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Chapter 11
Dorian had always been the dominant one. The moment he saw her, a delicate girl crying like a flower drenched in rain, his heart instantly softened.
“Im not blaming you, Irene, Dorian said. “It’s just that today’s situation was.” A bit odd. Odd enough to feel like a setup.
But Dorian knew her well. Irene wasn’t the type to make a scene for no reason.
And her teary eyes spoke volumes–she was clearly wronged. It didn’t look staged.
Maybe it really was just a coincidence.
Dorian had rarely seen her cry, and now that she was, he felt a twinge of sympathy. His voice softened as he apologized. “I was wrong. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you.”
Irene thought, ‘Only a skilled manipulator knows when to back down.
‘Dorian has already lowered himself for love–if I continue to press. I’ll only come off as unreasonable.
So Irene wiped her tears with a tissue, still sounding upset as she muttered, “This is all your fault. My makeup’s ruined now
Dorian raised an eyebrow and gave a low chuckle. “So dramatic.”“
His tone was indulgent, tinged with affection.
“What a joke, Irene thought coldly. “He thinks I’m genuinely heartbroken, and he’s actually enjoying it. Dorian was utterly pathetic.”
Irene turned away to fix her ruined makeup, then added in a small voice, I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have hidden my family background from you.”
Dorian frowned. “You mean the part about your dad not being Gwen’s biological son? Why would you keep that from me?”
Irene discreetly pinched her side, hard, until her eyes turned red again from the pain.
The tears came at just the right moment. Irene lowered her gaze, her voice growing soft and heavy with emotion. “Dorian. you’re the third son of the Barnes family.
“And your grandma is from the Tucker family. You’re outstanding in every way.”
“But me…” Irene looked down, her posture full of hesitation and low self–esteem.
Her voice was barely a whisper. “I was abandoned when I was little and raised in the countryside by my grandmother.
“I’m just a wild girl from a small town who worked hard to get into the architecture program at Aurelith University. Being a top student there is the only thing I can be proud of
“The Jackson family only gained their current status because of Gwen’s father, the Thompson family. All that money. all that reputation—it has nothing to do with me.
“Everyone thinks I’m the eldest daughter of the Jackson family, but they also say I’m not worthy of you. And I’m just a nobody trying to act like a princess.
“If people found out that my father isn’t Gwen’s real son that his birth mother was just a poor woman from the countryside… what would they think of me? What would your father and your family think of me?”
All of it led to one simple point. Irene said seriously, “Dorian, I just want to be with you.”
Irene’s tear–filled eyes met him, brimming with raw sincerity. No man could resist such a look
Dorian was probably sneering in his heart, thinking Irene loved him so deeply she had lost all pride. Yet that very desperation fed his ego–knowing someone loved him so much made him feel powerful.
Dorian gently wiped away her tears with his thumb and replied, “I don’t care about your background, Irene. That doesn’t
change how I feel about you.
“I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I’m not giving up on you–because you’re everything to me.”
Hearing this, Irene thought coldly, ‘Of course I’m everything to you.
“You think I’m the key to saving your little childhood sweetheart. Of course I’m your everything!
Irene cursed him silently while pretending to be moved and rested in his embrace.
Leaning against his shoulder, Irene asked softly, “Dorian, I knew my grandfather had an affair years ago, but I didn’t know the other woman was Anika. Do you believe me?”
