Chapter 76
Chapter 76:
Shock still lingered, and Luna took several seconds to gather herself. “Kristine, you —” Had she somehow forced Claire into obedience? Claire had always been the staff member who disliked Kristine the most.
Ignoring Luna’s stunned stare, Kristine walked over and settled onto the sofa as though the whole situation required no further thought. The complete absence of any reaction left Luna speechless.
Back in the old days, Kristine had always gone out of her way to appease her — speaking gently, keeping her eyes lowered, conducting herself as though one wrong word might spell disaster. Had the rumors actually been true? Had Kristine truly stopped caring about Colton?
That could not be right.
At that moment, a car horn sounded outside.
Colton was back. Excitement flared as Luna rushed toward the entrance. “Colton p>
𝗠o𝗌𝘵 𝘳е𝗮𝘥 𝘵𝗵𝗂s 𝗐𝗲𝗲k о𝗇
But the instant her eyes swept back to Kristine, her steps faltered and she froze.
Kristine had not moved an inch from the sofa.
How was this even possible? In the past, Colton’s return had always sent Kristine into a flurry of motion — rushing to take his bag, pouring his drink, hovering nearby and eager to please. At times she had looked no different from hired help.
Colton stepped inside with a brief, detached acknowledgment. Then his gaze settled on Kristine.
Noticing him looking her way, Kristine pushed down her unease, turned toward him, and offered a restrained greeting. “You’re back p>
The smile she gave was subtle — yet it stood in clear contrast to the cold distance she had shown earlier.
Delight flickered briefly in Colton’s eyes.
In an even tone, Kristine said, “Dinner will be ready soon. Since your stomach hasn’t been great, I told Claire to keep things light tonight p>
From where she stood, Luna watched the entire exchange and felt a sinking sense of familiarity.
Seriously? She had honestly believed Kristine had finally learned to stand her ground. Instead, it seemed nothing had changed at all.
She grabbed Colton’s arm and raised her voice. “Colton, Kristine was bullying me just now. You can’t let her get away with it — you need to put her in her place p>
As the only daughter of the Yates family, she had been spoiled by everyone, Colton included. Once she finished venting, Luna cast a smug glance at Kristine, fully convinced her brother would turn on her at once.
Instead, Colton brushed Luna’s arm aside, his tone flat and unimpressed. “Luna, you’re a Yates. Since when is it acceptable to use language like that? Where are your manners? Apologize to Kristine p>
Shock spread across Luna’s face. “What did you just say p>
As far as she was concerned, Colton had completely lost his mind.
Kristine was equally taken aback.
“I told you to apologize,” Colton said. “Is that so hard to understand p>
Luna pouted and stubbornly held her ground. “Colton p>
A chill settled over his features. “So now you won’t even listen to me p>
Fear flickered through Luna’s chest, making her heart stumble. Within the Yates family, Colton’s word carried absolute authority — and once he made a decision, he never reversed it.