?Chapter 1036:


    Aurora hesitated, then nodded. “We ran into each other by chance after the college entrance exam, but that was it.”


    Joelle’s expression softened as she absorbed the information. “We’ve watched him grow up. He’s a sensible young man, but the photos—he really wasn’t careful enough. As the photos spread, people might start assuming things. If anyone asked Joelle and Adrian, they wouldn’t know how to exin it.”


    Aurora lowered her gaze. “Aunt Katie was trying every way possible to ruin our family…”


    Adrian asked coldly, “What’s your excuse for going over to his house, then?”


    Aurora froze. She had never heard Adrian speak to her like this before.


    “I was wrong.”


    Adrian wasted no time. “You’re still young. We can discuss rtionships when you’re older. Break up with him now!”


    Molly, more impassioned than Aurora, couldn’t contain herself. “Dad! Do you really have to be so controlling? She’s an adult!”


    “Being an adult doesn’t change anything.” Adrian’s voice remained steady but firm. “And you, Molly. You’re not ready for any kind of rtionship. So, forget about it.”


    “Mom! Look at Dad!” Molly crossed her arms, a dramatic pout pulling at her lips. “First, he’s telling my sister what to do, and now he’s lecturing me. I’m not dating anyone!”


    Joelle let out a long sigh, trying to defuse the tension. “Adrian, this isn’t the right way to handle things. The more you resist, the more they’ll want to be together.”


    Adrian shot a stern look at Aurora. “Is that how it is? You’re grown up now, and you don’t listen to me anymore?”


    Aurora felt a wave of misery wash over her, but the words just wouldn’te.


    “Since there’s no opposition, that settles it. Now go and clear things up with Dunn!” He walked past Aurora.


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    “Dad, I want to make this decision myself.”


    Anger simmered beneath Adrian’s skin like a brewing storm, yet he held it in, masking his fury with a practiced control he reserved only for his daughters. He took a deep breath before speaking again, his voice low and dangerous. “Say that again?”


    Aurora’s spine stiffened, but her earlier confidence evaporated under the crushing weight of Adrian’s gaze. His aura was too much to bear.


    Not just Aurora, but Joelle and Molly, sitting beside her, were also drenched in anxiety, bracing for a fiery argument to break out.


    For about ten seconds, no one said a word. Aurora simply stood there, enduring Adrian’s intense stare.


    She hadn’t been with Dunn for long, but already, it felt like the universe itself was conspiring against them.


    “Dad, can I ask why you object to this? What’s your reason?”


    Adrian wasn’t a man of unreasonable fury. His opposition didn’te from nowhere; it was instinct—a father’s primal need to protect his daughter from harm.


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