Rather than chase after Merlin, Cole turned his icy stare toward Allan.

As Cole braced to attack, Allan broke the tension. “Elliana mentioned your application was missing something. I know exactly what she meant.”

Instantly, Cole froze mid-motion, and his foot dropped to the floor. “What do you mean?”

Allan didn’t give an immediate answer. He leaned back in his seat, clearly about to negotiate. “Let’s make a trade.”

Cole’s brow furrowed. “What kind of trade?”

“I know you’re aware of Ava’s whereabouts. You’ve been keeping that from me for a certain reason, haven’t you?” Allan began, picking up the original application again. “Here’s my proposition. I’ll tell you what’s missing from this application, and you’ll share where Ava is. Deal?”

A wave of uncertainty washed over Cole’s face. Allan’s instincts had always been keen and out-of-the-box. If Allan had really pinpointed the flaw in his application, his insight could make all the difference. He felt an urge to accept the deal. But the thought of Elliana’s potential anger stopped him cold. Elliana had explicitly informed him that Adah didn’t have the slightest interest in Allan, not wanting Allan to find out Ava was actually Adah, his ex-fiancée, or start pestering Adah.

Sensing Cole’s inner struggle, Allan pressed on. “Relax. I won’t breathe a word about where I got the tip. And I promise, my advice will help you make things right with Elliana.”

Cole’s hesitation melted away. “Deal.”

“To prove I’m serious, I’ll start first,” Allan said, tapping his finger on the application. “This is already sincere and touching enough. When Elliana read those words, she must have been deeply moved. You two have been through so much, and her feelings for you are strong. Those memories must have meant a great deal to her.”

Merlin and Manley agreed, nodding as one. Even though they had made fun of Cole earlier, they couldn’t deny that the draft had been written with genuine feeling, and they were moved by reading it. It was hard to imagine Elliana not feeling the same. So the problem had to be that Cole had forgotten to include one particular thing Elliana was hoping for.

? gν﹐

When it came to figuring out that missing piece, Merlin and Manley were lost. Both looked at Allan, waiting for his explanation.

Cole, too, stared at Allan intently, hanging on every word.

Allan continued, “I haven’t spent a lot of time around Elliana, so I can’t claim to know her well. But I have noticed she and Ava share something important. Both women take pride in their independence. They want to stand on their own and don’t want to depend on anyone else.”

Merlin and Manley exchanged another synchronized nod. Nobody could deny the truth. Elliana carried herself with the grace of royalty. She embodied independence and never relied on anyone for support.

Cole gave a slight nod in response. There was no way he could refute the reasoning Allan had laid out. Truthfully, he already anticipated where Allan was headed.

Allan didn’t hesitate. “Elliana’s upset because you’ve been overly protective,” he said plainly. “She’s more than capable of handling her own problems. When things go wrong, she wants to face the storm at your side. But instead of being truthful when everything fell apart, you pushed her away and insisted on a divorce for the sake of protecting her. No wonder she’s furious with you.”

Merlin and Manley appeared to have a sudden realization. Their eager nods made it clear they fully agreed with Allan’s point of view.

.

.

.