Chapter 5: Adeline Scurr, Get Out!

Amara Lyson's voice came out soft and honeyed as she leaned into Uriah Greaves. Seeing the two of them tangled up like that, Adeline Scurr snapped, "Amara Lyson, let go of Uriah Greaves!" Amara let out a cold laugh. "And why would I?" Adeline bit down on her lower lip and turned on Uriah. "Uriah Greaves, can't you tell she's doing this on purpose? You really think she's into you? She's just trying to piss me off. Are you seriously that blind?" Uriah answered evenly, "So what if she is?" Adeline forced her anger down. "Uriah, even if we're divorced, you don't have to sink this low. You weren't this kind of person before." "Adeline, you're going to make me unhappy saying that." Amara flicked her hair back and smiled sweetly. "How is Uriah being with me 'sinking low'? And another thing…" She enunciated every word, solemn and deliberate. "What I feel for Uriah is real. I'm not doing it to provoke you. You're giving yourself way too much credit." "You…" Adeline's fists clenched. Something sharp and sour twisted in her chest, too tangled to put into words. "I'm going to see Mom!" She huffed and started toward the ward, but Uriah reached out and stopped her. "Uriah, what are you doing? Whatever happened between us, I'll never forget how good Mom was to me. I need to see that she's okay, or I won't be able to rest. Don't block me." Frost settled across Adeline's face. She could not understand how the Uriah who used to obey her without question had become this. Uriah's voice stayed flat. "If you really remembered how good Mom was to you, you wouldn't have brought your first love to her birthday banquet and asked for a divorce." "Uriah! Why can't you understand me? I didn't mean to!" "Whether you meant it or not, what's done is done. Leave." His tone hardened. "From this moment on, you have nothing to do with the Greaves family." Adeline stared at his merciless expression and shouted, "Uriah, you know exactly how I feel about Mom. You're just using this to get back at me, aren't you? Even if you want to be cruel, Mom is still Cici's grandmother. Visiting her is only right. You have no reason to stop me!" Uriah did not move aside. Instead, his voice cut sharper. "Adeline Scurr, are you incapable of understanding plain English?" "What did you just say?" Adeline froze. It was the first time Uriah had ever spoken to her with such open hostility. The Uriah she remembered had always been gentle, like water. The contrast hit so hard it left her struggling to breathe. "This place doesn't want you," Uriah said coldly. "Get out." Get out? Adeline's body trembled. In that instant, she felt as if she and Uriah had been split into two completely different worlds. She had never imagined a day would come when Uriah would tell her to get out. Where had the Uriah gone, the one who always loved her, always tolerated her? "Uriah! You really don't know when you've been given grace!" Alvin Yale burst out, face dark with anger, eager to put on a show of manliness in front of Adeline. But he did not dare step close to Uriah. He still remembered Uriah's brutality. The memory of being beaten senseless had carved itself into his bones. "Adeline, let's go!" Alvin said, already annoyed that she had rushed to the hospital for Uriah's mother in the first place. Watching Adeline and Amara clash over Uriah had only made him more irritated. He wanted to drag her away immediately. Preferably to a hotel, where he could finally get what he wanted. When Alvin reached for her, Adeline slipped away without even seeming to move, neatly avoiding his hand and keeping him from touching her slim waist. Watching her retreat that half-step, Alvin's face burned. His outstretched hand hovered in the air, awkward and useless. Ever since he returned, he had tried again and again to get close to her, but Adeline had rejected him every time. In the end, he had not even managed to touch her hand. Adeline had no patience for Alvin's wounded pride. Her bright, deep eyes stayed locked on Uriah. "Uriah, I never thought you could be this petty. I'm truly disappointed in you. When you're not here, I'll come see Mom." "Adeline, don't come tomorrow either," Amara said lightly. "What if you upset Auntie again and she collapses? What would we do then?" She tossed Alvin a flirtatious glance before continuing, voice smooth as silk. "Today is such a wonderful day for your first love returning. Don't neglect him. As for Auntie, don't worry. I'll take good care of her." Amara's tone turned faintly wistful. "If you're going to cut ties, then cut them clean. That suits your decisive personality, doesn't it?" Adeline shot Amara a hateful glare, a thousand words stuck behind her teeth with nowhere to go. "Let's go." Adeline turned and spoke to Alvin. Alvin hummed in agreement, still finding time to wiggle his brows at Amara. He thought her hostility toward Adeline had to be because of him. He really did live up to his reputation as the campus heartthrob. Women just could not help falling for him at first sight. Alvin made up his mind. First, he would take Adeline and seize the Scurr family's business completely. After that, he would win Amara too. Better yet, he could work on both plans at once. He had already started fantasizing about the bliss of holding one in each arm. After taking a few steps, Adeline suddenly turned back and called to Uriah, "Tomorrow at nine. The Registry Office. Don't be late." "I'll be there on time," Uriah replied without hesitation. Hearing him agree so decisively made the ache in Adeline's chest deepen, but she still forced herself to be stubborn. "Good. Don't you dare show up with excuses, or