Chapter 17:

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Allison had no intention of accepting the bracelet. As a top designer, she had a collection of priceless jewelry. Besides, she wasn’t naïve enough to overlook the subtle weight behind Lindy’s words.

With a smile as smooth as silk, she effortlessly shifted the conversation.

“I heard Melany earned your approval the moment she returned. Colton told me she even had dinner with you, and you gave her your blessing. That’s how they ended up renewing their engagement, isn’t it?”

Even with Lindy’s usual poise, her expression slipped ever so slightly.

In Lindy’s eyes, Allison was the smarter choice—no doubt about it. But being an orphan with no significant connections, no matter how graceful and capable, Allison didn’t bring much to the table. She just hadn’t expected her son to be foolish enough to brag about such things in front of Allison.

As for Melany, well, she came back from overseas with a hefty settlement and a family business that had grown into a successful farming empire. She could, at the very least, back Colton up in their ventures.

But someone as sharp as Allison? Far harder to control.

Lindy sighed, the sound of a chess player conceding a minor loss in a larger game.

“I’m just a woman. I’ve been out of the company’s dealings for so long. In the end, all I have to rely on is my son.”

She gave a small, calculated pause.

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“Melany isn’t as capable as you, and even after the divorce, you’ll always be family to us. You’re just like my daughter, you know. But if Colton’s heart is no longer in it, there’s only so much anyone can do.”

Allison’s smile widened, but it was a smile sharper than a serpent’s fang.

Lindy had a masterful way of twisting the narrative. Despite having kept Allison in the dark, she spun the situation as if she were some benevolent figure—as if she had been saving Allison from the disaster of a loveless marriage.

It was pure manipulation, cloaked in pleasantries. Today, Allison saw it clearer than ever.

“No need for the sentiment,” Allison said, her tone polite but cool. “I’m a bit of a clean freak. Now that Colton and I are divorced, I prefer things to be clean-cut. Dragging it out doesn’t suit me. Besides visiting Keanu today, I’m also here to take back the invitation to the Cobweb event.” She’d decided to drop the game. The polite dance was over. Allison’s voice was steady, but the edge was unmistakable. “Since you consider me a daughter, then let me meet Keanu.”

Lindy’s smile tightened, her earlier warmth freezing over like a pond in winter.

“Keanu is busy at the moment. There’s no rush,” she replied, her voice colder now, the temperature of the room dropping with it. “You did receive the Cobweb invitation, and for that, the Stevens family is grateful. But let’s be honest. What good does it do you to hold on to it? Without the Stevens name behind you, do you really believe getting that invitation was a simple matter?”

Unlike Colton, Lindy knew how to keep her cards close. She understood just how pivotal Cobweb’s intelligence network was to the company’s survival.

“I’m truly thinking of what’s best for you, Allison,” Lindy added with the air of someone offering a favor rather than a threat. “You don’t have family, and holding on to that invitation isn’t going to help you. Why not hand it over and do us all a favor? Who knows? If you ever run into trouble, we might be able to shield you. It’s a win-win, don’t you think? You’re still young. Don’t close all your doors and make things more difficult than they need to be.”

Though Allison had expected Lindy’s veiled threat, it still sent a cold chill down her spine. Three years of service, years spent at Lindy’s side, brewing her remedies when she was bedridden, caring for her. And this was the thanks she received?

But Allison had always harbored a stubborn streak deep within her. She raised her eyes, her smile now dripping with sarcasm.

“The Stevens family can shield me?”

Lindy met her gaze, but something shifted. For the first time, she saw an edge in Allison’s eyes she hadn’t noticed before. Sharp, like glass ready to cut through even the thickest façade.

“If Cobweb had truly given that invitation because of the Stevens family,” Allison’s voice remained calm, almost too calm, “I wouldn’t have needed to get involved in the first place.”

There was a faint undertone of mockery in her words, and Lindy felt it.

“And even if it was for you, the name on the invitation is mine. Now that Colton and I are divorced, the Stevens family has no claim over it.”

Lindy nearly choked on her tea, her calm exterior crumbling for the briefest moment. She hadn’t anticipated Allison outmaneuvering her so smoothly.

A storm brewed behind Lindy’s eyes as she searched for a solution. Cobweb was the largest intelligence network around. Without them, the Stevens family would be blind, left stumbling in the dark while Ontdale’s advertisers danced circles around them.

If only. If only Colton had understood what was at stake before the divorce.

At that moment, the sound of the front door opening cut through the air.

“Mr. Colton Stevens and Miss Johnson have returned!” Kaelyn’s voice rang out from the hallway as she swung the door open.

Melany entered, clinging to Colton’s arm, her smile syrupy sweet. “Thank you.”

But the moment they stepped into the parlor and spotted Allison, they froze as if seeing a ghost from a past life. Colton’s eyes flickered with surprise.

Could this be the same woman he had once known so well?

There she stood, in nothing but a simple green dress, without a trace of jewelry, yet radiating an undeniable brilliance. She looked more striking now than she had on that lavish cruise.

And those eyes—cold and distant. They stirred something in Colton, something he couldn’t quite grasp, but it rattled him more than he cared to admit.

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