?Chapter 1735:


    Every member of the Wade family was watching Christina intently, hanging on her next words.


    “Of course! I’m very fond of La. If she marries Bain, I’ll get to spend time with her every day,” Christina said warmly, looping her arm through La’s as though they were the closest of friends.


    “Am I really that wonderful?” La asked, feigning shyness even as a satisfied smile pulled at the corners of her lips.


    “Absolutely! The more time I spend with you, the more I adore you. I was so touched at the auction when you spent so generously on that item I wanted,” Christina said.


    La’s smile faltered the instant the auction was mentioned, a genuine sting of pain shooting through her chest at the memory of all that wasted money. She had the sinking feeling that Christina was quietly mocking her.


    “It was nothing. I’d spend whatever it takes to make you happy,” La said, her voice steady despite the lie behind it.


    “La, you’re far too good to me! I truly hope you’ll marry into the family soon,” Christina said, her delight sounding entirely convincing.


    “Well, that’s really up to Bain,” La replied, color rising in her cheeks.


    Marsha let out a smallugh and turned to Hurley, seizing the moment. “You can see how much Bonnie adores La. So—when do we make the engagement official?” She wanted to strike while the mood was favorable and get amitment locked in before the opportunity slipped away.


    Her reasoning was simple: if Hurley and Beth were on board, just as Christina seemed to be, Bain would find it difficult to refuse. He had always respected his parents’ decisions, and he was a devoted brother who rarely denied Christina anything. Even a verbal promise would bind him.


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    But Hurley had no intention of choosing a wife for his son. He let out a heartyugh. “We’d have to speak with Bain about that. I’m not making that decision for him. A marriage only works if both parties truly want it.”


    The moment the wordsnded, every smile in the Wade family stiffened into a mask of barely concealed disappointment. If the choice genuinely rested with Bain, La was going to face an uphill battle.


    Despite growing up alongside him, she had never managed to make him fall for her, and the gap between them seemed to widen with every passing year.


    La’s heart sank, her misery and frustration impossible to fully conceal. She had spent her entire life chasing after Bain, yet she had never once seeded in winning his heart. He was cold by nature—distant and guarded, a man who let no one in.


    “If Bain loses our bet, he’ll honor it. He never goes back on his word, no matter how high the stakes,” Christina said, tossing the Wades just enough hope to keep them engaged. She was determined to secure that three-hundred-million-dor donation, and for that, she needed the right bait.


    La’s eyes lit up with desperate hope. “Really? You truly mean that?”


    “Of course. Does Bain strike you as the kind of man who breaks his word? If he’s bold enough to bet against me, he’ll be man enough to ept the consequences,” Christina said, her voice ringing with conviction.


    At that very moment, Bain was buried in work at the office, focused entirely on expanding the family’s assetspletely unaware that Christina was currently offering him up as coteral.


    “But… what if he refuses? What if he simply won’t marry me?” La asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.


    Christina gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he agrees.”


    To secure the Wades’ donation, she was perfectly willing to put Bain at the center of her strategy.


    “Bonnie, you are truly the best!” La eximed, pulling Christina into a firm embrace. “Just wait—once we’re officially family, I’ll treat you like royalty.”


    Christina suppressed the urge to pull away and returned the hug. “Wonderful. I’m counting on that.”


    In truth, she didn’t believe a single word La said. If La ever seeded in marrying Bain, it would spell disaster for the entire Jones family. The Wades were like circling predators—they would not stop until they had stripped the Jones fortune down to nothing.


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