Chapter 531 Collaboration

He looked at her, a sly smile quickly forming on his lips.

‘Oh Chris, when will you learn that the old ways are often the best?

‘You won't help me?

‘Someone else will.’

"Oh, Crystal..." Justin let his eyelids droop, the picture of dejection.

"Isn't Chris at home? Didn't you go in?" Crystal asked.

"I did," Justin sighed heavily. "We had a fight, and he kicked me out."

"What happened? What did you fight about? Chris is in the wrong here; you're the elder, he shouldn't be throwing you out. Come back with me; I'll talk to him!"

"Crystal, don't," Justin hastily interjected. "It's better if you don't get involved in this matter. You and Chris should just enjoy your life, I'll handle everything else for you."

Hearing this, Crystal began to sense that something was off. "Has something happened with Chris?"

"Don't ask..."

Justin turned his head away.

"Chris, if it affects both Chris and me, you have to tell me," Crystal insisted with newfound seriousness.

Justin paused for a moment.

"Let's sit over there and talk it out slowly," Justin suggested, gesturing toward a nearby gazebo.

In no time at all, they took seats facing each other.

"You go ahead," Crystal said, her voice deep and serious.

"It's actually a bit of an ugly family matter," Justin sighed.

Crystal's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't understand why. It dawned on her that the way Chris looked at Thalassa.

"Alright, not beating around the bush, I'm just going to lay it out. I only found out about this in the last few days myself, but Thalassa and Chris were in a relationship for four years." Justin looked distressed as he slapped his thigh emphatically.

"It's my fault, a failure in upbringing. They did all this right under my nose."

Although Crystal had her suspicions, hearing Justin say it so bluntly was like a bolt from the blue.

Chris had mentioned that before her, he was in a four-year relationship that ended. Perhaps, he was referring to Thalassa.

"You don't think they were still together when we started seeing each other, do you?" Crystal asked, her tone indicating that if she'd been made to be the mistress unknowingly, she wouldn't have let it lie.

"Of course, they had already broken up. Chris isn't the type to shirk responsibility," Justin reassured, not wanting to disrupt Chris and Crystal's marriage. "But you know, Mrs. Maria's passing was sudden, and Thalassa has turned all her anger toward us. She’s been seeking Chris out lately, it seems she’s even threatening him."

Crystal instantly recalled the recent behavior of Chris, who would occasionally step away from her to take phone calls.

"I actually came to get some photos from Chris, photos of them together. We can't let Thalassa keep threatening him, right? She's married now, and I thought having the photos would give us some leverage in negotiations, to put a damper on her boldness."

"You came all this way for the photos?" Crystal inquired with a heavy voice.

"Yes," Justin confirmed with a nod. "I was hoping to find them myself and leave, all without stirring Chris up. But you know..."

Crystal felt a deep irritation. Had she known it was for this reason, she wouldn't have called Chris back home.

"Chris, he doesn't want to give you the photos?" Crystal asked.

"You know he's a good guy. He initiated the breakup with Thalassa, and he's always felt guilty about it, so of course, he won't give them to me," Justin sighed again.

"I'll get them for you," Crystal offered without a second thought.

If it meant Thalassa would stop disturbing her and Chris’s lives, she was all too eager to help.
"What should I do? What if Chris finds out..."

"Chris won't find out," Crystal replied without hesitation. "I'm his wife, and I don't mind his past relationships, but I do mind if they continue to haunt and disrupt my husband and our family."

"You're right."

Justin appeared to have made a significant decision, nodding vigorously.

"So, we'll work together on this. You get the photos and videos, and once you have them, I'll go negotiate with Thalassa."

"And keep it from Chris," Crystal added.

Justin couldn't agree more.

He immediately said yes.

"I should get going. I'll contact you once I have the stuff."

"Okay, I'll wait for your message."

Crystal picked up the groceries and headed straight back.

On her way home, she couldn't help but feel turmoil in her heart when she thought about the four years Chris and Thalassa had been together, and the way Chris looked at Thalassa.

Meanwhile, Chris was sitting on the couch, smoking at home.

"I ran into your dad downstairs. Did you guys have a fight?" Crystal changed her shoes and came over, tenderly taking the cigarette from his hand and extinguishing it in the ashtray. "Didn't we agree to start trying for a baby? Why are you being naughty and sneaking cigarettes?"

Chris looked at Crystal and managed a helpless smile "Just a bit frustrated today, I won't smoke anymore after this."

"Good boy."

Crystal sat down beside him, affectionately wrapped her arms around his waist, and kissed his cheek.

Chris's body tensed up in a slight rejection.

Crystal felt a surge of anger but managed to suppress it.

Their physical relationship had begun on the island where they took their wedding photos. He had drunk a lot. What followed occurred quite naturally.

After returning to the States because Chris had fallen ill, she came to look after him, and they naturally started living together.

All of these initiatives had been taken by her.

Chris never asked for them but never refused either.

Thinking about this made Crystal unexpectedly sad.

So, Chris must still be in love with that woman.

"Now that you're back, let's have lunch at home, shall we? I'll cook for you." Crystal quickly composed herself and asked considerately.

Chris held her hand. "There's a lot going on at the company, and I was thinking we could enjoy a longer honeymoon after the wedding if we get busy now."

"Okay..."

Crystal felt a bit let down.

Chris was absent-minded and didn't notice Crystal's mood at all.

He gently pushed her away. "Don't bother cooking at home, why don't you go out with your friends for lunch and maybe do some shopping?"

"Sure."

Crystal watched him leave.

Chris had always been a man of few words.

However, now, he seemed even more preoccupied.

Shortly after, he left the house in silence.

Crystal had a sudden hunch that he wasn't heading to the office.

Contemplating for a moment, she followed suit and went out the door.

Just as she suspected, Chris didn't go to his office.

Instead, he meandered through the old district and stopped at a quaint diner.

He sat down and effortlessly ordered several dishes.

Chris couldn’t handle spicy food.

Yet all the dishes he ordered were spicy.

After the owner brought the food, Chris stared at the dishes for a while, then suddenly looked up, his gaze landing on the empty seat opposite him.

The next second, his brows furrowed deeply, and in evident agony, he covered his face with his hands.

Crystal had never seen Chris like this.

So tormented, so heart-wrenchingly in pain.
The Substitute's Revenge: From Secretary to Queen
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