Sham Marriage Quit Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 100

"Which kid messed with my Ellie?" Malcolm used to say. "Don't cry. I'll go talk to him."

The memory softened her expression.

"Thank you."

"We're family now," Caleb said with an easy grin, slipping a card and a small gift box into her hands.

Elena thanked him, then turned to Sophia and Adrian.

She had prepared something for them as well, the personalized gift cards and small welcome gifts she had chosen herself.

She handed them over with a smile.

"Thank you, Elena!" Sophia said brightly.

Adrian thanked her as well.

Irene pretended to glare at her son. "You're quick to grab the gift. When are you going to grow up like your brother and stop making us worry?"

"How am I supposed to compete with him?" Adrian said, his bright red hair impossible to ignore.

"That's exactly the point. He took over the family business at a young age. You can't even hold a steady job," Irene said before turning to Alexander. "Maybe you could bring Adrian into Pinnacle Group. If you keep an eye on him, I'd feel better."

Alexander's expression remained neutral. "He wouldn't fit in at Pinnacle Group."

"Fair enough," Irene said awkwardly, taking a sip of coffee.

Adrian laughed. "He's right. What would I even do there? I'm into photography. You can't expect me to sit in an office all day—"

Caleb gave him a look, and Adrian quickly stopped talking.

Elena sensed an undercurrent beneath the surface. She returned to sit beside Walter and chatted with him for a while.

By lunchtime, the family gathered for a meal.

Afterward, Walter went to take his usual afternoon nap, and the others began to leave.

Evelyn had little to say to Elena. "Make yourselves comfortable. I've got plans this afternoon."

Her driver took her away.

The vast Kingsley Manor grew quiet.

Alexander stepped aside to take a call. Elena turned her phone back on, and it immediately began vibrating with notifications.

She ignored the messages and opened Twitter. She had expected to see headlines about Camille and Nathan, but there was nothing.

Of course. The Hawthorne family would never let that kind of news spiral.

She was about to exit the app when a different headline caught her eye.

Alexander came out of the study just then. Elena walked over to him, her expression suddenly tense. "I need to go to the hospital."

"What happened?"

"Charles has been admitted. I want to see him."

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