?Chapter 609:


    No matter how much he tried to reason with it, Jayden couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that his precious niece was being swept away by someone unworthy of her.


    His eyes narrowed even further as they fixed on Nate, the tension between the two men thick and suffocating.


    Nate met Jayden’s gaze without a hint of unease, his calm demeanor unshaken, as though nothing in the world could disturb him.


    The tension in the room was palpable. Just as the air seemed ready to crack with the force of their unspoken words, Corrine’s voice broke through the silence, calm and collected.


    “Uncle Jayden, would you like some water?”


    “Why even waste your time with water?” Jayden barked, his eyes narrowing as he watched Corrine defend Nate, shielding him almost protectively. His voice was razor-sharp, every wordced with frustration, as he snatched the ss from her hand.


    “You’ve done it again—pushed me too far!”


    Corrine’s eyes danced with yful mischief, a glint of fun behind her calm expression.


    “You really shouldn’t get so worked up,” she teased.


    “How about I peel you an orange to make it up to you?” Her smile, wide and carefree, stirred something in Jayden—a soft, fleeting memory of Kiley. Without warning, a wave of tenderness washed over him.


    He exhaled deeply, his frustration starting to dissolve. He was clearly deciding to drop the argument with Corrine for now.


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    But then…


    His eyes shifted, locking onto Nate.


    “Mr. Hopkins,” Jayden said, his voice turning icy, as if it could freeze the air between them.


    “I know about the token you’ve kept. But don’t assume it’s the key to everything. What if I insist on disapproving of your rtionship?”


    “Uncle Jayden…” Corrine’s voice trembled, her unease creeping in, a quiet crack in her usualposure.


    Jayden raised a hand, silencing her, before nodding toward Nate, signaling him to speak for himself.


    Nate remained seated, his posture rxed yetmanding. One leg crossed casually over the other, and his hands rested on his knee, exuding an almost oppressive calm. His presence seemed to fill the room, weighing it down with an invisible pressure.


    At Jayden’s words, Nate met his gaze with deliberate slowness. His eyes were like the depths of a stormy ocean—dark, intense, and imprable. They carried a weight, an unsettling depth, as if hiding more than they revealed.


    “What’s your reason?” Nate asked, his voice calm but cutting, as if daring Jayden to offer a justifiable answer.


    Jayden’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of unease momentarily breaking through his usual steelyposure. Even with all his own power, facing Nate felt like standing before a giant, an opponent whomanded silent reverence.


    It wasn’t fear, but a deep, instinctive acknowledgment of someone who was more than just a rival.


    After a long pause, Jayden’s voice softened, his words slower now.


    “My family’s position is strong enough that, even without this marriage, we could ensure that Corrine’s every need is met. We’re not desperate, Mr. Hopkins.”


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