Chapter 72 Special Privileges
As Madison and Sebastian left the room, the silence settled between Nathaniel and the stack of papers before him. His mind wasn’t entirely on the documents. Instead, his thoughts lingered on Christina, and the events from the previous night played over and over in his head.
Why had he reacted the way he did? He hadn’t planned to confront her like that, but the sight of her laughing with Brayden—someone she had once been close to—had triggered something in him. The jealousy, the possessiveness, all rolled into one, and before he could stop himself, he had stormed over to drag her away. He hadn’t even given her a chance to explain.
Nathaniel rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. He knew he was acting impulsively. Christina wasn’t a child, and she didn’t deserve to be treated like one. But deep down, he couldn’t help the overwhelming need to protect her, to keep her close.
Back at the pizza joint, Christina was still processing what had happened the previous night. As she walked back to the staff dormitory with her coworkers, her thoughts wandered back to Brayden and the brief but pleasant conversation they’d shared.
Brayden was always easy to talk to, and even after all these years, it felt like nothing had changed between them. He was supportive, kind, and treated her as an equal, something Nathaniel had yet to fully understand. Christina shook her head, trying to shake off the conflicting feelings inside her. She had no reason to feel guilty. Brayden was just an old friend. But Nathaniel’s reaction had caught her off guard.
Why is he so possessive? she thought, frustration building within her. We’re both adults. Why can’t he just trust me?
As they reached the dormitory, Christina bid her coworkers goodnight and headed to her room. She quickly set the bag of items down on her desk, her eyes falling on the design drafts she had finished earlier. She needed to distract herself, focus on the task at hand. It wasn’t like she had time for distractions anyway—not with the busy schedule at the store.
But even as she tried to immerse herself in work, her thoughts kept drifting back to Nathaniel. His words. His actions. His anger.
I need some space, she thought firmly, but I don’t know if I can keep ignoring how he makes me feel.
Meanwhile, back in the city center, Nathaniel’s mind was still swirling with thoughts of Christina as he continued working late into the night. Despite his efforts to focus, he found himself drawn back to her. The desire to make things right, to apologize, gnawed at him. But the pride that had built up between them made it difficult to bridge the gap.
Sebastian’s voice broke his concentration. “Mr. Hadley, should we prepare for the scouting trip tomorrow? It’s a good opportunity to get a feel for the area before the auction.”
Nathaniel blinked and nodded, pushing thoughts of Christina aside. “Yes. I’ll go with you. Let’s make sure everything is in place.”
As Sebastian and Madison made preparations for the trip, Nathaniel couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that he was running away from his problems with Christina. But for now, there was nothing more he could do. The hotel project needed his attention, and the trip to the west of the city was too important to delay. Still, his mind couldn’t completely escape the pull of his emotions for her.