Love's Redemption

My body tensed. I instinctively wanted to avoid his touch, but Conrad held on tightly and gave me no chance to escape.

This feeling of being controlled by someone else was unpleasant, and I didn't like it. I frowned, "Conrad…"

Before I could finish, Conrad interrupted me. "Maddie, Chris is my brother, so I can't speak ill of him, but he's an exception. You can't give up your principles because of him."

His grip was tight. I could feel his tension. He was trembling. His gaze was intense, and his tone was heavy. There was even a pleading edge to it. "Maddie, finding a boyfriend is not a game. You have to be careful. One wrong move can ruin your life."

Seeing his earnestness, I felt a bit guilty. I almost wanted to tell him that Brandon was just a temporary boyfriend. NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

But that thought quickly vanished. Bringing Brandon was meant to end any lingering hopes the Gildon family might have. If I told him the truth, what was the point of this charade?

"Conrad, I'm not a child. I know what I'm doing," I retorted.

"But you've only known Brandon for a few days!" Conrad's voice grew louder. He was clearly upset.

Seeing his disbelief, I decided to drop a bombshell. "I've only known him for a few days, but our relationship was established when I was in Amaty."

I said it subtly, considering I regarded Conrad as an older brother and didn't want to say anything too harsh.

Conrad understood instantly. He looked at me with shock. His grip on my shoulder tightened as if he were squeezing me.

He didn't say anything; he just stared at me with a mixture of disbelief, disappointment, and deep pain in his eyes.

I recognized the depth of his gaze, then moved slightly. "Conrad, some connections are meant to be formed. Maybe Brandon and I are destined."

As I spoke, I felt Conrad's body waver.

Though his grip on my shoulders didn't loosen completely, I could tell it wasn't as tight as before.

While Conrad and I were in this tense standoff, Xander appeared out of nowhere and smiled brightly. "Ms. Crown, you have a guest. Why not go to your office?"

He glanced at Conrad. "Come to the office. I'll have someone make a pot of good tea."

Conrad composed himself. He released me as he politely declined, "No need, thank you."

Conrad left without looking back at me, and the sense of loss was suffocating.

It took me a long time to recover and return to my office. On my way, I decided to ask Xander for some time off to prepare the gift and visit the Gildon estate in the afternoon.

As I was about to knock on Xander's office door, I heard his voice. "It's done… Yeah, he's gone… Haha, that guy is nowhere near your level. Don't worry… Ms. Crown…"

Xander was on the phone, and as he stepped out, he saw me standing at the door. He seemed startled and nearly dropped his phone.

I didn't know why he was so panicked. I quickly caught his phone, noticing the contact name he saved on the screen.

I handed the phone back to Xander, whose face had turned pale. The call was still ongoing.

Xander fumbled to take the phone and hastily said, "Ms. Crown is here. I'll call you back later."

He hung up and looked at me. His eyes were filled with panic.

It was just a phone call, right?

And it was not an affair or a call for leaking company secrets. There was no reason to be so flustered.