Chapter 15 You Can Die Before Me

As Adeline returned to the main hall, her eyes met Christopher's. His profound gaze held a gentle smile as he motioned her over. Without a word, Adeline walked over and sat quietly by his side. Lloyd glanced at Adeline and cut straight to the point, saying, "Christopher, you and Adeline have been married for nearly three years. It's time to think about having kids." Still reeling from dealing with Emma, Adeline felt overwhelmed by that new topic. Christopher turned to look at her. His eyes were filled with amusement as he replied, "There's no hurry. After all, Adeline is still young." Looking into his sly, playful eyes, Adeline chuckled inwardly. That was all nonsense! He was the one who didn't want kids! He always used protection or took precautions. There was no way Adeline could get pregnant! Just as Lloyd was about to speak again, the sound of a ringing phone interrupted their conversation. Christopher pulled out his phone, and Adeline quickly spotted the caller. It was a call from Joe. He frowned slightly before walking past her to answer it. Watching him walk away, Lloyd handed Adeline a cup of tea and asked, "Why so quiet today?" "Who am I supposed to talk to?" Adeline took a small sip of her tea. A faint bitterness lingered on her tongue. "I've got nothing to say to Emma, and I don't feel like talking to you." If it weren't for Leonard Keller's birthday forcing her to show up, she wouldn't have bothered coming. In the entire Keller family, Gordon was the only one who spoke sensibly. Lloyd caught sight of the bandage on her right hand as she picked up the cup and asked, "What happened to your hand?" Adeline replied casually, "I cut it by accident." In fact, the wound should be scabbing over soon. Hearing that, Lloyd's expression turned stern. "You're all grown up, yet you're still so careless." Adeline smirked sarcastically. "Are you showing concern or placing blame? If you're concerned about me, save it. You've barely cared about me over the past decade. If you want to blame me, keep it to yourself. You have no right." Ever since Adeline turned ten, Lloyd had nothing to do with whether she was doing well or not. Lloyd's expression darkened, and he retorted with restrained anger, "Can't you tone down that attitude of yours?" With an even tone, Adeline countered, "What's wrong with my attitude? If you think there's a problem, have you ever considered that it might actually be yours?" Lloyd slammed his cup onto the table and spilled tea everywhere. "Your temper has only gotten worse since marrying Christopher!" Before Adeline could say anything, Emma's ever-annoying voice interrupted, "Oh, darling, don't be angry." She slid gracefully into the seat beside Lloyd. Handing him a cup of tea, she glanced at Adeline and said, "Adeline, look at you. You've only just arrived, and you're already upsetting your dad. Why are you always so inconsiderate?" Adeline crossed her arms and leaned back on the couch. She glared coldly at Emma. "Emma, is it really that hard for you to keep quiet? Why do you have to talk all the time? Do you have to butt in every time I talk to my dad?" "Adeline, you're going too far!" Taking advantage of Lloyd's presence, Emma wanted to vent the frustration she had from earlier in the backyard. She deliberately raised her voice. "How you treat me is one thing, but this is your dad. Can't you tone down your temper in front of him? Do you have to act so superior when you're back at home?" Adeline lazily leaned back against the couch. "This is just who I am, and I'll be like this until the day I die. If you don't like it, you can die before me." "Right." She smiled innocently. "You'll die before me anyway." "Adeline!" Just then, a sharp voice echoed from the staircase. "How can you talk to my mom like that?" Adeline looked up and saw her half-sister, Alicia, who was two years younger than her. Interrupted by another noise before her ears could settle, she rolled her eyes in disdain. Alicia stormed down the stairs in her sky-high heels, marched over to Adeline, and glared down at her. "Why did you curse my mom?" Adeline retorted, "Or should I curse you instead?" "That's enough!" Lloyd's angry roar temporarily silenced the chaos. "Dad!" Alicia approached Lloyd, holding onto his arm and shaking it playfully as she pursed her lips. "Adeline has always been against my mom and me since the day we moved in. And after marrying Christopher, she has gotten even worse. She completely disregards our family now. How is that acceptable?" Adeline couldn't stand the sight of her pretending to be aggrieved. In the past, because they lived under the same roof, she had let some things slide out of courtesy. Now that she didn't stay at the Keller Manor, she didn't have to tolerate Emma and Alicia anymore. Lloyd was so angry it gave him a headache. "You know her temper, so why on earth did you provoke her?" After finishing the call, Christopher returned to find Adeline openly criticizing every member of the Keller family. It seemed she had been holding back when it came to him. "Christopher!" As soon as Alicia saw him, she immediately dropped her sharp demeanor and walked over to him with a beaming smile. Adeline took a look at her. The sexy attire, carefully applied makeup, and even the perfectly styled hair were clearly the work of a professional makeup artist. It seemed she had invested a lot in her look for the day. However, the way she gazed at Christopher, with unclear intentions, made Adeline uneasy. "Honey." Adeline purposely stepped forward, linking her arm with Christopher's, and sweetly asked, "Are you done with your call?" "Hmm." Christopher's arm wrapped around Adeline and pulled her into his embrace. His deep gaze swept over everyone in the room. With a smile, he said coldly, "Dad, if Adeline is upset, it must be because she has been wronged. Please don't take it to heart. It's all my fault for spoiling her." Hearing that, Adeline froze for a moment in his embrace, and Christopher's smile grew wider. Adeline's breath caught for a moment. Though she knew they were pretending in front of the others, Christopher's words still made her heart skip a beat. His casual remarks were like a gentle breeze, stirring a hidden corner of her heart that had gone unnoticed by others. Christopher's underlying meaning was clear. Emma quickly caught on and smiled flatteringly, saying, "Christopher, Adeline is now the daughter-in-law of the Lambert family. The Keller family still depends on her, so how could we let her be wronged?" Meanwhile, a small figure stood at the corner of the stairs, watching the people downstairs with his lips tightly pressed together. Adeline's gaze suddenly landed on him. "Leonard?" Leonard smiled when he saw her and quickly ran down the stairs to hug her legs. "My dear sister, you haven't come back in such a long time. I missed you so much." He lifted his head and looked at Christopher next to Adeline. "I missed you too, Christopher." Christopher smiled warmly. "You little brat." Although Leonard was Emma and Lloyd's son, as well as Alicia's biological brother, for some reason, he had always been particularly close to Adeline and Christopher. Leonard's innocence and naivety earned him Adeline's extra affection. Seeing the way Leonard looked at her, her heart softened, and she reached out to ruffle his hair. "I missed you too." "Leonard!" Emma's face was serious. "How many times do I have to say it? Alicia is your real sister. I've taught you so many times. Why do you keep getting it wrong?" "Enough!" Lloyd snapped. "Just let him call her whatever he wants." The entire hall was filled with chaos, and it wasn't until Gordon reminded everyone that dinner was ready that the scene finally ended. Adeline just wanted to finish the dinner and leave, not wanting to stay a minute longer. However, once seated in the dining room, she realized just how unbearable that dinner would be.