Charlotte’s brows furrowed when she heard her.
Even Liam and Bryer froze for a second, unable to process her words.
But Adelyn —
She remained completely unbothered by their reactions.
Every word she spoke was calm and asured, her gaze steady as she looked straight into their eyes —without a trace of guilt and hesitation.
Slowly, she lifted her hand and removed Charlotte’s grip from her arm.
"Mrs. Scott," she said evenly, "seven years ago, I believed I had made myself very clear when I chose to forgo all my ties with your family. But if I wasn’t clear enough then ... I’ll say it again now."
Her words lingered in the air as she paused —
Only to flick a brief glance towards the two brothers.
They stood there, watching her—as if trying to recognize her
But failing in it... again and again.
And Adelyn wasn’t surprised seeing them like that at all.
Because when she let go of everything in the past, she had also let go of the shell of her old self.
There was nothing left in her now that resembled who she used to be. And she knew that better than anyone else.
Bringing her gaze back to Charlotte, she looked at her once before continuing —
"I, Adelyn Grace," her voice unwavering, "have long given up on all the emotions I once carried for the Scott family."
A quiet stillness followed her words before she continued again,
"Nothing binds to any of you anymore. Not love. Not pain. I had let go of every sentint I once had for you —all of it —seven years ago."
Her tone remained composed —detached in a way that felt almost absolute.
"There are no grudges. No resentnts. So ... you can rest assured and move on with your lives —just as I’ve moved on in mine."
Her words were ant to bring closure.
But instead, they unsettled them even more.
And yet—
Adelyn didn’t give them the chance to react.
Her gaze shifted briefly to the narrow corridor before she spoke again,
"Now that I’ve clarified everything, you can leave."
Her tone remained polite ... asured ... cold.
"This corridor isn’t ant to hold this many people for long. The neighbors might not appreciate the common area being crowded like this."
She made a small gesture toward the exit.
"So ... please leave before it becos uncomfortable for everyone."
Charlotte looked at her —
As if she could no longer recognize the daughter she had raised once.
"Adelyn, I —"
Before she could finish—
The door to another apartnt opened down the corridor.
An elderly woman stepped out and began walking past them.
As she approached Adelyn’s door, she paused, glancing at the group before turning to Adelyn.
"Are they your relatives?" she asked.
Adelyn looked at her, then smiled faintly and shook her head.
"No, they are not."
Her tone was casual —almost light.
But the impact of her words ... was anything but.
Charlotte felt her heart clench painfully.
To be introduced as strangers —after everything —was more than she could bear.
The old woman simply nodded and walked away, not asking anything further.
Once she was gone, Charlotte spoke again, her voice trembling, "Adelyn ... you may not be the daughter I gave birth to , but I never treated you as anything less. How can you treat like this now?"
Bryer frowned as well.
He accepted their mistakes.
He also understood that Adelyn was hurt and was just reacting out of her emotions.
But this —
This was beyond what he could comprehend.
"Adelyn, being upste is one thing," he said, his voice tightening. "But forsaking our bond and ties like this is another. How could you do or say sothing like this?"
Adelyn heard him and smiled faintly.
Shaking her head, she replied,
"It’s not as difficult as you think. Accept the truth ... and you’ll see how easy it becos."
Turning back to Charlotte, she continued,
"I have accepted the truth —that I don’t belong to the family I don’t share blood with."
And once I did ... everything beca easy."
Charlotte stared at her, heartbroken.
But not even for the briefest second did she see softness in Adelyn’s eyes.
There was no hesitation.
No wavering.
It was as if her tears ant nothing to her... at all.
"Liam ... take away," Charlotte said finally, her voice breaking. "I can’t bear to say here anymore. Seeing her like this is only making it harder for ."
Liam imdiately stepped forward, holding her.
"Mom, she —"
Charlotte shook her head, unwilling to hear anything.
"Take away."
Liam glanced Adelyn’s way.
