Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

My body tensed. I instinctively wanted to avoid his touch, but Conrad held on tightly and gave me no chance to escape.

This feeling of being controlled by someone else was unpleasant, and I didn't like it. I frowned, "Conrad..."

Before I could finish, Conrad interrupted me. "Maddie, Chris is my brother, so I can't speak ill of him, but he's an exception. You can't give up your principles because of him."

His grip was tight. I could feel his tension. He was trembling. His gaze was intense, and his tone was heavy. There was even a pleading edge to it. "Maddie, finding a boyfriend is not a game. You have to be careful. One wrong move can ruin your life."

Seeing his earnestness, I felt a bit guilty. I almost wanted to tell him that Brandon was just a temporary boyfriend.

But that thought quickly vanished. Bringing Brandon was meant to end any lingering hopes the Gildon family might have. If I told him the truth, what was the point of this charade?

"Conrad, I'm not a child. I know what I'm doing," I retorted.

"But you've only known Brandon for a few days!" Conrad's voice grew louder. He was clearly upset.

his disbelief, I decided to drop a bombshell. "I've only known him for a few days, but our relationship was

an older brother and didn't want

He looked at me with shock. His grip on

didn't say anything; he just stared at me with a mixture of disbelief,

then moved slightly. "Conrad, some connections are meant to be formed. Maybe Brandon

I spoke, I

grip on my shoulders didn't loosen completely, I could tell it wasn't as tight

Conrad and I were in this tense standoff, Xander appeared out of nowhere and smiled brightly. "Ms.

"Come to the office. I'll have someone make a

He released me as he politely declined, "No need, thank you."

a long time to recover and return to my office. On my way, I decided to ask Xander for some time off to prepare

Xander's office door, I heard his voice. "It's done... Yeah, he's

saw me standing at the