The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 179

"No," Mathis answered with lethal conviction. "If I let her go, Aveline won't have a mother."

The rain outside had stopped, but the air in the room grew suffocatingly dense.

Theodore desperately wanted to beat the living hell out of his grandson, held back only by the vast difference in their physical strength.

"Even if you finalize the divorce, don't be an idiot. Bianca can still come back and visit Aveline."

Mathis's eyes were obsidian. "I want much more than just visits, Grandpa."

"A man like you is destined to die alone," Theodore spat.

Despite his anger at Mathis, Theodore adored little Aveline. He demanded the two stay at the estate for a few days and immediately sent for Harriet.

He sternly warned Mathis over and over. "I don't care what sick games you're playing with your old flames or new toys. This time, you make absolutely sure Aveline is protected. If Cynthia Quinn dares lay a finger on her, I will personally burn the Quinn family to the ground."

"You have my word, Grandpa," Mathis said gravely. "I will protect her with my life."

When Harriet arrived and saw Aveline, she was entirely smitten. "She's a thousand times better than that bastard child."

She retrieved the precious Lifelock she had commissioned back when Bianca first got pregnant and fastened it around Aveline's neck. The old lady couldn't help but sigh at the winding, miraculous road this child took to survive.

No wonder she could never outmaneuver Mathis. The boy was truly terrifyingly capable.

"Stay safe and healthy, little Aveline," Harriet murmured lovingly. "Don't let that wicked woman outside harm you. And watch out for that awful brother of yours. The spawn of a woman like that is nothing but trouble."

Mathis remained dead silent. He had absolutely no intention of telling anyone he wasn't Aveline's biological father.

Even if she wasn't his, she was Bianca's. He would raise her with everything he had.

When they returned from the estate, Mathis officially moved back into the Begonia House. He had already ordered the preparation of a lavish nursery and hired a team of elite nannies for around-the-clock care.

Newborns were notoriously difficult in the first three months. The nannies handled the daytime shifts.

But whenever Mathis wasn't working late, he personally took over Aveline's care at night, completely unfazed by having to wake up at ungodly hours for feedings.

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