Chapter 5 Their New Home

Adelina trailed after Colton through the creaking doorway.

The humble house carried the scent of age-its weathered, yellow-streaked walls peeling at the corners, the sagging roof tufted with stubborn weeds.

Inside, the living room held only a few plain pieces of furniture, but each surface gleamed as if scrubbed with care. The faint trace of cleaning powder still lingered in the air, crisp and clean.

"This used to be my grandfather's house," Colton remarked, his voice dropping a notch.

He'd grown up here, just the two of them, and though the home was small, it held a kind of quiet dignity that spoke of years gone by.

When he noticed the slight crease between Adelina's brows, his dark eyes sharpened almost imperceptibly.

For a heartbeat, he wondered if she was looking down on him.

But Adelina's soft reply came before his thoughts could settle. "Thank you for letting me stay," she murmured, steadying her voice. "I'll help you take care of the place."

For the briefest moment, something shifted in her expression. In the dim light, she almost saw the boy Colton once had been-scrappy, stubborn, scraping his way through life with little more than grit and calloused hands.

Colton faltered, momentarily taken aback by her quiet sincerity. "Uh... yeah," he said after a beat, his voice roughened by surprise. "Sure."

While Adelina wandered through the house, her phone buzzed sharply in her pocket.

The name flashing across the screen made her brows knit together-Michael. She pressed the answer button.

"Where the hell have you disappeared to, you ungrateful brat?" Michael's harsh bark rattled through the speaker. "You've got a meeting with Bruce at the Apex Hotel tomorrow about the engagement. Get yourself home right now!"

At the mention of the engagement, Adelina's face hardened, the warmth from moments earlier vanishing in an instant. "I already told you I'm not marrying him," she said indifferently. "Why would you set this up without asking me first? I'm not your real daughter. You've always wanted me gone-shouldn't this make you happy?"

The truth was simple and brutal: the Shaw family had long since grown tired of her presence but had let her stay for the sake of keeping up appearances.

Now that she had worth in their eyes, they suddenly couldn't bear to let her leave.

On the other end of the line, Michael's voice dripped with quiet menace. "You won't be going, huh? Refuse me and I'll see that your grandmother breathes her last tonight; she doesn't have much time left anyway," he threatened.

The "grandmother" Michael mentioned was none other than Dina Shaw. She had been the one who had raised Adelina.

Confined to her bed, Dina had grown frail and dependent. Her body had been ravaged by severe heart disease.

Adelina never would've believed Michael could sink low enough to take his own mother's life just to line his own pocket.

A strangled gasp escaped her, and her eyes welled up, the red rims betraying the fury and helplessness churning inside her. Her fingers curled into tight fists as a tremor ran through her entire body.

At last, she gave in, her voice raw. "Fine. I'll go."

Once the call ended, her pulse refused to settle.

She could grind herself to the bone earning the money for Dina's treatment, but nothing guaranteed the Shaw family wouldn't pull something vile behind her back.

To keep Dina safe, she steeled herself to face them head-on and end this once and for all.

Across from her, Colton caught the flicker of fear in her gaze as she clutched the phone like a lifeline, and unease stirred quietly in his chest.

Sensing his stare, Adelina forced her expression into practiced calm, tucking her panic behind a brittle smile.

His brows drew together as he pressed. "What's going on?"

After a few seconds of silent debate, she exhaled slowly and answered quietly, "It's nothing. I just have something to handle tomorrow."

She'd always believed honesty was the foundation of any marriage, yet the thought of explaining the arranged marriage looming over her made her throat tighten.

Colton was just a hotel employee-he didn't need to be dragged into the Shaw family's mess.

Colton arched a brow, catching the tension etched between her furrowed brows and the stiff line of her lips. She was hiding something-he could feel it.

"Want me to come with you?" he asked, his voice low and steady.

Adelina snapped out a quick shake of her head and, almost on reflex, pushed at his chest with both hands. "No need!"

The softness of her touch only sharpened the sting of her rejection.

No woman had ever dared shove Colton away before. A prickling irritation stirred beneath his skin. With a measured breath, he peeled off his tailored jacket and began loosening the buttons of his crisp shirt.

Adelina's breath hitched, her cheeks flushing as his chiseled torso came into view. She jerked her gaze aside, stammering, "W-what on earth are you doing?"