Chapter 65: I’M NOT DISCUSSING THIS

Stefan listened intently to Xina’s words, trying to maintain his composure, but the calmness in her voice unnerved him. She wasn’t merely retaliating against Gaia’s earlier remarks; there was a brutal honesty in the way she spoke that left a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that her words carried more weight than simple spite. She had implied something far deeper: that everything about his life, his choices, and his relationship with Gaia was conditional, tied to the web of family politics and wealth. It made him question himself in a way that unsettled him. He knew he was with Gaia because they were both heirs to their respective family empires, a perfect arrangement by society’s standards. But what if he wasn’t? What if his younger brother, Edward, managed to outmaneuver him? Edward had always had a knack for business, was sharper, more calculated. Stefan had the family legacy on his side, the firstborn tradition that automatically entitled him to t