novelraw Chapter 269: The Dream Lover of Three Hundred Million Girls in the South Seas Has Returned
Chapter 269: The Dream Lover of Three Hundred Million Girls in the South Seas Has Returned
Beatrice Carter panicked the moment Stone Leclair let go and walked away. She pinched Delphine’s arm and said angrily, "You stupid girl! Once I walk through the front door of the Leclair Family, you’ll officially become the fifth Miss of the Leclair Family. Little Zhen can finally claim his lineage. Why on earth would you lose your mind like this?"
"Or... are you thinking of marrying in yourself?" Beatrice suddenly thought of another possibility, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at Delphine.
Delphine’s face turned pale instantly. She whispered, "What nonsense are you talking about? That’s impossible."
"Good, that’s good." Beatrice’s complexion changed; she seemed genuinely frightened.
Upon hearing this, Ignatius Leclair’s mood turned sour. His deep, phoenix-like eyes narrowed as he said coldly, "Miss Carter, if I wanted to marry Delphine, whether or not you were my stepmother wouldn’t matter—I could marry her either way. Worst case, I’d have Stone divorce you first and then marry her myself."
"You—you..." Beatrice was seething, yet she didn’t dare argue with him.
"Enough," Delphine pulled Miss Carter back and whispered, "Stone marrying you isn’t as simple as you think. Trust me; you won’t go wrong. Otherwise, I won’t meddle in your affairs again."
"Alright, then I’ll need some time to think." Beatrice’s eyes darted around cunningly. Knowing that Delphine was firm in her convictions and impossible to outmaneuver, she said no more. She promptly left the room, humming cheerfully to herself, heading off to find her card-playing companions. After all, no one could stop her from marrying into the Leclair household—it was going to happen.
Once Beatrice left, only two people were left in the side hall, and the atmosphere grew unbearably awkward.
Delphine had been so focused on returning that she had forgotten that she had been living in Ignatius Leclair’s bedroom all along. Now that the masks had come off, with the year-end approaching and Old Man Leclair scheduled to return, she knew she’d have to move back to her attic room.
Without paying any attention to the man behind her, Delphine called the butler and requested him to tidy up her old attic room.
Ignatius watched as she followed the butler upstairs, remaining silent. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the side hall, his gaze fixed on the swing-topped pavilion in the yard. The sofa within the little pavilion was still there, complete with the matching light pastel floral cushions, the rosewood tea table, and the traditional Zisha clay tea set. Everything seemed just as it had been before she’d left.
Now that she was back at the Leclair residence, he knew he couldn’t push her too hard. He’d have to proceed carefully, one step at a time.
Ignatius narrowed his deep, phoenix-like eyes. His slender, jade-like fingers tapped lightly on the windowsill. He hadn’t anticipated that Stone would want to marry Beatrice Carter upon her return. If Beatrice’s status were sufficient for her to marry into the Leclair Family, it would have happened long ago. So could Stone’s play here simply be to establish a sibling relationship between Delphine and him, or was there some hidden agenda unknown to Ignatius?
If the label of "siblings" were affixed, Stone could then use his role as a stepfather to arrange Delphine’s marriage. No matter which family the alliance was with, Stone would stand to gain immense profits, which would inevitably make Ignatius’s position far more precarious.
Ignatius let out a cold laugh. He was unsure about Stone’s so-called ideal collaboration partner—whether it was the Squire Family or the Cloud Family. As for Reginald Yeager, that could be ruled out, particularly with Bessie already involved.
Griffith Squire wasn’t someone easily controlled, leaving the primary candidate to be Sylvester Cloud, the sole heir of the Cloud Family’s main branch.
Ignatius immediately called Maximilian and said, "Check if Sylvester Cloud’s reassignment orders have been sent to the South Seas yet."
A moment later, Maximilian quickly replied, "Master Leclair, the Cloud Family’s eldest son’s orders to the South Seas have just been issued, but they haven’t been publicly announced yet."
Ignatius nodded slightly and said blandly, "Spread the word about Sylvester Cloud’s return, then pick a suitable gift. Three days from now, accompany me on a visit to the Cloud Family."