Chapter 323
Tamika Coldberg tilted her chin up, eyeing Kieran Argent warily like a mother hen protecting her chicks. Alaricka Huston merely curved her lips without objection.
Alaricka didn’t look at Kieran. Her gaze remained fixed on the weather forecast playing on the old television as she stated coolly, “If you have business, Mr. Argent, say it quickly. It’s late. Mother and I need rest.”
Though she didn’t turn, her peripheral vision caught Kieran tilting his head. Those sharp, shadowed eyes scanned her face intently.
She frowned slightly.
His stare felt unbearably tangible–wherever his gaze landed, her skin burned with discomfort.
Yet she only furrowed her brows, offering no remark.
“Delete the post.”
Kieran’s opening words were brutally blunt, nearly drawing a laugh from Alaricka.
She turned with a derisive snort, meeting those intimidating dark eyes–eyes that would unsettle anyone–with bold indifference. Her tone, neither warm nor cold, dripped with unmistakable mockery.
“Since when does Mr. Argent police what others post online? Pray tell, what exactly offended you in my post? Do enlighten me.”
A radiant smile lit her striking features. “I won’t change a word.”
Kieran ignored her sarcasm, his voice dropping lower. “I said: delete it.”
Alaricka was beyond caring about his displeasure.
She retorted sharply, “Impossible. If the content displeases you, contact the platform to remove it. I won’t.”
His eyes darkened. “Alaricka.”
Her lips curved faintly. “If that’s all you came for, leave.”
Kieran’s gaze turned piercing, his voice thick with menace. “Your post mentioned dropping out?”
Alaricka paused, surprised he’d shifted focus from the deletion demand to her withdrawal.
On this matter, she had nothing to say to him. “With all due respect, Mr. Argent, the Argent family cast me out two months ago. My affairs no longer concern you. Kindly refrain from prying–I owe you no answers. After all…”
She drew a clear demarcation line between them. “…we have no relationship whatsoever.”
Every shared moment dissolved like foam, leaving no trace worth recalling.
Kieran’s expression abruptly darkened, his features twisting with fury.
Mr. Argent?
No relationship?
Refrain from prying?
He nearly laughed in disbelief. His perfectly knotted tie suddenly felt like a noose, choking him. Rage careened through his veins, screaming for release.
From the moment Kieran saw Alaricka’s post, he felt unprecedented fury at her abrupt decision to drop out.
This was extremely rare, a first-time occurrence.
Ever since Alaricka joined the Argent family years ago, every aspect of her life had been under his control–what clothes she wore, where she vacationed, which school she attended, what events she participated in.
Not a single detail had ever escaped his grasp.
Only now, with her dropping out, he’d received no warning whatsoever. It felt like Alaricka was slowly, deliberately peeling herself away from him.
He thrived on control. Losing it displeased him profoundly, igniting genuine rage.
Kieran scoffed.
Did Alaricka truly believe their relationship could end as cleanly as she proclaimed–utterly separate, no lingering ties, debts settled, paths diverged?
Dream on.
She couldn’t have anticipated how her constant “Mr. Argent,” every cold expression and boundary-drawing word, coupled with this sudden withdrawal, would fuel Kieran’s wrath to explosive levels.
Kieran let out a low, grating chuckle. “So you’ve calculated everything, determined to keep your distance, is that it?”
Alaricka met his gaze calmly. “Yes. You’re a man of stature, Mr. Argent. I’m merely a chauffeur’s daughter. Maintaining distance is only proper. It’s for your own good. Imagine if your business partners learned you had such an… embarrassing sister? Hardly beneficial for your reputation.”
“This way,” she continued, “it’s better for us both. I trust you won’t hold it against me.”
Kieran nodded curtly. “Fine.”