?Chapter 644:


    She held herself with quiet authority—the kind of presence that filled the room—and it was obvious who she was. Raymond confirmed Adah’s suspicion. “Adah, this is An’s mother.”


    Adah offered a gentle, respectful smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Shaw.”


    Eleanor returned the smile with a practiced curve of her lips—gracious, elegant, yet hollow. After a courteous nod to Raymond, she excused herself and headed toward the doorway.


    Adah politely took her leave from Raymond and followed Eleanor out.


    But the moment they were out of Raymond’s sight, Eleanor’s mask slipped. The warmth drained from her eyes, her smile vanished, and she shot Adah a cold, calcting look before silently leading the way.


    Adah didn’t mind—in fact, she found it vaguely entertaining.


    They stepped into the garden—lush, pristine, every flower perfectly in bloom—before Eleanor stopped and spun around. Without a word of preamble, she extended a check, her re icy. “This is one hundred million. Take it and leave my son.”


    Adah didn’t take the check. She simply nced at it, amused. It was almost funny how alike mother and son were—straight to business, no frills. An had offered her the same amount just yesterday. She had only just pocketed An’s breakuppensation the day before, and now here was his mother, practically throwing another fortune at her. Given Eleanor’s frosty attitude, she saw nopelling reason to refuse.


    Adah tilted her head, a faint teasing smile ying on her lips. “Mrs. Shaw, your son already offered me that same amount to call off the engagement yesterday.” She gave a softugh, her tone light, almost yful. “I didn’t take it then. What makes you think I’ll take it now?”


    Eleanor never expected Adah to respond this way. She assumed a clueless bumpkin from a backwater vige, unfamiliar with wealth, would be stunned into silence when handed a $100 million check.


    Instead, Adah casually mentioned that An had tried to pressure her into ending their engagement under the same terms just yesterday—and she had refused. Eleanor was baffled. What did this mean? Was Adah implying the amount was too low?


    Eleanor couldn’t help butugh in disbelief. This in and seemingly simple country girl had surprisingly high ambitions. But she refused to let her beloved son suffer a forced marriage to an unattractive wife like Cole had. She needed to show she was willing to invest big.


    With that determination, Eleanor asked, barely hiding her arrogance, “So tell me, what price would convince you to leave my son?”


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    Adah slipped her hands deep into the sleeves of her garish jacket and answered with calcted innocence, “I honestly don’t understand what amount would be appropriate. But I’ve seen Elliana epting gifts from Cole—and those gifts started at a billion dors. I don’t believe I’m any less than Elliana, so I should maintain the same standards.”


    Eleanor’sposure cracked with rising fury. “You’re demanding a billion dors?”


    Adah kept up her facade of confusion. “Is a billion too much? I saw Cole casually present Elliana with gifts worth a billion. For rich families like yours, isn’t a billion just pocket change? Or maybe the Shaw family isn’t as wealthy as the Evans family?”


    Seeing Adah’s feigned confusion, Eleanor felt defeated. She wanted to exin the astronomical value of a billion dors, but she realized even a detailed exnation might not reach this country girl.


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