Chapter 271: She has done it before.
"We can’t," Eve admitted with an obvious frown. "But we also can’t just march over there and confront her like that."
Emmett stared at her in complete confusion. His expression became even more incredulous. "Why not? We just need to ask her. If we ask her directly, we’ll get our answer, won’t we?"
Eve pursed her lips and looked at him as though she couldn’t knock any more sense into him.
But when she glanced toward Asher’s stoic face, she realized that if she didn’t explain it properly, no one else would —and Emmett would probably end up doing something all of them would regret.
Letting out a sigh, she said, "You won’t get an answer because confronting her will only complicate things further. She might have forgotten everything now, but if she ever remembers ... it’ll only throw everything into chaos. Why stir up the very thing we’re trying so hard to avoid?"
Emmett’s brows furrowed. He still wasn’t entirely convinced, but when he thought about it again, Eve’s words did make sense.
But then again ...
"Then are we just going to watch her run away again?" he asked, looking from Eve to Asher, his brows knitted with obvious concern.
Asher remained silent.
However, his fingers slowly curled into fists.
He had never truly trusted Adelyn to begin with, but he hadn’t expected her to start walking down the same path again so soon.
Eve watched the two of them and couldn’t help feeling exasperated. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Can you two stop jumping to conclusions so easily?"
She glanced at Asher before turning back to Emmett.
"Just because you caught a few random words doesn’t mean you understood the whole of it. She has only just returned to Boss’s side. Why would she leave now?"
Emmett parted his lips to argue, but closed them again.
He wasn’t confident enough in his own reasoning.
Eve looked at both of them and spread her hands in an obvious gesture. "Exactly. It only means you’re assuming something that might not even be true."
"But I did hear her say something before. She did mention—"
Before Emmett could finish, Eve folded her arms and stared at him, lightly tapping her foot.
"Can you honestly say you’re certain about what you heard?" she asked.
Emmett met her gaze and frowned.
They had been standing side by side just moments ago.
And Eve knew as well as he did that neither of them had heard Adelyn clearly.
Wasn’t she only asking this to prove him wrong?
"Of course I didn’t hear it clearly."
"Since you didn’t hear it clearly," she immediately countered, "how can you be so certain?"
"Because she ... she has done it before," Emmett blurted out.
The moment those words left his mouth, the uncertainty disappeared from his expression, replaced by a cold seriousness.
"She has done it before. Hasn’t she?"
He glanced at Asher.
But seeing him standing there with the same grim expression, Emmett didn’t push him to answer.
Instead, he turned back to Eve and waited.
For a long moment, Eve said nothing.
Then she finally spoke, her tone noticeably more serious. "She has. But we all know it didn’t happen on a whim. There was a reason behind it —one that forced her into making that choice."
She lowered her gaze for a brief moment before quietly adding, "After all ... nothing changes the fact that she once loved Boss more deeply than anyone else ever could."
Emmett fell silent.
Because every one of them had witnessed just how hopelessly and wholeheartedly Adelyn had once been in love.
Perhaps ...
It was precisely because she had loved so deeply ...
... that when she finally began to hate—
That hatred became just as unbearable.
Emmett coughed lightly, clearing his throat.
"But still ... if she really leaves someday ..." He looked between Eve and Asher. "Do you think we’ll be able to salvage the situation?"
Both Asher’s and Eve’s expressions turned grim.
Because they both knew the answer.
No.
Anyone capable of salvaging that destruction ...
... would also be the very person who would be responsible for causing it.
Adelyn.
Except for her ...
No one else could stop what would happen.
But the question was—
Would she step forward then?
——————————————————
Meanwhile—
Back at Scott Villa—
Liam handed Xavier a glass of scotch.
As Xavier accepted it, Liam sat down across from him, quietly swirling the amber liquid before taking a slow sip.
Xavier hadn’t really come for the drink. Still, with the glass already in his hand, he took a sip as well.
"Have you really thought it through?" Liam asked.
Even though he didn’t say it outright, Xavier knew exactly what he meant.
Allowing the burn of the scotch to settle in his throat, he finally answered, "Well ... there wasn’t much to think about in the first place."
Liam’s fingers tightened around his glass.
He set it down on the table with a hard thud before glaring at him.
"Xavier Colson, they’re both my sisters —not toys you can play with whenever it suits your mood."
Xavier looked at him.
"Sisters?" he repeated before letting out a faint, mocking chuckle. "Don’t tell me you still consider Adelyn your sister, Liam."
Liam’s brows furrowed, his jaw tightening. "There’s no need for me to consider her my sister. Because she is my sister. And nothing will ever change that."
Xavier stared at him for a long moment.
For a second, it looked as though he was about to argue.
Instead, he simply lifted the glass to his lips and finished the remaining scotch in one swallow.
After setting the empty glass down, he stood up and adjusted his suit.
"Your family affairs aren’t my business," he said calmly. "But since you have asked, I’ll give you my answer."
"I’ve already thought it through," he answered, adding firmly, "It’s Clara. As for Adelyn ..."
His fingers slowly clenched as he forcefully tried to suppress the emotions surging inside him before finishing,
"... she doesn’t deserve me or my love anymore."
And with that, he turned to leave.
Liam’s expression clearly showed his disapproval of Xavier’s words. He wasn’t convinced ...
Yet he made no attempt to stop him.
He simply watched Xavier’s retreating figure and said,
"Since you’ve made your decision, don’t go back on it."
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