Adrian Desmond glanced at the aloof Johnson Family mbers. With his years of experience navigating society, he easily discerned their attitude, especially the displeasure his future mother-in-law held for him.
One family was euphemistically rejecting the match, while the other was striving to push it through. Adrian watched coolly, his gaze falling on Sienna Johnson’s face across from him. He saw she was also suppressing a smile, seemingly pleased by the unfolding situation.
He quirked his thin lips and said provocatively, "She’s not in a hurry, but I am!"
Pauline Briggs responded, "The Johnson Family is a wealthy family with many rules. Being anxious won’t help. If you can’t wait, then marry another woman. I believe with Sixth Master’s generous betrothal gift of one hundred million in gold, many won would be eager to marry him. If you were to propose in the morning and marry by night, those social climbers would willingly agree."
Adrian felt frustrated being called "Sixth Master" repeatedly by his future mother-in-law.
Pauline Briggs was exceptionally beautiful and impeccably maintained, appearing like a young madam in her early forties. The aura of opulence surrounding her made her seem an untouchable, elegant lady from a prestigious background. Given Pauline’s seniority, it would have been appropriate for her to call him "Little Adrian," yet this beautiful mother-in-law insisted on "Sixth Master."
She was clearly doing it to annoy him.
Adrian snorted coldly and uttered sothing so shocking it nearly made Pauline Briggs cough up blood, "I can wait, but my son can’t. I don’t want my child’s mother to be pregnant before marriage, nor do I want my son to be born illegitimate!"
The entire Johnson Family was thrown into disarray.
Everyone’s eyes darted between Adrian and Sienna. Yet, the two who had just dropped this bombshell acted as if nothing had happened—one drinking tea, the other eating dessert—nearly driving everyone else mad with frustration.
Pauline Briggs glared at Adrian, her eyes burning as if she wanted to tear a piece of flesh from his body.
"Sixth Master, one can be careless with food, but not with words," she said, her voice tight.
Adrian’s dark eyes glinted with disdain and a flippant air. "Mother-in-law, please stop calling Sixth Master. It sounds awkward. Just call Adrian."
"Sixth Master, our Johnson Family has not yet agreed to Sienna marrying you. I cannot accept the title of mother-in-law," Pauline Briggs refused outright, abandoning all pretense of politeness.
Seeing the escalating tension and fearing her brother might say sothing even more drastic, Paige Desmond tried to diate. "Madam Johnson, this matter is indeed my brother’s fault; he was inconsiderate. However, Sienna is pregnant. If this drags on, and the child is born..."
Before Paige could finish, Pauline Briggs, losing her composure, slamd her cup down and cried, "You—you people are going too far!"
The mont Pauline slamd the cup, the bodyguards Paige had brought drew their guns, instantly on high alert. If Pauline dared to make another aggressive move that threatened Paige’s safety, they would not hesitate to shoot.
The marriage proposal had instantly escalated into a tense standoff.
Paige said coldly, "What do you think you’re doing? Put your guns away!"
But the bodyguards did not lower their firearms, keeping them aid at Pauline. Their duty was to ensure the Princess Consort’s safety, and they were not obliged to obey Paige’s command if they perceived an unresolved threat.
"Insolent!" Paige shouted, furious. "How dare you disobey !"
Pauline, who had never witnessed such a scene, was terrified but struggled to maintain a brave front. She looked pleadingly at Sienna, complaining, "Sienna, look! They’re trying to kill ."
Sienna, also finding the situation excessive, said to Paige, "Please have them put their guns away. Madam Johnson poses no threat to your family’s Princess Consort."
The bodyguards quickly assessed the situation. Confirming that Pauline Briggs was an ordinary woman and not a threat to the Princess Consort, they finally lowered their weapons. However, all of them kept a wary eye on Pauline, treating her as the primary potential threat.
"You... you people actually carry guns? Are you from the Underworld?"
Paige cast a sympathetic glance at her brother. Sienna isn’t easy to deal with, and neither is her mother.
"Pauline, calm down!" the old madam advised.
How could she calm down? Her daughter had been mistreated to this extent! And look at the aggressive, bullying attitude of the Desmond Family! Pregnant? The child was about to be born? And they had the nerve to force a marriage?
Addressing Paige, she said, "Princess Consort, you are a person of status. For your brother to commit such a disgraceful act—are you trying to bully the Johnson Family because you think we have no one to stand up for us?"
After all, Paige Desmond was a Princess Consort and a guest; they truly couldn’t be too discourteous. The old madam said, "Pauline, calm down a bit."
Pauline glanced at her mother-in-law and laughed coldly. "They’re bullying my daughter like this. How can I calm down?"
The mbers of both the Desmond and Johnson families felt consud by the fiery atmosphere, each wishing they could simply disappear.
"Mother-in-law, what do you an by that?" Adrian asked.
He wasn’t a patient man. If not for Sienna, he would have flipped the table when Pauline threw the cup. "I ca to propose because Sienna agreed to it. You keep saying I’m going too far, that I’m forcing this marriage. Have you even bothered to ask Sienna if she wants to marry ?"
Sienna, who had been quietly eating desserts and sipping tea as if the proposal had nothing to do with her, was finally put on the spot by Adrian.
"Regardless of whether she’s willing or not, I will not agree!" Pauline stated unequivocally, leaving no room for negotiation.
"It’s not you I’m marrying! Why the hell should I care if you agree?" Adrian retorted.
Pauline, trembling with anger, turned to Sienna. "Sienna, look at him! Look at the outrageous things he’s saying!"
"Sienna, these people resort to weapons so easily. They’re clearly not from a respectable family. If you really marry into their family, what will you do if they bully you?" Pauline pressed.
"And that Adrian, with his ferocious deanor, he looks like the type who would commit dostic violence! With your delicate fra, could you even withstand a single punch from him?"
Sixth Master’s face darkened.
Adrian glanced at Sienna, who had been watching the drama unfold with amusent, and dragged her into it. "Hey, Sienna Johnson, are you going to marry or not?"
Sienna had finished two cups of black tea, a piece of savory stead egg custard, and half a serving of salad. She looked up, finding everyone’s gaze fixed on her. Pauline’s eyes were particularly intense, filled with a mixture of stern warning and repressed hope.
She gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a wine-red napkin. Then, slowly, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at the already impatient Adrian, and said with determined clarity, "Adrian, I will marry no one but you."
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