Chapter 227

"Do you really need to tag along? Mr. Cavendish, people need to respect boundaries, and you've crossed the line," Christina said icily.

William felt a pang in his heart. "Christina."

"We're not that close, are we?" Christina wasn't buying it. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him coldly.

William took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I was just worried Harper might feel lonely at home by herself. Since you went out, I thought it was only right to check on her."

Christina let out a cold laugh. "Harper has a nanny, and I made sure she was fine before I left. William, what are you really after? This isn't the first time."

Harper seemed frightened by her mother's tone and started crying, wiping her tears. "I'm sorry, Mom. It's my fault. You told me not to talk to strangers, and I didn't listen. Please don't be mad at Dad Cavendish. It's all my fault."

Christina was taken aback.

She hadn't expected things to escalate like this.

If she continued to clash with William, the only one who would get hurt was the child caught in the middle, and she didn't want that.

She calmed down. "Mr. Cavendish, I'm back now. Harper doesn't need your company anymore. Please don't come here again. You're not welcome. I'll see you out."

She instructed the nanny and turned to escort William out.

Once outside, William couldn't wait to ask, "She's my daughter, isn't she?"

Christina looked at him coldly. "No."

"You're lying to me." William stared into her eyes, trying to find a hint of truth.

Christina's eyes were as calm as a still lake. "I don't want to lie to you, but whether she's your daughter or not doesn't matter. William, you're not fit to be a father. You deserve to be alone."

Her words hit William like a dagger to the heart.

Was she still blaming him?

But maybe she had every right to. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, but couldn't say a word. Finally, he sighed deeply.

"Christina, I'm sorry. I just want to make it up to you. Four years ago, you didn't give me the chance. Now..."

"Now, it's still not going to happen." Christina smiled faintly. "I brought Harper back to Stargate City because I have some matters to deal with here."

William felt like a knife was twisting in his heart.

The pain was sharp when it went in, but as it twisted and was pulled out, the agony was unbearable, and he couldn't recover.

"Christina, it seems I really hurt you deeply."

"Forget it. It's all in the past. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Just go. And don't come near Harper unless it's necessary," Christina said coldly.

Harper was starting to look more and more like her daughter from her previous life. She was almost certain that the daughter she lost had returned to her.

But so what? The child was back, but did that mean the hurt was gone?

When she returned to the room, the nanny was getting ready to leave.

Christina sighed, went to her room, and changed into comfortable home clothes.

When she turned around, she saw Harper standing by the door, hugging her teddy bear.

"Mom, why do you hate Dad Cavendish so much?"

"I don't hate him. It's just that you have to be cautious around people. If he's getting close to you, he must have an ulterior motive. So, don't invite strangers into our home, okay?" Christina said seriously.

Harper pouted. "But I don't think Dad Cavendish is a bad person. He's really nice to me."

Christina felt a bit dazed.

So much time had passed, and she could barely remember the events of her past life.

But she still remembered that Harper had been very afraid of William in her past life because whenever he came back, it brought disaster and turmoil to their lives.

Christina snapped out of it and patted Harper's head. "Some people aren't what they seem. I just want you to protect yourself."

William could never be trusted. He might seem ready to be a father now, but he wasn't worthy.

Christina was busy preparing for a lecture.

Kelvin had given her this opportunity, and even though she was filling in for someone else, she didn't want to do a sloppy job and embarrass herself as Kelvin's student.

After Harper was brought back, she held a brochure.

"Mom, the teacher said all the students need to bring their parents for a field trip. It sounds so fun."

"A field trip?" Christina glanced at the brochure and felt a bit tired. "Didn't you just have a parent-child sports day? Now a field trip? Your preschool sure has a lot of activities."

"That's because you enrolled me in a good preschool, Mom. The teacher said we should explore nature at our age instead of just staying home and learning from books. It limits our imagination."

Harper made a good point.

Christina sighed and patted her head.

"When is it?"

"Next Wednesday!" Harper answered immediately.

Christina hesitated.

"But, but Mom has work next Wednesday. I really can't get away."

Harper pouted. "What should I do then? It's such a fun activity. Are you really not coming, Mom?"

"Mom already promised someone else. We can't break our promises." Christina felt a pang of softness seeing Harper's disappointed face.

Harper was disappointed but still cheerful.

"Okay, Mom said we can't break our promises. If you promised someone else, I can't let you break your word."

"Good girl." Christina stroked her hair. "I'll have the nanny go with you, okay? If I finish early, I'll come find you. Maybe I'll make it in time."

"Okay! The teacher said there's a big flower field there. It's so beautiful." Harper cheered up again.

Seeing her daughter's face, Christina couldn't help but smile.

On Wednesday, Christina went to the lecture. As the main speaker, she wasn't as nervous as she had imagined. Instead, she spoke confidently.

When it was almost time to leave, she finished her speech and was about to go when the host stopped her.

"I didn't expect Kelvin's students to be so outstanding. Even a substitute speaker did so well. The students were captivated."

"You're too kind." Christina smiled modestly.

"By the way, our architecture department is having a faculty gathering. Would you like to join? It would be a great opportunity for everyone to discuss and learn from each other," the host invited.