Chapter 1740:


    She climbed out of the car, pulling Adide firmly against her chest as though the child were an anchor, and cast a nervous nce at Christina.


    “Miss Jones… Do you think they’ll even open the gate for us?” she whispered.


    Christina gave her a calm, confident smile. “Let’s find out.”


    Privately, she thought that if the Martels were foolish enough to turn her away, they would regret it soon enough.


    “Alright,” Gillian murmured with a small nod. She was frightened, but she would follow Christina into a lion’s den if she had to.


    Christina walked straight up to the estate’s imposing gates and fixed the guards with a level stare. “Tell your employer I’m here. I’m from the Jones family, and I’m here to see Alban.”


    “Which Jones family?” one of the guards asked, eyeing them both with open suspicion. They had arrived in a luxury vehicle — could they really be from that family?


    “The only one that matters,” Christina replied evenly.


    “Wait here. We’ll check,” the guard said, nodding to his partner to make the call.


    The Jones and Martel families had no love for each other, but a direct visit from one still had to be reported up the chain. If this turned out to be significant and they had simply waved it off, the consequences would fall squarely on them. None of the guards were willing to take that risk.


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    Gillian’s nerves were fraying by the second. She was holding Adide so tightly that the little girl wriggled in protest, and Gillian was certain her own heart was about to beat straight through her ribs. What if they were turned away outright? Wouldn’t that be a crushing humiliation for Christina?


    Christina, for her part, looked as though she were simply waiting for a taxi — utterlyposed, not a trace of concern on her face.


    Before long, the heavy gates swung open with a low groan. “You cane in,” the guard said. “But your vehicle stays here. You’ll need to take one of our shuttles.”


    The distance from the gates to the main house was considerable, so the estate ran its own private cars to carry visitors in. Friends of the family were permitted to drive directly to the door; as Christina was something closer to an adversary, the shuttle was her only option.


    Christina didn’t argue. She simply gestured for Gillian to follow and stepped onto Martel grounds.


    They rode in one of the estate’s sleek cars and pulled up before a sprawling vi that bore an uncanny resemnce to a castle. The moment they stepped out, a staff member was waiting to receive them and led the group directly into the main building.


    Christina entered the grand living room and immediately took in the scene — several people reclined on leather sofas, the air around them heavy with ease and entitlement.


    “You?” Henrik shot to his feet, his expression flooded with surprise.


    He recognized her instantly — the same woman he had encountered at the hospital. The little girl she’d been carrying that day was now in the arms of a different woman, one with striking, bright green eyes. Henrik found himself noticing that the child resembled the green-eyed woman far more than she did Christina.


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