As Lainey's voice trailed off, her gaze swept over the Shaw family members gathered behind her.

That was when Adelina realized Lainey hadn't been alone—her parents and a handful of relatives were all here for the same reason: to make her marry into the Clark family in Lainey's place.

Every face wore a mask of concern, voices overlapping in practiced persuasion. "Adelina, be sensible. Lainey has suffered for twenty years in your stead. The least you can do is return the favor and take her place in this marriage to the Clark family."

"Think about it," another chimed in. "Becoming Bruce's wife guarantees you a life of wealth and security."

"That's right," someone else added with a condescending tilt of the head. "Your birth mother was just a servant. Without this marriage, your future doesn't look bright."

At last, Lainey's father, Michael Shaw, rose from his seat with the air of a man sealing a deal. "The Shaw family raised you for two decades," he declared. "Now it's time for you to repay that debt. You'll marry Bruce for Lainey."

His domineering tone left no room to argue. Around him, the gathered relatives exchanged smug glances, their smiles practically dripping with self-satisfaction. "This really is for the best," someone chimed in approvingly.

Once Adelina became Bruce's wife, the Shaw family would reap enormous benefits. Their company had been bleeding money for two straight years, but with the Clark family's investment, they could not only steady the ship—they might even claw their way into high society.

But Adelina's lips curved in a bitter sneer. Everyone in Zaivine knew Bruce's reputation. The man was a spoiled heir with a vicious streak, notorious for the cruel games he played with women.

To marry him would be like walking into a gilded cage where every bar cut deep.

"I'm not doing it," she stated in an even tone, her words slicing through the tension in the room.

"You ungrateful brat!" Michael roared, shocked that the usually compliant Adelina dared defy him. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a porcelain cup from the table and hurled it in her direction.

The cup hit her arm with a sharp sting and exploded against the floor. Color drained from her face as she instinctively lifted her arm to check for bruises, but before she could move, Michael's palm came swinging toward her.

Adelina squeezed her eyes shut.

She braced for the slap's burning impact—only to hear Lainey's syrupy voice cut through the air. "Dad, don't hit her."

"Why are you stopping me?" Michael barked, his face flushed with fury.

Lainey tilted her head sweetly, her voice dripping with false concern. "If you leave a mark on her face, Bruce won't be satisfied with such a flawed woman."

For a fleeting second, Adelina thought Lainey was showing mercy—until the cruelty laced beneath those gentle words sank in like a knife.

Michael's anger ebbed, and he reached out to ruffle Lainey's hair with fatherly indulgence. "You're absolutely right, sweetheart. The Clark family won't accept damaged goods."

Lainey leaned into his touch, her voice sweet as honey. "I knew you'd understand, Dad. You're the best."

Their easy intimacy only drove the point deeper—it was as if Adelina existed merely as a pawn, called upon when convenient and discarded when her purpose was served.

Disgust rising in her chest, Adelina pivoted sharply and strode toward the hallway.

Lainey trailed after her, feigning fragile innocence even as menace threaded her words. "Walking out of the house now means walking away from everything you've ever had. Don't forget, Adelina—your birth mother was just a servant here. Without us, you and she wouldn't last a day out there."

Michael's voice boomed from behind, hurling accusations of Adelina's ingratitude, painting a picture of her future as a castoff with nowhere to go but the streets.

A sharp laugh slipped from Adelina's lips as she quickened her steps, refusing to dignify their words with a single glance.

So what if her mother had once been a servant?

Who decided she couldn't build a future without the Shaw family?

She flagged down a cab and rode straight to the City Hall, arriving exactly at ten, just as she'd arranged with the man.

At the entrance, her gaze snagged on a striking figure dressed in black.

The man stood beneath the sunlight, the sharp lines of his dark, tailored suit traced by a faint golden halo. Every inch of him radiated quiet power and precise control, as if the world itself paused around his presence.

An unmistakable air of poise and effortless elegance surrounded him.

For a heartbeat, Adelina found herself frozen in place, fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeve.

An unfamiliar flutter rippled through her chest. Was this man truly about to become her husband?

There was no denying it—his looks and bearing were striking, almost too polished.

He had clearly taken care to present himself well today.

