?<strong>Chapter 457:</strong>


    Meanwhile, Shawn was overseas, hopping from one airport to another, desperately booking any flight that could get him home. He was stuck at ayover when his phone rang. Joelle’s name shed on the screen.


    The moment he heard her voice, the tension inside him began to ease. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Joelle. After all, he had to take care of her for theirte parents.


    “Promise me you won’t ever do something like that again,” he said sternly.


    “I promise!”


    “I’ve always stayed out of your personal life because, as long as you’re here, there’s always room to start fresh. But if you were gone, everything I’ve been holding onto would fall apart. You get that, don’t you?”


    “I do.”


    Life’s threads were intricately woven, and sometimes it wasn’t until one was pulled that their full connection became clear. Some ties were blessings, while others felt like burdens.


    Joelle reminded herself that, even when things seemed bleak, it wasn’t just her life on the line—others were intertwined with hers.


    “Shawn, I heard you’ve been getting close to Lily recently?” she asked.


    “Who told you that?”


    Joelle nced at Adrian, who was flipping through a picture book with Aurora beside him. His timing had been impable. “Adrian mentioned it.”


    Shawn groaned, clearly irritated. “Since when did he be such a gossip?”


    “So, it’s true?” Joelle pressed.


    Shawn let out a long sigh. “It’s not what you’re imagining.”


    “Well, if you’re not shutting her down, are you actually thinking about giving it a shot?” Joelle’s words came out sharp, her surprise evident.


    From everything she knew about Shawn, even if he’d moved on from Katherine, he wouldn’t get involved with someone so closely connected to her.


    Shawn appearedid-back on the surface, but beneath that exterior, he was always decisive, leaving no loose ends or cracks in his decisions. In truth, he had always been colder than Adrian ever was.


    “If she doesn’t like me, I’ve no reason to pursue it,” he said.


    Joelle hesitated for a moment before replying simply, “Shawn, Bobby’s getting engaged soon.”


    Shawn blinked in surprise, disbelief crossing his face. “To who?”


    Joelle had known Shawn would ask that, and she had rehearsed her response. If Shawn discovered the truth, she’d pin it on Adrian without a second thought.


    “Who do you think?” she asked.


    Shawn’s brows furrowed, his mind working quickly through the possibilities. “Katherine?”


    “They do make a good match, don’t they?” Joelle replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. She hadn’t actually said Bobby was getting engaged to Katherine, had she? It was Shawn who had jumped to conclusions.


    When their conversation ended, Shawn stared at his phone, deep in thought.


    His assistant hesitantly spoke up, “Mr. Watson, is everything alright?”


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