?<strong>Chapter 176:</strong>


    When L seated herself once more, her entire demeanor had changed. Her spine rigid, her manner resolute. The time for pretenses had passed. Honesty was their only recourse now.


    “What are your intentions, Adrian? Are you set on taking your uncle’s life?”


    Adrian didn’t respond immediately. He looked at L as though she were an actor on stage. How could a person change so drastically in just a moment? One second, she was tearfully talking about family; the next, she was like a vengeful spirit. Adrian had grown up in an environment like this. For a long time, he didn’t believe in genuine affection in this world.


    Joelle was the first to breach his defenses, though it had taken him considerable time to truly open up to her. Hister friendship with Lacey revealed her prioritizing her nanny over her father, illustrating to Adrian that sometimes the bonds of blood and family were less authentic than those formed with strangers.


    With a stoic face, Adrian reiterated his stance. “Uncle Quincy heard the same from me. Relinquish the inheritance of Grandma’s estate, and perhaps I’ll let him go.”


    “How could you?” L’s reaction was fierce, her hand mming against the sofa back as she straightened even more. “Adrian, are you really pushing us to homelessness?”


    “You may interpret it that way.”


    Adrian leaned back, hand supporting his chin, his voice even. Even if they gave up the inheritance, it wouldn’t bring him any real satisfaction. No amount of wealth could mend the years of solitude borne from his father’s loss and the burdens of the Miller family’s legacy. Yet, he knew it mattered deeply to Quincy and L. For his revenge to cut deep, it had to strike their most valued possessions.


    Your imagination thrives at galnovels punt


    Resolute, Adrian watched as L’s anxiety mounted, her grip on a vital secret shaky at best. Silence enveloped the room as Adrian allowed L time to ponder her next move.


    Suddenly, a disturbance from outside broke the stillness. The assistant excused himself to investigate and discovered Salome, Reba’s mother, at the door, seeking an audience with Adrian.


    “Mrs. Lloyd, Mr. Miller is presently engaged. It’s not a suitable time for visitors,” he informed her politely.


    Salome, confined to her wheelchair, nodded understandingly while her gaze tried to prate the room, catching only a glimpse of Adrian’s silhouette. “How is Adrian faring these days?” she inquired.


    “He’s improved considerably.”


    “That’s good to hear.” Salome brightened slightly. “Please, ept this. I’ve prepared some homemade meals for Adrian—his preferred dishes.”


    The assistant epted the lunchbox with a slight hesitation. “You shouldn’t have troubled yourself, especially given your condition.”


    Salome’s smile was tinged with warmth. “It’s nothing. Adrian has always looked out for us. I feel it’s the least I can do.”


    “Thank you,” the assistant smiled, promising to ry her kindness to Adrian.


    “I’ll leave you be then,” Salome concluded, readying to depart.


    The sound of her voice sparked a visible reaction in L. Seizing the moment, she ventured, “Adrian, if I share something about Joelle, might you reconsider your stance towards your uncle?”


    Salome paused her exit, her attention sharpening, though the closing door soon obstructed her view. She made ast-ditch effort to listen, her fingers nearly caught as the door shut.


    Inside, Adrian’s gaze hardened, skeptical of the secret L hinted at concerning Joelle. His mind raced. Her strategy was clear—using Joelle as leverage. Such desperation revealed the depths they were willing to stoop to.


    “Do you think Joelle matters to me?” he responded.


    During their three-year marriage, his visits home were obligations imposed by his grandmother, not acts of affection. Their divorce had seen him let her go without a fight, a decision he had never regretted.


    L wasn’t sure if this move would work, but she knew that Salome would try her best to hear what she had to say. Adrian might be the only one who couldn’t see through the Lloyd family’s schemes.


    Whether or not it could save Quincy or alter Adrian’s course, she was determined to shake hisposure profoundly. A mischievous smirk danced on L’s lips. “Perhaps she isn’t significant to you, but what of the child she carries? Doesn’t that stir something within you?”


    Adrian’s expression darkened, his brow furrowing as his eyes mirrored a stormy sea of turmoil.


    “Continue this farce, and I assure you, your entire family will face imprisonment.”


    On the other side of the door, Salome pped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening with dismay. L’s confidence waned. Her knowledge was scant, but her resolve to deceive remained unshaken.


    “Should you doubt me, feel free to verify it overseas. Haven’t you observed Joelle’s peculiar behavior ofte?” Adrian fell silent, wrestling with his thoughts. His rational mind urged him to dismiss her ims, yet the seeds of doubt were sown.


    Was there truly no substance to her words? Why had Joelle abruptly taken leave? Why the sudden preference for loose attire? Why her sudden trip abroad, and Rafael’s presence there as well? Connecting these dots, Adrian was struck by a chilling epiphany.


    .


    .


    .