Chapter 151: Don’t Expect Me to Chase You

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Don’t Expect Me to Chase You

~Third- POV~

Before either of them could speak, a firm knock sounded at their bedroom door.

"Good morning, sir," the head maid called from outside. "A package from Miss Eva has just been delivered for you."

Frederick frowned. He set his phone down, slipped out of bed, and walked over to open the door. The maid handed him a large, formal leather folder.

"Who brought this?" Frederick asked, his tone guarded.

"Miss Eva’s personal manager dropped it off at the main gate, sir," she replied respectfully.

"Alright. Thank you."

Frederick closed the door and looked down at the folder in his hands.

I thought she said she would have her manager send these documents to my office. Why have they been delivered here instead? What could be so important that she couldn’t wait?

He walked toward the large bay windows overlooking the estate grounds. Reynold climbed out of bed and followed him, settling beside him on the window lounge.

Frederick opened the folder. Inside was a collection of legal deeds, property transfer documents, stock ownership certificates, and contract release forms. They represented every asset, luxury property, and investment opportunity he had ever given Eva or secured for her throughout their years together.

On top of the documents lay a sleek black credit card and a handwritten note.

Frederick picked up the note. The handwriting was unmistakably Eva’s.

Frederick,

Thank you for everything you did for me over the years. I know I’ve made mistakes I can never take back, and I’m truly sorry for how I treated you, and for walking out when Lily was only five months old.

I’ve returned everything you ever gave me: the properties, the investments, all of it. I’ve also withdrawn from every business arrangement tied to you. I don’t know if it will make any difference, but I would rather let go of everything than keep holding on to things that came from you.

I can’t undo the past, and I don’t expect you to forgive me. But there is one thing I want to ask. Would you allow me to meet my daughter? I’m not asking to take her away from you or interfere with the life you’ve built with her. I only want the chance to see her, even if it’s just once. Perhaps, with time, I could begin to make up for the years I’ve missed. I know I don’t deserve to ask, but she’s still my daughter, and I would be grateful for that chance.

Please think about it.

Eva

As Frederick read the final words, his jaw tightened. An unfamiliar heaviness settled in his chest.

I never asked you to return any of this, he thought, his emotions a mixture of disbelief and unease.

After a moment, he closed the folder and looked over at Reynold. "We should freshen up and go downstairs for breakfast."

Reynold stared at him for a moment, searching for any reaction to what he’d just read. But Frederick was so composed, so unreadable, that Reynold couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

"Okay, Daddy," he replied.

They both rose from the window lounge and were about to head towards the bathroom when Frederick spoke.

"Oh, sweetheart. After breakfast, I’ll be going out for a bit, but I’ll be back early," he added.

Reynold frowned slightly. "Are you saying I’m not coming with you?"

"That’s right, sweetheart. But don’t worry. I won’t be long."

"Where are you going?" Reynold asked.

Frederick had no reason to hide it. "I’m going to return this folder to Eva. I don’t need any of these things, and I never asked her to give them back."

"Then send a courier or one of your assistants to return it to her," Reynold said immediately, his tone sharpening.

"No." Frederick’s answer was firm. "I need to meet her in person and have a proper conversation with her."

Reynold let out a dry, skeptical laugh. "She literally said last night that she had an early morning flight today. She’s probably already at the airport."

"I heard what she said," Frederick replied. "But I know Eva. She won’t leave just yet. She’ll be waiting at her house for my response."

Reynold scoffed, his expression twisting in disbelief. "So you’re going straight to her house?"

"Yes." Frederick stepped closer and reached for Reynold’s arm. "So let’s get ready for the—"

Reynold abruptly shoved his hand away.

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" he snapped, his voice rising. "You want to go and meet your ex alone at her house, and you’re acting like that’s completely normal?"

Frederick exhaled heavily, trying to maintain his patience. "Reynold, there are serious things we need to discuss concerning our past and my daughter. It’s strictly business."

"Then I’m coming with you," Reynold insisted, stepping closer.

