Kris's heart raced in his chest as jealousy seared through him, his mind reeling with questions. Who was she talking to?

As if dealing with Zeke Mathews wasn't bad enough, now he had to contend with whoever this Alex was.

Still peeking, he noticed the smile on Thalassa's face even after she ended the call and tossed her phone on the bed. It was a smile much bigger than the one he had ever seen her flash at Zeke.

The blood in his veins pulsing with envy, Kris nearly stepped out to demand for answers, but he knew that would be a stupid move, so he stayed put and continued observing her.

Finally, she headed into her walk-in closet, the door closing behind her but not completely. Kris saw his moment to sneak out.

Gently opening the balcony door, he stepped into the room, but he paused when he saw her phone still on the bed, the screen lit up-unlocked.

His feet and hands itched to pick it up and check the number she had been on a call with. It took every ounce of restraint to resist the temptation, knowing that would give Thalassa even more reason to be upset with him. Forcing himself to move, he quickly headed to the door and quietly slipped out of the room. As he moved down the hallway, he spotted Luisa approaching him.

"There you are!" she exclaimed with a slight smile. "I came to your room, but you weren't there."

"Erm... I... I went to get a glass of water in the kitchen," Kris stammered out a lie.

Luisa furrowed her brows but didn't press further. "I almost went straight to the office from Zeke's, but I remembered you were here and wanted to check if you needed anything."

Kris flashed her a small smile even though smiling was the last thing he felt like doing. "That's very sweet of you."

"How's your shoulder?" she asked with concern. "Thalassa told me your stitches got ripped last night and you had to go to the hospital to have the wound restitched."

"It feels a lot better now," Kris admitted, surprised by how much better he felt.

Sleeping in Thalassa's bed had given him the best sleep he'd had in a while, and his shoulder hurt far less than it had the night before. His mother hadn't called, he would probably still be asleep and Thalassa would've caught him. "I'm glad to hear that," Luisa replied, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Kris instantly knew why.

"Luisa, about Alden... He told you the truth last night. He hasn't had anything to do with Vanessa since they broke up. He-"noveldrama

"Are you going to shower soon?" she cut him off, her tone suddenly stiff. "I'd like to help you with your sling before I leave. Also, breakfast is waiting for you downstairs."

Kris got the message. She didn't want to talk about Alden. He nodded. "I'll shower right away. Thanks."

Turning, he went into his room. After freshening up, he changed into black trousers and a blue T-shirt. True to her word, Luisa came in to help him with his sling before they made their way downstairs. Looking at the pancakes on the table, Kris raised a brow as he sat down. "Did you make these?"

Luisa shook her head sheepishly. "No, Zeke made them. I told him to make extra so I could bring you some."

Kris tensed, clenching his fist under the table as he stared at the food prepared by his rival. "He must have thrown a fit," he said dryly.

Luisa chuckled. "Not too much, I promise."

"Thalassa ate some too?" Kris asked, trying to sound casual

"Oh, yes. She ate quite a lot. Zeke's pancakes are really good. You'll think the same once you taste them."

"I see," Kris muttered tightly as jealousy burned through film.

Last night, Thalassa had barely touched the carbonara he made for her. But here she was, eating Zeke's pancakes with enthusiasm.

His thoughts drifted back to the phone call he overheard, and he looked at Luisa. "Luisa, who's-"

He hesitated. What excuse would he give if she asked where he'd heard the name Alex?

""Yes?" Luisa prompted.

Kris quickly shook his head. "Never mind."

"Okay," she said. "Thalassa came back with me by the way. She's waiting for me in her room so that we can go to the Fashion House together."

Kris nodded and, once Luisa was gone, he finally took a bite of the pancake. He frowned. It was okay, but definitely not as good as Luisa had hyped it up to be.

Two minutes later, as he finished eating, the two women came down the stairs, and Kris's heart flipped as he looked at Thalassa. But she clearly back to pretending like he didn't exist. "You're already done?" Luisa observed, smiling. "I told you you'd love it."

Kris snorted as he stood up. "It was... fine."

Luisa began clearing his plate, but Kris reached out to stop her. "No, Luisa. I can do it myself."

She smiled slightly. "It's okay. I'll just take care of it real quick," she said, and before he could protest, she freed her hand and began heading towards the kitchen.

"I'll be in my car, Luisa," Thalassa called after her. Then without glancing at him, she began to walk off.

"Thalassa," Kris called.

She stopped and slowly turned to face him, her expression unreadable.

"Yes?"

Kris licked his lips as he approached her. "Can I talk to you?"

"About what?"

Remembering what his mother had asked of him, Kris dragged in a breath, wondering what was the best way to bring it up without upsetting her.

It's about what happened on the day of the Fashion Awards. The sabotage of your collection."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, suspicion creeping into her gaze. "What about it?"

"You know, after your speech, everyone assumed my mother was behind it. Even I believed it and I confronted her even though she was innocent all along." Thalassa's lips twitched. "Get to the point, Kris. What are you trying to say?"

"Now that we know it was Clark behind it, could you please hold a press conference to clear my mother's name?"

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