She Took The House The Car And My Heart

Chapter 178

hapter 178 She PrefersLike This

Kristian pulled a crisp hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and passed it over with a casual flourish, saying coolly,

"Keep the change."

"Damn you," Felipe snapped as he slipped the bill into his pocket.

Free money from Kristian? He wasn't about to say no.

The rest of the ride passed in complete silence, both men swallowed by their thoughts, burdened by whatever

weighed on their minds.

Half an hour later, Felipe dropped Kristian off at the Shaw estate.

As Kristian stepped out of the car, the memory of what he'd witnessed at the hospital resurfaced. He paused,

then said, "You might want to double-check what Farrah said about Jocelyn Watson."

"Wait a second," Felipe frowned, catching the odd note in Kristian's voice.

But Kristian kept that distant, unreadable air about him and responded coolly, "Is there something else?"

"What exactly did you mean by that?" Felipe asked.

"Nothing major. Just a word to the wise," Kristian said, his eyes unreadable. "Not everyone deserves your trust."

Something about that struck a nerve, and Felipe let out a sharp laugh.

Kristian arched a brow, confused by the reaction.

"So, letguess. Because you misjudged Freya thanks to your first love, you think I'm misjudging Farrah

because of Jocelyn?" Felipe said with a mischievous smirk.

Kristian's frown deepened slightly, clearly irritated by the jab.

But Felipe, hands resting easily on the steering wheel, seemed relaxed now. "Your problem was personal. Mine's

professional. Whole different ball game."

"Is it really?" Kristian challenged.

"Of course."

"Then why did Farrah bring up Jocelyn right outside the hospital and look at you like you didn't have a clue?"

Kristian pressed.

That wiped the smirk off Felipe's face.

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Kristian really couldn't help himself-he always knew how to push just the right button.

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He hadn't intended to say more, but after a brief pause, he added, "If you can trust other women but not Farrah,

she won't forgive you for it."

"You're not her. How would you know?" Felipe shot back, a flicker of panic surfacing before he covered it up.

Kristian's eyes darkened, distant, cold. "Maybe I've just learned from past mistakes."

Felipe secretly rolled his eyes.

Done with the conversation, he didn't bother replying and drove off.

As for Kristian, the thoughts circling in his mind made his expression harden for a moment. He tamped down the

emotions stirring inside him and headed toward the house.

He had barely made it a few steps when he spotted his parents standing nearby.

He stopped in his tracks, whatever emotion had lingered in his eyes vanishing completely.

"Kristian, you've finally caround," Melinda said with a face full of relief, as though her son had just grown up

overnight.

Isaac's gaze twinkled with amusement.

Kristian's hands hung loosely at his sides as he paused briefly before walking toward them with practiced calm.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just taking a stroll after dinner," Melinda answered cheerfully, reaching out to hold his hand. Her voice softened.

"Failing once isn't the end of the world. What matters is learning from it and not repeating the smistake."

For a second, Kristian couldn't find the right words.

Keeping his composure, he said simply, "I was only teasing Felipe."

"| get it," Melinda replied, clearly pleased.

Kristian was momentarily silent again, but years of learning to keep a straight face helped him stay collected.

Isaac gave his shoulder a firm pat. "Owning up to your past is a sign you're growing."

"I've got something to take care of. I'll head inside," Kristian said, eager to escape

the weight of his father's words. "You two enjoy your walk."

With that, he turned and made his way into the house.

Melinda blinked, puzzled. "What could he possibly have to do this late? Isn't Lionel already asleep?"

"He's just embarrassed. We struck a nerve, and now he needs an excuse to duck out,” Isaac replied, serious but

with a chuckle in his tone.

Melinda nodded knowingly. "Makes sense."

"He's a grown man now. We should give him space."

"True."

Their conversation faded behind him, but Kristian, overhearing it, felt a mix of emotions rise inside

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A pang of regret slipped in as he thought about how he'd once helped his father win his mother back.

Once in his room, he showered, slipped into his pajamas, and lay down on the bed.

Staying at the family halways brought him a kind of peace he never found in the city.

Surrounded by countryside stillness, far from the noise and rush, he felt something settle in him.

With that thought, he picked up his phone.

His eyes landed on Freya's avatar. More often than not, he had the impulse to text her-ask where she was, what

she was doing-but every single time, he'd put the phone down again without sending a thing.

The next day cswiftly.

Freya told Hugh he should attend the evening banquet, then left the hotel earlier than planned.

She was headed to the Shaw estate.

Not wanting to waste the trip or show up unannounced, she called Lionel ahead of

time.

Once he confirmed he was home, she grabbed her gift and made her way over.

Lionel lit up the moment he heard she was coming, beaming with joy. "Quick! Bring out the best dishes, and

have the kitchen whip up sfresh juice!" "Yes, sir," the butler responded at once.

At that moment, Kristian was out in the back yard, chatting with Lionel.

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Lionel's excitement didn't go unnoticed. Kristian already had a pretty good guess what this was about.

After barking orders, Lionel turned to Kristian with a snort. "What are you still doing out here? Go freshen up!"

Kristian blinked. Freshen up?

"Freya doesn't drop by often. Do you really want her to see you looking like this?" Lionel snapped, clearly

unimpressed. "Go put on something decent and make yourself look a bit more respectable."

"I'm fine," Kristian said, making no move to get up.

He was dressed down in laid-back casuals, shrugging off the stiff formality of his

usual suits for a more relaxed, breezy vibe.

Even so, just sitting there, he was effortlessly striking.

Lionel wasn't amused. His tone turned sharp. "It's my birthday today. Are you

seriously going to tickoff?"

Kristian's expression shifted, tinged with helplessness. He did respect his grandfather. "She preferslike this,

not in a suit."

"You sure about that?" Lionel's eyes lit up, curious.

Kristian nodded. "I am."

During their ttogether, he had mostly worn formal clothes, but there were a

couple of rare times he'd gone casual

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He remembered Freya's reaction-she had genuinely liked it.

"Who knew you were hiding this side under all that serious exterior," Lionel

scoffed.

Then he added with a teasing edge, “Trying to win over my sweet Freya with your looks. How shallow can you

get?"

Kristian had no words. Should he remind the old man that he was the one who

just told him to freshen up?

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