the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart
Chapter 22 Quit Drinking? Why Not Quit Lust Instead?

Delphine opened the wine box and took out the bottle. Ignatius Leclair tossed the wooden beads in his hand aside and cursed, "Wrong bottle, you idiot."

The turmoil of the night had piled up, and Delphine felt stifled with frustration. Upon hearing this, she responded coolly, "It’s not much worse. It’s from your own collection. Just make do with it."

The room fell into an oppressive silence.

South China—was there really anyone who dared to ask Mr. Leclair to settle for less?

Presumptuous arrogance! Ignatius was taken aback by her defiance, and suddenly those four words popped into his mind. Seeing her delicate face laced with fatigue, her vulnerability shining through her pale features, he found her inexplicably captivating, and his momentary anger dissipated without reason.

Jocelyn stepped forward, looking at the wine Delphine had brought, and spoke with a smile, "Cheval Blanc, it’s a treasure indeed."

Seeing Jocelyn smoothing things over, the second master of the Wade family quickly stepped up and echoed, "Fine wine, truly fine."

Ignatius curled his lips faintly. The second Wade master, who only knew how to indulge in life’s debauchery, acted as if he understood wine. What nonsense! Ignatius couldn’t be bothered to argue and watched as the second master opened the wine and poured three glasses. The curve of his mouth deepened.

"Mr. Leclair, that brat Evander Zamora has caused so much trouble. We had no idea! If not for the old lady sympathizing with his wife’s plight, we wouldn’t bother with the Zamora family’s issues at all.

You know how it is—she’s elderly and sentimental," the second Wade master said with a grin. "Once the old man learned that the brat had crossed his nephew-in-law, he immediately sent me to investigate. He even said, no mercy."

The second master’s words carried explosive information. Ignatius responded with a cryptic smile, Jocelyn remained unfazed, but Delphine’s surprise was apparent, realizing only then that the downfall of the vice mayor, which had been buzzing about all day, was Ignatius’s handiwork.

Delphine glanced sidelong at Ignatius, sitting languidly on the sofa, his long fingers tracing the rim of his wine glass. Even seated, his aura was commanding.

Without Ignatius speaking, uneasiness seized the second Wade master’s heart. He wished he could beat his older brother to death for putting him in this demeaning position. In South China, wasn’t Ignatius the hardest person to deal with? Even his own father had to carefully consider his words before speaking to him.

"What are you so nervous about, Mr. Wade? Since it’s unrelated to your family, why worry?" Ignatius said nonchalantly, swirling the wine glass in his hand gracefully as he smiled.

Nervous? Who was nervous? The second Wade master’s forced smile faltered, but he managed a few awkward chuckles and replied, "Ah, that’s good, that’s good. I’ll go back and report to the old man. Since Mr. Leclair says so, I’ll drink this glass first as a gesture of respect."

If it wasn’t aimed at the Wade family, then it was safe to say the matter was settled. The second Wade master swallowed his pride, but at least the old man’s orders had been carried out. Feeling satisfied, he chugged the expensive wine in one go, his face flushed with triumph as he looked at Ignatius.

Ignatius barely concealed his displeasure, faintly furrowing his brows as his gaze shifted to Delphine standing idly nearby. With a low voice, he said, "You drink. The doctor advised me to avoid alcohol recently."

All eyes returned to Delphine. Her expression froze—avoiding alcohol? Why not avoid lust?

Just as Jocelyn seemed ready to intervene, Delphine picked up Ignatius’s wine glass, her gaze lifting with a casual elegance, and gave the second Wade master a soft, pliant smile. Her tone was light yet indulgent: "I will drink this on behalf of Mr. Leclair."

Her features, already exquisitely delicate, became mesmerizing with that smile, momentarily dazzling the second Wade master, no stranger to a life of revelry. A beauty, radiant as jade, enchanting and alive.

While the second Wade master was momentarily lost in thought, Delphine had already downed the wine in one swift motion—a bold drink of several million dollars’ worth of wine.

A chain of speculations stemming from a minor vice mayor scandal and escalating tensions between two elite families instantly dissipated in the span of two wine glasses.

Jocelyn let out a small breath of relief but couldn’t shake a sudden chill running down his spine. As the third scion of the Yeager family lifted his gaze, he caught sight of Ignatius sitting on the sofa, his mouth curled into an icy smile and his eyes filled with an unmistakable warning.