Chapter 1550:
Once the silence stretched long enough, Corrine edged back out onto the balcony. She paused, listening intently, but the house remained still. Convinced he was gone, she drifted back inside, her chest still tight with rage.
Some time passed before she bit her lower lip and, hesitating slightly, pulled open the room door, only to find the hallway empty. Nate had vanished. Not a trace of him in the corridor or the study. For a moment, it felt like none of it had happened at all.
A servant happened to walk by and noticed Corrine standing at the threshold, dazed. With a soft tone, she said, “Miss Holland, Mr. Hopkins received a call and left. Maybe you should go back to your room?”
Corrine blinked, snapping back to reality. She met the servant’s gaze and replied in a cold voice, “That won’t be necessary.”
Without another word, she stepped back inside, gathered her belongings swiftly, and left the villa.
Three hours later, Corrine arrived at the Ford family estate.
At the door, Leland’s face lit up the moment he saw her. “Welcome home, Miss Holland,” he said, his voice carrying unmistakable warmth.
She gave a slight nod, changed into her house slippers, and wandered off to her room.
Watching her retreat, Leland couldn’t shake the unease stirring in his chest.
Something was definitely wrong.
After a moment of thought, he decided to report the matter to Carl.
As soon as he heard it, Carl stopped writing, and a spark of excitement lit up in his eyes. “Did you just say she quarreled with Nate?”
Years of service had made Leland an expert at reading Carl’s moods. He could see exactly where this was headed.
He cleared his throat, offering a sheepish smile. “That’s just my guess.”
𝔽𝗂𝗋𝖲𝗍 𝖘𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾 at ⳑ𝖆Ⱡ𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀․ⅽ𝗈𝗆
“I think there’s a good chance it’s true.” Carl leaned back slightly, his eyes gleaming. “Have you seen her take the initiative to come home since she got together with him? Something must’ve happened—something bad.”
His expression darkened with concern. A sigh slipped past his lips. “I’ve said it before—Nate’s not the kind of man she should trust with her life, but would she listen? No. And look where it’s gotten her. They aren’t even married yet, and she’s already dealing with this. If they actually go through with the marriage, I can’t begin to picture how much worse things could get!”
So what if the Hopkins family had power and money? That gave them no right to treat Corrine this way.
Carl snatched a handkerchief to dry his hands, then hurled it onto the table with force. His eyes blazed with conviction. “They need to break up—before it’s too late. They have to!”
Without a second thought, he seized his cane from the side table and stormed out of the room.
Leland rushed to keep up, flustered. “Sir…”
He hadn’t meant for it to come to this when he decided to tell Carl.
The main building of the sprawling Ford family mansion rose impressively across five floors. Carl’s domain occupied the first floor, while Corrine had claimed the third as her personal sanctuary for leisure pursuits.
As Carl reached the elevator, intent on ascending to the upper levels, a servant approached. “Sir, Miss Astley is here.”
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