Chapter 176: Chapter 176



When Lyla seated herself once more, her entire demeanor had changed. Her spine rigid, her manner resolute. The time for pretenses had passed. Honesty was their only recourse now.

“What are your intentions, Adrian? Are you set on taking your uncle’s life?”

Adrian didn’t respond immediately. He looked at Lyla as though she were an actor on stage. How could a person change so drastically in just a moment? One second, she was tearfully talking about family; the next, she was like a vengeful spirit. Adrian had grown up in an environment like this. For a long time, he didn’t believe in genuine affection in this world.

Joelle was the first to breach his defenses, though it had taken him considerable time to truly open up to her. His later friendship with Lacey revealed her prioritizing her nanny over her father, illustrating to Adrian that sometimes the bonds of blood and family were less authentic than those formed with strangers.

With a stoic face, Adrian reiterated his stance. “Uncle Quincy heard the same from me. Relinquish the inheritance of Grandma’s estate, and perhaps I’ll let him go.”

“How could you?” Lyla’s reaction was fierce, her hand slamming against the sofa back as she straightened even more. “Adrian, are you really pushing us to homelessness?”

“You may interpret it that way.”

Adrian leaned back, hand supporting his chin, his voice even. Even if they gave up the inheritance, it wouldn’t bring him any real satisfaction. No amount of wealth could mend the years of solitude borne from his father’s loss and the burdens of the Miller family’s legacy. Yet, he knew it mattered deeply to Quincy and Lyla. For his revenge to cut deep, it had to strike their most valued possessions.

Your imagination thrives at galnovels puntocom Resolute, Adrian watched as Lyla’s anxiety mounted, her grip on a vital secret shaky at best. Silence enveloped the room as Adrian allowed Lyla time to ponder her next move.

Suddenly, a disturbance from outside broke the stillness. The assistant excused himself to investigate and discovered Salome, Rebecca’s mother, at the door, seeking an audience with Adrian.

“Mrs. Lloyd, Mr. Miller is presently engaged. It’s not a suitable time for visitors,” he informed her politely.

Salome, confined to her wheelchair, nodded understandingly while her gaze tried to penetrate the room, catching only a glimpse of Adrian’s silhouette. “How is Adrian faring these days?” she inquired.

“He’s improved considerably.”

“That’s good to hear.” Salome brightened slightly. “Please, accept this. I’ve prepared some homemade meals for Adrian—his preferred dishes.”

The assistant accepted the lunchbox with a slight hesitation. “You shouldn’t have troubled yourself, especially given your condition.”

Salome’s smile was tinged with warmth. “It’s nothing. Adrian has always looked out for us. I feel it’s the least I can do.”

“Thank you,” the assistant smiled, promising to relay her kindness to Adrian.

“I’ll leave you be then,” Salome concluded, readying to depart.

The sound of her voice sparked a visible reaction in Lyla. Seizing the moment, she ventured, “Adrian, if I share something about Joelle, might you reconsider your stance towards your uncle?”

Salome paused her exit, her attention sharpening, though the closing door soon obstructed her view. She made a last-ditch effort to listen, her fingers nearly caught as the door shut.

Inside, Adrian’s gaze hardened, skeptical of the secret Lyla hinted at concerning Joelle. His mind raced. Her strategy was clear—using Joelle as leverage. Such desperation revealed the depths they were willing to stoop to.

“Do you think Joelle matters to me?” he responded.

During their three-year marriage, his visits home were obligations imposed by his grandmother, not acts of affection. Their divorce had seen him let her go without a fight, a decision he had never regretted.

Lyla wasn’t sure if this move would work, but she knew that Salome would try her best to hear what she had to say. Adrian might be the only one who couldn’t see through the Lloyd family’s schemes.

Whether or not it could save Quincy or alter Adrian’s course, she was determined to shake his composure profoundly. A mischievous smirk danced on Lyla’s lips. “Perhaps she isn’t significant to you, but what of the child she carries? Doesn’t that stir something within you?”

Adrian’s expression darkened, his brow furrowing as his eyes mirrored a stormy sea of turmoil.

“Continue this farce, and I assure you, your entire family will face imprisonment.”

On the other side of the door, Salome clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening with dismay. Lyla’s confidence waned. Her knowledge was scant, but her resolve to deceive remained unshaken.

“Should you doubt me, feel free to verify it overseas. Haven’t you observed Joelle’s peculiar behavior of late?” Adrian fell silent, wrestling with his thoughts. His rational mind urged him to dismiss her claims, yet the seeds of doubt were sown.

Was there truly no substance to her words? Why had Joelle abruptly taken leave? Why the sudden preference for loose attire? Why her sudden trip abroad, and Rafael’s presence there as well? Connecting these dots, Adrian was struck by a chilling epiphany.

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