Chapter 176
Chapter 176
Valerie’s face flushed crimson, but before she could react, Aiden reached over and shut the laptop decisively.
The moment Valerie’s laptop snapped shut, her phone buzzed again.
Valerie didn’t dare to look up. But before she could even stand, Aiden had already scooped her up into his arms.
Aiden held Valerie close, greedily breathing in the unique scent that belonged only to her.
He leaned in close, pressing gentle kisses on her face. He only rose quietly when he could confirm that she was sound asleep.
Meanwhile, Valerie’s phone lay quietly in the corner of the large bed.
Aiden effortlessly entered her password and unlocked her phone. As soon as he did, a WhatsApp message from Nelson popped up on the screen.
‘Ah, so that person’s name is Nelson…from the Hall family on the north side of the city?‘ Aiden wondered.
The Hall family was powerful. Currently, three Hall brothers are competing in the business world: Mark Hall, Leon Hall, and Nelson, the recently acknowledged illegitimate son.
Aiden’s eyes darkened, and he clicked on the notification.
The text from Nelson read, [Do you love him?]
Valerie was deep in slumber when she suddenly felt a chill. Still half–asleep, she instinctively reached out to snuggle into her blanket.
Noticing Valerie’s slight movement, Aiden pulled up the blanket and gently drew her into his embrace. Feeling the warmth, she instinctively nestled closer against his chest.
‘Such a good girl,’ Aiden thought.
Aiden couldn’t resist bending down to kiss the top of her head. He glanced back at Nelson’s message and swiftly replied, [Yes.]
It was a succinct yet powerful answer. Just that one word was like a knife that pierced straight through Nelson’s heart.
‘God, it hurts so much,‘ Nelson thought.
The pain tore through his heart, instantly ripping it to shreds, and left him broken.
Nelson stared hard at that single word, as if trying to decipher/some hidden meaning within it. But the longer he looked, the shar
grew.
“Nelson,” Paxton knocked on his door and asked, “Wanna grab a late–night snack together?”
Nelson glanced at the clock. It was already past ten. He got up, opened the door, and asked calmly, “Where are we going?”
Paxton looked surprised. “You’re actually coming?”
e pain in his heart
Paxton had only asked Nelson out of politeness. Nelson had kept his distance from them ever since he joined the family. Hence, it was surprising that Nelson had joined their game today and even agreed to go out for supper.
‘What the heck?‘ Paxton thought in disbelief.
Nelson glanced at him. “What? Not planning to take me along?”
“Oh, no way, come on, let’s go!” Paxton urged with a grin.
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Chapter 176
Nelson was the Hall family’s illegitimate son. This was a fact known to all.
The Hall family servants never voiced their disdain aloud, though they always secretly looked down on Nelson. However, this contempt gradually faded after he joined the company and delivered remarkable achievements.
As Nelson continued to prove himself with impressive achievements, the Hall family members had been treating him with increasing respect.
Nelson was a man of few words, but he never stopped climbing the ranks.
In this household, the only one who still had a problem with him was Leon, the former second young master who had been demoted to third young master in the family hierarchy following Nelson’s appearance.
Leon was on a call in the living room when he spotted Nelson coming downstairs with Paxton. His brows immediately knitted together. “Where are you two going?” he demanded.
Paxton knew that Leon and Nelson did not have a good relationship. It was natural for one to be upset about having their place in the family usurped
Paxton quickly said, “Just grabbing supper. Do you want to join us, third brother?”
The title of ‘third brother‘ grated on Leon’s nerves even more.
Leon sneered inwardly, ‘I used to be the Second Young Master. How disgusting that I’d been pushed down a notch just because of this damned illegitimate son.‘
“Sure,” Leon said curtly as he quickly hung up the phone.
A bad feeling came over Paxton. He knew that this would not end well. In his defense, he had not expected Leon to agree. In his mind, Leon was always too busy for things like these.
But now that things had come to this, Paxton was too embarrassed to admit it had just been a joke. With no way out, he reluctantly agreed to bring Leon along as well.
Just as expected, Leon immediately showed his true colors the moment they arrived at the supper place.
With a sly grin, Leon said, “We haven’t had a proper talk since you came back, Nelson. Since we’re finally having supper together, surely it’s not too much to ask you to treat us younger brothers to a few drinks, right?”
Nelson felt nothing toward Leon. Hearing his words, Nelson simply gave a slight nod.
As Nelson nodded, Leon smirked and immediately ordered two magnums of top–quality whiskey.
Paxton gasped, “Come on, Leon, it’s just us brothers having a meal. There’s no need to go this far, right?”
Paxton knew that Nelson had a difficult past as an illegitimate son and had barely any money to his name. Paxton did not know how Nelson was going to afford such lavish hospitality.
Leon sneered, “Why so stingy? The standard I get when I eat with you guys should at least match the standards I get with business get–togethers. This is exactly what I order when potential business partners treat me to dinner.”
“Are you suggesting that our bastard Second Brother cannot afford to treat us? If you’re too broke, just say so. Maybe if you willingly accept me as your older brother, I’ll pay for my own damn meal,” Leon continued.
Leon was only three months younger than Nelson.
The Hall family was strict about their age–based hierarchy. If ward reached the elders that Nelson willingly violated this rule, Nelson’s standing in the family would be severely undermined.
Chapter 176
Paxton knew this wasn’t right, but he understood Leon’s resentment. He pulled a wry face at his situation of being caught in the middle.
Nelson paused for a moment and said calmly, “I can afford it. Order whatever you want.”
Thinking of the woman he cherished most, Nelson’s eyes hardened with resolve.
He was different from the rest of the Hall family. Every bit of his standing in the Hall family had been painstakingly earned over the past several months He refused to lose a single inch of it.
Seeing Nelson agree, Leon let out a sneer and deliberately ordered a whole table of the priciest dishes. Only when the table was practically overflowing did he finally close the menu and, with a mocking smile, said, “Guess I won’t stand on ceremony, then.”
