?<strong>Chapter 461:</strong>


    M grasped her face, slowlying to terms with the gravity of what had just transpired. “Adrian Miller!” Gracie held her back.


    They knew they had to intervene to keep her from fanning the mes of the situation any further.


    “Let’s get out of here.” Without having to lift a finger, Joelle watched as M took a substantial tumble. Though M’s words had pierced Joelle’s heart like a flurry of needles, she stood resolute with Adrian by her side, fully aware that those venomous ims were nothing but hollow echoes, unworthy of her heart’s weight.


    So, she cast aside any thoughts of M. With Adrian’s strong embrace enveloping her and Aurora’s small hand gripping hers tightly, Joelle was swept away by a wave of pure, unadulterated joy that ignited her spirit.


    “Mom, can we go buy some candies?”


    Leah reprimanded, “If you keep eating those, you’ll end up with cavities!”


    They left in a state of blissful harmony, while the air within the Finch family crackled with palpable tension. Fred instinctively sprang to defend his family in front of outsiders, but M’s words were truly thoughtless.


    “Fred, Adrian had the audacity to hit me!” Mined.


    “It’s not just Adrian; I want to hit you too!” Fred was rarely found in such a state of fury. Esteemed for his gentle and patient nature with his wife and children, he had gained a reputation in their social circle for being endearingly under his wife’s thumb.


    This time, his tirade was so intense that even Gracie and Dunn remained silent, leaving M to grasp the gravity of her mistake.


    “I didn’t mean to,” M stammered.


    Fred was utterly indifferent to whether she meant it or not. As the elevator doors glided open, he gripped Gracie’s hand and stepped inside.


    “You’re heading back abroad tomorrow. I don’t want you causing chaos here every single day!”


    Stephen was upstairs in his hospital room. The moment the family stepped in, his eyes locked onto M’s tear-stained face. Her red, puffy eyes and trembling lips made it clear she was hanging by a thread, barely keeping her emotions in check.


    M had long been the apple of Stephen’s eye, his pride and joy. She had spent years overseas, facing countless challenges all on her own to pursue her dream of studying music. Among the family, no one held a ce in Stephen’s heart quite like she did; his affection for her was unmatched.


    “M, what’s going on?” he asked.


    M was ready to spill her frustrations, but the moment Fred shot her a sharp, warning look, her words froze in her throat, silenced before they even had a chance to escape.


    “Nothing, Grandpa.”


    “Come here, dear.”


    M stepped closer. “Grandpa, I’m truly okay.”


    “If you’d rather not talk, I won’t pry.”


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