Jeffrey slipped away from her touch.
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Andrea’s unease deepened under the oppressive silence. She nervously bit her lip and softly pleaded, “Please, say something. It really freaks me out.”
“Are you scared?” Jeffrey asked, his face unreadable.
Andrea nodded affirmatively. “Yes.”
Jeffrey confronted her directly. “Then why were you in cahoots with Stephen?”
Andrea’s heart raced. Considering their past conflicts, she quickly defended, “I wasn’t in cahoots with him. It was just a coincidental meeting and some chit–chat. Nothing more.”
“So exin Wednesday night,” Jeffrey probed.
Andrea was taken aback. She hadn’t anticipated his directness. “I just needed you to be there for me. I didn’t want to hear that I matter to you and then feel like I’m invisible.”
“But I did offer you a chance,” Jeffrey stated, his eyes cold. “You were the one who refused it.”
Andrea appeared bewildered, not fully grasping his implication. Yet, she understood he was still upset about their previous dispute. That was why he’d stayed away and ignored her calls. He was retaliating.
“From now on, if you need anything, speak with Gregory,” Jeffrey said, his gaze calm yet emotionless. “There’s
no need to reach out to me.”
“Why?” Andrea waspletely shaken.
She couldn’t understand why he was doing this to her.
She’d merely requested his presence. She simply didn’t want him spending time with Reba.
“Reba wasn’t supposed to be part of your schemes,” Jeffrey said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. “I can overlook a lot, but this crosses the line.”
Andrea figured if she continued to deny everything, he wouldn’t be able to hold her ountable. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Jeffrey looked at Andrea. He was utterly quiet, asposed as always, but the intensity in his stare was overwhelming.
Under his scrutiny, Andrea felt like her entire body was turning to ice, her blood nearly congealing.
“Fine, I did coborate with Stephen,” Andrea confessed atst, buckling under the pressure. “But you gave me the green light, right? You told me it was fine to go after her.”
“What about the conditions?” Jeffrey maintained his calm, his tone unshaken.
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“I can’t seriously harm her or put her in real danger,” Andrea responded hastily, her mind racing back to their deal. “And Reba is perfectly fine now, isn’t she?”
“You are wrong,” Jeffrey said, his voice measured and <b>serene</b>.
Andrea blinked, puzzled. “What?”
She reyed the conversation in her mind.
‘I remember every detail, exactly as it was said. Where did I go wrong?‘ she thought.
“The n was to make her understand she’d be at a disadvantage if she ever left me,” Jeffrey exined calmly. “That she’d only get special consideration by staying close. But what you did was push her even further away from me.”
Andrea was momentarily shocked.
Her intention had indeed been to create more distance between them, but she couldn’t confess that to his face.
“I’m sorry…” Andrea said, her expression a mix of guilt and remorse. “I really didn’t expect things to turn out like this…”
“I’ve been more than fair with you since you came to me, haven’t I?” Jeffrey stated,ying his cards on the table. “I even agreed to take care of you when you wanted to stay close.”
A lump formed in Andrea’s stomach when she heard this.
Before, no matter what she did or asked for, Jeffrey wouldply, even if he wasn’t particrly happy about <ol><li>it. </li></ol>
Even when she used her health issues as a reason to get him to pamper her for a while, he never objected.
But now, a sudden chill ran down Andrea’s spine. Fear washed over her unexpectedly.
“And what about you?” Jeffrey retorted, his patience visibly thinning. “Do you even recall the basic rules we agreed to from the start?”
Andrea fell silent. She was truly at a loss for what to say.
After a long while, realizing that nothing she said would alter the situation, Andrea attempted a different tactic. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through. I swear I won’t repeat the same mistake.”
“The preferential treatment is over,” Jeffrey dered abruptly, his tone leaving no room for argument. “From now on, I’ll only treat you as the one who saved my life.”
Andrea’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What did you just say…?” Andrea faltered,pletely taken aback by his
deration.
“I’m just Jeffrey,” he stated, his voice cold and distant. “I’m not your boyfriend or your husband. From now on, we’re keeping our distance, Ms. Scott.”
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“Why?” Andrea was bewildered, her anger mounting. “Is it just because I reached out to you that night?”
Jeffrey said, “Exactly.”
Andrea was about to break down, tears in her eyes. “But you promised. You said you wouldn’t upset me until I was better, that you’d always treat me specially. You’re the one who always stresses keeping promises, and now you’re breaking them…”
Andrea couldn’t hold back any longer. She spilled everything she’d been keeping inside all at once.
She wasn’t considering whether Jeffrey would get angry or if she might offend him. All she knew was that if she didn’t speak up now, if she didn’t fight for him, he would be gone forever.
Andrea thought desperately, ‘What’s the point of just being the one who once saved him? What if Jeffrey finds out I didn’t really save him? My luxurious life will vanish. He’ll make me pay for the deception.
“I only said I’d look after you,” Jeffrey said straightforwardly. “I only say yes to your requests. It’s not a promise.”
A promise was freely given, without conditions or obligations.
Saying yes was just agreeing to someone else’s terms.
They were not the same.
“Don’t you want to keep your words? I am not fully recovered yet…” Andrea said, feeling her heart grow
colder.
“If you hadn’t pushed so hard, I would have kept my word,” Jeffrey exined. “But you’ve crossed the line too many times.”
Andrea let out a bitterugh.
She should have known better. Jeffrey never lets anyone get close to his heart. Yet<b>, </b>she couldn’t help but wish for more.
“You call me impatient, but you’re the one in a rush, aren’t you?” Andrea snapped, dropping the pretense. “The cooling–off period’s almost up, and you’re scared that if things stay like this, she might really leave you for good. That’s why you’re pushing me away.”
“If I were truly concerned, I would never have let her find out about us so easily,” Jeffrey responded, his tone as steady as always.
Andrea wanted to retort, but upon reflection, she couldn’t deny it. He had never tried to conceal what was happening.
He had shown her tant preference right in front of Reba, and even made Reba apologize to her.
“Concentrate on your recovery,” Jeffrey said as he rose to leave, his tone resolute. “Mymitment to take care of you still applies. If you need anything, contact Gregory.”
“Wait,” Andrea called out, a desperate thought urring to her.
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Jeffrey paused, his gaze returning to her, cold and inscrutable.
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Andrea met his eyes, her own steady yet edged with a hint of frantic desperation. “What if I asked you to