Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3185

"I was only gone for a minute! What does he need now?" Holly complained playfully, clearly thrilled by her boyfriend's supposed clinginess. She waved at Norah. "I'm going to head back. Let's all hang out together after breakfast!"

"Sounds good!" Norah replied with a warm smile.

As soon as Holly walked away, Lorelei muttered an excuse and quickly made herself scarce.

Shortly after, Gonzalez and Adrian returned. Gonzalez poured the fresh spring water into a basin and called out, "Norah, come wash your face!"

She grabbed her toiletries and hurried over to brush her teeth and wash up.

The icy spring water splashed against her skin, making her gasp from the sheer cold, but it felt incredibly refreshing.

"Too cold?" Gonzalez asked softly.

She shook her head, laughing. "No, it wakes you right up!"

Standing in the soft glow of the morning sun, her radiant complexion was flawless. Her lips were flushed from the chill, and her clear, bright eyes sparkled with the reflection of the sunrise. The sight of her sent a sudden jolt of heat straight to Gonzalez's chest, making him completely forget whatever he was about to say.

Adrian snatched up a face towel and handed it to Norah, deliberately directing his words at Gonzalez. "It really is the best feeling in the world to see you first thing in the morning!"

Norah scoffed. "Do you have any idea how terrible it is to wake up and see my boss staring at me?"

Adrian opened his mouth, entirely out of words. "..."

The corner of Gonzalez's mouth ticked up into a deeply satisfied smirk.

Sara finished making the four sandwiches and heated up some milk, calling everyone over for breakfast.

As they ate, the group mapped out their itinerary for the day. They planned to explore the nearby scenic spots in the morning, grab lunch at a highly rated local farmhouse, and then hit the road back to J City.

Everyone was perfectly happy with the schedule.

While they were packing up their gear, Holly jogged over. "You guys are heading out?"

Once Holly was gone, Norah went back to breaking down her tent, and Gonzalez stepped in to help her pack it away.

Keeping her voice low, she asked, "Why did you stop me from warning her?"

"Do you think she's stupid?" he replied evenly. "The second you drop a hint, she'll piece it together."

"Good!" Norah huffed, annoyed. "She should dump that cheating scum immediately!"

Gonzalez held her gaze. "She will find out eventually. But it absolutely shouldn't be because you told her. Do you understand?"

A young, sheltered girl like Holly was highly susceptible to reacting emotionally. If she confronted Caleb based on Norah's warning and things escalated, she would undoubtedly drag Norah into the middle of their messy fallout.

He absolutely refused to let Norah get caught up in someone else's unnecessary drama.

Call him selfish, call him cold—it didn't matter to him. He only cared about protecting the people in his inner circle. Everyone else's problems were entirely their own.