Chapter 1767:


    “I give you my word,” he said quietly. “I will earn Gillian’s trust and bring her into this family with dignity. I will not allow her or our daughter to endure any hardship.”


    The sincerity in his voice was unmistakable. It did nothing to shift their skepticism. If anything, the weight of his conviction only seemed to underscore how difficult the road ahead truly was.


    Not one of them believed it would be easy. The path to Gillian’s heart looked, from where they were sitting, like nothing but thorns.


    “Henrik.” Colette turned toward the old man, her voice edged with impatience. “When do you think we’ll actually be able to visit Adide?”


    “And what reason are we even supposed to give for going?” Santos added from beside her.


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    Henrik’s expression tightened. He let the silence sit for a moment before answering. “There’s no need to rush. I have to build a genuine rapport with them first.”


    “How are we supposed to stay calm and simply wait?” Colette’s brow furrowed.


    “Because moving too quickly will only work against us,” Henrik said, his tone firm. “If we push too hard and make them uneasy, we may lose whatever ess we have entirely.” He swept them all with a warning look. “None of you are to act impulsively. That’s not a suggestion.”


    “Understood,” Colette said, though the reluctance in her voice was in.


    Henrik’s gaze moved to Alban and stayed there, the worry in his eyes undisguised. “That applies to you most of all. If your recklessness costs me the chance to know my great-granddaughter, I will personally remove you from this family.”


    Alban assumed an expression of injured innocence. “Grandfather,e on — give me a little credit.”


    “Credit?” Henrik’s voice turned cold. “You haven’t even managed to get Gillian to ept a friend request, and you’re standing there asking for credit?” Alban went quiet. There was nothing to say to that, because it was entirely true.


    Henrik returned to the hospital the following day, a bouquet in one hand and a collection of toys tucked under his arm.


    Christina answered the door and regarded him with eyes that had narrowed slightly. “You’re back again.”


    The frequency of his visits unsettled her. She had no personal grievance with Henrik, but the long and unresolved rivalry between their families made it difficult to take his attentiveness at face value. She couldn’t quite work out what he was after.


    “I only came to see Adide,” Henrik said, his mannerposed and unhurried. “I feel a connection to that child. After an operation of that seriousness, it’s only natural to want to know how she’s faring.”


    He turned to Gillian with a warm smile and held out the flowers and toys. “I hope she’ll like these. If there’s anything else she’d prefer, please just say so.”


    Gillian epted them with some stiffness. “Thank you. But really — this is far too much.” She had no wish to see Henrik spending money on Adide, and his generosity left her quietly unsettled. People did not be this attentive without a reason. She had already spent what felt like a lifetime’s worth of luck in finding Christina — she was not naive enough to assume good fortune simply kept arriving on its own.


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