Chapter 149
+25 BONUS
To Kris’s annoyance, Zeke refused to leave Thalassa alone for the rest of the day. Even after they finished discussing business in the study, the man stayed through lunch and dinner. He only left when both Thalassa and Luisa told him they wanted to call it a night.
Kris went to bed in a very bad mood. It had been three days since he started living in the house, and yet he felt like he had made zero progress with Thalassa, even without Zeke standing in his way.
The following day was a Monday, which meant Thalassa and Luisa had to go to work.
Kris was sitting at the dining table working on his laptop which Alden had carried along for him. He’d come to sit there early hoping to catch some time with Thalassa before she left for work, but she’d walked right out of the house after telling Luisa that she was going to get breakfast at a cafe on her way to the Fashion House.
Luisa had also left after making him some pancakes and helping him with his bandage and sling. So now Kris was alone in the house.
He probably could’ve gone to work, but his shoulder wasn’t healed enough, and he would need to get some sleep during the day. Millie would be forwarding everything he needed directly to him.
Besides, by staying home, he could have enough time to properly prepare the surprise he had for Thalassa.
Parking her car in the courtyard, Thalassa felt her defenses rise as she stared at her house.
It was absolutely ridiculous that going into her own home now unsettled her so much. Luisa had told her she was going out with Alden, which meant that once again, Thalassa was going to be in the house alone with him.
Kris. The man who was determined to mess with her emotions and tear down the walls she had spent years building around her heart.
Every time she saw him, it reminded her of all the horrible things she’d been through because of him. And yet, every time he came close and looked into her eyes with his desperate ones, she wanted to forget everything.
That was why she had done everything possible over the weekend to ignore him and be as hostile as she could. But even that was becoming harder to do..
But she had to do it. After everything she had suffered, she would be an idiot to let him back into her life.
Setting her face into a cold mask, she made her way into the house. About to pass through the hall, she tensed at the sound of his voice.
“Welcome home, Thalassa.”
She slowly turned to find Kris approaching her from the dining area. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced at the dining table.
The table was set, and though all the dishes were covered, a familiar aroma wafted through the air, bringing with it memories she wanted nothing to do with.
“Good evening,” Kris greeted.
“Good evening,” she replied stiffly, about to continue walking when he spoke again.
“I made dinner,” he said. “Since Luisa’s out on a date with Alden, I thought I’d make dinner for you.‘
“I already ate,” Thalassa said flatly, starting to walk away again when Kris stepped forward and gently caught her
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+25 BONUS
Chapter 149
wrist.
“No, you haven’t,” he stated. “I can tell when you’re lying”
A cold smile curved her lips. “You mean the same way you saw that I was lying every time I pleaded with you that I’d never betrayed you?”
Her words disarmed Kris for a moment, but he had figured out her game by now. Every time he tried to get close, she would bring up the past to make him feel guilty, to make him feel like he didn’t even deserve to be talking to her.
“Please, Thalassa… just stay. It took hours to make this. You don’t have to eat much, just something small. And it doesn’t have to mean anything. Please.”
There was that stupid desperate look in his eyes again. Thalassa’s jaw clenched, knowing she should pull her hand away and walk off. Yet, even when Kris let go of her hand, she found herself following as he slowly led her to the table.
He pulled one of the head chairs for her, but Thalassa deliberately pulled another chair on the opposite side, just so he wouldn’t get the idea that she was going to do whatever he pleased simply because she accepted to have dinner with him.
Trying to hide an amused smile, Kris picked up one of the covered plates and brought it to the chair she had chosen, placing it in front of her.
“I made your favorite,” he announced as he uncovered it. “Carbonara with pancetta.”
The familiar aroma, just as Thalassa suspected. Staring at the meal in front of her, her chest tightened as memories rushed through her mind–happy memories from when she and Kris had been dating.
He had tried to make the dish for her so many times, but it never tasted quite like the way she made it, which always frustrated him.
“I know I failed at this so many times,” Kris said, interrupting her thoughts, “but I promise I got it right this time. It’s going to taste exactly the way you make it.”
That was exactly what he used to say back then. And yet, every time, he would end up frustrated that he couldn’t get it right.
A chuckle rang through the air. It took Thalassa a second to realize that she was the one who had chuckled, and she froze.
