Gia froze on the spot, while panic swept across Westley and the others. After living in luxury for so long, none of them wanted to leave.

Adah continued, her voice sharp and unyielding. “I’ll be back in three days. By then, if I see any of you here, I will toss you and your belongings out on the curb! And don’t forget about the share transfer agreements. Every cent of my mother’s estate must be returned, or I’ll bankrupt you and buy the company for next to nothing. You’ll wish you’d never crossed me.”

Rage and shock made Gia’s whole body tremble. “Adah, I’m your grandmother! How can you be so heartless?”

“I refuse to acknowledge you.” Without another word, Adah strode out of the house, her face set in stone.

Allan, unfailingly loyal, followed after her.

Leonel and Melanie shared a glance and quickly made their way out.

Westley turned to Gia, tears running down his face. “Mom, what should we do? Adah’s ruthless, and with Allan backing her, are we really going to lose everything?”

Gia slumped onto the sofa, pale and defeated, unable to come up with any plan.

Rowena, seething with frustration, snapped, “Adah can’t take it all from us, not if I have anything to say about it! I’ll win the Ublento Dance Competition, gain millions of fans, and turn every last one of them against her. Once everyone is up in arms, we’ll see if she still thinks she can grab our money!”

Rowena’s declaration hung in the air, igniting a predatory spark in the eyes of everyone in the room.

Kimberly was the first to break the silence, practically vibrating with frantic, nervous energy. “Exactly! Rowena was sculpted for the stage—she’s a lock for the Ublento Dance Competition Championship. Once that crown is on her head, her influence will be absolute. She won’t even have to lift a finger; one post to her millions of followers and they’ll tear Adah to pieces. Under a digital onslaught like that, even Allan wouldn’t dare step in to save Adah.”

“That’s the plan,” Westley remarked, though his bravado faltered as doubt clouded his face. “But it’s a global stage. The talent pool is massive. Are we certain Rowena can actually clinch the title?”

ρα ? ν

“No need to fret,” Gia chimed in, her voice dripping with cold arrogance. “I’ve spent months and a fortune marketing Rowena as a ‘prodigy.’ Her fanbase is already obsessed. More importantly, I’ve paid off two of the judges. That trophy is already sitting on her mantel.”

Meanwhile, outside the Norris estate, the evening air bit at Adah’s skin. She stopped abruptly and threw a sharp look over her shoulder at Allan. “How much longer do you plan on tailing me?”

Allan stopped before her, his gaze steady and unreadable. “I need to leave on a business trip to secure your birthday gift. It might take a while, but I will definitely be back before your birthday. Wait for me, alright?”

Adah hadn’t expected anything from him, let alone a gift, but his cryptic words sparked her curiosity. “Where are you going?”

“The Delta,” Allan said.

Adah’s curiosity deepened. What kind of gift would require a trip to Delta? That region was a lawless cage, famous for danger and little else. Still, she knew she had no claim over his life, so she swallowed her questions and settled for a clipped, “Don’t get yourself killed.”

“Is that a hint of concern I hear?” Allan asked, a lazy, teasing smirk tugging at his lips.

.

.

.