?Chapter 1733:


    Marshaced her fingers tightly, her eyes locked on Zahir without wavering. In the Wade household, authority ultimately belonged to him. The decision rested squarely on his shoulders.


    Zahir set his teeth, steadying himself before speaking. “Fine. We’ll put up three hundred million. I’d hand over everyst cent if that’s what it takes to make you smile, Bonnie.”


    He delivered the words with a gentle grin, wearing the wless mask of a benevolent patriarch.


    Christina sneered inwardly at that smile—hollow and rehearsed. The Wades had never acted out of goodwill, and Zahir was the most sanctimonious among them.


    “Are you honestly prepared to give away three hundred million? Once that money leaves your hands, it’s gone for good, and there’s no promise it will earn you anything back. Perhaps you should slow down and reconsider,” Christina said, her tone generous, as though granting them a final opportunity to think it over.


    Inside, the Wade family felt as though their chests were being torn open, but retreat was no longer an option. They had to wager everything for the possibility of a far greater payoff—and they had already sunk far too much into Christina. Pulling out now would mean swallowing an enormous loss with nothing to show for it.


    “There’s nothing to reconsider. If it brings you happiness, we’ll spare no expense,” Zahir said, framing every sacrifice as an act done solely for Christina. The others echoed him with ready nods. “Exactly. We just want you to be happy, Bonnie.”


    “In that case, three hundred million it is! Thank you all for standing by me. Your generosity truly means the world,” Christina replied, her expression filled with apparent warmth and gratitude.


    The Wade family seethed silently, even as they maintained their pleasant smiles.


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    “Actually, there’s something else we came to discuss,” Zahir said, turning his attention toward Hurley.


    “What is it?” Hurley asked, his pulse jumping.


    Zahir paused, then released a long, weighted breath. “Well… this mess started with Jaxen. He was framed and ended up spending the night with Violette during the charity event. After looking into it, I discovered that Violette was also an innocent party. Since something like that has already urred, Jaxen should marry her.”


    Hurley was left speechless.


    Christina was equally shaken. She had never imagined such a development emerging from that evening. She had assumed Jaxen had slipped away due to some pressing matter—not that he had shared a bed with Violette.


    “If I’m not mistaken, Violette has feelings for Alban, doesn’t she? Would she truly agree to marry Jaxen?” Christina asked, shifting her gaze toward him. “Didn’t she think you were the one who trapped her?”


    Even if Jaxen had been genuinely innocent, the deep-rooted animosity between their families would have led Violette to me him regardless. After that night, she likely wanted him dead. How could she possibly consent to marrying him? Even if both families had confirmed they were victims, there was no way she would enter such a marriage willingly.


    Christina was convinced there was more beneath the surface.


    “She did doubt me at first, and I doubted her as well,” Jaxen said. “But I truly wasn’t behind it. Eventually, we realized we’d both been manipted by someone else.” He sighed, weariness creeping into his voice. “What’s happened can’t be undone. I have to be a responsible man. She initially refused, but I persuaded her. It was the only way to safeguard her reputation.”


    His exnation blended fact with fabrication. Others might have epted it—but Christina did not.


    Given Violette’s temperament, she wouldn’t have yielded so easily, and certainly not in such a short span of time. The Wade family was undeniably hiding something. If Christina’s instincts were right, they were orchestrating a farrger scheme against the Jones family. Even so, parts of the story still didn’t align.


    If Jaxen and Violette had simply been forced into that night together, they could have resolved matters quietly. There was no reason to expose the scandal—or to hastily arrange a marriage. Unless, of course, they had been cornered, with no alternative left.


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