claim you forgot the documents." "Yeah, Uriah!" Alvin chimed in. "Don't try to drag out the divorce with some cheap tricks!" Uriah's expression did not change. "Relax. I won't." Adeline held his gaze for a moment. There was only indifference. She sighed inwardly and left the hospital with Alvin. *I didn't do anything wrong. And I won't regret it,* she repeated to herself, over and over. Not long after, Uriah and Amara entered the VIP ward. A chief cardiologist had already finished a thorough examination on Emily Looske. "Mr. Lyson, Mr. Greaves, Ms. Emily's condition is stable. There's nothing serious. She just needs to avoid extreme emotional swings going forward. I've prescribed some medication. Have her take it on schedule." "Thank you, Director Showyer," Amara said. "Another day, I'll visit personally to thank you." "President Lyson, you're too kind." Director Showyer smiled. "You've looked after me plenty. If you ever need anything, just say the word." Even as he spoke, he kept sneaking curious glances at Uriah, silently guessing at his identity. Someone who could make Amara mobilize that kind of network, secure the hospital's best equipment, and obtain the best VIP ward was not ordinary. Not at all. A few minutes later, a glamorous woman dripping in gold jewelry and dressed in luxury clicked into the ward on high heels. The moment she saw Uriah, she started scolding without taking a breath. "Uriah, look at how you took care of Mom! How did you let her end up in the hospital? Don't you know her health is fragile?" It was Uriah's older sister, Liana Greaves. After marrying into a wealthy family a few years ago, she had nearly cut off contact with Uriah. Even with her own mother, she only offered a perfunctory greeting during holidays. Uriah frowned at the sight of her. He had originally planned to ask her to look after Mom for a while. But with that attitude, he killed the thought immediately. "How is Mom?" Liana asked, looking at Emily still asleep. "There's no major issue," Uriah said. "In a few days she can be discharged. After that, she just needs rest." "That's good." Liana hesitated, then asked, "I heard you're divorcing Adeline Scurr?" "Yeah." "I told you from the beginning, a marriage where the man is weak and the woman is strong never lasts." Liana sighed. "Back then you were dead set on marrying her. Look at you now. You lost both the person and the money. The Scurr family doesn't have a single decent one among them." She spoke again before Uriah could respond. "So what are you going to do? Let me be clear. Don't come borrowing money from me. And I'm not helping you take care of Mom either. Don't let the 'married into wealth' thing fool you. Those families fight like wolves. When I'm stable on my feet, I might be able to help you a little." Uriah did not take offense at her sharpness. His relationship with Liana was complicated, impossible to sum up in a sentence. "I'll take it one step at a time," he said. "When things settle down, I'll fight for Child Custody of Cici." Liana's brows lifted. "If you ask me, you should just let Cici stay with Adeline. Adeline might treat you poorly, but she's fine to Cici. Don't ruin your daughter's rich-kid life. If Cici follows you, she'll be the one suffering. Who knows, she might even end up back in those days of fighting and violence." "What kind of thing is that to say?" Amara snapped, unable to listen any longer. Only then did Liana look at Amara. She seemed surprised by Amara's beauty and presence, clicking her tongue twice. "Uriah, you haven't even divorced yet and you already found a new flame? Well, you really are Greaves blood." She waved a hand. "Fine. Since Mom's okay, I'm leaving. Good luck to you." Right before she went, Liana hesitated. She took off the gold necklace around her neck and her gold earrings and shoved them into Uriah's hand. "This is all I can do for you. I really can't take care of Mom, so I'll leave it to you. And… try not to contact me. My in-laws don't like it." At the mention of her in-laws, Liana spat a curse under her breath and swayed out of the ward. Watching her go, Uriah stared at the necklace and earrings in his palm and let out a helpless sigh. Night had fallen deep. "Uriah," Amara said, eyes bright with anticipation, "should we go home, or find a bar and have a drink?" "A bar," he said. "Okay!" Amara drove her Lamborghini, Uriah in the passenger seat. Before long, they arrived at Nightless Bar. The moment they got out, they saw Adeline and Alvin there too. What a coincidence. "You again!" Alvin's face twisted the instant he spotted Uriah. He had talked Adeline into coming for drinks only after a long fight. His plan was simple: get her drunk, take her to a hotel, and make it irreversible. Make her his. Who would have thought Uriah would show up at Nightless Bar too, with a stunning beauty like Amara at his side? Compared to how openly affectionate Uriah and Amara were, Alvin had kept a careful distance from Adeline the entire time. The moment he tried to close in, Adeline backed away like it was a reflex. Touching her was out of the question. The frustration churned in Alvin's gut like poison. He swore to himself that once he got Adeline drunk and into a hotel room, he would punish her hard for making him suffer like this. "Adeline, fancy meeting you here," Amara said, looping her arm around Uriah with shameless ease. Adeline's brows knitted. "Uriah, are you following me?" Uriah answered calmly, "You misunderstood." "Don't bother explaining!" Adeline cut in. "I know you and Amara are putting on a little act just to make me jealous. It's childish. Uriah, when are you going to grow up?"