A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 385

"I'm not trying to coerce you, Ms. Thompson. I just wanted to be friends. From the moment I saw you, I felt a connection," he said with an ease that belied the tension in the room.

The crowd gasped. Mr. Crowe couldn’t possibly be thinking of... of taking Ms. Thompson under his wing and then... supporting her, could he?

These days, such arrangements were all too common, cloaked in euphemisms and moral decay!

No wonder he was so taken with Ms. Thompson. Young and beautiful, she had caught the eye of the boss with less-than-honorable intentions...

Matilda's face fell, “You knock me out, tie me up, and bring me here for this absurdity? Mr. Crowe, I admire your guts, but playing the benefactor? That’s a game I won’t play!”

Hadrian had lived a life marked by conflict and never had to sweet-talk anyone. Today, he humbled himself to speak to Matilda, only to be dismissed outright!

Hadrian’s anger flared, his eyes narrowing, accentuating the scar over one, making him look all the more menacing, “Ms. Thompson, don’t make me force your hand.”

“Ridiculous.” Matilda scoffed fearlessly. “What's this about forcing someone to become your ward? Mr. Crowe, I hardly see you as the philanthropic type. If you really wanted to help, there are countless children in the mountains without parents!”

Hadrian found himself at a loss for words against Matilda’s retort. Lowering his voice, he pressed, “I ask you again, will you or will you not?”

Matilda found the man before her laughable. He was desperate to convey something but failed, except for exuding a sense of danger.

She shook her head, her gaze clear, “I’d like to see what you’ll do to force me into the Crowe family.”

Hadrian gestured sharply, “Bring her son here!”