But Eric only let out a short, derisive breath. “Not a chance. I’m not throwing myself on that altar.”

“You…” Ferris faltered, but then laughed—dry and worn thin. “Is that really what you think I meant?”

By the door, Hadley lingered in silence, one hand wrapped around Joy’s water cup.

She’d stepped in to refill it and, without intending to, caught the sharp edges of Ferris and Eric’s exchange.

Could it be more ironic?

She often felt wronged in this relationship.

Yet the Scott family saw their son as the victim.

Truthfully, a man with Eric’s pedigree was expected to marry someone equally prominent—someone who could elevate his standing.

And Hadley?

All things considered, Cade held a professorship at the University of Srixby, and the Jenkins family owned a modest supermarket chain.

In Srixby, they passed as respectable middle-class—valued for education, not wealth. But when held up against the Scotts, they barely registered on the same scale.

She blinked, pulling herself out of her thoughts, and, still clutching Joy’s cup, slipped quietly out of sight.

Inside, Eric faced Ferris head-on, his voice flat but unwavering. “Spare me the lecture. What’s the point of all that money if I can’t even choose who I marry? If that’s how this family works, someone else can take the reins.”

“Fine. Fine. I’m staying out of it. It’s your mess now, not mine!”

Later that evening, after dinner, walking back toward the south wing, Hadley kept her eyes on the ground, her silence heavy and uninviting.

Explore more chapters on g?lnσνes?c?m

Eric had noticed. Even at dinner, she had withdrawn into herself, saying little.

With Joy present, he hadn’t pressed.

But once they reached their room, just the two of them, he wrapped her in his arms, his lips grazing her cheek. “What’s bothering you?” he asked softly.

“You…” Hadley met his gaze. “Have you ever thought about marrying someone who truly belongs to your world?”

Eric went still for a moment, his brows furrowing into a scowl.

He caught on immediately. “You heard what my father said.”

“I did.” She nodded once. “And he’s got a point.”

“Bullshit!” The word escaped him before he could stop it.

He ran a hand through his hair, clearly exasperated. “I’m not talking about you—I mean him. He married my mother, didn’t he? He couldn’t even live by his own rules, and you’re taking his word like gospel?”

Hadley knew the story of Milly all too well.

“In terms of background,” Eric said, his voice lowering, “my mom had even less than you…”

Eric’s eyes flicked sideways, and then his hand shot up to his temple. “Argh!” Updates are released by FιndNovel.net

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