Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 584

"Rena, I think I should head out tomorrow. If he keeps showing up because of me, it's only gonna cause you trouble," Alicia, ever the considerate friend, was still worried about putting me out.

I didn't see it that way. In fact, I believed having her stay with me was the best shot at cutting ties with Sean for good, especially with me around to constantly remind her why it was necessary.

"It's no bother, really. Stay here. Besides, where would you go? If you're alone, you're just more likely to fall back into old habits with Sean." I grabbed Alicia's phone from her hands and turned it off myself. "Don't answer his calls, don't reply to his texts, and try not to even think about him. Give it some time, and this will all blow over."

Alicia hesitated, glancing at the phone in my hands.

I set the phone down and took her hand. "Can you bring a bit of that boldness and determination from work into your personal life, maybe?"

Not to bash my own business sense, but compared to me, Alicia was on another level. Her knack for business and hard work ethic were undeniable. We used to joke about what would happen if none of us were born into our fortunate circumstances – Alicia was always our bet to make it big.

"But..." Alicia suddenly turned the concern towards me, "You've got a lot on your plate too. With your dad's health, the kids to look after, and now Neil showing up... What's he even want?"

I was taken aback, my own complicated emotional landscape suddenly in the spotlight.

Why Neil had popped up again so soon after our hospital visit was beyond me. If he had something to say, why not then?

Before I could dive into that thought, our nanny came up, informing me Neil was waiting at the door.

Had Sean already left? Alicia and I exchanged a look before I headed downstairs.

Sean was gone, leaving only Neil at the doorstep. I scanned the surroundings, "How did you get rid of him?"

"He got a call, probably something urgent. Couldn't afford to waste more time here," Neil said, his gaze drifting past me towards the living room, "Is Alicia really staying with you?"

He knew Alicia had been here since his last visit with Hiram, but she'd stayed upstairs, out of sight.

I neither confirmed nor denied, flipping the question back on him, "Why does it matter?"

"Sean's not as simple as you think. If there's emotional entanglement between him and Alicia, best let them sort it out. Don't get involved and make trouble for yourself," Neil's tone was almost condescending, like he was lecturing a child.

"Alicia's my friend, and Sean's bad news. Why wouldn't I step in? Am I supposed to watch Ali make the same mistakes I did?" My voice grew heated as I spoke.

"What mistakes?" Neil frowned.

"The 'dying for a bad man' kind of mistakes. Don't you get it?" I retorted, icy.

Neil looked momentarily taken aback, a mix of frustration and embarrassment on his face, "Don't drag me into this. And for the record, you never went to those extremes for me."

That whole drama was a past life thing. After Neil and I split, I might have gone a little off the rails, but nothing as drastic as before.

Changing the subject, I asked, "What did you want, showing up again?"