Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3258

She paused for a moment. "Sunday night."

The warm autumn sunlight bathed his striking features in a soft, golden glow. He gave a single nod. "I'll make you something good tomorrow night."

Her smile was bright and genuine. "Sounds great!"

She waved at him. "See you later!"

"Yeah," he murmured in response.

Norah turned and made her way back down the path. A gentle breeze drifted past, carrying the sweet scent of grapes through the sunlit afternoon. Although she couldn't quite put her finger on it, she felt a subtle shift in the air between them.

It was just two friends growing closer, she reasoned.

Nothing complicated or romantic.

When she returned to the living room, Yvonne was on the phone with her agent. Not seeing her grandfather around, Norah decided to wait in the adjoining sitting room.

"Norah!" Yvonne suddenly called out to her.

She stopped and turned back. "Do you need something, Yvonne?"

Over the years, she had shifted from calling her affectionate nicknames to using cold, formal terms, a clear sign of how strained and distant their relationship had become.

Yvonne had completely dropped her earlier hysterical behavior, reverting to her polished, elegant persona. "That was a long phone call," she said with fake concern.

"I bumped into Gonzalez and we chatted for a bit," Norah replied evenly.

The younger girl's tone was so painfully honest and natural that Yvonne couldn't find a single flaw to pick at. She simply nodded and smiled. "Ah, so he came back."

She put on a convincing mask of remorse. "We completely misunderstood the situation with his cat. Now that he's home, I'll have to apologize to him personally later."

It was their family drama, so Norah kept her mouth shut.

As they walked down the hall, Simon spoke up. "We cleared up that mess from the other day. I fired the maid who framed the cat. It's safe to move back in."

His expression remained dangerously cold. "Living on my own is fine. Don't bother."

Simon studied his son with a heavy gaze. His smile vanished as he stepped behind his mahogany desk and handed over the signed paperwork. "Gonzalez," he said earnestly, "I guarantee nothing like this will ever happen again. But you need to let go of this grudge against Hannah. I know she can come across as insincere sometimes—"

"I don't hold a grudge against her," Gonzalez interrupted sharply, his voice dropping to a glacial chill. "We are simply enemies."

Taken aback, Simon tried to explain patiently. "Gonzalez, your mother's passing had nothing to do with Hannah. It was entirely my fault that she got pregnant with Yvonne. She stayed away for years. It was only after I found out about Yvonne, and after your mother passed away from her illness, that I brought them here."

"My mother's condition had stabilized," Gonzalez demanded fiercely. "So why did she spend the last six months of her life so miserable that she relapsed? Why?"

Simon stared at him, stunned. "It was the illness! She was worried sick about leaving you without a mother at such a young age. That's what stressed her out!"

"Is that so?"