?Chapter 1231:


    His voice lightened the mood in her eyes. She looked up and asked, “What brings you here?”


    “I thought someone might be upset, so I came to keep herpany,” Jules said, pulling out a pack of beer he had brought with him.


    Corrine noticed the beer and snacks spread across the table, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve really gone all out.”


    “Of course,” Jules replied, taking charge of everything. He made sure Corrine just watched. “You’re special to us. You deserve to be treated well.”


    Corrine grabbed two cushions from the couch and ced them down to sit morefortably.


    They spent time together, enjoying the snacks and beer. Jules brought up random topics, chatting about their childhood and school days. Eventually, the conversation turned to Nate.


    “I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think you should be with Nate,” Jules said, gripping his beer can tightly, his knuckles whitening as if holding something back. “We just want you to be safe and happy.”


    The Ford family didn’t need to rely on marriage ties to grow; stability was enough for them.


    Leaving the entire Ford fortune to Corrine had always been understood, though never openly discussed. Then Nate showed up out of nowhere.


    “But it looks like fate had other ideas. Not only are you two together, but there’s also a secret marriage deal,” Jules said with a lightugh. “Grandpa and my dad have stayed quiet all these years. If Nate hadn’t dropped by, we might have never known about the marriage arrangement.”


    Corrine finished thest of her beer, her response carrying weight. “Indeed.” She had nned to dig into the roots of her marriage arrangement with Nate but ended up getting caught up in other matters.


    “How about a drive?” Jules asked, looking over at Corrine.


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    Corrine gave him a small frown. “We’ve both been drinking.”


    Jules grinned and stood up, grabbing his jacket off the couch. He extended a hand to Corrine. “We could always go go-karting at the entertainment center, right?”


    Corrine ced her hand in his, and he helped her stand up.


    As they were about to leave thepany, Mandy suddenly appeared. “Miss Hond.”


    “What are you doing here?” Corrine asked, her eyes quickly scanning the area. She didn’t see the usual ck Rolls-Royce, and a sh of disappointment crossed her face. “Are you alone?”


    Mandy nodded. “Mr. Hopkins had something urgente up, so he couldn’t make it. He asked me toe pick you up.”


    “But I…” Corrine nced over at Jules.


    “I’m fine,” Jules said, picking up on her hesitation. He threw his jacket over his shoulder. “I was just here to keep youpany. Since someone else will take over, I’ll head out.”


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