Chapter 377: George Is Important To
Why was he so unfortunate? The only woman he ever loved was in love with another. But why does it feel as if it wasn’t the first ti he had felt this way?
"If you’ll excuse ," he said and started to walk away as he felt a sudden headache.
His footsteps were heavy but not as painful as the escalating headache he was feeling as he made his way towards the door.
He gritted his teeth against the pain gnawing at his temples, the ache intensifying as fragnts of mories danced at the edge of his consciousness, unclear yet tantalizingly close.
But this wasn’t the ti to succumb. He needed to stay composed, keep a grip on reality even as the images swirled like restless phantoms.
He quickened his step as he didn’t want anyone to witness his crises in such a crowded place but Lauren’s voice floated to him from behind, pulling him back to the reason why he was feeling this way.
"Steffan, wait!" she called, her tone tinged with both frustration and concern. "Don’t just walk away like this."
He paused, though his back remained turned to her. The conversation earlier replayed in his mind of how his teammates had subtly snubbed him while practically idolizing George.
It burned him more than he cared to admit. He wasn’t stupid; he could see the picture they were painting: George as the perfect partner, the knight in shining armor for their beloved Lauren, while he was cast aside, unworthy and unwanted.
But he wasn’t about to let them dismiss him so easily despite the pain in his head.
Lauren caught up to him, stepping into his line of sight. Her brows furrowed in worry as she searched his face. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice softer now, as she could sense sothing was wrong beyond just his visible irritation.
He stared at her with a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Do I seem alright, Lauren?" His voice was laced with sarcasm, but the underlying hurt was impossible to miss.
"It’s nice, isn’t it? Seeing how they see
as an intruder and Sion who wants to snatch their beloved George’s treasure. How do you think that would make
feel?"
Lauren sighed, crossing her arms defensively. "You have misunderstood them, Steffan. George has been... supportive in ways you can’t imagine, especially while you were away, so it’s only natural for them to think I’d attend the dinner party with him." Her words were steady, but there was a slight quiver of hesitation, a subtle betrayal in the flicker of her eyes.
Steffan let out a hollow laugh. "Away? I never left! I was only busy at the hospital and you know that, though you seem to pretend not to, Lauren? But why do I feel like they’re not the only people that think it’s unnatural for
to attend the party with you?"
"Do you also think so? Or am I just a ghost you’re humoring until you can finally stop pretending?"
He felt the pounding in his temples subside slightly as he focused on Lauren’s guarded expression.
His questions still hung in the air, demanding answers he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear. He knew sothing was off, sothing that went beyond the carefully constructed mask Lauren wore around him.
Her teammates’ loyalty to George, the cryptic comnts, and her evasiveness had all pointed to a deeper connection between her and this man who had seemingly inserted himself so perfectly into her life.
But where did he, Steffan fit into this equation? He couldn’t shake the gnawing suspicion that he was an outsider looking in on a story he had no part in.
He turned to face Lauren fully, taking in the faint hesitation that flickered in her eyes as she avoided his gaze.
The uncertainty clawing at his chest was growing unbearable just like the headache that had resud, and he needed to know... needed to understand what had happened between them during the ti he couldn’t rember.
He could bet on his life that there was definitely sothing between him and Lauren before he lost his mory even if her actions and interactions with that man seem to suggest otherwise.
If that were to be the case, he couldn’t have been so into her as he had never cared for any woman to this extent.
"What exactly is George to you, Lauren?" His voice was calm but carried an unmistakable edge. "I need you to be honest with , for once."
Lauren stiffened, a fleeting look of guilt crossing her face before she quickly masked it.
She was doing this for them. For their future and for her to be sure of Steffan’s love despite the challenge they were currently facing.
"George is... important to ," she began carefully, choosing her words as though she were navigating a minefield.
"He’s been by my side when you... when you weren’t around. We’ve grown close, especially with everything that’s happened recently."
"’Important’? ’Grown Close’?" Steffan’s brow furrowed and he made no effort to hide the irritation that crept into his tone. "You’re dancing around the question. I’m asking what exactly your relationship with him is. Are you two just friends, or is it more than that?"
The question seed to catch Lauren off-guard, her eyes widening slightly. She fumbled for a mont, as if torn between what she wanted to say and what she should say. "It’s... complicated," she muttered slowly.
If she revealed to Steffan that George was just her cousin and they were not in any relationship, he’d want to know why she was so close to him and that would an she had to reveal her intention of getting George to act with her.
But Steffan misunderstood her hesitation for her unwillingness to admit the relationship between her and George.
He took a step closer, lowering his voice as he pressed, "Complicated how? I deserve to know, Lauren. I’ve been walking around in the dark, trying to piece together what I’ve lost, and all I keep finding are half-truths and mixed signals. If you’re with George, just tell . I’d rather know than keep wondering."
Lauren’s gaze darted away, unable to et his eyes. "It’s not that simple, Steffan. You’re assuming there’s so clear line between everything, but there isn’t."
She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, as if trying to untangle her own thoughts. "George and I... we have a connection. We’ve been through a lot together, and yes, there’s sothing. But you..."
Of course they’ve been sommuch together and shared a strong bond as cousins, much more than existed between normal cousins but she was sure who her heart belonged to.
Steffan’s expression darkened at her admission, even though it was vague. "So you are with him, then? While I’ve been left to guess my place in your life?"
"No!" Lauren interjected quickly, her tone desperate. "It’s not like that. I’m not ’with’ George, at least not in the way you think."
"What do you think I’m thinking? Make
understand," Steffan said.
"George has been there when I needed soone... You weren’t here when I needed you most, and I don’t know if you ever would be seeing you have soone who... I had to find a way to move forward, you know."
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