But when he saw her still standing there —calm, indifferent, unmoved —
He could only nod and lead Charlotte away.
Bryer lingered for a mont longer.
But in the end —
He turned and followed as well.
Adelyn watched them leave.
Only after they disappeared from sight did she step back inside and close the door.
As she turned to walk further in —
Her phone began ringing again.
Walking back to her room, she picked it up.
Nigel’s na flashed on the screen ... once again.
"What is it now?" she asked as she answered the call.
Nigel didn’t respond imdiately. He instead took a brief pause before asking carefully, "Did they leave?"
Adelyn understood who he ant.
She humd lightly.
"They did. But aren’t you away? How did you find out they ca?"
Nigel ignored that question.
Instead, he asked, "What did you decide?"
"Huh?" Adelyn frowned slightly. "What was there to decide?"
"Are you really not considering their apology?" he pressed, sounding a little worried. "They’ve been looking for you all these years."
Adelyn paused.
She knew they had.
And if she were honest —
There had been a ti when that effort softened her.
But only for a mont.
Because right after —
She rembered what she could never compromise on.
And her heart hardened again.
"Their efforts have nothing to do with , Nye," she said calmly. "If they did, I wouldn’t have let them search for all these years. I would’ve gone back long ago."
Nigel knew that.
But he thought her heart might change seeing them.
"And honestly," Adelyn continued, "I never blad them for choosing Clara over . She was their real daughter. Risking her life for soone like —a mistaken one —would’ve been a loss."
Her tone remained steady.
Too steady.
But Nigel knew that was because she had trained herself to stay natural and at ease around the talks of the pain and disappointnts she once suffered.
"You were much more than a mistaken daughter," Nigel said firmly.
Even without seeing him, Adelyn could picture the frown on his face.
"For all these years you were with them, you were their daughter —the one they’ve always been proud of. It’s their loss that they didn’t realize your worth in ti. Now that you’re gone, they deserve every bit of that regret."
Adelyn smiled faintly.
She knew he was saying it for her.
"Yes, yes," she said lightly. "I’m the one who deserves to be cherished. No wonder you cherish so much. How will I ever repay you?"
Nigel paused —as if actually considering it.
"Well ..." he said slowly, "if you really want to repay , start by not picking up trash. It would actually save a lot of trouble."
Adelyn couldn’t help but purse her lips.
"Call him trash, and even heaven won’t be able to save you from my wrath."
"What?" Nigel scoffed. "Didn’t you say you wanted to repay ? You’re already taking another man’s side. Is this how you treat now?"
"I’m not taking sides," she said, exasperated. "You are different, and he’s different. I’m just saying —don’t label soone without knowing them. What if he’s soone really dignified? Soone people respect? What happens to his reputation then?"
A man like Dylan Warren —
His reputation alone was worth billions.
It wasn’t sothing to be joked about lightly.
"Fine," Nigel muttered. "I’ll co back and see for myself. Then I’ll deal with you."
They exchanged a few more words before finally ending the call.
but the mont the line disconnected —
Nigel’s expression changed.
Completely.
The playfulness vanished from his eyes.
His gaze darkened, his brows drawing together as he stared into the distance.
While the silence lingered for a long mont —
A voice fibally spoke cautiously from nearby,
"Master ... should we look into the man trying to get close to her?"
Nigel didn’t move.
He remained seated in the high-rise, velvet-cushioned chair, staring ahead —as though seriously contemplating over the suggestion.
"No need," he said quietly. His eye sharpened with recognition —a certain one.
"I know exactly who he is."
"Then ... should we take action against him?" the man asked, concern evident in his tone.
He might not know a lot about his Master, but he knew one thing —
His Master was quite protective of that woman.
Nigel finally turned, a faint dangerous amusent flickering in his eyes —mixed with frustration he didn’t bother to hide.
"If we could do anything against him upfront," he said slowly, "do you think I’d still sitting her ... grinding my teeth?"
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