Chapter 596:

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Kris turned to her, narrowing his eyes. “You don’t seem surprised.”

Thalassa shrugged.

Kris’s jaw dropped. “Lassa. You knew?”

She gave him an innocent look. “I had my suspicions.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I wanted them to figure things out on their own,” Thalassa said simply. “And from the look of things, that’s exactly what they did.”

Kris blew out a breath and ran a hand over his face. His gaze shifted to Gendry, his expression suddenly turning serious. “Alright, then. I know you’re a good young man, Gendry. But now I need to ask: what are your intentions with my daughter?”

“Dad!” Tessa let out a groan. Thalassa and Luisa shot Kris a glare.

“What?” Kris said, raising his hands defensively. “It’s my duty to make sure my daughter is protected.”

Ne𝘄 w𝗲𝗲𝘬𝗹𝘺 с𝗁a𝘱𝗍е𝗋s 𝘰n 𝘨а𝘭𝘯𝘰𝗏е𝘭𝘀.𝘤оm

Gendry didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he seemed prepared for this. He turned to Tessa, took her hand, and kissed the back of it before looking Kris in the eye.

“There’s no need to worry, Kris,” he said with quiet confidence. “I already asked Tessa to marry me. And she said yes.”

There were a few seconds of silence. Then the room erupted into cheers.

Maya and Jace practically leaped out of their seats, rushing to hug Tessa and Gendry. Luisa and Alden clapped, while Thalassa covered her mouth, her eyes shining with emotion. Rita and Emma squealed in excitement, and even Kris seemed momentarily stunned before shaking his head in disbelief.

Tessa felt overwhelmed by all the love surrounding her, warmth spreading through her chest. But then she looked across the room toward Alex.

Unlike the others, her brother was still sitting, his expression unreadable.

Her heart squeezed. “Alex?” she asked hesitantly, reaching out a hand. “Aren’t you going to congratulate me too?”

Everyone quieted, turning their gazes on Alex.

Alex let out a slow breath before standing. Then a small smile tugged at his lips. “Of course I’m going to congratulate you,” he said as he walked over. “I mean… I’m going to be an uncle soon. God!”

Relief flooded Tessa as Alex pulled her into a hug. “Congratulations, Tess,” he murmured against her hair. “On your pregnancy, and your engagement.”

“Thank you,” Tessa whispered.

Alex pulled back and turned to Gendry. His expression was serious at first, but then he gave a nod. “Congratulations,” he said. “I know you’re going to make my sister happy.”

Gendry nodded back. “That’s the plan.”

Alex let out a dry chuckle. He hesitated, then exhaled. “Listen, I… I can’t express how sorry I am for what I did years ago. On prom night. If it wasn’t for me, maybe you two would’ve found this happiness sooner.”

Gendry was already shaking his head before Alex could finish. “Or maybe that happiness wasn’t meant for us back then,” he countered. “Maybe we needed everything that happened to bring us to where we are now. It’s made us more sure of each other than ever. And for that, I actually want to thank you.”

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