Chapter 1679:
Harlee slowly wiped the corner of her mouth, arched her delicate eyebrows, let out a lazy yawn, and finally fixed them with a serious gaze.
âOh? Sparring, huh? Now that you mention it, I havenât assessed your skills in a while. How about a round with me?â
âN-NO, that wonât be necessary, right?â For once, Thiago and Patrick were in perfect sync. Harleeâs suggestion was met with horrified refusals, their voices overlapping in unison before they hastily switched topics.
âHarlee, do you know when Aldrich stopped being single?â Thiago asked, feigning casual curiosity.
Patrick jumped in immediately.
âYeah! He even had the nerve to call us single folks earlier. When did he stop being a bachelor?â
They sure didnât waste time changing the subject.
Harlee raised an elegant eyebrow and leaned back in her chair. Patrick and Thiago exchanged nervous glances, swallowing repeatedly, before she finally asked, âWhatâs going on?â
Harlee raised an eyebrow, intrigued. She was definitely curious about this. Aldrich had found a partner so quickly? He wouldnât have set his sights on some female soldier, would he?
Patrick and Thiago shared a knowing look. Harlee had a notorious love for gossip.
Since Aldrich had been used as a diversion to steer Harleeâs attention away, Patrick and Thiago decided to let go of their grudge against him for blindsiding them with the hint of a romantic relationship. They had taken enough of a beating for one day. A âfriendlyâ match with Harlee would undoubtedly overwhelm them.
Patrick cleared his throat and said, âAldrich just mentioned it. Harlee, Iâll get to the bottom of it right away!â
Lá´tï½ st chá´ptÑrs in gðlnovels.ð¸Î¿ð
âYou have one day,â Harlee replied, raising an eyebrow. She placed her hand flat on the table and stood up. Her expression remained unreadable.
âYes! We will dig up everything within a day!â Patrick and Thiago swore in unison.
Meanwhile, at the Happer family manor, Nola acted as though the previous incident had never happened after leaving the study that night. She knew Errol rarely sought her out, so she hadnât expected him to summon her just a day later.
Now, the study felt suffocating, the air thick with unspoken tension. Errol sat stiffly in an antique armchair, his narrowed eyes fixed on Nola. Though his expression was ice-cold, anger simmered beneath his wrinkled face. A full day had passed, yet his men still hadnât uncovered a shred of information on Harlee. He couldnât help but feel a faint sense of unease in his heart.
Harleeâs information was like a fortressâimpenetrable and nearly impossible to access. So, Errol had decided to start with Nola. However, even before he spoke, he could feel her cold indifference. A surge of anger rose within him. Nola was becoming insufferably disrespectful.
Errol sat in his armchair, his expression grim, his aged face sagging. It was clear he was displeased.
Not far away, Nola stood tall and poised, her gaze steady. She showed no fear of his imposing presence.
Errolâs psyche was a labyrinth of contradictions. He demanded the younger generation stand tall with a backbone yet expected them to bow down to him. When Nola first returned to the Happer family, she had suffered endless headaches as she couldnât figure out how to strike that delicate balance.
But now, Nola didnât care anymore. She had learned the hard way. If she showed even the faintest sign of weakness, she would have no chance of taking over as the acting head of the Happer family. Therefore, she met Errolâs gaze with unshaken indifference. After all, he wouldnât dare harm her, whom he assumed was his biological granddaughter.
As she had expected, Errolâs anger slowly evaporated. He took his time, lifting his teacup with calculated slowness, his eyes as deep as a dark lake.
âNola, what kindâ¦â
.
.
.