Chapter 25 Retail Therapy
“But…” Diana sighed, her voice tinged with resignation. “We’re doing this for your own good. Only through a marriage alliance can we solidify our relationship with the Kyree family; otherwise…”
“Otherwise what? Gavin interrupted sharply, “Otherwise, we sacrifice Adeline’s happiness?”
Faced with her son’s interrogation, Diana fell silent for a moment before slowly beginning. “Gavin, that’s how the world works. Among the elite, there’s never any real emotion; it’s all just a trade of interests.”
This statement stunned Gavin. He stared at Diana’s refined yet indifferent face, feeling utterly estranged and incredulous.
After a moment, he shook his head, his voice filled with profound disappointment, “If that’s what being part of the elite means, then I want no part of it
With that, he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him so forcefully that the sound shattered the last pretense of calm Diana had maintained.
In the dead of night, a black sedan pulled up in front of a high–rise office building in the center of Vale City. Christopher stepped out of the car and walked straight into the elevator, quickly arriving at his office.
Keith was already waiting there. As Christopher entered, Keith stood up, greeted him, and handed him a file, “Mr. Conor, here’s the information you asked me to gather on the Kyree family”
Christopher took the file and began to read. When he came across certain key details, his brow furrowed slightly, “Are you sure about this?”
Keith nodded affirmatively, “Absolutely. Our findings indicate that Justin has quite a few skeletons in his closet, the most severe being…
He lowered his voice and leaned closer to whisper a shocking secret into Christopher’s ear. After hearing it, Christopher’s eyes darkened significantly, a dangerous and icy light flashing through them.
After a moment, he closed the file and spoke in a low, icy tone. “Continue the investigation; I need more evidence.
Keith nodded and quickly left the office, leaving Christopher alone by the window, overlooking the city. His gaze was deep. and unfathomable, like the ocean depths, concealing his true thoughts
Beneath layers of secrecy, a mix of emotions was quietly growing–anger, pity, and… obsession.
[
Inside the Layton residence, Adeline stood by the window, arms crossed, her eyes fixed on the neatly trimmed holly bush in the courtyard. Eden cautiously entered the room, breaking the silence, “Miss, Michelle is here.”
weighing
Adeline’s brow furrowed slightly but did not immediately respond, continuing to gaze out the window as if w something.
Seeing no reaction from her, Eden added, “She said… she wants to talk to you.”
“Talk about what?” Adeline finally spoke, her voice low and cold, “Talk about how she plans to use me again?”
Eden was momentarily at a loss for words, aware of Adeline’s attitude toward Michelle but, as a subordinate, she could only dutifully relay messages.
After a while, Adeline turned around, her gaze icily sweeping toward Eden, “Tell her to wait; I’m busy.”
Eden nodded and was about to leave when Adeline added, “Wait, let her in”
Surprised by the change of heart, Eden didn’t ask any questions but quickly went downstairs to convey the message.
A few minutes later, Michelle entered the living room, her high heels clicking on the floor. She was impeccably dressed in a
O
+8 Pearls
Chapter 25 Retail Therapy
Adeline stopped midway down the stairs, not continuing downwards but instead looking down at Michelle from above, her dark eyes utterly emotionless. “What do you want?”
“Adeline, after all this time, can’t you be a little warmer to me?” Michelle said, feigning hurt while quickly stepping forward, attempting to take Adeline’s arm.
Her hand was deftly avoided by Adeline.
“Just get to the point, what do you want?” Adeline repeated, her tone even colder than before.
Michelle’s smile froze for a moment but quickly recovered, “Adeline, I know you’ve been upset lately, so I came to keep you company. I was thinking, we haven’t gone shopping together in a long time. How about we go to Orchard Square today? We could pick out a dress for the evening-
“An evening?” Adeline raised an eyebrow, “You mean the charity dinner Justin invited us to?”
“Yes!” Michelle nodded, “Mr. Justin has publicly declared his pursuit of you; he’ll surely prepare a surprise for you at the
dinner!
This comment sent a chill through Adeline’s eyes, but she quickly masked it, merely responding indifferently, “I’m not interested”
“Adeline, come on! Grandma hasn’t been feeling well lately; you can’t add to her stress, right? Plus, this dinner is a big deal for the Layton and Kyree families. If you skip it, what will people say about us?” Michelle implored, clutching Adeline’s wrist with a whining tone.
