?Chapter 170:


    Richard, sensing the unresolved tension, chose not to press the matter. After dinner, he suggested that Alexander and Joyce might want to retire upstairs to see the study, while he himself strolled into the garden to make a discreet phone call.


    This maneuver tactfully gave Caiden and Katrina the opportunity they needed to have a private conversation.


    The moment they were alone, Katrina’s restraint shattered.


    “What is the meaning of this, Caiden? Why didn’t you say a damn thing just now? The Bet family’s finalizing everything, and all you did was sit there with your mouth shut like an idiot. What is it—can’t bear to part with the family fortune? Or is it that you don’t think my daughter deserves it? Let me guess—you’re questioning if Joyce is even yours now?”


    Ovee with emotion, Katrina hid her face in her hands, her body sinking to the floor as sobs racked her frame.


    “You heartless man! I gave up the chance to have children with you because I didn’t want Dani to suffer. Now that my childbearing years are gone, you’ve got the audacity to hold grudges? Caiden, you’re nothing but a cruel, selfish asshole!”


    In a sudden surge of fury, Katrina struck Caiden across the face. The p echoed sharply, powerful enough to leave Caiden reeling in shock.


    Upstairs, the atmosphere was starkly different. Alexander, with just a handful of gentle words, convinced Joyce to let him see Dani’s room. There, amidst the quiet and dust, he discovered a sketchbook. Flipping it open, he found thest message the boy had scribbled for her.


    “Let’s meet tomorrow.”


    For some inexplicable reason, the childlike handwriting on the paper struck a chord of familiarity within Alexander.


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    It felt hauntingly familiar, as if he had encountered it somewhere in the past, yet he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where.


    As Joyce watched Alexander prepare to leave, a wistful sigh escaped her lips.


    “When are you going to marry me?”


    Preupied, Alexander merely climbed into the car, leaving the question hanging unanswered in the chilly air.


    From his vantage point next to the car, Richard caught sight of Joyce’s reddened eyes. He offered a sympatheticment.


    “Go back inside. Don’t worry. This will sort itself out soon enough.”


    Yet, inwardly, he harbored a deep aversion towards Joyce. He thought her utterly foolish, behaving like a petnt child. Did she really believe the universe orbited around her whims?


    Inside the car, Richard asked, “Did you manage to get the sketchbook?”


    Alexander nodded absentmindedly.


    Richard’s disdain for Joyce only deepened.


    Herck of prudence was astonishing.


    She had let Alexander into Dani’s room without hesitation and allowed him to take whatever he wished without batting an eye. Could she really be so ridiculously naive?


    Letting her into the Bet family was as good as inviting burrs to raid their treasures.


    With a frown, Richard sighed deeply. After a moment, he turned back to Alexander, decisiveness in his voice.


    “Hand over the sketchbook. There’s no need for you to seek out Dani. I’ll take care of it.”


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