If she hadn't stumbled upon that hotel staff badge earlier, she might have easily believed Colton was a high-ranking executive walking straight out of a glossy magazine spread.

"Hello, my name is Adelina Shaw."

Adelina took a step closer, deciding it was better to bridge the awkward gap herself since she still didn't know what to call the man.

Colton's dark gaze lingered on her face, the weight of his stare steady and unreadable. "Colton Clark," he answered, his voice low and even.

They headed into the City Hall together. The halls were unexpectedly crowded, and by the time the paperwork and ceremony were finally done, the clock was pushing noon.

Adelina stepped out into the sunlight, a hollow ache blooming in her chest.

Her engagement was over. The family she had known was gone.

What she had now was a hasty marriage—bound to a man she barely knew.

Beside her, Colton stood with calm composure, the sharp lines of his suit catching the light. She wondered if this stranger was truly someone she could lean on.

Sensing the shift in her mood, Colton spoke in a quiet, deliberate tone. "How about we get something to eat?"

A small pause followed before he added lightly, "My treat."

Adelina blinked herself out of the daze and instinctively shook her head. "That's not necessary."

His expression darkened. Plenty of women had turned him down before, but those rejections had always been part of the game. Could she be doing the same thing? The answer blindsided him.

Adelina took a moment, then found her voice again. "You're just an ordinary hotel worker. I know you earn every penny through hard work. We shouldn't waste money just because we got married."

Silence settled between them.

The idea of the Clark Group's CEO needing his wife to pinch pennies for him… if his friends ever heard, they'd never let him live it down.

If his grandmother ever caught wind of this, she'd tear into him without mercy.

Wait a minute... Hotel? The single word snagged his attention.

His gaze sharpened, and he asked slowly, "How did you know I work at a hotel?"

Keeping her face composed, Adelina slipped a badge from her purse and held it out. "I found this on the sink. I figured I should return it to the owner."

Words failed Colton for a moment.

The realization clicked into place—she hadn't recognized him at all. She'd assumed, because of that nameless badge, that he was nothing more than a hotel staff member.

After a quiet beat, Colton's mouth curved into a mischievous smile.

She had mistaken him for a hotel worker… and still agreed to marry him?

For someone long accustomed to reverence and deference, that twist of fate struck him as both absurd and oddly entertaining.

His Adam's apple dipped as he pressed his lips into a thin line, deciding to keep the truth to himself. "Alright," he said lightly.

Maybe this was exactly what he needed.

Their marriage had come together in a rush, and her ignorance of his identity gave him the perfect chance to see how sincere she truly was.

If she cared for him and not the name, he'd make damn sure she never regretted it.

He needed a wife—and the Clark family needed someone to hold the title of its lady.

With a quiet motion, Colton tucked the badge away and gave a small cough. "If we're skipping the meal, where do you want to head next?"

Adelina hesitated before answering, her voice steady but soft, "I got kicked out of my house. I don't have anywhere to stay yet."

"Kicked out?" Colton's brow furrowed at that.

He hadn't looked into her background, and the revelation of a fractured family caught him off guard.

Lowering her gaze, Adelina murmured, "I'll explain everything someday. Just… not right now."

The thought of his wife sleeping on the streets didn't sit well with Colton. He didn't press further. "Since we're married, you'll stay with me," he stated, his tone firm but calm.

The offer caught Adelina off guard.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut in with quiet authority. "We should also spend time getting to know each other better."

After a brief internal struggle, Adelina gave a quiet nod, accepting because she truly had nowhere else to turn.

The car cut through the quiet streets, eventually pulling up in front of a modest, timeworn house tucked away on the edge of town.

Adelina stepped out, glancing at the emblem gleaming on the hood.

She didn't know much about cars, but the logo stirred a faint sense of recognition.

Was this some luxury brand?

With her brow furrowed, she reached for her phone, ready to snap a photo and search it up later.

Colton's low, deliberate throat-clearing cut through the night air. "Ahem…" He rounded the car with an even stride, catching her frozen in place, phone half-raised, eyes fixed on his prized vehicle. A hint of amusement flickered in his gaze as he said smoothly, "Come on inside with me."

He made a mental note to have Jorge swap the car for something far less conspicuous.

Adelina trailed after Colton through the creaking doorway.

