"Mister, who are you?"
Zade and Keira were genuinely rattled when they heard an unknown man claiming to be their mother’s fiancé.
They had worked way too hard to get these two together and didn’t plan to stand aside as soone they’d never seen before ruined such a beautiful thing.
"Oh, so I was wrong. It’s not Daniel you’ve been with, it’s that man!" The words were yet out of their mouth when Boyce lashed out accusatorily.
Then he stepped forward to address the people, his finger pointed toward Kelsie.
"You all just watch and see how she denies this man she’s been seeing secretly behind Jett’s back!"
Kelsie didn’t know when she scoffed.
This fool was unbelievably irritating. So irritating she wanted nothing more than to rip out his mouth.
With what he said, he’d just put her at a disadvantage. So even if she didn’t know this man who just spoke, she couldn’t ask or risk Boyce blabbering more untrue things about her.
Throwing a glance Colton’s way, her eyes narrowed slightly in recognition.
He referred to himself as her fiancé and sounded certain of what he was saying.
If that was the case, then could it be he was...
"Who are you?" Jett’s question seeped into everyone’s ear as he stepped forward, repeating the children’s question.
Kelsie hadn’t told him of the call with Colton, so he couldn’t even begin to piece together who he was.
Colton attempted to step toward him confrontationally when the butler reached out and yanked him backward.
Ignoring how he was struggling to breath as the butler pulled him back using his collar, Molly leaned forward and clicked her tongue thoughtfully.
"Oh, Kelsie, I don’t think you want to know his identity at a place like this."
"I told you she was hiding sothing. Who are you? Are you two in cahoots in this scam..." Boyce started yelling, but Daniel grabbed and pressed his hand over his mouth, abruptly ending the sentence.
Whilst the n struggled with each other, Kelsie decided to go with her bold thought and voiced out, "Are you Colton Reed?"
Colton imdiately chuckled, gently nodding his head in agreent.
Jett’s eyes narrowed imdiately, and he turned to whisper sothing to his grandfather.
As soon as he straightened up again, Jack beckoned to Craig and whispered sothing in his ear.
However, Craig straightened up and hissed.
"Oh, don’t be like that, father. Our guests have seen everything already; what’s the use of sending them out to handle whatever this is?"
"You’re not really shalessly making it obvious you love my dead brother’s children more than you love mine, are you?"
The words were barely out of his mouth when Jack raised his hand and...
Smack!
He had used all the strength he could muster to deliver the slap, leaving Craig disoriented for a couple of seconds, allowing Jack to grab his collar and pull him down.
"I’ve had enough of your nuisance, Craig Adler! If you feel I treat you and your son badly, why don’t you leave the Adler family already?"
Craig was rendered speechless.
First, his father, who had never hit him before, hit him for the first ti and what was worse? He did it in front of three thousand guests!
To make everything irreparable, he even asked why he was yet to leave the Adler family.
Sure, he had expected his father to retaliate one of these days by saying or doing sothing to sanction him, but not once did he think Jack would actually want to kick him out of the family.
A life without the Adler family money was sothing he had never imagined, and for soone who prided himself so much on the family na, he couldn’t afford to leave.
Thus, after being smacked across the face, he imdiately went mute.
Boyce saw how his father had fallen silent and didn’t dare speak up against Jett and Kelsie any further.
Watching them, Molly leaned forward and slung a hand over Colton’s shoulder, tutting in a not-so-tempered voice, "Did you see that, Colton?"
"The entire Adler family is on Kelsie’s side as she’d be their future granddaughter-in-law. What makes you think you can compete with that?"
Colton didn’t tilt his head to look at her and instead locked eyes with Jett.
"I need Kelsie, and she needs . Together, we compensate each other. If she goes ahead now and marries into the Adler family... that would be saying goodbye to a life of not looking behind her shoulders anyti she sees a suspicious car."
"Whatever threat you think you’re making, be sure not to repeat it again. Otherwise, you’d be facing criminal charges," Daniel sneered as soon as he was done, warning threateningly from where he stood.
Colton rely shrugged.
"You can’t arrest . My Reed family will hold you by the neck, making sure you collapse for laying a finger on their heir."
Jack Adler and a few businessn in the crowd winced at the na.
The Reeds.
Many families bore that last na, but only one family was at the top of the food chain.
If this young man was being so bold in front of the Adler family, then he couldn’t possibly be bluffing.
As if hearing their suspicions, Molly exhaled warily, nodding in agreent.
"That’s true. He’s Colton, heir of the Reed family from Lioren. Very influential. They’re also affiliated with a handful of very wealthy families. Alone, I doubt the Adler family can stand against them."
"Sigh. As much as it’d be fun to see Kelsie and Jett marry, it would actually be too much of a tornt to and everyone in the Langston family."
"I an, look at —I belong to one of the wealthiest families in Lioren, but if she doesn’t marry Colton Reed, I will spend the rest of my life on the run from those scumbags."
"If that happens, I do not promise I will not be back to get back at her for turning into a fugitive. So I’m imploring her to think of everything I’ve said and co with us to the Marriage Registry to file her marriage."
Kelsie snickered, her stoic eyes pinned on Molly as she refuted, "Molinda, I will take care of myself. If the Reeds and Langstons have to marry at all costs, then be my guest by doing the needful."
The air in the room tensed as the two won locked eyes, appearing to be in a standoff.
Jack had heard enough of whatever this was.
When he heard of the Reed family and the surprising talk that Kelsie was of the Langston family, he couldn’t help panicking.
The Langstons were not people he could trifle with, and Kelsie was honestly on the better side if she went back to Lioren and married Colton.
What was he even saying? Lioren itself was a place people dread to be born in. Being an heiress to such a long-established family was a dream that rarely ca true.
So when he heard her refuse to go to Lioren, he was elated and quickly spoke up before Molly tried to convince her anymore.
"That’s enough. My granddaughter-in-law clearly doesn’t want to marry this man. The least you can do at this point is respect her wishes and go ho to your people."
"However, if you want a wife so badly, why don’t you go around the party tonight for anyone you find suitable?"
Molly felt the back of her neck, shifting to the butler who was sitting quietly behind Colton.
Exhaling heavily, she leaned back on her seat, a bitter smile tugging the corners of her lips. "You’re just as selfish as your mother. Had she taken the mantle, a lot of things would’ve been prevented."
"Such a brilliant woman with the world at the palm of her hand chose to give it up thinking she was doing the right thing keeping a child like you safe."
"I’m certain if she were still alive, she would shake her head at the disaster you’ve beco."
Jett’s pupils dilated and his eyes fell slightly.
As the target of her speech, Molly had expected such a reaction.
When Kelsie didn’t respond to a word she said, she shrugged and got on her feet.
"That reminds , didn’t you work at Haven dical Center because you were after sothing?"
Instantly, Kelsie squinted her eyes at him while the rest of the Adler family stared at her in surprise, especially Jett.
Like she didn’t expect such reactions, she chuckled and lazily waved her hand at them.
"Oh, don’t be so surprised, Jett. Kelsie heard sothing from a very good friend and tracked it to your Haven dical Center. However, she couldn’t find it, so she opted to beco a staff."
"But because she didn’t change her last na, the Reynolds twins were able to track her down easily and find out her mother is Lois Fletcher."
She suddenly stopped talking and facepald herself.
"Ah, I’ve said too much. Why don’t you go ahead and tell her? You read Lois Fletcher’s hospital reports, so go ahead and share what you saw on it with her daughter."
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