Sir Collins tightened his grip on his cane as he met Adam's shrewd gaze. He should have known things wouldn't be so easy and go his way! The last few years had seemed quite easy going with everything turning out the way he wanted.
After Adam was thrown out of the Collins' house, Sir Collins had made sure the boy would never be able to come back. But his wife had insisted on keeping the connection, refusing to officially and legally disown Adam.
Once he was out, Sir Collins expected Adam's life to fall apart. He had worked hard to make sure of it—introducing him to wild parties, bad influences, and the wrong kind of people. He was certain Adam would spiral into drugs and alcohol, just like so many other boys with more money than sense. He'd even made sure that Adam was surrounded by people who would pull him deeper into trouble. And for a while, it had seemed to work...
But Adam had defied him. Somehow, he had sidestepped the carefully laid traps, avoiding the fate Sir Collins had so meticulously arranged. Instead of falling into disgrace, he had turned to adventure. Mountain climbing, paragliding and what not. It had been an unexpected turn, but even then he had not been displeased. After all, if the boy wanted to try and kill himself, it was upto him.
The only thing that had given him pease was that the boy showed no interest in returning. As long as he had money to pursue his hobbies, he could not be bothered with fighting for the right to inherit. And one Spencer had inherited everything, Adam would not be needed anymore...
The only time Adam would have returned was when Lady Collins' passed away. But at the time he'd met with an accident and that had cut off his route to return for his own grandmother's funeral. Even then, Adam had hidden his intentions well...
He shook his head to disperse his thoughts. Now was not the time to think about how Adam had managed to stay on top of things. He turned to the people around him and excused himself with a smile," Well then, my friends, enjoy the celebration. I must greet my grandson properly."
Seemingly taking the hint, everyone dispersed quickly, eager to gossip about how everyone had thought that Melanie was with Spencer but was in fact with Adam. Didn't that mean that though Spencer was the heir, Adam's woman was on par with him, making Adam just as powerful if not more so. Who didn't know and acknowledge Melanie and her power in the business circle? This was an unexpeced scoop.
By the time Adam and Melanie made their way to the older man, he had already compose himself. He smiled benignly at the two before taking Melanie's hand and patting it," Melanie, thank you for joining us tonight. I hope to talk to you for some time. Remember to spare some time to this old man."
He then turned to Adam and had to struggle to keep his smile as he said," And you! How kind of you to escort your sister-in-law tonight."
Adam chuckled, the sound rich with amusement, as if he had been waiting for exactly this moment. He shook his head, his expression unreadable, before subtly pulling Melanie close to his side, the movement smooth but unmistakable.
"Grandfather," he drawled, his voice laced with humor and challenge, "do not joke." His fingers tightened around Melanie's waist, a silent declaration. "Melon here is my fiancée. We are going to be married soon. She just agreed today."
A beat of silence passed as the two men stared at each other. Then, a single, sharp exhale from Sir Collins—so brief it barely counted as a reaction, but Adam caught it. The old man recovered quickly, his expression shifting into something unreadable, but his grip on his cane tightened ever so slightly. How had this change happened?
"Aren't you going to congratulate us, grandfather?" Adam asked smoothly, th challenge in his voice only detected by the old man.
His eyes hardened then. "Congratulate you for becoming a third party? Do you take me for a fool, boy?"
Adam's smile didn't falter. He took a step forward, his tone dismissive. "A third party?" he repeated, the words dripping with amusement and disbelief. "This time, Grandfather, you're the one joking. Melanie?" He turned to her then, "Were you in a relationship when I asked you to marry me?"
Melanie smiled then and shook her head," Of course not." She turned to the older man then and asked," Grandfather, you are well aware of this. Why would you call Adam a third party?"
Sir Collins could feel his patience wearing thin. He was tempted to smash his cane directly onto Adam's head and teach the boy a lesson. His fingers tightened on the handle, and he hissed through clenched teeth, "Melanie, I took you for a good girl, someone who had been deceived by my grandson. I had hoped that, together, we could resolve your differences and make this family whole again. But something like this?"
He motioned between Adam and Melanie, his face flushed with anger. "Until this morning, you were supposedly married to my older grandson, and now you're asking for my blessing to marry my younger grandson? That is impossible! Where is your loyalty?"
Melanie's eyes narrowed at this. The sheer accusation was unfair. She clenched her teeth and spoke through a smile," My loyalty? Do you think I should be loyal to a person who almost caused me to be rap*d so that he could secure a contract? Someone who actually confessed that he never loved me and married me only to meet the terms of his inheritance? Should I remove the makeup on my neck to show how wonderful your older grandson is that he tried to strangle me? Sir Collins. I am a woman, not a dog. I do not need to show loyalty to anyone."
"I think the thing you should be thankful for is that he is not in prison at the moment for attempted murder. And that is only because, he is Adam's older brother."