Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 502

"You're a businessman, Neil, you should be thinking about what's good for business. What you’re doing is nothing but folly. You'll regret it," I tried to appeal to Neil's pragmatic side.

Neil just gave a cold, indifferent chuckle, as if I'd just told the funniest joke in the world.

And maybe I had. I mean, these words must've been repeated to him by Ryan Whitmore and Mitch so many times that they'd lost all meaning. In fact, they were practically a punchline at this point.

The task Faith gave me was looking impossible. The feud between Neil and Russel had been so fierce, it had torn their families apart. No one had been able to mediate between them so far. Why did I think I could?

"What brought you here today?" I asked, eager to shift the topic.

"Have you seen Russel?" Neil's gaze was sharp, suspicious, as if he was afraid I'd lie.

I grunted in confirmation, not keen on going into details.

Neil acted surprised. "That's why he suddenly backed off. What did you tell him to change his mind?"

He leaned in closer, a smirk playing on his lips. "Did you offer yourself to him?"

I instinctively backed away. Every time Neil got too close, I felt like a sheep cornered by a wolf.

Seeing my reaction, Neil's smirk grew wider. "Did you really?"

"You’re crazy!" I snapped back, my patience wearing thin.

Neil's smirk faded, replaced by a relieved sigh. "If you had, I'd make sure you regretted it."

"Are you always this possessive, Neil? I'm not yours to command. I have every right to reject Russel, not because I'm afraid of your threats, but because I don't feel any attraction towards him."

"Whatever your reasons are for rejecting Russel, I don't care. I'm just interested in the end result," Neil said, unfazed by my outburst.

Oh, how I hated his arrogance, his self-centeredness!

"Where's Karina?" I suddenly changed the topic, testing Neil's reaction. "She's still in Eldoria, waiting for you with Hiram. Don't you care?"

Neil looked annoyed at the mention of Karina. "I'll handle it. I won't marry her, but I need Hiram."

His words caught me off guard, reminding me of Serena and Brandon. Would he do the same to me if he found out about them?

"Why do you think you have the right to take Hiram? Karina raised him by herself. You weren't there for them. If Hiram had to choose, he'd choose his mother, wouldn't he?"

Neil shot back, "I never refuse to take care of him after I knew about him."

His words left me speechless. It was true that Karina had hidden her pregnancy and birth from Neil. It wasn't entirely his fault.