---- Chapter 804, The man''s reply was simple, yet distant. Hailey felt a little ridiculous for expecting anything else. She put away her phone, quietly left Aileen''s room, and headed to the living room. Just then, Miranda approached her. "Hailey." Miranda Young was Hailey''s mother. As the youngest in the Lambert family, Hailey had taken her mother''s maiden name. Despite the years, Miranda was still stylish and youthful, and her rtionship with James had always been strong. Hailey was their only daughter, and they had always cherished her. "Ts Aileen asleep?" Miranda asked. Hailey nodded.

    "She just dozed off." Miranda gave a small nod, then said, "Hailey, there''s something I need to tell you. The Shaws called earlier. They''ve asked if both of our families could sit down and talk about the engagement between our families." Hailey felt a rush of frustration. She had finally shaken Ewan off tonight, and now he wanted both of our families to meet? "Mom, I don''t want to see him! Yes, our families had an arrangement , but Ewan cheated on me with Melody. He was the one who called off the engagement. As far as I''m ---- concerned, it''s already over.

    I will never marry him!" "Hailey, James and I are on your side. Yes, you should only marry someone with integrity. Ewan never truly cared about you-he just used you to climb closer to our family. We haven''t forgotten. "However, the Shaws have grown rapidly in recent years, and our families have a long history together. There are numerous intertwined interests, and it''s not easy to untangle them overnight. "They called just now, sincerely asking us to meet. I couldn''t refuse outright. How about we go tomorrow?

    Take the chance to reject the engagement - politely but firmly." As the Lamberts'' heiress, Hailey understood all too well that prestige came with responsibility . She couldn''t afford to tear things apart publicly between the two families. She nodded. "Fine. We''ll meet tomorrow. I''ll make it clear to Ewan-once and for all." "Good," Miranda replied. The next day, Hailey dropped Aileen off at the research base, then returned home. Apanied by Miranda, she made her way to As Hotel, where the Lamberts and the Shaws had arranged to meet.

    They stepped into a private, luxuriously decorated dining suite, where Sally and Ewan were already waiting. ---- Sally rose to greet them with a warm smile. "Mrs. Lambert , Hailey-you''re finally here!" Ewan''s gaze immediately locked onto Hailey. Today, she wore a tweed dress, and her soft, flowing hair cascaded down her back. Elegant , delicate , effortlessly beautiful -she drew gazes to her wherever she went. Ewan''s eyes lit up. The woman he had chased all night without sess was now right in front of him. Soon, she would be in his bed too. Ewan smirked.

    "Hailey, you''re finally here." Hailey gave him a cold nce and looked away without a word. Ewan wasn''t offended in the slightest. The more she resisted, the more obsessed he became. Once they were married, he would settle everything with her in bed. He would make sure she paid for every ounce of defiance. His twisted affection wed at him, maddening and insatiable. Miranda said, "Hailey, let''s sit." The four of them took their seats. Miranda turned to Sally and said, "Mrs. Shaw, we''re here today to talk about their engagement.

    But as I recall, your son already called it off three ---- years ago. So as far as we''re concerned , the arrangement no longer stands." She didn''t beat around the bush. Sally immediately responded with a smile, "Mrs. Lambert , Ewan was young and foolish back then. That decision shouldn''t count. With the long-standing ties between our families , a marriage alliance is the best way to solidify our shared interests. Don''t you agree?" Miranda didn''t take the bait. "Even so, marriage is a personal matter. I believe in letting them decide for themselves.

    Anyway, I''ll respect my daughter''s decision." Hailey turned to Ewan and asked, "Ewan, do you really want to marry me?" He opened his mouth to reply. "I-" However, she didn''t give him the chance to speak. "Tused to think about marrying you too, Ewan. But then you cheated on me with Melody and broke off the engagement yourself. I''m not going to marry you. Not now, not ever."style

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