — then froze as the contents registered.
𝖣o𝘄𝗻𝗹oa𝖽а𝖻𝗅e P𝖣F𝗌 𝗼𝗻 𝘨alո𝘰𝗏еl𝘴.c𝗈𝗺
On her screen was a screenshot from Colton’s Facebook. He had never bothered posting there before, but today, for the very first time, he had uploaded a photo. The picture showed two hands laced tightly together. It was a screenshot of a screenshot, leaving the details soft and unclear.
Danica’s message practically tripped over itself in outrage. “Kristine, look at this! Aren’t those Colton and Elyse’s hands p>
Kristine stared at the photo, her face unchanging, as if it meant nothing to her now. After seeing Colton side with Monica against her, this felt insignificant by comparison.
She asked offhandedly, “Where did you get the screenshot p>
Normally, Danica ran in Peudon’s social circles. She shouldn’t have had an inside track on anything happening in Gridron.
“It came from Devin, one of Colton’s friends. He sent it to me directly p>
Kristine’s interest piqued. “You two are acquainted p>
An awkward look flitted across Danica’s face. She turned toward the window, uncertain how to explain that she was actually in Gridron right now.
Ever since finding out Kristine had carried a torch for Colton for seven years, Danica had often wondered just how much her friend had truly suffered. Determined to get answers, she had made the trip to Gridron herself and tracked down Devin, Colton’s closest confidant. She had pressed him skillfully for information — and after he spilled the details, her anger had erupted. She had started shaking uncontrollably and ended up trashing his bar in the heat of the moment.
That wild scene was how Devin first realized she was friends with Kristine. Sorting out the damage meant exchanging contact information, and the following morning, without any preamble, he had dropped a screenshot of Colton’s post directly into their chat. No explanation — just the photo.
What a maniac.
Left without better options, Danica decided to go straight to Kristine for answers.
She hesitated, then admitted, “Yeah… something like that. Kristine, you’ve been through hell while I was gone. When I’m back, I’ll have my mom set you up with a nice guy. Maybe that’ll finally help you move on p>