?<strong>Chapter 688:</strong>


    This was a subtle signal they’d used during their college years whenever they needed to act in sync.


    Kristopher’s gaze fixed on their sped hands, his jaw tightening. He could see through Carrie’s attempt to provoke him, but the sight still hit him like a punch to the chest.


    It was as if something precious, something that should have been his, had been stolen away. Even if it was just for show, the sting of jealousy burned in his chest.


    Yet he had no right to tell Daxton to back off. Not anymore.


    Kristopher’s eyes darkened as he cast a warning nce at Daxton, who met his re with an expression that was almost smug.


    Oliver, standing nearby, frowned in disdain at Daxton. He couldn’t fathom why Mrs. Norris—no, Ms. Campbell—would associate with someone like Daxton.


    “Carrie,” Kristopher finally said, his tone cutting, “why would you go to such lengths to tell a lie just to provoke me?”


    Carrie rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned to face him fully. “Mr. Norris, not everything revolves around you. Why would I waste my time trying to provoke you?” she retorted. “Your assistant keeps calling me Mrs. Norris. I’m just worried my boyfriend might get the wrong idea and think I still have some lingering connection with you. Is it wrong to make things clear?”


    Her words hit two targets at once, rebuking Kristopher while reassuring Daxton of her loyalty.


    Daxton, catching her drift, smiled softly. “I trust you, Carrie. It’s not like I just met you yesterday. I know how you are—once you’ve decided on someone, nothing can make you change your mind. And when you’ve let someone go, there’s no turning back.”


    His pointed words carried an unspoken message: even if Kristopher tried to discredit him, it wouldn’t matter. And Carrie’s loyalty, once lost, could never be reimed.


    Kyson, who had been silently observing, understood the dynamics at y. Watching Carrie and Daxton hold hands stirred a strange sense of regret in him. He had arrived first, hadn’t he? Yet somehow, he’d missed his chance. Though he knew Carrie was using Daxton to get under Kristopher’s skin, he couldn’t help wishing he were the one she chose as her aplice.


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    Kristopher forced a tight smile, masking the turmoil brewing beneath hisposed exterior. “Ms. Campbell,” he said with a mocking tone, “there’s no need for such dramatics. We’re simply in the same shop by coincidence, and the title slip-up was just that—a slip-up. People aren’t robots; mistakes happen.” He paused, letting his gaze flicker briefly to Daxton and Kyson before settling on Carrie. His voice softened, a calcted shift. “Besides, we were married for two years. I’d like to think I still know a few of your habits. You were looking at that dress because you were thinking of Mny, weren’t you?”


    Carrie’s heart skipped, but she forced herself to remain stoic. “Don’t act like you know me,” she shot back coldly. “I’m not buying it for Mny. It’s for me.”


    Kristopher chuckled lightly, his toneced with condescension. “For you? Carrie, that pattern is so outdated. You’re in your early twenties—do you really think that’s your style? As an actress and an author, I thought you’d have better taste.”


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