Unexpected Fortune: My Ordinary Husband's Secret Empire
img img Unexpected Fortune: My Ordinary Husband's Secret Empire img Chapter 5 Their New Home
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Chapter 7 Meeting With Bruce img
Chapter 8 The One Who Should Get Lost Here Is You img
Chapter 9 I Am Your Husband img
Chapter 10 Jewelry Designer img
Chapter 11 A Reply From Hekko's HR img
Chapter 12 Designing Jewelry At Hekko img
Chapter 13 The Interview img
Chapter 14 An Exclusive Position img
Chapter 15 She Wasn't The Type To Let Things Slide img
Chapter 16 Making A Hasty Escape img
Chapter 17 She's Dying To Meet Her Granddaughter-in-law img
Chapter 18 Making An Exception For Her img
Chapter 19 Lainey Felt Utterly Crushed img
Chapter 20 Things Won't Be Easy From Here img
Chapter 21 To Clean The Entire Office img
Chapter 22 Clapping Back At Ella img
Chapter 23 The Jewelry Design Competition img
Chapter 24 She Has Been Bullied Again img
Chapter 25 They Seem To Be Getting Along Quite Well img
Chapter 26 Not A Chance In Hell We're Letting Her Pull That Off img
Chapter 27 A Titan In The Jewelry Design World img
Chapter 28 Violeta's Attempt To Seduce Elijah img
Chapter 29 Colton Was Mistaken For A Thief img
Chapter 30 Colton Got Jealous! img
Chapter 31 Why Am I Being Terminated img
Chapter 32 Lainey's Scheme img
Chapter 33 Colton, Be A Dear And Clean Up The Kitchen img
Chapter 34 Unaware Of The Need To Hire Models img
Chapter 35 Looking For A Female Model img
Chapter 36 There's No Backing Out Now img
Chapter 37 The Sudden Turn Of Events img
Chapter 38 Darling img
Chapter 39 Ethel The Arrogant Actress img
Chapter 40 The Styling Team Hired By Colton img
Chapter 41 Would You Consider Being My Model img
Chapter 42 Like A Man Closing A High-stakes Deal img
Chapter 43 A Distinguished Older Lady img
Chapter 44 Just An Overconfident Old Cleaning Lady img
Chapter 45 The Jewelry Design Competition Began img
Chapter 46 Was This Some Sort Of Elaborate Prank img
Chapter 47 Moran's Announcement img
Chapter 48 Adelina Claimed The First Place img
Chapter 49 Ethel Is Like A Joke img
Chapter 50 Blacklisted By The Director img
Chapter 51 Adelina Is Going To Pay For What She's Done img
Chapter 52 You're Amazing, Darling img
Chapter 53 Ethel's Lost Her Mind img
Chapter 54 Was The CEO's Wife So Fierce img
Chapter 55 The Kind Of Power She'd Challenged img
Chapter 56 She Had Chosen Someone Else Over Him img
Chapter 57 Colton Got Jealous img
Chapter 58 Sudden Flash Of Raw Vulnerability img
Chapter 59 One Kiss Had Pushed Him To His Limit img
Chapter 60 Adelina's Suspicions img
Chapter 61 There Seemed To Be No Flaws img
Chapter 62 Spend Time With Her img
Chapter 63 Every Detail Tonight Revolved Around Her img
Chapter 64 Adelina Was Bothered By A Playboy img
Chapter 65 Kelley Was So Arrogant img
Chapter 66 Cause Enough For Bragging Rights img
Chapter 67 Why Didn't You Tell Me img
Chapter 68 Absurdly Unreal img
Chapter 69 Should I Place A Bid img
Chapter 70 He Raised His Paddle High img
Chapter 71 Who Were Those People img
Chapter 72 A Bidding War img
Chapter 73 Adelina Was Missing! img
Chapter 74 The CEO Of Clark Group img
Chapter 75 Bryan And Kelley Were Finished img
Chapter 76 I Need My Husband img
Chapter 77 Come On Out, Sweetheart img
Chapter 78 My Wife Is Taking A Shower img
Chapter 79 A Hidden Thread Seemed To Bind Them Together img
Chapter 80 Lainey Wouldn't Let Go Of Adelina! img
Chapter 81 Preparations For The Camping Trip img
Chapter 82 Not Around Anymore img
Chapter 83 I Can't Accept This img
Chapter 84 Lainey Had No One To Lean On img
Chapter 85 Lorenzo Was Coming img
Chapter 86 A Kiss In The Bus img
Chapter 87 Lainey's Boyfriend img
Chapter 88 A Business Marriage img
Chapter 89 Lainey Started Showing Off Her Boyfriend img
Chapter 90 Embarrassed Ex-fiance img
Chapter 91 Lainey's Tent Had Collapsed img
Chapter 92 Hunger img
Chapter 93 Lainey's Trap img
Chapter 94 Colton Fell Into The Pit img
Chapter 95 Don't Let Yourself Fall Asleep img
Chapter 96 Start Counting To A Thousand img
Chapter 97 They Are Not In There img
Chapter 98 Needed A Lesson They'd Never Forget img
Chapter 99 Actions Have Consequences img
Chapter 100 A Poison In Human Form img
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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?"

            
            

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