"No." Frederick’s tone grew stern. "I want to go alone. I’ll be back before you even realize I’m gone."

"I said I want to come with you!" Reynold repeated, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"No, sweetheart —"

"I WANT TO COME WITH YOU!" Reynold shouted, his voice echoing through the master suite. "And if you don’t let me come, I’ll pack my things and go straight back to campus right now!"

"I WANT TO COME WITH YOU!" Reynold shouted, his voice echoing through the master suite. "And if you don’t let me come, I’ll pack my things and go straight back to campus right now!"

That was it. Frederick’s patience snapped. Between the exhaustion from their journey, Eva’s unexpected interview, and Reynold’s sudden outburst, he had reached his limit. His expression hardened, and his eyes turned cold.

"THEN GO BACK TO CAMPUS!" Frederick shouted. "I ALREADY TOLD YOU TO GO BACK THERE YESTERDAY!"

The bedroom fell silent. Neither of them moved. The air between them was thick with anger and disbelief.

For a moment, Reynold simply stared at Frederick, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Tears of shock and hurt welled up in his eyes. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

"You shouted at me?" Reynold whispered, his voice trembling before his anger surged right back to the surface. "You’re chasing me away... because of Eva?!"

"Reynold, stop. You’re doing too much. I’m trying my best with you," Frederick said, his voice strained with frustration.

Reynold stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you saying I’m difficult? Is that why you want to choose her over me and chase me away?" he demanded, his voice breaking with hurt.

Frederick tightened his grip on the leather folder, his jaw clenched as he looked down at his fiancé. A part of him regretted losing his temper at once, but the strain of everything that had happened had pushed him past his limit.

"I am not chasing you away because of her, Reynold," Frederick said, trying to regain control of his voice, though his tone remained stern. "I’m telling you that I’m an adult handling a serious matter involving my daughter and my past. I asked for a few hours to handle this privately, and your immediate response was to threaten to pack your bags."

"Because you’re running off to her house!" Reynold yelled, wiping a tear from his cheek with the back of his hand. "She sat in this very estate last night trying to get your attention! She publicly apologized to me on national television, and the moment she sends you a little heartbroken note and returns everything you ever gave her, you’re ready to drop everything and go straight to her house?!"

"It’s not about her! It’s a private discussion!" Frederick snapped, his patience wearing thin again. "She returned legal deeds, stock certificates, and contracts tied to my name! She’s asking to meet my daughter, a child she abandoned seventeen years ago! Do you honestly think this is about romance, Reynold? Do you have so little faith in me after everything I told you on that plane?"

"Then why can’t I come?!" Reynold shouted, taking an angry step closer. His eyes were fixed on Frederick’s. "If it’s just business, if it’s just about your daughter, why are you keeping me away? I’m your fiancé, Frederick! I wear your ring! If you walk out of that door alone to visit your ex after shouting at me, don’t expect me to be here when you come back!"

Frederick stared at him, his dark eyes narrowing. The ultimatum hung between them, leaving neither willing to back down.

"Is that a threat?" Frederick asked, his voice dropping.

"It’s a fact," Reynold snapped, his chin held high even as his voice cracked with emotion. "Choose right now, Frederick. Either we handle your past together as a team, or I walk out that door."

"You don’t get to give me ultimatums in my own home," Frederick replied, his voice dropping to an icy tone. "If that’s how you want to handle this, then I won’t waste another second arguing with someone who refuses to trust me. So, Reynold, if you leave this house before I return, don’t expect me to come chasing after you. You won’t see me again until you’ve grown up enough to understand the situation."

With that, Frederick turned and walked towards the bathroom, leaving Reynold standing alone in the master bedroom. He closed the door firmly behind him.

Reynold stood frozen, staring at the closed bathroom door. His chest heaved, and tears of anger and shock spilled down his flushed cheeks. He had tried to make Frederick see that they were supposed to face things together, but Frederick had shut him down and turned his ultimatum back on him.

Don’t expect me to come chasing after you...

The words kept replaying in his mind.