Chapter 248: Reject me ... I won’t blame you.
Charlotte waited for her husband’s voice from the other end of the line. Instead, it was his secretary who answered.
"Madam Scott, Sir is currently in the middle of a meeting. Is it something important?"
Charlotte’s brows furrowed even deeper.
Benjamin was abroad, and she rarely called to trouble him.
Although they spoke frequently and she told him almost everything, she still hadn’t informed him about Adelyn’s return ... nor everything that had happened afterward.
But now ...
She could no longer keep everything to herself.
She had already made up her mind, but before taking the next step, she needed to discuss it with her husband.
"It’s something important," she replied firmly. "Remind him to call me as soon as he’s done."
The secretary paused for a brief moment before replying with utmost professionalism, "Certainly, Madam Scott."
The call ended.
As Charlotte lowered her phone, Clara quietly asked, "Mom ... you’re really going to tell Dad about all this?"
Charlotte’s expression only hardened. "I can’t keep it from him anymore." She looked down at the phone in her hand before continuing,
"I fought him back then just so Adelyn could stay with us. He never truly supported the decision. He only agreed because I insisted."
Her eyes gradually turned resolute.
"So now ... it’s only right that I tell him everything that has happened."
Clara secretly felt relieved.
She hadn’t spent as much time with Benjamin as the rest of the family, yet among everyone in the Scott family, he was the one she admired and trusted the most.
He had been the only person who opposed keeping Adelyn after learning she wasn’t a Scott by blood.
He had eventually relented —not because he wanted to, but because everyone else had pleaded for Adelyn to stay.
Now that Charlotte herself intended to bring the matter before him ...
Her father would surely support doing what should have been done seven years ago.
The corners of Clara’s lips lifted slightly. Fortunately, she suppressed the smile before Charlotte could notice it.
Moving closer once again, she gently sat beside Charlotte and held her hand. "Mom, don’t worry," she comforted softly. "Dad won’t blame you. He will understand you. He always does."
Charlotte gently patted the back of Clara’s hand before giving her a nod of understanding.
Then—
As her gaze shifted toward Xavier, she seemed to remember something. She first glanced thoughtfully at Clara before turning back to him.
"Xavier ... there’s something I need to discuss with you."
Xavier looked up at her. At her gesture, he walked over and quietly sat on the sofa opposite them.
Charlotte looked at him for a long moment before speaking.
"I’ve watched you grow up alongside Liam and Bryer. I know what kind of young man you are. You’re responsible ... dependable ... and kind."
"You’ve stayed by Clara’s side all these years and taken care of her. Our entire family has seen it."
She paused.
Then slowly inhaled before continuing more seriously.
"But now that things have reached this point ... I need you to make your stance clear."
As she spoke, her gaze softened while looking at Clara.
Clara immediately understood where the conversation was heading. Her eyes widened slightly, and she quickly shook her head.
"Mom ... don’t. Please don’t put Xavier in such a difficult position. He—"
Before she could finish—
Charlotte gently stopped her.
"Let me ask him. This isn’t about putting him in a difficult position. It’s about saving you from more heartache."
She gently squeezed Clara’s hand.
"I can’t bear watching you continue doubting yourself ... or hesitating because of someone else’s uncertainty."
"But Mom ..."
"Clara."
Charlotte’s voice grew firmer, making it clear she didn’t want to be interrupted again.
Then she looked back at Xavier.
"Our families arranged this engagement because you were meant to marry the daughter of the Scott family."
"But ... that arrangement isn’t absolute."
She paused briefly before speaking again.
"If you still aren’t certain about Clara ... You can choose to end the engagement. I just want you to think carefully before you make your decision. Because your past relationship isn’t the only thing you’ve had."
She glanced affectionately at Clara before continuing.
"You’ve also built something beautiful with Clara. Something that was only one step away from becoming a complete reality ... if Adelyn hadn’t returned."
Charlotte had witnessed Clara’s feelings for Xavier from the very beginning. She genuinely wished to see them together.
But above everything else ...
Clara was her daughter. Her happiness mattered more than anyone else’s.
Charlotte refused to let her daughter remain trapped inside an uncertain relationship, endlessly waiting for an answer that might never come.
So today ...
She had decided to force Xavier to make his position clear.
Meanwhile—
Xavier still found himself standing at the crossroads.
He had spent years beside Clara. He genuinely cared about her. That much wasn’t a lie.
But ...
He could no longer tell whether those feelings had ever reached the same depth as what he once felt for Adelyn.
For Adelyn ...
He had never once doubted himself. His feelings had been passionate ... Steadfast ...
Almost impossible to shake.
Clara stirred emotions within him too.
But never had they burned as intensely as the love he had once held for Adelyn.
Yet ...
The Adelyn of today no longer seemed worthy of that love.
Every time he remembered what he had discovered ...
Her entanglement with another man ...
The possibility that she had willingly become someone’s kept woman ...
A wave of disgust and frustration surged inside him.
It was so overwhelming ...
... so much that all he wanted now was for her to regret everything.
Regret betraying him.
Regret trampling on the love he had once given her.
His fingers slowly tightened into fists.
The familiar urge surfaced inside him once again, refusing to settle.
"Xavi ..." Clara’s gentle voice broke through his thoughts. "You don’t have to force yourself."
Her expression carried deliberate understanding.
"I know ... I know you still have feelings for Adelyn. Even after everything she’s done to you ... you still can’t completely forget her."
She smiled bitterly.
"It’s alright. You loved her. And ... I understand that. So ..." she took in a deep breath, one to calm herself.
"Reject me. I won’t blame you. No one in this family will. I—"
Before she could finish—
Xavier suddenly lifted his head. His eyes locked firmly onto hers. "I don’t love her." His voice was steady. Every word was spoken without hesitation.
"I can’t love her anymore."
His gaze never wavered.
"I love you, Clara. You’re my fiancée. And that isn’t changing anymore."
Clara froze.
Even Charlotte looked momentarily stunned.
Before either of them could react—
Xavier turned toward Charlotte. His expression remained composed. "I believe ... I’ve made my stance perfectly clear now."
