Duke recalled that whenever he got near this woman previously, she would look just as frightened.Was she afraid of him, or was she afraid of him getting close to her?He pursed his gorgeous lips tightly. Just as he was about to speak, his phone vibrated in his pocket.He released Adina’s shoulder and spoke in a low and soft tone, “The banquet hall is a little noisy. You can go to the balcony and get some fresh air.”After he said that, he brought his phone to a quiet place to answer it.A strange accent came from the other end of the line. “Hi, Mr. Winters. I’m Catherine. I wonder if you’ve heard about me.”Duke raised his head indifferently. “Hi, Ms. Catherine.”His mother lived in Ascrialia, and she had a quiet life. Ms. Catherine would always go to the manor and keep his mother company.In the beginning, he thought that Ms. Catherine had ulterior motives. But later, he discovered that Catherine was a psychologist with a background in social studies. She frequently visited h
“There’s nobody else here, so just say whatever you want to say. Don’t beat around the bush.” Dew smiled coldly. “As I said before, as long as you leave Sea City, I can give you anything. That still holds true, so you better take that chance.”“I finally understand why you’re so afraid of me being in Sea City.” Adina twirled her red wine glass and sounded lazy. “When I returned, you resorted to all kinds of schemes to make me disappear. I always thought that you were afraid of me stealing the position of the Daugherty family’s heir, but it turns out, that’s not the case.”Dew became tense.She stared at Adina who sat across from her. She gritted her teeth and said, “Didn’t you come back this time to take everything from the Daugherty family? I won’t give up.”“Haha!”Adina chuckled.She put down her glass of wine before she leaned forward menacingly.Her voice became extremely cold. “Compared to the mistress of the Winters family, the heir of the Daugherty family is worthless. D
Dew’s lips became completely pale.She had never been afraid of Adina. She was just terrified of Duke.That man was ruthless and cold-hearted. He showed no mercy to his enemies. If he discovered that she had deceived him for four years, he would kill her.“Adina, help me.”Dew grabbed Adina’s hand and begged her in a low voice.Her dreams of becoming the mistress of the Winters family were broken. Now she just wanted to stay alive and retain the Daugherty family’s wealth and prosperity.“Duke still doesn’t know about the kids,” Adina said indifferently.Dew sighed in relief. As long as Duke still did not know, there were still countless possibilities.She tried to ask, “So, besides you, who else knows about this?”Adina was aware of what Dew was planning. She scoffed and said, “Are you going to kill everyone who knows about this so that you can keep it a secret forever?”Dew was stunned.“I’ve already written an email, and a DNA report is attached to it. If something happens
Duke frowned. “Mother, when I met her, I didn’t know that she was my sons’ aunt.“Now that you know, you should give it up, yes?” Mabel said coldly. “Dew, the second daughter of the Daugherty’s family, gave you a pair of twins, but you want to marry the eldest daughter of the same family instead? If this news were to spread, people will mock us!”“I love Adina, and it has nothing to do with her being the eldest daughter of the Daugherty family.” Duke said plainly, “I will not break up with her just because she’s from the Daugherty family.”Adina, who was bringing her two children downstairs, was caught off guard when she heard what Duke said. She was both surprised and shocked. There were mixed emotions in her gaze. ‘Duke and I are dating, but we’re not together because we’re in love. ‘But now, he’s saying that he loves me right in front of Mrs. Winters. He even said that he would never want to break up with me…’The wall that she had built around her heart crumbled a little.
“I’ll send you home,” Duke said as he opened that car door.Adina smiled and shook her head. “I drove here. I can drive back on my own.”Duke suddenly lowered her head and leaned into his ears. “Remember, I’m your boyfriend now, and it’s perfectly reasonable for the boyfriend to send his girlfriend home.” Adina recalled what he said to Mrs. Winters earlier. Her ears turned red. She pursed her lips and said, “What should I do with my car, then?”Duke turned around and called for a bodyguard. He ordered him to drive Adina’s car and follow him as he drove Adina and her children back. He drove slowly, and they reached the Daugherty’s mansion after half an hour. Adina carried her children down the car and said politely, “Thank you, Mr. Winters. Goodbye.”Alden waved his hand courteously. “Bye, Uncle Duke.”Melody whispered, “Bye-bye, Daddy.”The moment Melody said “Daddy”, the emotion that Adina tried to suppress crumbled a little. ‘I could’ve still faced Duke as normal if h
Adina was speechless. ‘I’ve raised her for four years for nothing! Now that she has her Daddy, she has totally forgotten about me!‘I guess it’s true when people say that a father is a daughter’s first love…’She twitched her lips and went downstairs to find Alden. When she noticed him still reading that late into the night, she said helplessly, “Al, you should wait until you’re older to read such complicated books. You should be reading storybooks at your age.” She led Alden upstairs. “It’s getting late. Go take a bath and get some rest. Do you want me to help you?”Alden hurriedly shook his head. “No, thanks. I can do it myself.”He took a change of clothes to the bathroom and came out ten minutes after that. His hair was wet from the shower, giving him a good-boy look. Adina led him into his bedroom and said gently, “Do you want a bedtime story from me?”“Okay.”Alden took the book that was placed at the head of his bed. It was a book of idioms, one that was a little m
Adina was stunned. ‘I’m not a small girl anymore. I’m twenty-three, and a mother of four… ‘An unidentified person is lurking in my yard outside, yet this man is…’ Adina blushed as her pulse raced. She gritted her teeth, raised her gaze, and glared at Duke. She looked gorgeous. Her eyes reflected the chandelier in the living room, looking like a starry sky. Duke could see his reflection through her dark pupils. His arms turned warmer as he tightened his grip on her waist. He lowered his head as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He was trying to resist his desire… “You!”Adina looked at him furiously. She wanted to say something, but no words came out. She pushed his chest with all her strength, and finally broke free from the passionate embrace. She was a very restrained person, but at that moment, she was flabbergasted. She turned and said word by word, “I’ll give you a minute.”Duke had never encountered such a situation.He felt like a shameless pervert.
He walked over. He suddenly raised his foot, and the tip of his leather shoes came in contact with one of the men’s necks.He was so quick and brutal that the man felt immense pressure on his neck. His face turned pale. “It looks like you won’t behave if I don’t put you in your place.”Duke sneered and pulled his right foot up again. The man choked on his own breath. The blood vessels in his neck were bulging out, and he looked like he would faint any second.He could sense Duke’s murderous aura. ‘If I don’t do as he says, I could die right here…’“Okay, okay!” The men in black immediately surrendered. “Someone from the Osborne family asked us to sneak into this mansion and kidnap the two children!”Adina narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Someone from the Osborne family? What’s his name?”The man shook his head. “I don’t know. He paid us a million dollars and told us to get it done in three days. From his accent, he doesn’t sound like he’s from Sea City…’Adina was still pu