Chapter 24
Elise sat there, trying to pull herself together. Her voice was shaky. “Dorothea, do you actually know Mr. Stephens p>
Dorothea just smiled, like none of this was a big deal. “Honestly, I went to the wrong table at the blind date and somehow ended up marrying Mr. Stephens by accident p>
She didn’t seem worried about whether Elise would believe her or not. She even pulled out her phone, ready to prove it. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t fake this. If I tried, you’d find out anyway, wouldn’t you p>
Elise took the phone. She zoomed in on the marriage certificate photo, again and again, just to be sure. The date matched the day she’d set up the blind date for Dorothea. And there it was, Latham’s name in black and white.
None of it felt real. Dorothea hadn’t married into the Stevens Family like everyone expected. She’d married into the Stephens Family. And honestly, not even a hundred Stevens Families could compare to the Stephens.
Elise’s whole attitude flipped in a heartbeat. She forced a bright smile. “Dorothea, I was out of line earlier. I shouldn’t have laid a hand on you. I was just worried, that’s all. I’ll transfer your shares to you tomorrow. Think of it as a wedding present. How about that p>
Dorothea’s lips curled with a little irony. “Mom, those shares were always supposed to be mine p>
Elise froze for a second, but kept up her polite smile. “Of course, that’s your father’s inheritance. You were too young before, so I was just looking after things for you p>
“The hotel is yours, too. Right now, your uncle Walton is managing it. You can go in and learn from him for a while p>
Honestly, Dorothea never agreed with the way Walton ran things. The first thing he did when he took over was push out her father’s trusted people and bring in his
own.
Now that Dorothea was getting her shares back, who knew what Walton might try next.
But for now, Elise just wanted the shares sorted out.
Dorothea nodded. “Alright. We’ll take care of the paperwork tomorrow morning. I want every share under your name transferred to me within three days p>
“And one more thing. Keep my marriage to the Stephens Family quiet for now. Other than Layton, I don’t want anyone else to know p>
Elise hesitated. “Why p>
Dorothea raised an eyebrow. “That’s what my husband wants p>
With Latham not there, calling him her husband felt surprisingly natural.
If everyone found out about their marriage, Layton would probably try to use it for
his own gain. There was no way Dorothea would let that happen.
Elise pressed her lips together,
thinking it over. “Alright. But we can’t
keep
it a secret forever. When you
have the wedding, we still want to be there p>
“We’ll talk about the wedding when the time comes,” Dorothea said, her tone flat.
Elise looked at her, trying to figure her out, but Dorothea was impossible to read now. After a moment, Elise just nodded. “Okay p>
Carola glared at her reflection, cursing Dorothea over and over in her mind.
It had been half an hour, but the red handprint on her cheek still burned.
With her eyes still wet, Carola started a video call with Albert. “Albert,” she sniffed.
Albert had just come back to his office. The moment he answered, he saw her tear- stained face and immediately frowned.
“What happened to your face? Who did this to you, Carola p>
Carola felt a twisted satisfaction at his concern. She hesitated, putting on a pitiful voice. “Albert, honestly, it’s nothing just got slapped I’m fine, really p>
Just a slap?
There was no way Albert would let anyone hurt the woman he wanted to protect.
His voice was quiet but intense. “Tell me who did it, Carola. I’ll make sure they regret
it p>
Carola hesitated, then whispered, “It was Dorothea. But Albert, please, it doesn’t even hurt anymore. Don’t get upset p>
Dorothea.
How dare she.
Albert’s eyes went cold. “Why did she hit you p>
Carola bit her lip. Tears welled up again. “I don’t even know. I think her engagement with the Stevens Family fell through or something and she was in a mood. Maybe she just took it out on me p>