Marrying A Secret Zillionaire: Happy Ever After Novel

Chapter 1134: A quiet sense of relief spread through the room. Negotiating felt far better than arguing endlessly. Linsey chimed in without hesitation, "What's your condition?" A cunning light flashed in Joanne's eyes as she answered, "I want to be recognized as a Wade, the one and only daughter of the Wade family." "No way!" Hester shot down the idea at once, her face set and serious. "News of your engagement to Dustin just broke tonight. If you suddenly became my daughter right now, it would cause a huge uproar. That's completely out of the question." Hester's concerns were genuine.

She could no longer bring herself to trust Joanne. Until tonight, she had always thought of Joanne as polite and sensible-the perfect match for Dustin. But after everything that had happened, Hester realized Joanne was unpredictable, and a sense of unease settled over her. There was no chance she would accept Joanne as a Wade, much less as her own daughter, unless she lost all sense of reason. Dustin felt the same. He looked at Joanne with a frown.

"Joanne, I get that you want support, but there are other ways besides joining our family." Joanne let out a bitter laugh and turned a mocking stare on Dustin. "So, you really don't care about Dolores, do you? You won't even grant me this simple request. Maybe you're not that eager to end this engagement after all." She let the words hang in the air, then continued, sounding almost relaxed. "It makes sense now. Earlier you said that even if you couldn't marry Dolores, you'd still keep her around forever.

You just want her to stay your secret lover, hidden away for life." That was the last straw for Dustin. He could not take it anymore. "Joanne, do you have to keep saying things just to upset everyone? We've all tried to talk this out with you, calmly and respectfully." Joanne only gave a quiet chuckle, her eyes flat and empty. She looked around the room, her voice matter-of-fact. "I have to make you all feel miserable to feel even a little satisfied." "Joanne, you-" Dustin's anger flared, and he nearly stepped forward to argue with her.

Dolores quickly reached out and held him back, letting out a sigh. "Don't waste your energy on her. Haven't you realized she's been trying to stir up trouble between us this whole time? She just wants to see us rattled by her words. If you get angry, that's exactly what she's hoping for." Lαtєѕt chαptєrs in ɢɑlnovels. Suddenly, Joanne's expression softened, a sweet smile appearing on her lips as if the bitter, angry side of her had never existed. "You know me so well, Dolores." She flashed her an innocent look.

"If Hester and Dustin don't want me as part of the Wade family, maybe you'll take me in instead, Dolores." Dolores shuddered at the thought. "No thanks. I'm not interested in surprise relatives. For me, Linsey is the only one I'll ever consider family, the only person I'd go to any length to protect." Linsey looked over at Dolores with a hint of laughter in her eyes. Being around her had lifted the weight off her shoulders, enough that she teased, "And here I was thinking I was the one who always played the guardian." Dolores raised an eyebrow in return.

"Did you forget how I always stuck up for you when we were in the orphanage?" She had made it her mission to shield Linsey during those tough years. Joanne watched them with a bitter sense of exclusion, unable to understand why she never seemed to matter to the people around her. No matter how hard she tried to get closer or win their approval, they always seemed to look past her. . . .