?<strong>Chapter 193:</strong>


    Joelle’s expression turned stormy. “Adrian is not my daughter’s father. I never imed he had any connection to her!”


    Adrian’s assistant said weakly, “There’s no need for hostility. Think of it as gaining an extra person who cares for your child. That’s good, right?”


    Just as Joelle was about to refuse, Rafael intervened, “Please,e inside.”


    Joelle stared at him, aghast. “Rafael, you know he’s Adrian’s assistant!”


    Rafael replied with measured calm, “Joelle, perhaps we shouldn’t have kept it from him. As his friend, I can’t deny him the chance to meet his daughter.”


    Joelle remained silent, the past grievances piercing her heart anew.


    With a snap of his fingers, the assistant directed the workers bustling in and out. Soon, the living room brimmed with presents.


    Approaching, Aurora asked with wide-eyed innocence, “Mom, is Santa here?”


    “No, sweetheart. These gifts are from the gentleman you met yesterday,” the assistant exined as he unveiled a box revealing a shimmering gold lock. “This one is especially for you. Do you like it?”


    Aurora, unaware of its worth, admired its luster and design. “Yes!”


    “Then it’s yours to keep!”


    She hesitated. “Mom said not to ept things from strangers.”


    “He’s not a stranger. Mr. Miller is very close to you,” the assistant corrected.


    Joelle abruptly closed the box. “I’ll take it. Now, please—”


    With a smile, he warned, “Ms. Watson, though you’re her guardian now, Mr. Miller still has visitation rights. Let’s avoid causing her distress, shall we?”


    Joelle bit back her rage, mindful of Aurora’s presence. As she ushered him out, she dered, “Tell Adrian I’m ready to fight this through to the end.”


    “Ms. Watson, it was you who kept her from Mr. Miller. He’s been lenient not to hold it against you. He could im custody anytime he wishes.”


    Joelle scoffed, “Doesn’t he realize why I kept her hidden? Had I not, she might have been harmed by him!”


    The assistant’s tone hardened. “Mr. Miller has been tormented by guilt since the ident. After your divorce, he’s regretted it every day. He’s tried to reconcile repeatedly, but you’ve shut him out and vanished for three years with her. He’s never stopped searching for both of you!”


    “Have you worked alongside Adrian for years?” Joelle fixed her gaze on him. “Reflect on our time before the divorce. Wasn’t I always kind to him? I owe him nothing. I endured so much to bring Aurora into this world. His attempts to find us change nothing. If not for his mistake, there’d be no divorce, no need to flee with her!”


    “So, you me everything on Mr. Miller?”


    “I wouldn’t say that outright.” Joelle crossed her arms. “Even you, an assistant, dare to confront Adrian’s ex-wife with such disrespect. It shows how insignificant I am to him. If a man cannot respect his wife, how can the others respect her? Adrian should have known better than to send a minion to hassle me!”


    With that, she spun around, mmed the door, and stormed off.


    The assistant returned to Miller Group, seething. From his perspective, Adrian deserved morepassion. Adrian had been drugged and coerced into marriage, subsequently losing a child by ident, and lived with remorse. Isted for three years, alienated from his daughter.


    He had grown increasingly heartless—all because of Joelle.


    Thankfully, Reba and Salome stood by Adrian, the assistant mused, believing they, along with himself, were Adrian’s true support.


    “Mr. Miller.” He knocked and entered Adrian’s office. Adrian, engrossed in paperwork, didn’t look up. “Did you deliver them?”


    “Yes.”


    “And her response?”


    Adrian obviously meant Joelle. The assistant, still agitated, embellished their exchange.


    Adrian looked up, fixing a steady, empty gaze on his assistant. Something felt off. “Mr. Miller, did I overstep?”


    “Who allowed you to speak to her in that manner?”


    “I just thought Ms. Watson was pushing boundaries. She keeps your daughter hidden, raising her with another man…” The assistant paused, noting Adrian’s increasingly stern expression.


    “You need not return.”


    “What? Mr. Miller, that wasn’t my intention!”


    “I’ve said it once. I won’t say it again. Leave,” Adrian stated firmly.


    The assistant hesitated, looking back at Adrian with a mix of regret and disbelief as he left the office. Internally, he seethed with resentment towards Joelle, harboring harsh wishes against her.


    Once outside the confines of Miller Group, he pondered a final act of loyalty towards Adrian and, pulling out his phone, he dialed Reba’s number.


    .


    .


    .