the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart
Chapter 231 A few words nail Delphine to the pillar of moral shame

Chapter 231: Chapter 231 A few words nail Delphine to the pillar of moral shame

Ignatius Leclair lifted his eyes, piercingly glancing at Jett Wade, and said indifferently, "Miss Wade must be frightened and speaking nonsense. Delphine is timid and hardly notable in the Leclair Family, how could she have bullied Bessie’s guest? Perhaps it was just Bessie fooling around with Miss Wade, and Miss Wade mistook the person—that’s entirely possible."

Bessie had flown off to Switzerland at this point to lay low. By the time she returns for a confrontation, this matter will have dragged on indefinitely.

Jett Wade was so angry he nearly spat blood, turning to Stone Leclair for support.

At that moment, Stone Leclair finally turned his gaze toward the influential elites of Imperial City seated nearby, offering a faintly apologetic smile and saying, "I apologize for letting you all witness this spectacle. Once I’ve resolved the matter, I’ll offer my apologies to everyone."

The few elites, suddenly called out, exchanged glances before briefly looking at the strikingly dignified man from the Shaw family seated beside Leclair’s South Sea heir. They quickly waved their hands, unwilling even to speak, trying their hardest to pretend they didn’t exist.

Stone Leclair raised an eyebrow at their reaction but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he turned on Ignatius Leclair, furiously rebuking him: "Whether it’s Bessie or Delphine, since the incident with Yvonne occurred at our Leclair residence, we must take responsibility and provide an explanation to the Wade Family."

Ignatius Leclair curled his lips into a faint smile, his eyes narrowing with relish—a more explosive confrontation was coming.

"Ignatius, since you insist you didn’t act against the Wade Family, we’ll temporarily send Yvonne back to recuperate with the Wades. Once her health is restored, we’ll address any legal troubles," Stone Leclair said authoritatively, before turning to Jett Wade with a polite smile, continuing, "We’ve wronged Miss Wade in this matter, but grudges should be resolved, not deepened. Let’s aim to laugh this off and mend fences—after all, the ties between the two families go back decades."

"Oh, so it’s that convenient for you now, is it? Look at poor Yvonne—she’s lost her wits and can’t even recognize her own mother!" Mrs. Wade wailed, sobbing almost to the point of tearing her heart out. As she cradled Yvonne, she noticed something was off and immediately burst into louder cries. "If anything happens to Yvonne, I couldn’t bear to live anymore!"

As she spoke, Mrs. Wade lunged toward the edge of the coffin, only to be hurriedly stopped by her son, Thiago Wade.

Stone Leclair paused in thought before speaking again: "Take Yvonne to the hospital for a thorough check-up; there won’t be any issues. This matter mustn’t drive a wedge between our families. Old Wade, your son is still unmarried. Today, I’ll make the decision for the two families to arrange a marriage—Delphine will marry into your Wade family, turning foes into relatives. From here on, the Leclair Family will never shortchange you."

The subtext was clear: through the arrangement of this marriage, the Wade Family would be securely tied to the grand vessel that was the dominant South Seas Leclair dynasty.

From the perspective of uninformed outsiders, this solution indeed seemed like the Leclair Family’s generous compensation to the Wade Family.

But as soon as Stone Leclair uttered those words, the expressions of everyone present took on subtle changes.

Delphine let out a cold laugh, her body trembling uncontrollably, overcome by a nauseating wave of disgust. She wished she could somehow reclaim every grain of rice she had eaten in the Leclair Family during her youth, as if to expunge them from her blood and flesh.

Ignatius Leclair’s gaze darkened with a flash of malice in his eye. The faint smile that lingered at the corners of his mouth grew increasingly chilling as his attention turned toward Thiago Wade, who was supporting Mrs. Wade. His voice was icy and oppressive as he narrowed his eyes and asked, "You want to marry Delphine?"

Thiago Wade, instinctively feeling a dull pain radiating from the pair of ribs that had only recently healed, looked into the man’s murderous gaze and reflexively began to shake his head—only for Jett Wade to slap him across the face.

Jett Wade sneered and remarked, "The Wade Family, of course, has no objections. We only fear the girl you’ve raised isn’t willing."

Stone Leclair turned his attention back to Delphine and, with a detached benevolence, said, "I understand your background isn’t ideal. But over these years, living under the roof of the Leclair Family, we’ve invested quite a bit in you. Now that the Wade Family—a renowned and prestigious noble house—is willing to welcome you, you won’t be mistreated if you marry into their family. If you have any sense of gratitude, you should know what decision to make."

With a few simple phrases, Stone Leclair fastened Delphine upon the moral pillar of shame. Marrying was framed as her duty, while choosing not to meant being ungrateful—an outright repudiation of the Leclair Family’s years of care and upbringing.