Chapter 95: When the Pieces Fall Into Place

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: When the Pieces Fall Into Place

~ Third-POV~

The muffled chatter in the parlor faded into a dull hum as Reynold sat frozen on the velvet sofa. He barely registered the laughter of Frederick’s grandparents, Freya’s comments, or Lily’s excited squeals coming through the phone speaker.

Alden and Frederick were cousins.

The realization kept repeating in his head, bringing a flood of unsettling questions with it.

Did Frederick tell Alden to approach me on campus? Was he using his own cousin to keep tabs on me? Had they planned everything together from the beginning? Were they playing games with me?

Every possibility seemed plausible, and each one left him more confused than before. The harder he tried to make sense of everything, the more tangled his thoughts became.

Finally, unable to sit there any longer, Reynold turned toward the family.

"Please," he said, his voice quiet and polite but strained. "I need to use the restroom."

Frederick, who had been watching the confusion on Reynold’s face ever since Alden walked in, stood up immediately.

"Come on. Let me take you."

Reynold excused himself with a stiff nod before accepting Frederick’s outstretched hand. Together, they left the parlor and climbed the sweeping staircase in silence.

Frederick led him down a quiet hallway and stopped in front of a guest bedroom. He opened the door, and they stepped inside.

Reynold walked a few paces into the room before stopping in the middle of the hardwood floor. Frederick waited for him to speak, expecting him to demand answers or explain what was troubling him. Instead, Reynold remained silent, staring at the floor and refusing to meet his eyes.

Frederick approached him and gently cupped his chin, guiding his face back toward him.

Reynold slowly lifted his eyes to meet Frederick’s dark, solemn gaze.

"Why are you so quiet?" Frederick asked softly. "Why aren’t you asking the questions burning in your mind?"

Reynold held his gaze, his voice tight with frustration. "Why don’t you just answer them? You already know what’s on my mind."

Frederick studied his face for a moment.

"Before I answer, tell me something. Are you angry?"

"Right now, I’m not angry. I’m confused." Reynold’s voice grew louder as the questions he’d been holding back finally spilled out. "If you knew Alden, why were you so hard on me? Why did you talk to me like I was trash that night when you knew he was your cousin?"

His eyes searched Frederick’s face, his confusion giving way to hurt and suspicion.

"Was this your plan all along? Are you playing games with me, or do you really think I’m that stupid?"

As the words left his mouth, Reynold’s entire body began to tremble. He was struggling to contain his hurt and anger, and the effort was becoming too much for him.

Seeing him tremble, Frederick’s expression softened, worry flashing in his eyes.

"No, sweetheart. I’m sorry. Please, try to calm down. Let’s sit and talk about this properly."

"I’m trying to calm down!" Reynold snapped, biting his lip as his eyes grew glassy. "I just need you to explain!"

"I would never play games with you, Reynold. Never," Frederick assured him earnestly. "Come on, let’s sit down first."

He gently took Reynold’s trembling hand and led him to the edge of the large bed. They sat down side by side, Frederick maintaining a steady, reassuring hold on his hand.

"First of all, I want you to know that I had no idea any of this was happening when it first started," Frederick began, his expression serious. "And most importantly, I’m deeply sorry I didn’t tell you after I found out."

Reynold lowered his gaze to their joined hands, swallowing hard.

"I believe you. So explain it to me."

Frederick took a quiet breath.

"Remember the last time you came over to my place and met Lily? She took an instant liking to you and wanted your contact information. I refused to give it to her because Lily can’t keep a secret to save her life. I was afraid she’d end up telling you that I liked you before you even had a chance to figure out your own feelings for me. That’s why I refused to give her your details."

He paused, gently stroking the back of Reynold’s hand with his thumb.

"Remember how Lily suddenly left for my grandparents’ estate to spend the night before you left my place? Even though she initially threw a tantrum because she didn’t want to go, she eventually agreed to go because of you. She wanted to see Alden and ask him to look after you."

Reynold blinked, his brow furrowing. "How did she even know which university I attend?"

