Chapter 219

His blissful thoughts were interrupted by his phone’s buzz. He glanced at the screen, read Paulina’s message, and casually beckoned Elliana over. “Honey, come here.”

Elliana, who had been slicing apples nearby, moved closer and tilted her head curiously. “What do you—”

Cole’s expression softened as he held out the device.

Elliana set down her knife, took the phone, and scanned the message. “What do you think?” Cole asked.

Elliana’s face suddenly lit up with amused understanding. “Paige fears I might retaliate against her. Before she gets the Hudson family’s protection, she wants yours. Go ahead and agree.”

Elliana had never considered giving Paige a quick and painless end. Rather than coming for Paige’s life directly, she preferred psychological destruction tactics. Cole easily grasped Paige’s reasoning and shared in her amusement.

“Alright, we’ll do as you suggest.”

He then typed back to Paulina. “Approved.”

After receiving Cole’s instruction, Paulina looked back at Paige and conveyed, “Mr. Evans has no ions to your second condition.”

The breath Paige didn’t realize she was holding came out in a quiet rush.

Kiara and Darin, sensing the shift in atmosphere, visibly relaxed.

“Miss Jones, shall we hear the third condition?” Paulina prompted.

Kiara and Darin found themselves wrestling with disappointment. Three conditions weren’t nearly enough to cover the wishlist they had been secretly nursing.

Paige remained calm, unshaken. She said simply, “The third condition…”

: g?ν

Kiara and Darin kept darting nervous glances at Paige, silently worrying whether her final demand would be valuable enough. Paulina stood calm and composed, fingers poised over her phone, waiting in perfect silence.

Then, Paige smiled. “I haven’t decided on the third condition yet. I’ll let Cole know once I’ve figured it out.”

In that moment, a calculating light flashed in Paige’s eyes. Three conditions weren’t enough—not for what she really wanted. If she rushed to name the last one, she’d be severing the final thread that still linked her to Cole. And she wasn’t ready to give that up. Not yet.

Paulina glanced at Paige, a flicker of surprise at Paige’s cunning flashing in her otherwise unreadable expression. Without saying a word, she looked down and typed, calmly reporting every detail to Cole. Meanwhile, at Regal Grove, Cole read the update and immediately shared it with Elliana.

Elliana, familiar with Paige’s schemes, couldn’t help but chuckle. “Paige is playing the long game,” she said, amused. “Tell her we accept.”

Cole’s lips curled into a faint smile and replied to Paulina, “Agree to her terms.”

Then, after a pause, he added another message. “And tell the Jones family to stop acting like we’re close. It’s distasteful.”

Paulina read the message with the barest trace of amusement tugging at her lips. Still, she kept her tone polished and professional. “Miss Jones, take your time. Contact me whenever you’ve decided on the third condition.”

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