?Chapter 1344:


    In what felt like the blink of an eye, night had passed.


    The next day, Gerard showed Melvin around the area. They ate, drank, and chatted casually.


    At lunch, Melvin nced up and asked, “Isn’t your wedding tomorrow? Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”


    “It’s all arranged. I just have to follow the schedule,” Gerard replied, steady as always. “I’ve just been feeling a bit anxious, so I figured I’d talk it out to calm my nerves.”


    Even if it wasn’t a sweeping romance, there was still a fondness there. And anyone would feel a little jittery before a wedding.


    “Go work,” Melvin suggested,pletely deadpan.


    Gerard blinked, clearly taken aback.


    He looked genuinely puzzled. “Work?”


    “Yeah.” Melvin’s tone was entirely serious. “When I get nervous or out of sorts, I work. Ten minutes usually does the trick.”


    “I’ve got nothing to work on,” Gerard answered nonchntly. “Over thest few years, I handed off all the smaller stuff to my two assistants. My boss barely gives me anything now—he just takes care of most things himself.”


    “Is he nning to fire you?” Melvin asked without missing a beat.


    “No way,” Gerard shot back automatically. Once again, he found himself thinking that Kristian really had changed. “He said it’s time I settled down, so he gave me space to start dating.”


    Melvin paused, visibly surprised.


    In his mind, Kristian had always been the kind of boss who drove his team hard. Gerard hadined about it often. But clearly, people really did change.


    “But now that I think about it,” Gerard said, piecing things together, “I feel like he only lightened my workload to keep himself busier.”


    He thought back to all the little moments and added thoughtfully, “These past few years, he’s either been working overtime at thepany, staying at the family estate with his parents, or holed up at the vi he once shared with Freya.”


    Isaac and Melinda used to worry about him quite a bit. But somewhere along the line, Kristian must have said something to put their minds at ease. After that, no one brought up his personal life again—not even the executives or shareholders at Shaw Group.


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    Just then, Kristian showed up.


    Gerard spotted him first and greeted him politely.


    Kristian responded with a nod. His sculpted features had taken on a more grounded, steady air. He looked moreposed now.


    He had only intended to drop in, say hello, and leave—but then he caught sight of Melvin standing beside Gerard.


    His eyes flickered for a second, a faint trace of shock surfacing.<fna93d> Readplete version only at f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?</fna93d>


    Melvin noticed the look but stayed silent, holding his gaze with a calm steadiness.


    “Here to see Liam?” Gerard sensed the awkward shift and quickly redirected the conversation.


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