Ms. Escape Marrying to Run Fighting to Rise novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168 Matthew’s Plan

10ished

Michael didn’t want people calling him a coward. But he couldn’t bring himself to crawl back to the Lincolns either.

His son, Denton, was everything he wished he could have been. Bright. Steady. Hungry for success. He’d just crushed the SATs and ranked first in the entire state.

Michael let out a long sigh. His thoughts tangled like fishing lines in a storm.

If he returned now, what would he even find? Harold would still be there. And so would the son he had abandoned.

The idea made his stomach twist. He couldn’t even remember that boy’s name anymore.

All he remembered about his firstborn was the bitterness, the disgust that lingered every he thought about him.

time

“Dinner’s ready!” Juliet’s gentle voice called from the kitchen. “We’re having salad and clams tonight.”

She stepped out with a soft smile, her calm presence filling the small house. “Denton, go check the stew in the yard. See if the bones are tender yet.”

Tonight was a celebration. Denton’s acceptance letter from Haldoria University had just arrived. It was the best college in the region.

When Denton left, Juliet’s smile faded. Her voice dropped. “Michael … the tuition’s going to be a lot. You know how expensive Haldoria is. It’s not the best college around for nothing.”

Michael frowned. “Didn’t we save some money?”

Juliet shook her head. “There’s nothing left. We used everything on his schooling these past few years.”

She hadn’t worked since they’d come here. Taking care of Michael and Denton was already a full–time job.

Michael’s body was strong enough for small things, but he wasn’t who he used to be. He was no longer the leader of the Lincoln Group. Life at the village was quiet and peaceful.

He hadn’t left the Lincolns empty–handed. He’d kept a few valuables. A luxury watch worth millions. A few gold bars he could sell quietly.

But years of living had eaten through all of it. There wasn’t much left now.

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Chapter 168 Matthew’s Plan

Finished

Michael’s brows drew tight. He sat in silence for a while before speaking. “I’ll handle it. Don’t say anything to him.”

On the way back to Haldoria, Matthew sat in the backseat flipping his lighter open and shut, the small click echoing through the car.

“Mr. Langford,” the assistant said carefully, “are you certain Michael will call you?”

Matthew grinned faintly. “He’ll call.” Michael might have been too proud to go back. But his wife? She didn’t have that kind of resolve.

Matthew had already gotten in touch with Michael’s wife, Juliet. He knew she was the key. All it would take was one little nudge, one hint about who her husband really was, and she’d be the one pushing him to go back.

A woman who’d married a crippled man and lived off him her whole life without working a single day? Saying she wasn’t after money was laughable. Only a man like Michael—pampered, sheltered, and foolish–would ever believe that.

By the fourth day of their vacation in Neocoralis, Curtis’s phone rang. It was Harold. He wanted Curtis home.

“What’s wrong?” Adriana asked as she stepped inside and saw the shadow in his eyes.

“Grandpa wants me back,” Curtis said, his tone cold and quiet.

Adriana stared at him. Something about the way he said it made her uneasy. This wasn’t just a family visit. Something bigger was waiting.

“I’m flying to Harborton tomorrow,” Curtis said after a pause. “You’ll go back to Haldoria with Irene.” He reached out and brushed her hair from her face.

Adriana’s voice was soft but firm. “Then I’m coming with you.”

Curtis stayed silent for several seconds. Then he shook his head. “No.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want her there. He just couldn’t let her see what lay behind his world.

He wanted to be her shelter. He wanted her to believe he was strong, someone she could rely on completely.

The filth inside the Lincolns‘ name wasn’t something she needed to see.

Adriana could feel it. Curtis was hiding more than he let on. She could sense the walls he kept around his past.

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Chapter 168 Matthew’s Plan

And she realized she’d stepped too close.

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Finished

He’d been so kind lately that she had started to lose herself. For a while, she almost forgot what they really were–two people bound by a contract, not love.

Adriana flew back to Haldoria with Irene. At the gate, a man was waiting for them.

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