Reborn Young Miss: Phoenix Burning Red-Chapter 48: Do You Really Have to Marry? (2)

Adrienne sighed inwardly. Initially, she was worried that Abigail Li would disapprove of their plan. However, she knew that Abigail Li only agreed because of Lennox. This was enough for Adrienne for now, as long as Abigail Li wasn’t interfering with their plans.

"Nox, I know that this is your life, and I have no right to dictate what you should do with it. My only wish is for you and Miss Jiang to be careful. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you." Abigail solemnly said. Seeing how hard she gripped her handbag, Adrienne could sense the helplessness Abigail was feeling.

"I’ve decided to stay with the children at Jinxiu Garden." Lennox replied. "Addie will also live with us once we marry."

Adrienne had no idea where Jinxiu Garden was, but she didn’t doubt that Lennox and Gavin had already prepared the needs of his half-siblings ahead of time. It must be a place where the Qin family and others couldn’t enter easily.

Abigail nodded then faced Adrienne. "Miss Jiang, may I have a word with you?"

Adrienne stiffened but knew she could not openly deny Lennox’s mother. She nodded and tried to pull away from Lennox’s hold.

"But Mom..." Lennox obviously didn’t want to leave her alone with his mother.

"It’s fine, Lennox. I’m curious to know what your mother thinks of this arrangement." Adrienne answered and waited for him to release her hand.

They stared at each other, and Lennox had no choice but to let her go.

"If my mother offers you money to cut our deal, I’m willing to double the price." He whispered to her.

Adrienne chuckled and shook her head. "We don’t even know what she’ll tell me. Give her the benefit of the doubt, Lennox. Since she has already agreed, would she try to sabotage our plan by bribing me? While I need money for my mother’s treatments, I’m also not a person who would back out on my word."

Lennox nodded and said nothing, allowing Adrienne to leave his room with his mother. Adrienne followed the older woman and ended up at the hospital’s small cafe.

"I want to apologize to you, Miss Jiang. Lennox must have been desperate to secure his inheritance after losing his position to his older cousin." Abigail told her as they waited for their drinks to be served.

Adrienne glanced outside the massive glass wall, seeing people come and leave the hospital premises. She didn’t want anyone to know that she was related to Lennox and Abigail for now. Thankfully, there weren’t many people visiting the hospital at this time.

"I admit I was surprised when I received Lennox’s offer, but at that time, it was too tempting not to accept, considering I’ve already run out of funds to sustain my mother’s needs."

"I heard from Gavin. It must have been hard on you..."

Adrienne tried to ignore the sympathy in Abigail’s eyes. She didn’t want anyone’s pity, however, she knew she could not be rude to her future mother-in-law.

"It’s me who should apologize to you, Miss Li. Once our relationship is revealed to the public, my family might cause trouble to you and Lennox."

She could already picture how the Jiang family would react once they found out. Her selfish father would try to win Lennox’s favor and use his connection to the Qin family to further his career and reputation in the industry. It also didn’t help that Abigail Li’s family owned Starmedia, one of the country’s leading entertainment and media companies. Lewis Jiang would surely try to use them as leverage in the future.

"The Jiang family doesn’t threaten our family, but it wouldn’t be the case if they have a backing. Still, you and Lennox should tread carefully. You don’t want to startle the snakes. I heard you were able to find one of his sisters. How is she?" Abigail asked.

Adrienne met her gaze and was startled that Abigail showed concern for her ex-husband’s children.

"I haven’t seen or heard anything from Samantha yet, but Lennox will win her custody soon."

Thinking about it, she wondered if Samantha had already made her decision. Adrienne knew it would be hard for Samantha to leave her mother, but she believed the girl was smart enough to understand her circumstances.

"It makes me wonder how the children have been faring all these years." She heard Abigail sigh, and Adrienne couldn’t help but question her. Those children were her ex-husband’s children from his affairs, so how could Abigail remain calm knowing this?

"You don’t despise those children?" She asked. "I didn’t mean to pry, but I’m curious..."

Abigail smiled and waited for the waitress to place their cups and leave before answering Adrienne’s question.

"How could I hate them? It’s not their fault their parents sinned. It’s unfair to persecute them for the sin they didn’t commit. If anything, I feel pity for those children. My ex-husband treated them unjustly when he was still alive. I wouldn’t be surprised if they feel resentment because of this."

Adrienne was surprised to hear Abigail’s answer. She briefly wondered what her mother felt towards Cayden when she learned about her father’s affair. Did she also pity Cayden? Was this the reason why she agreed to take him in?

"I don’t expect you to understand, Miss Jiang, but I just wish that those children would be able to lead a better life. The reason I agreed to this arrangement isn’t only because of Lennox. Those children have suffered enough. Shouldn’t we, as capable adults, help them?"

Adrienne didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t like she wasn’t oblivious to how her mother and Abigail felt when their husbands cheated on them. In her previous life, though she managed to marry the love of her life, her marriage with Alistair Han had many difficulties, and cheating was one of them. Though she was aware that her cold treatment towards him was the cause of his infidelity, he never had a child outside their marriage.