Lost Me Gained Regret

Chapter 509

"Moving out, moving out!"

Abandoning her breakfast, Christine sprung to her feet, eager to please. "Mr. Ford, your generosity knows no bounds. I'm forever grateful..."

"No thanks needed."

Gregory chimed in with a meaningful tone, "Consider it an early wedding gift for you and Dailey."

Christine was speechless, "..."

I was bewildered, aware that Gregory wasn't one to speak without reason. I quickly turned to Christine, "You and Dailey? What's going on??"

The prospect of my best friend's major life event being news to me before Gregory was shocking.

Christine cleared her throat, trying to downplay it, "It's not... what you think."

She was clearly out of her league in this chase!

Gregory nodded in understanding, "Dailey's a tough catch, huh?"

Christine was shocked, "He told you??"

Gregory chuckled, "Clarence dropped by my place last night. We ended up talking over a few beers."

The implication was clear; Clarence had spilled the beans.

Christine closed her eyes briefly, resigning herself, "...There's absolutely nothing between us. I've made that clear."

I focused on the crux of the matter, "So, there was something with Dailey?"Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Christine ran a hand through her hair, finally sitting back down and confessing, "It's early days. Right now, it's just me hoping for something more." "I'll head to the office."

Gregory left us to chat, kissing my forehead before grabbing his car keys and heading out.

Christine mockingly cursed at his retreating figure, "Stealing my best friend wasn't enough, now I have to deal with your lovey-dovey antics every day!"

Once Gregory closed the door, Christine huffed in frustration.

I couldn't help but laugh, not saying much, just looking at her, "So, you've really fallen for Dailey?"

"It's alright."

With Gregory gone, Christine spoke more freely, "It's just a bit of reverse psychology. The more he wants to keep his distance, the more want to see where it could go."

"Anyway..."

Thinking of her past experiences, I sincerely added, "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

Christine was curious, "Aren't you worried? If things with Dailey go south, it could affect you and Gregory?"

After all, they were as close as brothers.

"Why worry about that?"

I smiled, "Trust me, Gregory would choose me over anyone else, every single time."

No matter the situation, he always put me first.

...

Feeling indebted, Christine didn't wait until the afternoon; right after lunch, she swiftly moved out.

I accompanied her, ensuring her new place had everything she needed before rushing back home to dive into my design drafts.

RiverCity's headquarters was in the midst of hiring for the new branch.

Once this busy period was over and Jeff had enough staff, I could breathe a little easier and focus solely on custom designs.

As the golden sunset poured in, I

realized my neck was stiff. Just was

O stretch, I was

enveloped in a warm embovely!

His hands, strong and defined, rested on the back of my neck. "Stiff neck?" he asked.

Relaxing into his hold, I tilted my head to look at him, "You're back early?"

Without moving, I let him hold me, enjoying his unskilled but comforting massage.

He nuzzled the top of my head, his voice soft and tender, "Missed you, so I came back early."

He then gently led me to the couch

pulling me

è onto his lap without ant

further ado, and just held me quietly,

fuently massaging my neck.

This intimate and tender gesture was both comforting and filled with unspoken affection.