Kimberly caught on at once and smoothed things over. “Rowena just went to freshen up. Please, have a seat, Allan. She’ll be right back.”
Allan glanced at Adah before taking a seat on the sofa.
Kimberly snapped orders at the remaining guards to leave and instructed the servants to clean up and bring tea. After a rush of movement, the living room finally looked presentable again. Settling into the chair opposite Allan, Gia leaned forward, clearly eager to strike up a conversation. Delight filled her chest. For years, she had imagined Rowena becoming part of the Shaw family, and now that long-held dream felt closer than ever to coming true.
Kimberly and Westley shared the same thrill, behaving as though they had just secured a powerful shield. From time to time, they threw smug, challenging looks at Adah, as if to say, “With Allan on our side now, what do you think you can do?”
A quiet, disdainful snort escaped Adah as her eyes narrowed on Allan. “Why are you here?”
At that moment, a servant stepped in and set the tea down. Allan took a leisurely sip before replying, his tone unhurried, “I came to see my future in-laws.”
“Future in-laws, my foot!” Adah swore inwardly. There was no chance she believed Allan had shown up for Rowena. His standards were absurdly high, and there was no universe where he would be interested in a fake, overacting mess held together by plastic surgery. The way his gaze lingered made the truth obvious to her. He had come for her.
Adah had warned Allan more than once to stop bothering her, yet he had ignored every word. Now, he had even followed her straight into the Norris residence. Today was supposed to be about settling scores with the Norris family, and Allan’s appearance only complicated things.
Deciding to cut things short, Adah spoke without restraint. “You shouldn’t be here. Get lost!”
“Adah, how can you talk to Allan like that?” Kimberly snapped instantly. “He’s here for Rowena. Are you jealous and trying to ruin everything on purpose?”
Gia’s face hardened. “Adah, just because Allan doesn’t want you and canceled the engagement doesn’t give you the right to sabotage your sister.”
Despite the gap where two front teeth used to be, Westley still forced himself into the conversation, his words slurring badly. He looked absurd, yet his outrage burned bright. “Allan, this savage girl is arrogant and completely out of control. Look what she did to me. She disrespects me, her own uncle, and now she dares to insult you. If you want to put her in her place, we won’t stop you!”
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“That’s right. We can’t control her at all. Please teach her a lesson for us.” Kimberly hurried to back him up.
Every pair of eyes shifted to Allan, waiting for him to punish Adah. What they received instead was a mild smile. “Nah, I won’t be harsh on my future wife.”
Silence swallowed the room, and shock froze everyone in place. Future wife?
Allan wore the same unreadable look as a cunning fox, keeping his real thoughts carefully hidden. With a light smile, he continued, “Adah has quite a temper, and she isn’t someone to be trifled with. Even I end up getting scolded by her from time to time. Please, bear with her.”
Color drained from Kimberly’s and Westley’s faces. The message couldn’t have been clearer. Allan was openly drawing a line, and Adah stood firmly behind it. The future wife he referred to was Adah. But hadn’t they called off the engagement? The way Allan spoke made it sound like he was dead set on marrying her. None of it made sense.
.
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