Chapter 168

Christina said it on purpose, mainly to avoid wasting time with William.

"This was my mistake. You can be mad at me, but there's no need to drag Nicholas into this."

His tone was gentle, almost pleading.

But Christina was unmoved. She shot him a cold glance before turning and walking into the hospital.

William wanted to follow, but Christina suddenly turned back, making him stop in his tracks. His eyes were filled with guilt and worry.

"Don't follow me. I can't rest with you around." With that, Christina strode inside.

Watching her leave, William opened his mouth but said nothing. He sighed, watching her until she entered the ward, then turned to leave.

Christina, however, felt uneasy after returning.

But she had made up her mind. The child was innocent. In her past life, Harper never got to see the world properly, partly because she misjudged people.

This time was different. She had the ability to protect her child and wouldn't let the same problems happen again.

With that thought, Christina took out her laptop and got back to work.

Over the next few days, Christina continued to rest in the hospital, but William kept bringing food.

"Don't think that doing this will move me. It just makes me not want to eat at all."

So, William didn't dare deliver the food himself, instead having someone else bring it in.

Christina was harsh with her words and didn't want to see William again.

But she didn't refuse the food. After all, she was newly pregnant and needed to take care of herself.

She accepted all the food William sent.

After a few days, she was discharged from the hospital.

Back home, Christina threw herself into her work.

She had hope now, and everything felt more motivating.

One day, Christina received a message from Alex.

"Christina, are you free lately? I have a design detail I don't quite understand and wanted to ask you about it. If you have time, could you come over? I'd like to discuss it with you."

Seeing the message, Christina thought of the cheerful, sunny boy.

Plus, Mia had always supported her, so Christina felt comfortable around them and agreed.

"Sure, I'll come over soon."

Hearing that Christina was coming, Alex quickly tidied up and asked the waiter about the best-rated drinks at the café.

After preparing everything, Christina arrived.

"Why are you here so early?"

Christina noticed his coffee was almost finished.

"No, I've been here for a while. I thought it might be a bit inconvenient for you, but Mia said you're good at this."

Alex's expression was different from usual when he saw Christina.

He was even a bit shy, speaking more sincerely.

He had rehearsed these words beforehand.

He didn't really want to talk about work.

He just wanted to see her. He had even asked Mia how to find common topics with Christina.

Though they got along well, he was still nervous and wanted to get closer.

Mia had mentioned that Christina might not be interested in other things, but she wouldn't refuse to talk about work since she was a workaholic.

After much thought, Alex came up with this plan.

But he hadn't expected Christina to actually come.

"So, you like this design too. Let me take a look."

Christina took his design plan, glanced at it, and pointed out some issues.

"Of course, this is just my opinion. If you think something's off, we can discuss it. I think you might just need someone to talk it over with."

"Yeah, I think adding a corner here would be better, but it makes other areas look awkward."

Alex had some insights but not as deep.

Since realizing he liked Christina, he felt it wasn't too late to try harder.

They had a great conversation, both smiling.

But outside the café, someone was fuming.

It was Amara Spencer, who had been pursuing Alex.

"Why?"

"Why don't you like me? Now you're with someone like Christina, and you said you weren't interested in dating. What is this?"

Amara had tried to be like Alex.

She learned to play games and did many things Alex liked.

But she only got his disinterest and warnings to stay away.

She had thought Alex just didn't understand dating, but now it was clear he just wasn't interested in her.

Thinking this made Amara furious.

Alex wanted to say more, but his phone rang.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

He hesitated. He really didn't want to leave now.

Even though they were just talking about work, he was happy to be alone with Christina.

But the person on the phone was insistent, so he had no choice but to agree.

After hanging up, he looked at Christina apologetically.

"Sorry, I have to go back to the office for a bit."

"No problem, go ahead. If you ever need help, just ask me."

Christina was quite straightforward.

Alex, affected by her smile, almost walked into the doorframe on his way out.

He left, still in a daze.

Christina sat in the café for a while before heading back to the office.

Amara watched her leave, seething.

"Maybe they're really just talking about work."

"Yeah, if Alex hasn't accepted your feelings, he probably won't easily like someone else."

Amara's friends tried to reassure her.

But Amara felt Alex was different with Christina.

She had investigated Christina's background but only knew the basics, not the details.

In the following days, Alex kept asking Christina to meet whenever he had free time.

Though they always talked about work, Christina didn't mind and even felt it helped her improve.

But Alex grew more uneasy.

Finally, one day, he brought out flowers he had prepared and placed them in front of her.

"Christina, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

They had just finished discussing work, and this sudden change left Christina stunned.

"What?"

Christina replied, still in shock.

"Sorry, I know this is impulsive, but I really like you. Can you give me a chance?"