My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69 Hearts And Alliances

Chapter 69 Hearts And Alliances

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Callum’s only impression of Fiona was her quiet integrity–she never clamored for praise, never angled for acclaim, and that alone stirred a respectful warmth inside him.

He slipped a silver–white hairpin from the sleeve of his robe. “Ms. Fiona, I had no idea what you might truly fancy,” he said, voice pitched low so the nearby chatter would not swallow the words. “Yet the moment I saw this, I imagined it in your hair and could not leave it behind. Let it stand as my thanks for what you did carlier.”

The ornament itself was arresting: a blossom wrought from pale, moonlit metal that was not quite silver. At its heart lay the faintest dusting of gold, the petals rimmed in flecks of midnight–blue gemstone that gleamed whenever the light tilted. It was less a trinket than a fragment of starlight coaxed into bloom.

Gifting any keepsake to a lady was new territory for Callum. The knowledge prickled beneath his collar–equal parts anticipation and shy alarm–yet he offered it all the same, hoping the nerves in his throat did not betray him.

Fiona, accustomed to rare treasures, recognized the considerable expense at a glance. More importantly, she understood too well how a man’s gift to a woman could echo with unspoken promises.

A soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she bowed her head. “Your kindness reaches me. Mr. Callum, and I’m grateful. But this is too fine. I could not, in good conscience, accept it.”

Naomi’s heart fizzed with envy. Her second brother had never been so painstaking–choosing a hairpin this exquisite must have taken both coin and careful hours she had never been on the receiving end of

do like,

Callum hesitated only a breath. Realizing he was pressing her into awkwardness, he closed the small box with a decisive snap and secreted it away once more. “Then tell me what Fiona, so I may be better prepared next time.”

“If someday, I find myself in trouble and chance places you close enough to lend a hand, help me–that will be gift enough,” she answered after a thoughtful pause, choosing something practical over anything that might glitter.

“That is easily promised, Callum said, agreement brisk and unforced.

There was no need to race forward, relationships worth keeping, he believed, grew best at an unhurried pace.

Fiona found herself smiling at his simple candor. Time spent with Callum felt easy, the air

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Chapter 69 Hearts And Alliances

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around him unknotted and clear–so unlike the other man whose thoughts twisted through labyrinths and whose distance left her forever guessing.

For a few more minutes, they traded gentle pleasantries that drifted no deeper than the weather, the music in the garden, a passing compliment on the lanterns overhead.

Callum refrained from broaching the prospect of betrothal, and Fiona, in turn, kept her own position carefully veiled. When the day came that he voiced the question outright, she would answer–but not a moment sooner.

Soon enough, she conjured a polite excuse and rose..

Callum watched her go, reluctance shadowing his face, but he knew lingering would invite speculation from the dozens of eyes swirling through the estate’s celebration, so he merely inclined his head in farewell.

She knew the corridors and courtyards of the Zonfrillo Estate as though she had drawn them herself. To avoid weaving through the crowded pavilion–and to keep anyone from noticing she had been alone with Callum–she circled behind a rockery draped in late–blooming

wisteria.

She did not, however, expect to find Soren already stationed there, half veiled by the sculpted

stone.

From that vantage, he had a clear sightline to the corner where she had spoken with Callum and Naomi only moments ago.

“Lord Soren,” she greeted, voice dropped to a respectful hush.

“Play one round of chess with me,” Soren said, a single glance conveying both invitation and command.

Today’s gathering is thick with watchful eyes,” she reminded him, the caution gentle yet firm.

His reply came cool and swift. “You spent quite some time conversing with my brother despite those same eyes–did that not concern you?”

Most days it is you, she thought, who insists on keeping distances pristine. Yet now you wield the crowd as

an argument.

She had never enjoyed quibbling over trilles, and if Soren chose this particular moment to invite her, he had surely ensured they would remain unnoticed. That was reason enough to oblige him.

“Very well,” she said at last, lips curving in assent. “I shall be honored to learn from

oru from you,

Lord

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Chapter 69 Hearts And Alliances

Soren.”

The chessboard lay between them, its twenty–five lines crossing like rivers under moonlight. Every black and white piece seemed to weigh an entire hour, a trial of nerves and patience the game demanded without mercy.

Fiona drew on memories from the life she had already lived once, rehearsing the familiar sequences she had played with him back then.

Yet she had never studied the game the way she had poured herself into mounted archery. It had been nothing more than an excuse to remain by his side a little longer.

Soren answered her measured opening with a stone that clicked onto the board almost instantly, confident, unhurried.

At first she managed to parry each move, but the rhythm soon quickened. Within a handful of turns her breathing grew shallow, every reply arriving a heartbeat later than his.

Fiona halted, elbows resting lightly on the low table, and studied the battlefield of black and white. The pattern unfolding there was hauntingly familiar, so familiar that a chill rose along her spine.

She forced a courteous smile and inclined her head. “Lord Soren, your mastery is far beyond mine. I concede.”

Had he realized those sequences were, in fact, his own, the suspicion that forever coiled inside him would have struck like a snake.

Better to surrender early than invite questions. Cooperation dies the moment doubt takes root.

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