Seven Years a Fool One Day a Queen (Kristine and Colton) novel Chapter 383

were all quite polite to her.

They had even arranged her seat right at the very front, a proper center position.

The moment she sat down, quite a few people came over to greet her.

BroadTech had developed well over the past few years, but in a place like G City, pure business strength only got you so far.

Everything else still depended on connections.

G City businessmen were different from mainland companies. They preferred to grow in tightly knit circles, which naturally made them somewhat exclusionary.

And on top of that, Eliza was still a very young businesswoman.

So BroadTech’s growth had, to some extent, been limited in its earlier years.

That difficulty only began easing after her engagement to Vega.

Only then had G City’s chamber of commerce started bringing her into the fold.

But Eliza was obviously distracted today.

Milo arrived rather late. By the time he sat down, the meeting had already begun.

When he realized Eliza was there too, there wasn’t even time to go over and say hello.

During the break, he had been about to go find her when Tristan came over to talk about cooperation between their two families.

Milo dismissed Tristan with a few perfunctory words. But by the time he turned back to look for Eliza, she was already gone.

After circling around twice, he finally learned from a business acquaintance that Eliza had left early because something had come up.

Missing her again left Milo feeling deeply disappointed.

The moment Eliza stepped out of the venue, she called Calvin.

She wanted to talk to him.

She wanted to say everything that needed to be said, clearly and once and for all, so that nothing would be left tangled, impossible to cut cleanly.

Gideon was the one who answered. Even the way he spoke was hesitant.

Eliza asked directly, “Where’s Calvin?”

“He’s… busy.”

“Or is he too scared to answer?”

Gideon choked.

Was Eliza always this sharp now?

Even through the phone, she made him feel slightly intimidated.

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Chapter 383

“No, that’s not it. Calv’s sick. He’s in the hospital,” Gideon could only tell her the truth

By the time Eliza got to the hospital, Calvin was still burning with a high fever.

He wasn’t fully conscious.

Just yesterday, he had seemed fine,

Frowning, Eliza asked Gideon how on earth Calvin had managed to get himself into this state.

“… He was upset. Stood under the fountain for hours and made himself sick.”

As he said this, Gideon secretly watched for Eliza’s reaction.

But he caught nothing.

Eliza looked calm.

Even somewhat indifferent.

Gideon felt a little sorry for Calvin and tried to speak on his behalf anyway. “Eliza… Calv hasn’t had a good life these past few years. He… actually never forgot you.”

“And?” Eliza asked back in a flat voice.

“So I’m supposed to keep paying for his indecision?”

“Was my sincerity something cheap? Something he could throw away whenever he wanted, and then ask for back whenever he felt like it?”

When she had once offered up her whole heart and proposed to him, he had been the one to let go first, without mercy.

She had been the one he cast aside after weighing pros and cons.

Back then, who had ever felt sorry for her?

She had no reason to forget all the pain she had suffered just because someone came back later offering a little sweetness.

Gideon fell silent.

He had no answer to Eliza’s question.

Because he had also seen with his own eyes how hard Eliza had struggled.

And how she had saved herself,

In love, there were no winners.

Calvin’s fever was extremely high. Even after the injection, it still refused to break.

At one point he murmured in delirium, softly calling Eliza’s name.

Eliza barely reacted. Her attitude was almost too cold.

Two hours later, Calvin’s fever finally came down, and he gradually regained consciousness.

When he saw Eliza, he instinctively tried to sit up.

“Lie down.” Eliza said.

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Because of the fever, Calvin’s voice was hoarse. He asked her, “Did you need something from me?”

“Years ago, when I was kidnapped in G City… was it you who saved me?” Eliza asked without any detour.

Calvin pressed his lips together before nodding. “Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you say so before?”

More than once afterward, she had tested him.

Her question was met with silence.

Eliza could tell he didn’t want to answer, so she stopped pressing.

At this point, what the answer was no longer mattered.

She had only wanted confirmation.

“I owe you for that,” Eliza said, making her position clear. “If there’s ever anything you need from me in the future, just say it. I won’t refuse.”

“And this check is to repay what you once helped me and Apex with.”

She meant the office building rent and Camille’s one hundred million investment.

“Talking about money may be vulgar, but right now, money is the only thing I can give.”

The meaning underneath was obvious enough.

A bleak smile touched Calvin’s face, faint and desolate.

“Are you drawing a line between us?”

He looked into her eyes.

They were so beautiful.

And yet so cold.

Completely different from the drowning chaos inside him.

“I just don’t want you disturbing the peace of my life,” Eliza said honestly.

The moment she said that, something inside Calvin hurt so badly it was almost unbearable.

“It was my fault.” Even his voice dropped, humble to the point of breaking.

“I was wrong before. I shouldn’t have left you behind. Eliza… give me a chance to make it

He reached out, trying to take her hand.

But she withdrew, looking at him with distant, almost detached eyes.

“Calvin, not everything can be made up for by good deeds.”

Maybe it was the fever, but his eyes were rimmed red. “Then let us start over.”

This time, he caught her hand. His tone turned urgent.

up to you, alright?”

As though somewhere deep down, he knew that if he missed this chance, there would never be another.

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Chapter 383

“That’s impossible.” Eliza had to use real force to push his hand away.

“What’s in the past is in the past. Feelings only move in one direction. No one gets a chance to start over–unless you can turn time back.”

“But you can’t. Can you?”

Eliza stood up. Her voice was flat, like she was reading out some irrelevant narration. “Let yourself go.”

After saying that, she turned and left.

Cleanly. Decisively.

Long after she was gone, the hospital room remained silent.

Calvin stayed in the exact same position the whole time.

His gaze rested on his own palm, where her warmth seemed to linger.

And only in that moment did he truly understand how painful rejection was.

It was like a sharp blade stabbing into him and twisting inside his flesh.

In a single night, his heart turned to ashes.

He could think of no way to break this deadlock.

Her kindness had never had any ulterior motive. Which was why, when she turned cold, there was no room left at all.

“Calv… are you alright?” Gideon asked cautiously.

“Still alive.” Calvin clenched his hand tight, as though trying to hold onto something precious.

Then he asked Gideon, “Do you have any alcohol?”

Gideon’s eyes widened. “Are you insane? At a time like this, you still want to drink? Do you not want to live anymore?”

“If I don’t drink, I’ll die.”

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