Return of the Crowned Heiress Chapter 696

Felicia couldn’t help but laugh, not knowing whether Stephan was joking or being serious

But when she glanced at him, all she saw was his flawless side profile. His sharp jawline, high nose, and thin lips gave him an air of untouchable perfection. His slender neck disappeared into the collar of his shirt, and under the arc of shadows, only his pronounced Adam’s apple was visible.

There wasn’t a trace of humor on his face. He was dead serious.

Felicia’s smile slowly faded, replaced with a look of resigned indulgence. She said softly, “Today’s next week, alright?

weekend. The city clerk’s office isn’t open. Let’s wait until

Stephan responded, “Today. Right now, I’ll have them come back to work. It’s just a simple process. It won’t take long.”

Of

Felicia wasn’t unwilling. It just felt too rushed. Everything was happening too fast. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to marry Stephan. If getting officially married tight now would give him the sense of security he sought, she would gladly do it.

“But I don’t have all my documents with me,” she said with a playful smile, shaking his arm gently as if coaxing him. “My documents are still back in Khogend, Next week, okay?”

Stephan’s dark eyes bore into hers, deep and brooding. He didn’t respond right away and just stared at her in silence for some time. His gaze carried Felicia’s reflection, shadowed by an undercurrent of indescribable complexity. It was like watching storm clouds roll across the ocean, stirring ceaselessly.

After a long time, he finally replied with a faint smile, “Fine”

He agreed, but it was clear he wasn’t happy about it.

Felicia could feel the subtle shift in his emotions. He wasn’t just upset. There was something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She wanted to ask him outright, but before she could, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

It was a text from Scarlet “Maurice is awake.”

Felicia let out a small sigh of relief, but then a second message came in. “But things don’t look good.”

If Scarlet said something didn’t look good, then the situation was likely far worse than Felicia had anticipated. She had known from the start that the temporary suppression of the venomous creature within Maurice wasn’t a permanent solution The aftereffects were bound to be severe.

Felicia had left Scarlet to watch over Maurice at the hotel while she came to the hospital to check on imogen. Scarlet was to report any updates immediately, and now, it seemed that Maurice’s condition had taken atum for the worse.

Felicia exhaled quietly and slipped her phone back into her pocket. When she looked up, she noticed Stephan’s sharp eyes glancing at her screen.

He hadn’t seen much, but the name “Maurice” had been enough to catch his attention

So, Felicia was worried about him? About Maurice, the two–faced Liar who couldn’t be trusted?

Before Stephan could say anything, Felicia said, “I have to leave for a couple of d

days. When I’m back next week, no matter what you want, I’ll agree to it.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, she stood on her toes and planted a kiss on his chin before turning to leave.

The hospital was still surrounded by Stephan’s subordinates and bodyguards. None of them dared to slackoff, much less stop Felicia–not while Stephan was there. Felicia lett the hospital smoothly.

But what she didn’t know was that the moment she stepped out of the building, a discreet group began railing her.

Twice, Felicia tumed her head, her instincts telling her that someone was on her trail. But every time she pretended to glance around casually, there was nothing out of the ordinary and no sign of anyone watching her.