Chapter 1862:


    He didn’t want to think of her as a sister — that much was obvious, even to him. But he recognized, with a quiet and slightly irritating rity, that this was likely his best chance to stay close to her. If bing her so-called little brother meant he could remain by her side, then perhaps that was the smarter move for now. Proximity, he reasoned, was a start. Robin felt quietly proud of himself for arriving at such a sensible n.


    Robin’s tongue felt thick and clumsy as he finally forced the words out. “Fine. From now on, you’re more than just a friend to me. I’ll consider you my elder sister.”


    “Good boy,” Christina said with a smile. She promptly handed him all the bags she had been carrying and told him to help her with them.


    Robin took them without thinking. “So, what’s this massive secret you were going to tell me?” he asked.


    “Just follow me,” Christina replied, and set off down the street.


    Robin fell into step behind her.


    ?????????????? ?????????? ???????? ???? ??????????????????.??????


    They walked for a considerable stretch of time. It was only gradually that the realization crept up on him — Christina was simply out running errands, and he had been conscripted, without ceremony, as her personal bag carrier.


    Robin came to a stop at a bus shelter, armsden. “Where to next? Should we call a taxi, take the bus? I could have my drivere,” he offered.


    “None of that is necessary,” Christina said. “The driver will be here shortly.”


    “Alright,” Robin said, settling in to wait beside her.


    He assumed they were waiting for one of her staff. Then a sleek, dark car pulled up — expensive and understated — and they both got in.


    The moment Robin registered who was sitting inside, he lunged. His fist was already swinging toward Dn’s face before the door had fully closed. Dn caught his wrist without effort.


    “You made sure no one in the industry would work with Christina! How dare you sit there like nothing happened!” Robin shouted, trembling with rage.


    He had always believed Dn was responsible for ruining Christina’s career. He had shown up at Dn’s office more than once to make that known — loudly, and at length. Seeing him here, in this car, with Christina stepping in calmly beside him, hadn’t even registered yet as something worth questioning.


    “I didn’t do it,” Dn said, his voice t and cold, pushing Robin’s arm aside. “If you try that again, I’ll have you removed from this car.” He was visibly irritated — not least because he was well aware of how Robin felt about Christina.


    Robin let out a short, harshugh. “If you didn’t do it, why did you stay quiet? Why let everyone believe it was you?”


    Christina intervened before things could escte further. “Robin, calm down. It wasn’t him. Someone else started the rumor, and I asked Dn to let it stand. We made it look like we were at odds — it was deliberate. We needed people to believe it.”


    Robin went still. “So the two of you were… pretending the entire time?”


    “Yes,” Christina said simply.


    Robin stared. Then the disbelief gave way to irritation, and the irritation surged into something sharper. “You absolute liar! Aplete, unrepentant liar!”


    .


    .


    .