The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 257 I invited him to travel.

Megan slowly drifted off again, until she felt the firm warmth of a chest against her back and a hand resting gently on her belly. Something damp brushed against her cheek.

She opened her eyes and turned her head slightly. "You’re back?"

Tristan responded in a low voice, "Did I wake you?"

"It’s fine, I was already awake." Megan sat up, giving him a quick once-over. "Did you get hurt?"

Tristan casually unfastened his pajama buttons, one by one. "Why don’t you check for yourself?"

Megan reached out, her fingertips grazing over his toned muscles. "You’ve lost a bit of weight, haven’t you?"

Her hand trailed lower, down his abs. "Wonder if the rest of you got skinnier too."

Tristan chuckled softly, "Wanna find out?"

He sat up looking at the woman in front of him—the one he’d longed for over the years, the one he wanted to protect forever.

He gently touched her face, his fingers brushing past her eyes and brows. "You’re beautiful. Like a crescent moon in the sky."

Megan couldn’t see her own eyes, so she leaned in to get a glimpse of her reflection in his dark, obsidian-like eyes.

She didn’t catch what her eyes looked like, but she did see something hidden in his gaze—a flicker of sorrow.

"What’s on your mind?" Megan frowned just a little. "I feel like lately you’ve been..."

Before she could finish, a heated kiss claimed her lips. He didn’t even close his eyes; he was staring at her the entire time.

Megan was momentarily paralyzed. His gaze held a storm—deep, chaotic. His scorching body pressed against hers, blurring her thoughts, pulling her along until she closed her eyes and let him lead.

Their bodies moved in sync, his touches carefully avoiding her slightly rounded belly. In the end, they were both swept into a cloud of soft haze.

As she watched him sleep, his features calm and flawless, Megan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was weighing on his mind.

She gently kissed his cheek, then got up and made her way to the bathroom.

What she didn’t see, though, was a small bean-sized object darting under Tristan’s skin, right near his chest.

After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Megan stepped out and headed to the third floor to Nicole’s room.

Just like she’d guessed, Michelle was there, sitting by the bed, feeding Nicole porridge. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Hey, Megan’s here," Michelle said with a bright smile. "You keep calling me your sister-in-law—I’m honestly flattered. Jason and I aren’t even married yet."

"Well, it’s only a matter of time, right? I figured if I start calling you that now, it’ll make Jason happy too." Megan sat down on the couch, leaning comfortably against the cushions. "This is Nicole, a friend of Tristan’s."

Michelle nodded. "I heard from the maids early this morning that someone new was in the house. And if Tristan brings someone here, well, she must be someone special. I didn’t expect she was this badly hurt though—those marks on her neck look serious."

Megan nearly laughed out loud. Saying "not just a normal friend" like that—Michelle could twist words like a pro.

But Megan didn’t let her mood be affected.

After all, Michelle had an agenda. She was clearly hoping for the worst—for Megan to lose the baby, even.Megan nodded. "Nicole’s a close friend of mine, and by that, she’s also a friend of Tristan’s. Her injuries were serious, so I was the one who insisted on bringing her back to the Lewis house. Since you live on the same floor, you should spend more time with her. I think you two could really hit it off."

She stood up. "Tristan should be awake by now. I’ll go bring him some food."

The moment Megan left, Michelle placed the empty porridge bowl on the nightstand and gently held Nicole’s hand. "You know, Tristan’s never shown any real interest in women. Apart from Megan, you’re the first."

Nicole gave a quiet cough. "If it weren’t for Megan and Mr. Reid, I’d probably be dead already."

Michelle lightly ran a finger across Nicole’s cheek. "With a stunning face like yours, who could bear to let you go? Get some rest. I’ll check in on you later."

She turned away with a small, sly grin tugging at her lips.

Nicole stared at her back, eyes cold. She knew exactly what Michelle was implying — that Tristan had feelings for her and maybe she should challenge Megan for the title of Mrs. Reid.

Every word was meant to stir up a woman’s possessiveness. But Nicole had seen too much in her life to fall for it, and besides, she owed Megan her life — loyalty wasn’t something she’d just throw away.

No matter how tempting something looked, if it wasn’t hers, she’d never reach for it.

Meanwhile, Megan stepped into the kitchen, picked a bit of each dish, and carefully arranged them onto small plates on a tray.

Mrs. Hall noticed and quickly walked over. "Miss, let me do it. You shouldn’t be tiring yourself out."

Megan smiled warmly. "It’s alright, Mrs. Hall. I’m not made of glass."

She carried the tray steadily up the stairs and back to the bedroom, placing it neatly on the nightstand.

Seeing Tristan’s bare back, she climbed into bed and hugged him from behind, stomach making her lean in a bit awkwardly.

He caught her wandering hand. "Someone’s being naughty again."

Megan let out a small huff and gave him a light pinch. "Not in a good mood."

Tristan let out a low chuckle and turned to face her. "Didn’t I just try my best to cheer you up?"

She fought back a laugh. "I stopped by to see Nicole. Michelle was there too. She basically said you and Nicole couldn’t be just friends — like, how else would she end up at the Lewis place?"

Tristan stayed calm, fiddling with a strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. "And what do you think?"

"How would I know what you’re really thinking?"

He gave her chin a gentle pinch. "Nicole’s a key witness. We need to keep her safe. Charles is looking for her too, and she’s not exactly in the safest spot."

"I get it. I’m just teasing." Megan snuggled closer into his arms. "But seriously, you seem really distracted lately. If something’s bothering you, just tell me."

Tristan gently patted her back. "It’s Charles and Nathaniel. Don’t worry — I’ve got it under control."

Megan looked up at him. "With everything that’s been going on, I doubt Charles can hang on much longer. Unless he wants to go full-on military crackdown mode."

"If he has to rely on force to silence the people, then his time in power’s probably ticking down fast."

She let out a soft hum. "You think he might get desperate and do something reckless?"

"Hard to say. That’s why we need to be ready if he blows up." Tristan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You using the sorcery worm on him... it’s gonna affect Karl too, right? Have you called him?"

Tristan smirked. "What, worried about the guy now?"

Megan snorted. "I just think... you basically threw him to the wolves. He’s gonna hate you for it."

"He won’t. He’ll thank me, actually."

"Really? How come?"

Tristan grinned. "Let’s just say I booked him an all-expenses-paid trip."