They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System

Chapter 487: It’s Gotten Worse Than Usual

He has a study here? she thought, raising an eyebrow. How much time does he spend in this place?

The moment she stepped inside, it all made sense.

The room had Somto’s essence woven into every corner. The lighting was warm but precise, casting no shadows where they weren’t needed. fre ewebnove l.com

Sleek, dark wood shelves lined the walls, stacked with neatly arranged books, military strategy, politics, ancient philosophy, and even a few on art and music. f\r(e)ewe.b no\vel.com

A long window let in a soft golden light that seemed to stretch over a polished desk scattered with papers, quills, and a single mechanical timepiece ticking quietly in rhythm.

No clutter. No chaos.

Everything had its place, just like Somto himself.

Yet the atmosphere wasn’t cold. It was calm. Controlled. Grounded.

Just like him.

Nnenna sat on the visitor’s couch without waiting for an invitation, and before she knew it, she began to talk. Really talk.

She poured out everything like a little girl reporting to her favorite teacher, her words tumbling one after the other in a stream of excitement, frustration, curiosity, and pride.

Somto listened.

He said a few things here and there, brief comments that guided her thoughts or acknowledged a point. But mostly, he just sat there, leaning slightly forward, those sharp eyes of his focused completely on her.

What Nnenna didn’t know was that Somto already knew most of what she was telling him. His people kept him updated in near real time.

If one of his subordinates saw him now, sitting quietly for this long, letting someone repeat things he had already read detailed reports about, they would’ve been stunned.

But for Somto, it didn’t matter how many times he had heard it. Hearing it from her was different.

And not once did he look impatient.

Not once did he cut her off.

And not once did he let her feel anything less than important.

"I didn’t even notice when Arthur walked in," Nnenna began, her voice softer now. "And then I saw Ava behind him... I think she was the one who called him over. That moment, it made me feel warm. Like maybe... just maybe... he didn’t totally hate me. But i didn’t want anyone to know i knew him. Haha"

She let out a breath and looked down at her hands. "You know, I’ve always sensed that he didn’t like me much, even though I have no idea why. But recently, things had started to feel... less bad. So when he walked into the VC’s office that day, I honestly didn’t expect that level of coldness on my behalf. I didn’t think his coldness could get any worse until a few months ago..."

Her words trailed off.

Somto’s gaze narrowed slightly. He was paying close attention, not just to her words, but to what she wasn’t saying.

Then she went silent.

"...What happened when Arthur walked in?" he asked gently, sensing that her mind had drifted to something deeper.

Nnenna blinked, her thoughts snapping back. But her expression had dimmed, her earlier excitement dulled by a creeping insecurity. Then she asked quietly:

"Do you think I talk too much?"

The question caught Somto off guard.

He tilted his head slightly, brows drawing together in surprise. "You talk too much?" he echoed, as if the idea was utterly foreign to him. "Not at all. You talk too little, if anything. I wish you would talk more."

His tone softened even more. "I love listening to your voice."

Nnenna gave a small smile, genuine, but faint. She believed him. Somto never lied to her, and she knew that. But despite his words, the heaviness in her heart didn’t lift all the way.

Not completely.

"What’s wrong?" Somto asked, his relaxed posture vanishing as he sat up straighter. Concern was etched into every line of his face, his brows pulled together, his lips slightly parted as though ready to catch whatever fragile truth might fall from her lips.

His usually calm eyes now carried a flicker of worry, and his voice was gentle, urging, like he didn’t want to pressure her but couldn’t stop himself from caring.

Nnenna blinked and snapped out of her thoughts as soon as she saw his expression. That look... it always brought her back.

"Nothing..." she started, but her voice lacked conviction. "It’s just... Arthur."

Somto’s eyes narrowed slightly, alert now.

"For the past few months, he’s been... closed off."

"Closed off?" Somto repeated with a faint frown. "Arthur? That’s normal for him. I thought you already knew that."

"No, no." Nnenna shook her head slowly, her brows furrowed as she tried to explain something even she didn’t quite understand. "It’s gotten worse than usual."

"Worse how?" Somto leaned forward, his curiosity piqued now. There was a quiet intensity in his gaze that made it clear, he wasn’t just asking out of politeness. He genuinely wanted to understand.

Nnenna hesitated, searching for the right words. But none came.

"I’m... not sure," she finally said, her voice low. "It’s like... there’s this wall. Thicker than before. And I don’t know if I caused it, or if something else did, or... if it’s just him changing."

She looked down at her hands again, frustrated that her heart seemed to sense more than her mind could explain.

Somto remained quiet, his eyes lingering on her before he leaned back slightly, processing her words. The air between them grew still, heavy with questions neither of them knew how to answer yet. noveldrama

He frowned slightly, his mind sifting through his recent interactions with Arthur since he returned. Everything had seemed... normal.

Arthur spoke to him the same way he always did, formal, direct, and respectful with that subtle hint of brotherhood they both understood but rarely expressed out loud.

But when he thought about Arthur’s behavior toward Nnenna, something didn’t sit right.

Before he left, Arthur had slowly begun to open up around her, nothing dramatic, but the distance he usually kept from others had started to shrink, even if just a little.