the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart Chapter 38 Pretending to be a Chaste and Fierce Woman

By the ti she woke up the next day, it was already close to noon. The film crew had just wrapped up the shoot, and Jason hadn’t given her any new scripts, so Delphine was idling at ho.

As she went downstairs, no one from the Leclair Family was around. It was a rare sunny afternoon. Dressed in loose linen trousers and a cashre beige sweater, she sat in the small garden of the Leclair mansion, reading a book.

The book was one she’d grabbed casually from Ignatius Leclair’s study. Ignatius had a penchant for collecting—whether it was books, fine wine, or famous paintings. Perhaps wealthy people simply enjoyed spending extravagantly to label valuable items as their own, then leaving them on high shelves, untouched and ignored.

The butler brought her so floral tea and fruits midway through. She squinted, covering her face with the book, savoring the scent of cotton flowers as she dozed off.

Returning to South Yang, she hadn’t had a truly restful night’s sleep. Unlike eight years ago, when she first arrived, this ti she felt as if she’d stepped into a dense, unyielding fog—everything was indistinct, elusive. She found the people around her increasingly incomprehensible. The lawyer who had helped her back in Vancouver had vanished, and since her return, little Zhen had been sent away without explanation. It seed soone was intent on keeping her away from him. All these events heightened Delphine’s sense of crisis.

Her sleep was light, and it wasn’t long before a servant woke her up.

"Madam requests Miss to co over."

Delphine picked up the book that had fallen to the ground, casually ran her fingers through her hair, and got up to head to the side hall.

Mrs. Gu, along with a few elegantly dressed ladies dripping with jewelry, was seated in the tea room, enjoying afternoon tea. Among them was a man in his forties, dressed sharply like a professional. Upon seeing her enter, he smiled and said, "Delphine, co and et the ladies."

The mont Delphine caught sight of the scene, she imdiately understood. The won who had co were wives of major real estate magnates. This circle adhered to a set of almost ruthless rules. Although Mrs. Gu had given birth to a young master of the Leclair Family, she had never officially gained status. The wives of prestigious and old-money families wouldn’t visit, only wealthy businessn’s spouses seeking ties with the Leclair Mansion would make their way here.

After so polite greetings and flattery, Delphine learned through the introductions that the man in his forties was her arranged match—a candidate for so governnt position with a supposedly promising future, though his background was modest, and he was a divorcé with a child.

"Delphine, take Mr. Xu around and show him the sights. I’ll enjoy so tea and snacks with the ladies," Mrs. Gu said, laughing as she lightly nudged her arm, then resud doting over the golden retriever with the wealthy wives.

Delphine left the tea room and stepped straight into the small garden, with Mr. Xu following closely behind.

"Miss Leclair, although there’s a bit of an age gap between us, I’ll be running for office this year. If you marry , you’ll be the wife of an official, and that wouldn’t be beneath you," Mr. Xu said.

Delphine furrowed her brows and turned to face him, speaking coolly: "First of all, my surna is not Leclair. Secondly, marrying won’t grant you access to the Leclair Family’s circle."

Her expression was calm, her voice gentle like flowing water, yet her words carried sharp precision that exposed everything unmistakably.

The candidate’s motive was laid bare, leaving him visibly uncomfortable. He had worked tirelessly for over a decade to achieve his current standing. Even though he was now a candidate, he lacked any solid connections or backing. He intended to marry her to climb into the Leclair Family’s network and had even overlooked the scandal surrounding her five years ago. He hadn’t anticipated such a blunt rejection.

A man in his forties, seasoned with experience, stared at the young Delphine and imdiately felt enraged, blurting out threateningly, "In South Yang, you’re notorious. Do you really think anyone else would marry you?"

Delphine smiled faintly, reacting with a calm indifference: "Mr. Xu is right. My reputation is indeed terrible and unworthy of you."

Angered, Mr. Xu stepped forward and grabbed her forcefully, his expression distorting with rage as he spat, "Stop pretending to be so virtuous lady. You’re nothing but a broken shoe that’s been worn out by others."