Chapter 77
Chapter 77:
After a long hesitation, Luna finally dropped her gaze, her voice stiff with reluctance. “I’m sorry p>
Kristine received it with nothing more than a faint, detached smirk. Compared to everything Luna had done before, the apology meant very little.
Colton finally withdrew his hard stare. “Why did you come here p>
“It’s nothing… really, nothing.” At that moment, Luna did not dare admit she had shown up looking for trouble.
“Then go home p>
“Alright.” She rushed out of the villa, and she was still trembling when she collapsed into the driver’s seat.
She had completely misjudged Kristine.
Kristine’s return to Peudon had not been a simple retreat — it had been a calculated move, and what happened today made that clear. She was not going to sit back and watch Colton fall further under Kristine’s influence. Turning the engine on, Luna sped toward the Yates family’s old residence.
𝘞𝗵𝗮𝘁 e𝗏е𝗿𝘆onе і𝘀 𝗋𝗲𝗮d𝗶𝘯g 𝗈𝘯 ѕ.со𝗆
Back at the villa, dinner was underway with Kristine and Colton seated at the table.
Rather than choosing the chair farthest from him as she normally would, Kristine took the seat right beside him. It was not where she wanted to be — but lowering his guard meant she had no choice but to play the part.
Once dinner ended, Colton, visibly at ease, brought it up again. “The celebration dinner is the day after tomorrow. Make sure you remember p>
A genuine smile appeared on Kristine’s face this time. “I won’t forget p>
With a small nod, Colton kept his eyes on her, lingering longer than necessary. The soft lift of her lips transformed her expression, making her look vivid and warm — like sunlight returning after days of gloom.
Breaking away from the weight of his gaze, Kristine rose. “I’m going upstairs p>
The hours slipped by quickly, and before she realized it, the day of the celebration dinner had arrived.
Early that morning, an entire team of makeup artists, hairstylists, and wardrobe staff descended on the villa. When Kristine opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by more than a dozen unfamiliar faces hovering near her bed, and she jolted fully awake at once.
One of the women addressed her first with a courteous smile, gesturing elegantly toward the bathroom. “Ms. Green, we’ll begin with a shower p>
Before Kristine could make sense of what was happening, gentle hands were already helping her out of bed and steering her inside. Once the shower was done, she was guided straight to the vanity. The entire team moved in at once — one person smoothing foundation onto her skin, another attending to her hair, someone else laying out trays of jewelry for her to consider. Every movement was precise and well-coordinated, and not a single person got in anyone else’s way.
Left with nothing to do, Kristine stared at her reflection, genuinely taken aback. This was only a company dinner. So why did it feel as though she was being prepared for a red carpet?
Kristine had always been naturally striking — clear skin, balanced features — and because of that, the team finished far sooner than she expected.