The humble house carried the scent of age—its weathered, yellow-streaked walls peeling at the corners, the sagging roof tufted with stubborn weeds.

Inside, the living room held only a few plain pieces of furniture, but each surface gleamed as if scrubbed with care. The faint trace of cleaning powder still lingered in the air, crisp and clean.

"This used to be my grandfather's house," Colton remarked, his voice dropping a notch.

He'd grown up here, just the two of them, and though the home was small, it held a kind of quiet dignity that spoke of years gone by.

When he noticed the slight crease between Adelina's brows, his dark eyes sharpened almost imperceptibly.

For a heartbeat, he wondered if she was looking down on him.

But Adelina's soft reply came before his thoughts could settle. "Thank you for letting me stay," she murmured, steadying her voice. "I'll help you take care of the place."

For the briefest moment, something shifted in her expression. In the dim light, she almost saw the boy Colton once had been—scrappy, stubborn, scraping his way through life with little more than grit and calloused hands.

Colton faltered, momentarily taken aback by her quiet sincerity. "Uh… yeah," he said after a beat, his voice roughened by surprise. "Sure."

While Adelina wandered through the house, her phone buzzed sharply in her pocket.

The name flashing across the screen made her brows knit together—Michael. She pressed the answer button.

"Where the hell have you disappeared to, you ungrateful brat?" Michael's harsh bark rattled through the speaker. "You've got a meeting with Bruce at the Apex Hotel tomorrow about the engagement. Get yourself home right now!"

At the mention of the engagement, Adelina's face hardened, the warmth from moments earlier vanishing in an instant. "I already told you I'm not marrying him," she said indifferently. "Why would you set this up without asking me first? I'm not your real daughter. You've always wanted me gone—shouldn't this make you happy?"

The truth was simple and brutal: the Shaw family had long since grown tired of her presence but had let her stay for the sake of keeping up appearances.

Now that she had worth in their eyes, they suddenly couldn't bear to let her leave.

On the other end of the line, Michael's voice dripped with quiet menace. "You won't be going, huh? Refuse me and I'll see that your grandmother breathes her last tonight; she doesn't have much time left anyway," he threatened.

The "grandmother" Michael mentioned was none other than Dina Shaw. She had been the one who had raised Adelina.

Confined to her bed, Dina had grown frail and dependent. Her body had been ravaged by severe heart disease.

Adelina never would've believed Michael could sink low enough to take his own mother's life just to line his own pocket.

A strangled gasp escaped her, and her eyes welled up, the red rims betraying the fury and helplessness churning inside her. Her fingers curled into tight fists as a tremor ran through her entire body.

At last, she gave in, her voice raw. "Fine. I'll go."

Once the call ended, her pulse refused to settle.

She could grind herself to the bone earning the money for Dina's treatment, but nothing guaranteed the Shaw family wouldn't pull something vile behind her back.

To keep Dina safe, she steeled herself to face them head-on and end this once and for all.

Across from her, Colton caught the flicker of fear in her gaze as she clutched the phone like a lifeline, and unease stirred quietly in his chest.

Sensing his stare, Adelina forced her expression into practiced calm, tucking her panic behind a brittle smile.

His brows drew together as he pressed. "What's going on?"

After a few seconds of silent debate, she exhaled slowly and answered quietly, "It's nothing. I just have something to handle tomorrow."

She'd always believed honesty was the foundation of any marriage, yet the thought of explaining the arranged marriage looming over her made her throat tighten.

Colton was just a hotel employee—he didn't need to be dragged into the Shaw family's mess.

Colton arched a brow, catching the tension etched between her furrowed brows and the stiff line of her lips. She was hiding something—he could feel it.

"Want me to come with you?" he asked, his voice low and steady.

Adelina snapped out a quick shake of her head and, almost on reflex, pushed at his chest with both hands. "No need!"

The softness of her touch only sharpened the sting of her rejection.

No woman had ever dared shove Colton away before. A prickling irritation stirred beneath his skin. With a measured breath, he peeled off his tailored jacket and began loosening the buttons of his crisp shirt.

Adelina's breath hitched, her cheeks flushing as his chiseled torso came into view. She jerked her gaze aside, stammering, "W-what on earth are you doing?"