Chapter 524\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, Iris froze. She wasn\u2019t foolish-she could hear the venom dripping from Adeline\u2019s voice. Still, offending Sydney wasn\u2019t an option either, not when the woman had deep ties to the Sterlings. One wrong word, and Iris might end up paying for it later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as she was looking for a graceful way to excuse herself, a low, cutting laugh echoed from the entryway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone like you could marry into the Hampton family, then for Sydney, joining the Sterlings would be effortless.\u201d The words were calm, but the tone carried a chill edged with mockery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room fell silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most of the guests had long resented Adeline in private, but no one dared cross her while her son kept Hampton Corp. afloat. Now, though, the jab was too good. A few who lacked restraint nearly burst out laughing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who was it? Who finally had the courage to say what everyone else was thinking?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney turned toward the speaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian stood not far away, dressed in a navy suit. His expression was composed, but the displeasure in his eyes was unmistakable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He raised a hand toward her, his tone softening only for her. \u201cCome on. Let\u2019s go home. The Hampton family\u2019s threshold is too high. No need to come again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone in the room understood what that meant. The Sterlings were cutting ties with the Hamptons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adeline\u2019s face shifted through furious red, embarrassed white, and mottled disbelief. Humiliated in front of her guests, she could barely hold herself together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She forgot all about the Sterling-Hampton partnership and their years of cordial relations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian!\u201d she snapped. \u201cI\u2019m still your elder! Just because you\u2019ve grown wings doesn\u2019t mean you can talk to me like this!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice shook with outrage. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t even say anything wrong! Your grandmother will never let you marry Sydney. Instead of mocking me, you\u2019d better go home and beg her!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her cheeks burned crimson as she fought to keep her composure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Upstairs, Caleb heard the commotion. He hadn\u2019t even realized his mother had returned, but when her sharp voice echoed up the stairwell, he stopped mid-step.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wanted to hear how Julian would respond. He knew the man well-Julian might seem untouchable, but when it came to those he cared about, he had limits. However strained things were between him and Eloise, they were still grandmother and grandson.\u00a0<\/p>\n
172\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Surely, he wouldn\u2019t ignore her completely. Maybe this would even make Sydney face reality before she got hurt too deeply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that moment, Julian pulled Sydney close, his arm steady around her shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve misunderstood,\u201d he said evenly. \u201cBetween Sydney and me, it\u2019s not about whether I want to marry her. It\u2019s about whether she\u2019s willing to marry me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Iris exhaled in relief. \u2018Thank goodness!\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had nearly said something foolish to appease Adeline. Fortunately, she had stayed quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To Julian, Sydney wasn\u2019t just important-she was everything. Who would have thought that a man so cold and unreadable could love someone with such open, consuming devotion? The kind that made others envious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adeline\u2019s face hardened. \u201cSo you don\u2019t care what your grandmother thinks? She\u2019s old, her health is fragile. What if the shock makes her ill?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019ll hold a grand funeral,\u201d Julian said flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d She blinked, not understanding at first, then the meaning hit her like a slap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe audacity!\u2019 He meant that if something happened to Eloise, he\u2019d treat it as an event to celebrate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney pinched his back gently-a silent plea for restraint. There was no point in earning himself a reputation for defying his elders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian only tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her closer. His voice remained calm, deliberate. \u201cMy father and I share no blood with Eloise Doakes. If I\u2019m willing to give her a proper funeral, that alone should earn your respect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
D\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 524 Chapter 524\u00a0 For a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22704\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}