The divorced military queen awakens novel

Chapter 654 Schemes Of Adoption After all , Edmund already had a bright , healthy daughter . He had no reaso household , especially one whose mother was a vegetable . To Edmund , that with a capital T. +5 Free Coins other little girl to the tion spelled trouble " Of course it is true , " Edmund said with an easy laugh . " That child will be worth her weight in gold one day . My entire rise and fortune might very well hinge on her ." Rely on a penniless orphan to change his fate ?

The assistant frowned , unable to fathom how an abandoned girl could inspire such confidence in a man as calculating as Edmund . Edmund offered no further explanation . Instead , he recalled the child's eyes - round and lifted at the corners like wings - so uncannily similar to those of Julius ' . People still whispered about Julius ' wife , who had vanished five years earlier in a mysterious accident . Though newspapers labeled it a disappearance , anyone with sense assumed the lady was long dead . Grief had driven the patriarch into seclusion within Whitethorn Manor .

Only two years ago had he begun to reappear , and even then , his public sightings could be counted on one hand . Edmund considered himself lucky ; on one rare occasion , he had actually seen Julius in the flesh . From a discreet distance , he had watched the man clasp a young girl's small hand , warmth radiating from him in a way Edmund never thought possible . " Who is that little girl ? " he had whispered to the colleague beside him , " Mr. Whitethorn calls her his ' daughter , " the colleague murmured . " But they are not related . Mr. Whitethorn vanished while expecting .

The girl happens to look a little like him , so fate smiled on her- and on her kin . " Envy had burned through Edmund that day like cheap whiskey sliding down a stomach . Earlier that morning , inside the drafty orphanage hall , he had seen another child with those same eyes . The resemblance struck him like a hammer . If he escorted that little girl into Julius ' presence , perhaps the patriarch's cold eyes would finally soften- and that favor , Edmund knew , was rarer than gold .

If that happened , his own fortunes could rocket overnight , lifting him from dusty obscurity straight into dazzling power . The possibility sent a tremor of raw excitement skittering through his veins . Still , the child's comatose mother was a loose thread that needed trimming ; obstacles , Edmund told himself , were meant to be handled . Fortunately , the girl was young - pliable , starved for kindness - perfect soil in which to seed loyalty .

1/3 10:08 Mon , Dec 29 Chapter 654 Schemes Of Adoption +5 Free Coins He would teach her that he alone was salvation , that every breath of safety she drew flowed from him ; the elivered Dawn to Julius , more grateful she grew , the richer his future rewards . Imagining the moment Edmund's pulse quickened , his mind ablaze with impatient anticipation . In the quiet nursing ward , Dawn crouched beside the metal bed , tiny fingers thoughts raced in tight , frightened circles .

ying at the blanket as her She wanted nothing more than for her mother to receive real treatment - anything that might wake her mother up . Yet the word adoption tasted like exile ; she yearned to stay here , anchored to the promise that Megan would return . Before leaving , Megan had knelt , squeezing her small hands , and promised she would come back once she had earned enough for the medical bills . Suddenly , the memory flared like a match in the dark . Megan had left a phone number , digits Dawn had traced over and over in her little notebook .

Megan had told her that if something urgent ever happened , she must find a way to call . This is urgent , right ? She resolved to place that call today and tell Megan everything . The next morning , she slipped like a shadow into the vice director's office . She knew a telephone sat there , its black receiver gleaming like forbidden fruit . Heart pounding , she lifted the handset and dialed the number she could recite even in her sleep . Only a mechanical female voice answered , cold and scripted . She tried again . Then again . And again .

Each attempt ended the same - no Megan , just that lifeless recording . Crestfal sag . receiver to its cradle and let her shoulders n returned the Could the vice director have been right ? Had Aunt Megan simply left us ? Are Mom and I nothing but a burden to her ? The possibility bowled her over ; Dawn's head drooped , and a misty film crept across her inky eyes . Leaving the office , she nearly collided with a knot of other / orphans dragging toy cars down the corridor . " Hey ! Why were you coming out of the vice director's office ? Were you stealing something ?

" one of the older boys shouted . " I wasn't stealing anything ! " Dawn shot back , her voice louder than she intended . The orphanage yard rang with children's voices , yet none of them spared even a moment for Dawn's frantic denials . Jealousy , raw and childish , smoldered in their eyes - after all , she alone had caught the interest of a wealthy patron . Now they had a perfect excuse , and they rushed her in a tight , furious knot of ADMINJ