Chapter 70: Collapse

In truth, the third day had already been the limit of his endurance.

That night, Chris waited with full expectation for her to give him a clear answer; he sensed she was avoiding him, yet he could not understand why.

The atmosphere during their last parting had been quite pleasant; some misunderstandings between them had been resolved, like untying invisible knots tied around their hearts, and he could feel that the lock on her heart had loosened somewhat. That kiss on the terrace had also been wonderful, better than ever before.

But suddenly, she began avoiding him—without reason, without cause.

Damn it!

Did she think he hadn't noticed that clumsy lie she told? Frantically rummaging through a pile of invitations to pull one out and claim she was attending a banquet, her movements were practically flustered.

Perhaps she was nervous, he told himself. Stripping away all external halos to look at the girl herself, she was simply an introverted, sensitive soul who sought inwardly and tended to avoid the outside world and interpersonal relationships; countless iron chains locked her heart's gate, chains that likely stemmed from an unpleasant past.

As far as he knew, her father had died early—damn it, rumors about her past circulated online, yet she had never spoken to him of this; she had also been abandoned by her mother—this was the only thing she had ever told him about her past. He had shown her his life, his family, his past, his growth, and with great difficulty obtained this small return. In this regard, she was utterly stingy, more miserly about discussing her past than the most tightfisted tycoon in the world.

He had to act like a detective, inferring her past, her personality, and her thoughts from every word and line she spoke; he had never devoted such effort to any woman, and since meeting her, he had poured nearly all his heart and mind into her.

She was like a riddle: though the puzzle's surface seemed simple, the answers twisted and turned endlessly, like a winding path leading to seclusion; just as he seemed close to finding the solution, the next turn revealed a new labyrinth. She was also like a black hole: once one's gaze fell upon her, one's entire being was involuntarily drawn in by her gravity; throughout this process, he countless times wanted to flee, struggling desperately to escape a swamp, yet that powerful pull kept drawing him closer to her...

He guessed that the reason she suddenly began avoiding him might be that she had developed feelings for him too—Good heavens, the mere thought made him want to jump with excitement; if this were true, no, it must be true, and if this were the real reason for her avoidance, he would forgive her, not only forgive her but be unable to resist kissing her, repaying her with everything he possessed—if so, if she felt uncertain about this sudden emotion or even feared it might hurt her, then her avoidance was understandable. For such an introverted and sensitive girl, this guess was entirely reasonable.

Thus, he managed through various means to obtain an invitation to that banquet; before going, he hired a renowned celebrity stylist from the industry to craft his look—he had never been so solemn except when attending the Oscars.

He wore a suit and leather shoes, a rigorous dark blue ensemble, with a sapphire tie clip matching the color of his eyes—he knew she liked his eyes; several times she had inexplicably become politely distant toward him, yet once she gazed into his eyes, she seemed somewhat captivated, her attitude softening again.

He could easily perceive others' emotions; this gift allowed him to readily win people's trust and become everyone's heartthrob in the public eye. But at this moment, he employed all his talent and experience to analyze her, scrutinizing every glance, every curve of her lips, every lingering nuance in her voice.

He was fully equipped, armed to the teeth: he sprayed the citrus-toned perfume she liked and used orange-flavored mouthwash.

Today, every piece of his attire was for her, the optimal choice tailored to her preferences. A man, to win the heart of the one he loves, can cut through thorns, brave dragon dens, and sacrifice his life; so what did such slight calculations matter? Cater to her preferences, capture her gaze, seize her heart and mind, make her dazzled and enchanted, make her fall for him, make her—submit to me completely.

He had nearly succeeded—yes, nearly.

Her gaze kept lingering on him; she licked her lips five times and continuously sipped champagne. Whenever her gaze rested on him, her eyes began to glaze over; whenever she met his eyes, she panically looked away.

Girls always believe they can hide their affection for the opposite sex well, undetected, but in truth, her entire expression, movement, and demeanor, every evasive glance, every flustered avoidance, every faint blush on her cheeks, all revealed her inner heart.

Undoubtedly, she liked him and was deeply infatuated with him.

She did not wish their relationship to be made public, yet throughout the entire banquet she searched for his figure with her eyes. Those adept at reading expressions and observing colors had likely already detected the unusual atmosphere between them.

Until her colleagues regarded him with suspicious gazes. She raised no objection to this, nor did she speak even a single word in his defense... He did not know what he was thinking in his heart at that moment; perhaps he had come to understand this fact: Oh, in truth, she does not fully trust me; if forced to choose between her country and him, she would undoubtedly stand with her country. This is normal, he told himself.

Until she looked at that Class-B Awakened, Daniel Davies, with an expression of appreciation. And that detestable Daniel looked at her with the gaze of a man looking at a woman!

He could endure it no longer; originally, he had not wanted to make explicit the fact that she was avoiding him—he feared doing so would scare her off like a wary small animal—but he could endure it no longer; he needed a definite, affirmative promise to soothe his heart, which fluctuated up and down, left and right.

But everything was finished; she was unwilling to guarantee even this simple promise, not even to comfort him. And after hearing his confession, the look of surprise and doubt in her eyes completely shattered him.

She did not believe him.

When he had already completely sunk into her swamp, when the sludge had already covered his head, when there was no escape left, when he was nearly unable to breathe, he reached out his hand to her, yet she simply stood on the shore watching, gazing with surprise and doubt.

He had lost; if this were a game of chess, he had prematurely sent his king into the enemy's center, and every move thereafter had only pushed the collapse further forward.

He decided to leave this place temporarily; his thoughts were in chaos, and he could not make any decision under such emotional turmoil.

Reason! Reason! As he left the banquet, he kept repeating these words to himself in his heart.