?Chapter 403:


    Forceful methods? Now he was resorting to outright intimidation. She nced at him with a sideways look, sarcasm dripping from her tone. “Since when do you dictate Cole’s love life? Last time I checked, your responsibilities were about protecting the family, not overseeing his marital choices.”


    “Cole is the Evans family head,” Jason said, his voice calm but firm. “His wife bes our family’s public representative. Therefore, his marriage transcends personal preference—it’s a family necessity. As someone who upies a crucial position within—”


    “The Evans structure, I possess absolute authority to intervene,” Jason proimed, as though reciting fundamentalw.


    “Fair enough.” Elliana acknowledged with a casual shrug. A wicked smile blossomed across her features. “But Cole adores me. I have no intention of leaving him and n to cling to him with desperate determination. I will remain his wife, regardless of your disapproval. What power does your objection truly hold?”


    “Don’t you dare!” Jason’s legendary self-control finally shattered. Given the extraordinary demands of his position, he had spent years forging his emotions into steel, training himself to respond with calcted calm to any provocation. Only a rare few had the ability to pierce his armor. Yet Elliana, with nothing more than a handful of carefully chosen words, had seeded in breaking hisposure.


    Elliana relished watching him struggle to contain his burning rage, her provocations slipping out smoothly, almost effortlessly. “Please, demonstrate these ‘forceful methods’ you mentioned!”


    As Elliana finished speaking, Jason’s hands curled into tight fists at his sides.


    Elliana raised an eyebrow. Was he actually about to hit her? A cold smile touched her lips. She doubted he had the guts. This was the Evans estate, and she was still Cole’s wife. With Ruben just upstairs, would Jason really dare toy a finger on her? Unshaken by his re, she pressed on. “Not only will I hold on to Cole, I’ll give him a house full of little troublemakers—and raise every one of them to carry the Evans name with pride.”


    “Elliana!” Jason snapped, trembling with rage. “Don’t push me, or you’ll regret it!”


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    She met his fury with calm. Her voice was light, almost bored. “How exactly will you make me regret it? What happens between me and Cole is none of your business. Who do you think you are?”


    Jason’s jaw clenched. His knuckles cracked. He couldn’t remember thest time he’d felt this angry. Now he understood why Irene had been driven to her limits—Elliana had a gift for cutting deep with words.


    Silence stretched between them, thick with tension.


    Then, Jason spoke, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t think you can talk big just because Cole’s backing you. If I want you gone, I’ve got a thousand ways to make you vanish—without a trace. Take Rosa with you, for all I care.”


    He brushed past her, tossing onest warning over his shoulder. “You’ve got three days. Think carefully.”


    Elliana’s eyes narrowed as she watched him leave. That bastard was threatening her now. If she didn’t put him in his ce, things would only escte in three days.


    Once his car disappeared from view, she grabbed her phone and sent a message to Matthew. “No more being nice to Moonveil. If they set foot in Star Society territory, push them out hard—preferably provoke Sombra into showing himself.”


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