Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO-Chapter 698 - 439: Noticing Something Amiss [Second Update]
At the exhibition, Marcus Shaw and Oliver didn’t stay for long. Since they had a contract negotiation with "Mech Battle" in the afternoon, as soon as Crystal Hughes returned, they handed Andrew over to her and then left.
Crystal took Andrew around for a while and played a few games, but the intermittent pain in her back kept her from enjoying herself, and she never managed to win a prize.
After rubbing her face, Crystal relaxed her expression, pulled Andrew in front of her, squatted down slightly, and said to him, "Mommy’s feeling a bit frustrated. I’m going to sit here and be a bit introverted for a while, handsome Andrew. You can play around here, but don’t go too far, okay?"
Andrew pressed his lips together and stared at the scrapes on her knees and elbows. After a moment of hesitation, he asked softly, "Mommy, does it hurt a lot?"
"Not at all." Crystal pinched his cheek and laughed, "If I said this little scratch hurts, your grandpa would tease me when we get back."
"He wouldn’t." Andrew shook his head firmly and said, "Last time when you got a bump, grandpa secretly went and bought medicine."
"Really?"
Crystal was taken aback for a moment.
Andrew nodded affirmatively.
With a soft laugh, Crystal ruffled his hair, led him to the rest area, picked a spot to sit down, and let Andrew play nearby.
Despite saying she wanted to be introverted, it was really because the pain in her back was too much, and she needed to take a short break.
It wasn’t often she had a chance to take Andrew out to play, and she still had other plans for the afternoon. If Andrew noticed anything amiss, given how sensible he was, he would definitely come up with an excuse to leave early.
However, as soon as she sat down, a long-lost feeling of negativity suddenly surged within her, inexplicably plunging her into a deep gloom. She raised her head, the surrounding noise poured into her ears but was automatically filtered out, leaving her unable to make out a single word.
...
With colleagues attending the exhibition, Camilo Nogueira, after finishing an interview, entered the exhibition hall to greet some well-known colleagues.
The exhibition hall offered lunch, with the first floor being relatively affordable and the second floor more luxurious.
As lunch approached, Camilo instructed his assistant to arrange for them to go to the second floor. As he was about to leave, he suddenly saw Crystal sitting inattentively in the rest area.
He immediately noticed her unsettled state.
Her eyes were vacant, listless, and empty. The liveliness, spirit, and smile from earlier had all vanished, and she seemed like a different person compared to just two hours ago.
?
Was it because of her injuries, or was it...
A light seemed to flash through his mind as Camilo recalled several encounters with Crystal, where she often appeared uneasy. No matter how bright her smile, genuine joy rarely shone through, embodying "putting on a brave face" thoroughly.
At the time, he thought she was pretending in front of him...
Remembering Crystal’s wartime experiences, a "snap" suddenly cut through Camilo’s nerves, and his eyes darkened.
The assistant approached carefully, asking Camilo, "Boss Nogueira, Boss Dubois and the others have arrived. Are you going upstairs?"
"Let them start eating; I have something to do."
After Camilo finished speaking, he walked straight towards Crystal.
*
Crystal wasn’t sure when she snapped out of it. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, repeating this several times. Then, she instinctively turned her head and called out "Andrew," but the next second, Andrew, who had seemed to be playing nearby, was suddenly nowhere to be seen.
The gap in her heart widened instantly, and Crystal, unable to think much, jumped up suddenly, scanning her surroundings quickly but unable to spot Andrew’s small figure in her view.
"Andrew?!"
Crystal raised her voice, a hint of panic in her tone, and turned swiftly to look for him.
However, in her haste, she first bumped her knee against a chair, then staggered and crashed into someone’s chest.
The other person had strong, firm hands that supported her, their warm, dry palms resting on her arm, slightly hot to the touch. She instinctively apologized, trying to pull away, but was held firmly.
"What’s wrong?"
Camilo’s calm and steady voice descended, somehow easing Crystal’s tension a bit.
She looked up, her gaze meeting Camilo’s face, and froze for a moment.
Then, she attempted to open her mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
The more anxious she got, the less she could speak.
"Mommy!"
Suddenly, a young, bright voice reached her ears, the heart that had been hanging high suddenly settled. Crystal turned and saw Andrew holding up a model souvenir, jogging over.
As he got closer, he immediately grabbed Crystal’s hand and then raised his head, looking somewhat defensively at Camilo. He still addressed him, "Uncle Camilo."
Despite having a good impression of Camilo, upon seeing Crystal’s anxious face and her close proximity to Camilo, Andrew subconsciously felt that Crystal was being bullied by Camilo.
In that instant, a bit of hostility arose, and after his call, he forcibly wedged himself between them, separating the two.
"Andrew, where did you go?"
Placing her hands on Andrew, Crystal squatted down, anxiously inquiring.
"I went to play a game and won a prize." Andrew blinked, holding up the souvenir, then added softly, "Mommy, I told you, and you agreed."
He was typically well-behaved, and elders repeatedly taught him not to wander off, so he would always inform the adults before acting.
He was sure he had told his mom clearly, and she had nodded in response at the time.
How come... Mommy seemed unaware of this? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Andrew felt a bit confused and slightly worried due to Crystal’s unusual behavior, furrowing his brows gently.
"Really?" Crystal took a few seconds to respond; she couldn’t recall such a moment in her mind. But after a glance at Camilo, she quickly adjusted her emotions, smiling warmly, "Mommy was lost in thought and probably didn’t hear."
"Mommy, don’t worry. There are cameras everywhere here." Andrew reassured her, grabbing one of Crystal’s hands and then placing the souvenir in it, "Here. We got a prize, so Mommy shouldn’t be introverted anymore."
"Okay."
Looking at the prize in her hand, a wave of bitter sentiment washed over her. Crystal nodded, not daring to say much.
Witnessing this scene, Camilo was lost in thought. After contemplating for a moment, he asked, "Care to join for lunch?"
"No, thanks." Crystal stood up, pulling Andrew behind her, "I promised to take him for lunch outside."
After pondering for a while,
Camilo didn’t insist. His deep eyes moved slightly as he quietly watched Crystal and said in a soft voice, "I’ll come find you tomorrow. There’s something I need to discuss with you."
