Adelyn couldn’t move or push the girl away when she felt her clinging to her like that.
She had clearly heard her call her Mama ... again. But this ti, she didn’t have the heart to correct her.
How could she, when she could tell why the girl had done it?
She had done it to support her ... to stand by her in front of her uncle.
It had been a long ti since soone had tried to stand so firmly on her side.
So long ... that she had almost forgotten what it felt like to have soone beside her.
But today, that feeling returned. And she couldn’t stop herself from liking it.
Her hand moved instinctively, gently caressing the girl’s hair as her lips curled into a faint smile.
When Eira tilted her head up to look at her, Adelyn t her gaze and said softly, "Thank you, baby. You’re very precious too"
Eira blinked ... as if she couldn’t quite believe what she had just heard.
"Eira is also precious to Mama?" she asked, her voice small but hopeful.
Adelyn paused for a brief second ... before nodding. "Of course. Eira is the most precious one."
"Then ... does that an Mama also loves Eira?"
Adelyn’s smile deepened, warr this ti.
"Mm ... Mama loves Eira too."
The girl’s entire expression lit up ... almost instantly.
If there had been even a trace of sadness before, it vanished completely.
She wanted to jump, to clap, to laugh out loud—
But instead, she simply tightened her arms around Adelyn’s legs, holding her close as if afraid she might disappear.
Adelyn, of course, felt that happiness.
And even though she knew she was wrong —impersonating soone she wasn’t —she didn’t mind it at all.
Because in front of such pure, unfiltered joy...
It felt worth it.
If a small lie could bring her this much happiness, then she didn’t mind carrying it.
Karl, however, noticed everything —and his patience snapped.
"You lied to her. How dare you?"
Adelyn frowned slightly as she heard him.
Her gaze shifted toward him, calm and distant —an expression that clearly said she didn’t care enough to explain herself to him.
Karl read that look all too well.
His jaw tightened, his temper flaring —he was about to lash out again when Adelyn spoke first.
"Does your brother know that you brought her here?"
Her brows lifted slightly, her tone casual —yet there was a quiet sharpness beneath it, as though she already knew the answer.
Karl’s expression stiffened imdiately.
"What does that have to do with you? Why do you care?"
Adelyn smiled faintly.
"Of course, I care," she replied. "If I didn’t, why would I even be here?"
"You—"
Pier, who had been silently observing, leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Karl ... she even knows your brother. Is she your sister-in-law?"
Karl’s brows shot up instantly. He turned and glared at him. "What sister-in-law? I don’t have any sister-in-law."
"But she —" Pier tried to gesture toward Adelyn.
Karl cut him off sharply. "She is not my sister-in-law. I would never accept her as one. If I did, I’d rather be her dog."
Pier opened his mouth to respond ... then slowly closed it again, deciding not to push further.
If Karl had denied it so firmly, then it must be true.
After all—
How could the fourth young master of the Warren family ever reduce himself to that?
The n around them had already lost their patience.
One of them stepped forward, his tone no longer polite.
"Do you think this is a place you can just walk into and act however you like?"
Adelyn turned her gaze toward him.
Her brows drew together slightly as she scanned the room —taking in every face, every position, every exit.
Then she drew in a slow breath...
And gently loosened Eira’s grip around her legs.
When the girl looked up at her, Adelyn spoke softly, "Baby, Mama has a few things to take care of. Will you sit over there and wait for ?"
She gestured toward the seat where the girl had been sitting earlier.
Eira followed her gaze, then nodded slowly.
"Good," Adelyn said, her voice gentle but firm. "Go sit there. We’ll leave together once I’m done."
Eira nodded again and obediently walked back, climbing onto the chair and sitting quietly.
Adelyn watched her for a mont —making sure she was settled —only then did she turn back.
This ti, her expression had completely changed.
Calm.
Cold.
Controlled.
She looked at Karl again.
"Why exactly were you here?"
Karl didn’t answer.
And from the look on his face, it was clear —he wouldn’t, no matter how many tis she asked.
Childish.
Adelyn didn’t bother repeating herself.
Instead, she shifted her gaze to Pier. "Why is he here?"
Pier scratched the back of his neck awkwardly before answering, "Actually... I brought Brother Karl here. But we didn’t know things would turn out like this. We just ca to play a few rounds to grow so money ... but we lost everything instead. I think we were tricked."
Adelyn wasn’t surprised.
She had already guessed as much.
Rubbing the space between her brows, she exhaled slowly. "Since you knew you were being tricked, why continue playing? Why didn’t you leave?"
"We were leaving," Pier said quickly. "But they wouldn’t let us. They were forcing Brother Karl to continue —asking him to bet the sports car he brought here."
Adelyn nodded faintly.
Nothing new.
Places like this thrived on exactly these kinds of traps.
Karl, however, frowned.
"How did you know they tricked us? Did you catch them doing sothing?"
"I didn’t," Pier admitted honestly. "But it was obvious. Otherwise, how could you win the small rounds so easily and lose every big one?"
Karl hadn’t realized it earlier.
But now —thinking back —he could see it clearly.
The trap had been set from the very beginning.
His gaze darkened as he turned toward the n. "You dared to trick ? Do you even know who I am? I am—"
Before he could finish—
A sharp flick landed on his forehead.
He froze.
Turning, he found Adelyn standing right beside him —looking at him like a strict elder reprimanding a reckless child.
"You—"
"Quiet," she cut him off flatly. "You’re starting to give a headache."
"But I—"
"You didn’t see through their tricks before," she said, frowning slightly. "What’s the use of realizing it now?"
Then her gaze sharpened as she looked back at the n.
"Let handle this before you make things worse."
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