?Chapter 1604:

Maddox sprawledzily on the sofa, smoke curling from the cigarette dangling between his lips. He draped his arm over the backrest and fixed his gaze on the ceiling. “Your Astley family’s stance toward the Ford family seems rather ambiguous. Jayden holds an important post, and Jules has a distinguished military background. No good reason to look down on them, right?”

The Ford family couldn’t measure up to the Astley dynasty—that was true, but few families around the country could rival their standing.

“Is your mother, who cherishes Rachel above all others, truly willing to let her marry into the Ford family without a grand celebration?” Maddox propped himself up and flicked ash from the cigarette pinched between his fingers. “Didn’t you notice the girl was fighting back tears just now?”

Women’s tears unsettled him deeply, but forced smiles—those hollow masks ofposure—he despised even more.

Franco bristled with displeasure. His niece—whom he had watched blossom from childhood—deserved better. Drawing a measured breath, he said, “Our Astley family has long prided itself on nobility and integrity, never stooping to curry favor with the powerful. When choosing a son-inw, we value character above family lineage or social standing.”

In essence, the Astley family harbored no particr grievance against the Ford family.

“What game are your parents ying then?” Maddox’s brow furrowed as he struggled to untangle the threads of this family drama.

Franco cast an indifferent nce his way. “What else could it be? They’re simply furious that the girl remains so stubborn, deaf to reason or counsel.” Back then, she had thrown herself headlong into discussing a marriage alliance with the Ford family, surrendering herself without reservation or caution.

To wed Jules, she had boldly dered, “Rest assured, marrying Jules is my decision alone. Whatever the oue—fortune or misfortune—I’ll shoulder the responsibility fully.”

Those words had nted seeds of resentment that still flourished in her grandparents’ hearts, a sentiment mirrored by Rachel’s parents.

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Franco seized the wine ss from the table, swallowing a generous mouthful before idly rotating the crystal between his fingers. His gaze drifted deliberately toward Nate. “Curious, though—whatpelled you to bring Corrine out today?”

Unlike Moses and Zack, the two men seated here shared a deeper history with Nate, understanding theyers beneath hisposed exterior.fnd36f Checktest chapters at Find?Novel/fnd36f

Franco recognized Nate’s fierce possessiveness—how he guarded what he treasured, rarely disying his precious things for others to admire.

Nate’s eyes lifted slowly to meet Franco’s questioning stare. Behind his elegant, aristocratic demeanor lurked a hint of casual indifference, reminiscent of a lion lounging in the sun, secure in its power. “Protect her well at the wedding party.”

“Me, protect her? Are you certain?” Amusement flickered in Franco’s eyes, thoughtful and knowing. “Your woman is hardly ordinary. She scaled twenty-six floors with nothing but her bare hands. Would such a woman require my protection?”

Upon hearing this, Maddox, who had been lounging on the sofa smoking, suddenly perked up. “Holy crap! Climbing 26 floors with bare hands? She’s not just a beast, she’s a super-beast!”

Franco frowned slightly and asked seriously, “Why a super-beast?”

“Because ‘beast’ just doesn’t cut it for someone that hardcore. Her ability goes far beyond that,” Maddox replied with a grin.

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