She Took The House The Car And My Heart

Chapter 164 Would You Like To Reconsider It

Other than Freya, no one had ever stirred any trace of desire in Kristian-not even Ashley in the past.

With that thought quietly swirling in his mind, he took out his phone and began searching the web.

But the moment he laid eyes on the responses, his expression clouded over like a sky before a storm.

"Is this some kind of wild daydream? Only feeling attracted to one person? Ridiculous!"

"Sounds like impotence to me."

"Seriously, stop justifying it. Who on earth goes through life without a hint of desire?"

"It might actually be love. Some men are naturally disinterested in physical intimacy-until they meet the one. Then it's not lust, but something deeper. Perfectly normal."

His gaze lingered a moment longer on that final comment, as if the words had struck a chord.

Alan leaned over, trying to sneak a look, but before he could make out anything, Kristian had already locked

the screen.

"If all those questions I asked earlier didn't clear things up, there's still one last test," Alan offered, his determination unwavering. He was on a mission-to pair up this brooding man with Freya.

Kristian, ever the picture of calm, sat upright like a teacher listening to a student's drunken ramblings. "And what's that?"

"When you like someone, you want to be near them," Alan explained with a rare note of sincerity, despite the alcohol clouding his head. "You crave their voice, their presence. You want to be part of their every moment, their every day. That's how you know. Of course... minus the obsessive types."

Those words found their way into Kristian's heart like pebbles dropped into still water.

He did want to be near Freya-to speak with her, to share his time. More than anything, he couldn't bear the thought of being left out of her world entirely.

The very idea of vanishing from her life filled him with a sense of quiet despair.

"So... if that's how I feel, does that mean I love her?" he asked, the question almost rhetorical.noveldrama

"Obviously!" Alan declared-then promptly slumped onto Kristian's shoulder, sound asleep.

Across the room, Gerard and Toby were seated far enough away to miss most of the exchange, but they'd caught enough to pique curiosity.

Gerard leaned over to whisper, eyes full of mischief. "Do you think your boss mi-li Chapter 164 Would You Like To Reconsider it

The two men were sitting close. Talking low. Too close.

And-most telling of all-Kristian, known for treating personal space like sacred ground, hadn't brushed Alan

off

Toby, in his usual tailored suit, replied without missing a beat, "I'm more worried than you are."

That floored Gerard Had he accidentally unearthed some sort of hidden cret? Could Freya's cousin possibly be into men? If that were true, wouldn't that spell trouble for Kristian?

what exactly do you mean by that?" Gerard asked, clearly rattled. After all, Kristian was supposed to win Freya over!

His imagination ignited, spinning a full-blown melodrama in seconds.

"It's nothing." Toby said quickly, realizing his earlier words might've stirred up a hornet's nest.

He coughed lightly, trying to steer things back on track. "Don't worry. My boss likes women. There's no way he's interested in your boss."

Gerard shot him a look that said plainly, "Do you hear yourself? You just said the opposite a minute ago."

"Toby Green." Kristian, having noticed that Alan was truly out cold, called out in his usual level tone-cool, controlled, and not open for debate.

The man straightened like a soldier caught slouching. "May I help you?"

"You can head back. I'll take care of Alan and make sure he gets home."

Toby immediately stepped forward, trying to intervene. "There's really no need to trouble yourself, Mr. Shaw.

I'll take him home. He's a light sleeper and prefers to wake up in familiar surroundings."

Kristian glanced at the man asleep on his shoulder, then returned his gaze to Toby-cold, unreadable.

Toby fell silent. There was no arguing with that look.

"Alan." Kristian nudged him gently and asked, "Do you want your secretary to take you home, or should I?"

Half-asleep, Alan's mind tangled in dreams, confused the voice for Freya's.

Without bothering to open his eyes, he pointed lazily at Kristian and muttered, "You."

Toby froze mid-step.

Gerard's jaw practically hit the floor. Had he just... heard that right? Had the two grown that close in such a short time?

Sure, Alan was the sociable type, but Kristian? He was cold as stone, a man who kept the world at arm's length. Why would be willing to help Alan?

And yet... Alan had chosen Kristian over his own secretary?

"Sir, are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" Toby asked anxiously. "Perhaps I should still take you. Mr. Shaw, 1.

"No need," Alan mumbled again, even flapping a hand dismissively as if to shoo Toby away.

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Kristian's eyes narrowed. His voice dropped to a tone that could chill steel. "Toby, are you still standing there because you'd like us to escort you home too?"

"No, no, no... there's really no need to trouble yourself," Toby stammered, brushing off the offer as fast as one

might swat away a wasp.

Why on earth would he want to be left alone with someone as formidable as Kristian?

Why couldn't Kristian have just stayed tucked away in Jeucwell's headquarters, far from Alerith? After all, Chaz was more than capable of running things here. Wasn't that what branch managers were for?

Hovering awkwardly, Toby found himself in a strange limbo-reluctant to leave, yet lacking any ground to challenge his boss's choice to go with Kristian.

And really... what could possibly happen between them?

Surely nothing, right?

"Gerard, escort Toby out," Kristian said, his voice quiet but laced with the kind of authority that suggested he saw five moves ahead in a game no one else realized they were playing.

"No need! I can find my own way," Toby cut in hastily. Spending another second in the lion's den was not on his agenda. “Then... I'll leave my boss in your capable hands, Mr. Shaw."

Kristian's eyes darkened ever so slightly. "Alright."

Toby took that as his cue to make a swift exit, casting one final glance over his shoulder like someone half- expecting to witness something unexplainable. Once outside, he pulled out his phone, his fingers flying with urgency as he logged into a burner account under the name Gossip Rookie. Without hesitation, he fired off a question into the group chat: "Quick question-does anyone know Kristian Shaw's preference? Would sending him a man work?"

No sooner had the message been sent than the chat exploded with activity.

"Are you out of your mind? Or do you have a death wish?"

"The last person who tried that vanished after his men got involved. No one's heard from him since."

"Forget sending him a man-offering him a woman is already playing with fire." "Actually, I remember Edwin Newman once sent him a woman. And believe it or not... it worked."

"Seriously?"

"That can't be true. Isn't he famously indifferent to women?"

The conversation quickly spiraled into chaos.

Toby, now somewhat reassured that Kristian wasn't into men, finally relaxed-at

least regarding his boss's

chances.

She Took The House, The Car, And My Heart

Chapter 165 A Drunk Alan