Page 34 of Destiny Redeemed

We would be walking since I refused to use a carriage.

As we walked down the cobblestone streets, I couldn’t help but steal glances at Lennox’s stoic profile. The man was as expressive as a brick wall and just about as talkative. The silence stretched between us, thick and awkward—at least for me. Lennox seemed perfectly content to march along without uttering a single word.

I remembered how terrifying he’d been in my previous life, chasing me down when I tried to escape after everything wasrevealed. Even before that, the few times we’d crossed paths, he’d always glowered at me like I was something unpleasant he’d stepped on. Now, though? He didn’t seem to hate me anymore, but he certainly wasn’t warming up to me either.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “So, Lennox,” I drawled, “got anything you’d like to say?”

“No,” he replied curtly.

I smirked. “Well, you just did.”

He remained silent, his face impassive.

“Alright, how about this—I’ll ask questions, and you can answer with a simple yes or no. Sound good?”

When he didn’t reply, I took his silence as agreement. “What do you know about the gold smuggling and Magnus case?”

“No,” Lennox said flatly.

I peered at him, choosing my words carefully. “No as in you don’t know, or no as in you’re not allowed to tell me?”

He nodded at the latter, and I sighed dramatically. “Well, I suppose I’ll have to ask His Royal Goldiness myself.”

To my utter shock, Lennox snorted. I whirled around, eyes wide. “And he smiles!”

Lennox’s face quickly returned to its usual blank expression, but it was too late. I’d seen it, and I wasn’t about to let him live it down.

“You like the name, don’t you?” I pressed, grinning. “No use hiding it now. I saw that smile.”

Finally, Lennox relented, speaking slowly. “Well, everything about Prince Anderic is very… golden.”

I chuckled, savoring this rare moment of camaraderie, almost forgetting his terrifying look from my past. As we neared my apartment, a nagging question bubbled up. I couldn’t help but ask. “Lennox, do you hate me?”

He stopped abruptly, fixing me with an unreadable stare. “Why would you think that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Every time we met before, you used to glare at me like I’d insulted your mother.”

“I don’t have a mother.”

Shit. “I- I didn’t mean it like that.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Don’t worry, she’s not dead. She divorced my father to be with her lover.”

I looked at him. He looked at me. I didn’t even know how to react.

Lennox resumed walking, his stride measured. “Yes, I used to hate you.”

“But now?”

“Now I don’t,” he replied simply.

“But you don’t like me either, do you?” I pressed.

He shrugged. “There’s nothing to like about you.”

I wanted to dig deeper, to understand what had changed, but we’d reached my apartment. Lennox stopped, nodding towards the door. “There. I’ll take my leave.”

As I watched him stride away, his words echoed in my mind. Nothing to like about me? Well, that was certainly debatable. But more importantly, there was no imminent threat from him.