"I told her," Frederick admitted with a faint, apologetic sigh. "She put two and two together and realized you and Alden attended the same university. When she brought you up to him, Alden told her he already knew who you were. He said you were his junior and that you always greeted him politely whenever you saw him around campus."

Frederick paused briefly before continuing.

"Lily took it upon herself to arrange everything. She coached Alden on what to say when he approached you that day. And because you trusted what he told you, it made it easier for him to get close to you."

Reynold stared at him, his breath catching as the pieces slowly fell into place.

"I had no idea any of this was happening," Frederick continued, his voice growing quieter with regret. "I only found out later, when Alden started coming around to pick you up. And that night we argued... when I woke up in the middle of the night, found you missing from beside me, and saw you outside talking to him in the dark..."

Frederick shook his head, his expression clouded with regret.

"I didn’t care who he was. I was so blinded by anger and jealousy that I couldn’t think clearly. The fact that Alden was younger only made things worse. I started wondering if you preferred someone your own age. I thought you might consider me too old for you."

He paused before continuing.

"I reacted out of pure jealousy, just as I would have if Alden had been a complete stranger. I’m truly sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I meant to tell you that Alden was my cousin, but with everything happening between us, it honestly slipped my mind."

Reynold sat quietly, absorbing every word. His gaze remained fixed on Frederick’s face as he tried to make sense of everything.

"And trust me," Frederick added softly, "Lily didn’t mean any harm. She just wanted you to have someone at school who could look out for you. I gave her a stern talking-to when I found out what she’d done, but I know her heart was in the right place." He gently squeezed Reynold’s hand. "I’m really sorry, sweetheart."

Reynold thought about everything Frederick had told him before letting out a quiet sigh. The knot of suspicion in his stomach began to loosen, but he was still hurt by the fact that Frederick had kept the truth from him.

"You still should have told me," he muttered, looking away. "Then I wouldn’t have been so surprised and confused when Alden walked into the room."

"I know. I’m sorry, sweetheart." Frederick leaned closer, searching his face. "Will you forgive me?"

Reynold pulled his head back with a firm huff.

"No. I won’t forgive you that easily."

Frederick raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You won’t?"

"No," Reynold insisted, crossing his arms over his chest. "You had plenty of chances to tell me. Even during the drive here, when we were talking about your family, you could have told me about Alden, but you kept it to yourself. And besides..." He turned to give Frederick a displeased look. "You insulted me that night because of him!"

Frederick looked at him, affection filling his dark eyes as he watched Reynold struggle to maintain his anger.

"All right, then. What’s my punishment going to be?"

Reynold opened his mouth, ready to come up with something suitably harsh, but stopped himself. He tapped his chin and thought for a long moment before his shoulders slumped.

"I... I don’t know. I can’t think of one right now."

Frederick couldn’t help laughing softly.

"You’re too soft, sweetheart. Just admit you don’t know how to punish me."

Reynold pouted harder and turned his back on him with a dramatic huff.

"You still should have told me earlier. I don’t care how big, handsome, or charming you are. I’ll punish you as soon as I think of something!"

"I’m sorry," Frederick murmured, slipping his arms around Reynold’s waist and gently pulling him back against his chest.

"Hmph! No. I’m still not forgiving you," Reynold declared.

Despite his words, Reynold made no effort to push Frederick away. Instead, he settled against Frederick’s warmth, allowing himself to relax in his embrace as the last remnants of his anxiety drained away.

Frederick rested his chin on Reynold’s shoulder, a low rumble of amusement in his chest. "All right, I’ll gladly accept your punishment whenever you think of one. How about that?"

Reynold tilted his head, a small, triumphant smile breaking through his pout. "That’s perfect."

Frederick looked at him, his dark eyes softening with affection. "Kiss me."

Reynold immediately shook his head, wrapping his arms tightly around Frederick’s torso and holding him in a hug while turning his face away. "Never," he declared, his voice muffled against Frederick’s shoulder. "I won’t kiss you. That’s your first punishment."

"You won’t kiss me, right?" Frederick asked, an amused glint flickering in his eyes.

Reynold nodded firmly against his chest. "Yes."

"We’ll see about that," Frederick murmured.

He leaned down...