Chapter 1769:


    “Alright,” Adide said, visibly reassured.


    Gillian held her daughter’s hand a little tighter, pressing her own joy firmly inward, keeping it contained. Adide’s recovery was unmistakable — her speech was steady, lucid, and entirely her own. If Henrik hadn’t been in the room, Gillian would already have been pouring gratitude over Christina without restraint. She looked at her now, and what filled her gaze was something close to reverence.


    This was the woman she had pledged her loyalty to — the one who had pulled her and Adide out of the dark when no one else had thought to reach for them. Christina had given them both a second life, and Gillian’s devotion was not something that would ever change.


    “I’ll go find the doctor,” Henrik said, starting toward the door.


    Gillian rose immediately. “Let me go. Please, stay and rest.”


    She couldn’t bear the thought of adding even a small burden to either of them.


    Once Gillian had left the room, Christina turned to Henrik and switched to Apreshian. “What is it you actually want from them?”


    Henrik stiffened. He hadn’t expected such directness.


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    After a moment, he exhaled slowly, the worry on his face settling into something more candid. “It’s because of Alban. He’spletely taken with Gillian, but he hasn’t even managed to get her to ept a message from him online, and it’s wearing on all of us. I thought that if I could build a rapport with her myself, she might be more open — and perhaps they’d find their way to a conversation.”


    The exnation was usible. But it didn’t fully quiet the unease Christina felt beneath it.


    “Are you certain his feelings are genuine?” she asked, her expression cooling. “Or is this wounded pride — a man who has never been refused before, chasing someone simply to prove he can?”


    “That is not what this is,” Henrik said, without hesitation. “Alban’s feelings for Gillian are real.”


    “Then he should be the one here,” Christina said, her voice even but firm. “Not hiding behind you.”


    If Alban needed his family to smooth the path on his behalf, it said something about the depth of his conviction. Christina remained deeply cautious where the Martels were concerned. She didn’t know whether Alban saw Gillian as someone truly worth protecting, or simply as a challenge that had caught his interest. Men who treated love carelessly — who pursued someone for the sport of it and discarded them once the novelty faded — were something she had no patience for, and no intention of standing aside to allow.


    Henrik wanted to rify that Alban had never intended to lean on his family to pursue Gillian — but going into that detail would risk revealing his own hidden purpose. He held back and simply said, “You’re right. They should work things out between themselves. We’ll stay out of it.”


    Christina’s tone didn’t warm. “I don’t concern myself with whatever ns your family may be running. But as long as Gillian lives under my roof, she is part of my family.”


    She held Henrik’s gaze, her eyes steady and direct. “If anyone — anyone — harms Gillian or Adide, my family will not stand aside.”


    Henrik hadn’t expected to receive a warning on behalf of a household employee. Rather than taking offense, he found himself quietly impressed.


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