?Chapter 248:


    Jeff, who had been hoping to sneak in a word with Elliana, leaned back with a sigh. With Elliana and Cole acting like soulmates, his far-off dreams just crashed and burned.


    Nobody really noticed Jeff sulking in the corner. His quiet crush didn’t hold much weight in this room.


    Trinity looked like she was about to explode. Watching Elliana’s fingersced with Cole’s had her practically shaking with envy.


    Irene wasn’t far behind. She narrowed her eyes and then tossed out a sarcastic remark, her voice sharp and dripping with attitude…


    Irene had beenying lowtely, licking her wounds, but now that Jason was back, she slipped right back into her past antics. “Elliana, there are some things you need to learn, and you’d better pay attention.”


    Elliana lifted an eyebrow and gave azy half-smile. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”


    With her chin lifted high, Irene sent a sideways nce in Elliana’s direction. “You’re the matriarch of the Evans family now. That rolees with power, but also with limits. You can’t just do whatever you want or you’ll end up creating trouble.”


    Elliana’s mouth twitched, more amused than annoyed. “And what kind of trouble do you mean?”


    Irene’s voice sharpened like a knife. “You ran around without bodyguards, that’s what. If you’d acted like someone with your status, you wouldn’t havended on Merritt’s radar. No kidnapping. No putting Cole at risk.”


    Nobody else jumped in, but Elliana could tell from the room’s silence that most of them agreed with Irene.


    The Evans family wasn’t some ordinary wealthy n. With their kind of fortune, they were walking targets. Almost every member rolled with protection. The only exception was Elliana, who refused to y by the rulebook.


    Cole had been groomed to lead, to be the best of the best. If something happened to him, it’d be a gut-punch to the whole family, maybe even tank the Evans empire.


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    This time, Cole made it back alive. But if he hadn’t, Elliana would’ve been med without hesitation.


    Ruben didn’t speak up to stop Irene. That alone said where he stood. He might be fond of Elliana, but when it came to protecting Cole, there were no favorites. His tone wasn’t sharp like Irene’s, but it carried weight. “Elliana, now that you’re this family’s matriarch, you’ve got to let go of the freedom you used to have.”


    Elliana wasn’t about to exin that bodyguards only slowed her down, or that moving alone made her faster, smarter, and harder to trace. Instead, she kept her expression polite and gave a respectful nod. “Understood.”


    Ruben seemed satisfied and continued, “Jason’s in charge of our security. Talk to him when you get the chance. He’ll assign a team to keep you safe. Just let him know what you need.”


    Elliana flicked her gaze toward Jason, looking more indifferent than interested.


    Even if Jason decided to act as her bodyguard, Elliana wouldn’t be the least bit impressed. His personally chosen guards would only be a nuisance, getting in her way when she needed room to make bold moves. On top of that, letting Jason’s crew follow her around was pretty much the same as handing him a front-row seat to monitor her every step.


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