Chapter 178
Chapter 178:
Allan raised an eyebrow, a faint grin playing on his polished, handsome face.
Manley rubbed his chin. “Guess Cole’s got more taste than us. He doesn’t care about looks. If the vibe’s right, he dives in headfirst. Me? I need a stunner. If she’s not drop-dead gorgeous, I’m not kissing her p>
Myles, Aron, and Hugh threw Manley a look, then turned away, smirking to themselves. Without Cole’s go-ahead, they weren’t spilling Elliana’s secret. Still, deep down, they were itching to tell Manley that Cole still cared about looks. Manley might turn down a girl who wasn’t pretty enough, but Cole? He’d run the second something felt off. He was pickier than Manley could ever be.
The truth? Cole was kissing Elliana like that because she was stunning—a real head-turner. If Elliana weren’t that beautiful, no matter how sweet she was, Cole wouldn’t have kissed her like that. At best, she’d get a polite nod.
Clueless to Elliana’s disguise, Manley kept chatting with Allan. “So, Allan, word is your fiancée’s back from the countryside. What’s the deal with that p>
Allan’s smile faded, his mood shifting rapidly. He wasn’t just annoyed—he was furious. His grandfather had forced him to marry a girl from a backwater village, and he’d never even met her.
“I want nothing to do with her. I won’t follow in Cole’s footsteps and marry her just because of some stupid promise,” Allan said, his voice ice-cold.
Cole, the Evans heir, had bent over backward to carry the family’s weight and married Elliana, the so-called unattractive woman, as per the promise his grandfather had made. That was his business.
But Allan wasn’t about to follow in Cole’s footsteps. As the Shaw heir, he was willing to handle family duties—but he would never compromise when it came to marriage. That line wasn’t getting crossed. He had nothing in common with Adah, the girl he was supposed to marry. Their minds, lives, and goals were worlds apart. There was no bridge to build between them. Marriage? Out of the question.
Allan had been trained as an heir, attending elite schools filled with top-tier talent. Any woman by his side had to match that level. He’d heard that Adah had been in Apricot Blossom Village since she was five. She was a known dropout, hadn’t even finished middle school, and was always playing instead of studying. There was no way he was letting his grandfather push this wreck of a match into his life.
Manley caught Allan’s foul mood but couldn’t resist teasing. “Allan, I saw Adah when we were kids. She was cute back then. Bet she’s the prettiest girl in the whole village p>
𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓸 g𝓪𝗅𝗇𝓸ν𝓮𝗅𝓈﹐ⅽ𝗼𝗺
Allan shot Manley a cold glare, one step away from telling him to shut it.
Before Allan could snap, Manley grinned again. “Come on, Allan. I hear the cider in Apricot Blossom Village is amazing. Just marry her already—I’ll swing by for drinks when I’m bored p>
“Get lost!” Allan barked.
Sensing Allan was about to explode, Manley backed off, scratching his nose before turning to Merlin. “Merlin, when are you giving up the single life p>
Merlin’s answer came cold and sharp. “Never p>
Manley’s eyes widened. “Never? But you’re the heir! No wife, no kids—what about your family line? Your folks okay with that p>