?<strong>Chapter 291:</strong>


    Katie loved money. With money, her family wouldn’t look down on her anymore. With money, she could buy a bigger house and more handbags.


    What good was holding on to grudges or chasing after revenge? Sacrificing a good life for that nonsense? It’d be utterly foolishness!


    Katie’s heart raced, her pulse quickening. “Mom, why don’t you go out and grab some groceries?”


    “Groceries?” L shot her a look filled with disdain. “Since when do I do that?”


    Katie took a slow, deliberate breath and nced meaningfully at her. L, oblivious at first, finally caught on. “Oh, fine. I’ll go downstairs and pick up some groceries.”


    She tucked the check Adrian had handed her into her pocket, a bit too cheerfully.


    Meanwhile, Katie turned to see Adrian. “Adrian, what are you doing here?”


    Silently, he handed her the tablet, pressing y on the video. “I was forced, Adrian! I didn’t want to do it! Gina made me. I didn’t have a choice!”


    Can coldly put the tablet away. He had no room for pity when it came to Katie.


    The bad blood between their families ran deep, its roots twisted in a bitter history.


    Adrian’s tone was as cold as ice. “What did she make you do?” Katie dared not hide anything. “She wanted me to lure Joelle out. She’d arrange for someone to kill her and make it look like an ident.”


    Joelle was now under constant, round-the-clock protection. Unable to track her down, Gina had turned to Katie to lure her into the open.


    Adrian was still puzzled. “Why is she so sure you could get Joelle toe out?”


    Katie stood before him, wringing her hands, her palms mmy with anxiety. She knew all too well that hiding the truth would be pointless. No matter which way the wind blew, she was nothing more than a pawn on someone else’s chessboard.


    After a brief pause, she revealed the truth. “Joelle’s son is my child.”


    Can’s eyes widened in disbelief.


    Adrian, who had perfected the art of hiding his emotions behind an unshakable mask, found himself equally taken aback. The impact of this revtion hit him with the same force as the moment he firstid eyes on his daughter.


    “Are you sure?”


    Katie nodded. “I was in a rtionship and identally got pregnant. When I found out, the doctor said I couldn’t terminate the pregnancy because it would have put my health at risk. So, I fled the country in secret and had the baby.”


    She went on, “I abandoned him at first, but Joelle somehow found out. I don’t know why, but she’s raising him now, telling everyone he’s hers and Rafael’s.”


    Adrian was silent, his gaze unwavering as he studied her. “Why do you think Joelle would raise your child?”


    Katie’s face darkened with a fleeting shadow of bitterness. She had intended to carry this secret to the grave. But Joelle bringing the boy back into her life was like setting a clock on a bomb, ticking closer to an inevitable explosion.


    Katie harbored a deep resentment for Joelle, yet her fear of Adrian far outweighed it.


    Adrian said, “If Joelle wanted to use this against you, she would’ve done it already. She’s not as calcting as you imagine her to be.”


    Katie looked up at him. “But I abandoned him. Why would she bring him back into my life?”


    Adrian’s reply was cool and measured. “He’s not your child. You may have brought him into the world, but Joelle is the one raising him. I know her. She and Rafael aren’t the type to let a child suffer. You’re overthinking it.”


    He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice had taken on a darker edge. “In that way, you’re just like your father.” Quincy had always feared that if Adrian’s father took control of the Miller family, there would be no ce for him. His mind was twisted, poisoned by the belief that betrayal was the natural currency of powerful families. In his eyes, if one didn’t hurt him, it just meant they were biding their time. But Adrian’s father had trusted Quincy until the bitter end. He had followed him into the mountains without a single doubt and never returned.


    Katie believed Joelle had taken her son as a tool—leverage to use against her when the time was right. But Adrian, having known Joelle for so many years, was convinced she’d never stoop so low. Still, he understood that Katie’s perspective would always be clouded.


    “Adrian, I’ve told you everything I know. Can you help me? I can’t keep living under Gina’s threats.”


    Adrian didn’t answer right away. Instead, he asked, “If I hadn’te to you today, would you have gone through with Gina’s n to hurt Joelle?”


    Katie’s voice faltered.


    Adrian grew weary of the conversation. “I’m giving you a way out. Whether you take it or not is up to you.”


    Katie was struggling to process his words. Could this really be happening? She had always known how much Adrian and his mother despised her and her family. “Don’t you hate me?”


    “You shouldn’t have to bear the cost of your father’s sins,” Adrian replied, his tone cool, yet somehow detached. “I know how many people you and your mother have swindled using my name over the years. I let it slide because, deep down, I still think of you as my cousin.”


    It was as if thosest few words unlocked something within her as tears welled up in her eyes.


    Feel free to let me know if you need any more adjustments!


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