Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled

Chapter 412

“Right, I know. But she felt she couldn’t stay on anymore, so she quit. There was nothing I could do about it,” I replied nonchalantly.

Russel was giving me a vibe that was increasingly unsettling.

I hadn’t forgotten his past collaboration with Bonnie. I was all still fresh in my memory. Despite my constant refusals, he was persistently good to me, never giving up. So, I kept my concerns to myself, never bringing them up again.

“Let’s forget it. It’s better that she quit, so you won’t worry about me, Russel seemed to have caught on to my skepticism. He flashed me a comforting smile, and we dropped the subject.

When I arrived home, Serena and Brandon had stopped crying, but they were resistant to sleep. They were used to sleeping beside me and didn’t fancy sleeping with my parents.

I took them to my room to rest while Russel went off to sleep in the room next door.

I was wide awake, my mind filled with doubts about Russel and Karina. My gut was telling me that their relationship was not as straightforward as it appeared on the surface.

Neil’s attitude towards Karina was also unexpected.

News of tonight’s incident had spread by the next day, but the buzz wasn’t significant. Neil must have used his public relations team to control the situation. That was a move he was known for when it came to protecting those he cared about.

Ryan and Faith were especially affected by the news.

“Neil has a thing for complex women,” my mother sighed after seeing the news, “Bonnie is still in jail, and now here’s Karina, who seems just as complicated.”

Of course, Karina was far more formidable than Bonnie.

flaw was that he looked like Neil. Serena, on the other hand,

responded nonchalantly, unconcerned

course, let him be. But Rena, what are you and Russel planning?” My mother asked,

clueless, before asking, “What do you mean?”

father spoke, “If he’s committed to being with you, why not consider

guard. Why would

of it felt absurd. I couldn’t possibly impose

don’t bring this up again,” I swiftly

Russel,” my mother sighed, “You think giving him a chance is a burden, but have you considered that by continually refusing, you’re also holding him back?”

If Neil wanted to check your marital status and the kids’ registration, he could easily do it. If he finds

convince me to take the legal step

I disagreed. Even if Neil found out, so what? I would have insisted that I was with Russel, just not ready to get married. What could he have done

of our debate, my mother’s phone rang. After a glance at the caller ID, she looked uneasy but picked up the call.

father and

later, my mother returned with red-rimmed

wrong?” I

need to go to your Uncle Lucas’ house,” she choked out, wiping

limited contact between us and my two uncles due to some old disagreements. After my parents’ accident, I had sought their help but was rejected. After

understand why Lucas suddenly contacted my mother until she revealed the

still in the emergency room, but

in a state of shock. I didn’t feel schadenfreude or sorrow, just astonishment, struggling

seemed