?Chapter 498:


    udius tracked Maia’s retreating silhouette, a calcting smile slowly blooming across his face.


    Beneath the velvet canopy of night, streetlights cast elongated shadows across the gathered figures.


    Maia froze mid-step, her gaze darting between Ethan’s vice-like grip on her arm and Chris’ solitary figure nearby.


    A gentle clearing of her throat broke the silence.


    Since earlier, Ethan had been anchored to her arm, his fingers tense as though Chris might steal her away with a mere nce.


    Ethan maneuvered himself into a human barrier between them, his posture unyielding.


    Chris noticed Maia’s awkwardness and said with a calm expression, “I’ll find my own cab.”


    Maia wavered briefly before surrendering with a nod.


    Maxwell, ever attentive, pounced on Chris’ words. “Join me instead! I’m happy to drive you,” he dered with enthusiasm.


    Chris tilted his head toward Maxwell, his mesmerizing eyes crinkling at the corners. “I appreciate that, Mr. Payne,” he replied with quiet dignity.


    With fluid grace, he strode toward Maxwell’s waiting vehicle. In Chris’ wake, Maia and Ethan navigated toward the distant parking area.


    Unlike Maxwell, with his privileges, Maia’s modest sports carnguished far from the Technology Museum’s grandiose entrance. The journey to the parking lot stretched in weighted silence.


    As the car door clicked shut, sealing them in privacy, Ethan pivoted toward Maia, words visibly forming then dissolving on his lips.


    Sliding the key into the ignition, Maia flicked her eyes to him and abandoned pretense. “Ethan, what exactly is your issue with Chris? You don’t like him, do you?” she asked, cutting through the tension.


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    Startled by her directness, Ethan’s teeth worried his bottom lip before he shook his head.


    Curiosity furrowed Maia’s brow. “Why?”


    Ethan gathered his scattered thoughts before whispering, “Everyone says he’s nothing but a charming yboy.” Maia paused.


    The usation hung between them before Maia found herself rising instinctively to Chris’ defense. “Ethan, listen to yourself — you’re condemning a man based on what others are saying. Do you truly know Chris beneath the surface?”


    Ethan remained silent.


    “We build prisons from appearances and hearsay,” she continued, her voice softening like evening light. “But people deserve more than judgments built on rumors.”


    The car’s pace ckened as Maia’s thoughts crystallized. “Understanding someone requires proximity — walking alongside them through their reality rather than viewing them through a distorted lens. Remember in school, when you were falsely used despite being innocent? That feeling of being misjudged — it cuts deep. Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick tobel others.”


    After saying this, Maia felt a sudden rity, as if her words were meant as much for herself as for Ethan.


    Her reminder transported Ethan back to his difficult early days in ss One.


    He lowered his head, ears flushing with recognition. Maia was right. No one understood the pain of misunderstanding better than he did. He pursed his lips and murmured softly, “Maia… I’m sorry. I understand now.”


    Maia reached out to tousle his soft hair, her smile warming. “Good, as long as you understand.”


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