Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 60

"Madeline."

He tracked her down in the upscale grocery store on the ground floor of her building.

"I'll cover this," he announced, stepping up to the register.

Madeline's expression tightened slightly. She realized he had always known exactly where she lived.

He simply hadn't ever bothered to visit, leaving her to handle the upkeep of the apartment entirely on her own.

His imposing frame stepped closer, smoothly taking control of her shopping cart.

Situated right in the heart of the downtown core, this market was exclusive to the building's residents.

While the prices were exorbitant, the clientele didn't seem to mind.

It was a premium, boutique grocery experience.

If Lucius was insistent on throwing his money around, she certainly wasn't going to stop him.

The surreal reality was that this was the very first time they had ever gone grocery shopping together.

A month ago, a domestic gesture like this would have sent her over the moon.

Now, she felt absolutely nothing.

Lucius swiped his card and followed her out into the evening air.

Once they were clear of the bustling crowds, he carefully measured his words. "Can we just... talk?"

"If this is about Lightning Interactive, we have nothing to discuss," Madeline replied coolly.

Her tone was terrifyingly calm.

Lucius stopped dead in his tracks.

In his eyes, she had always been incredibly docile—completely subservient, really.

She had an endlessly forgiving temperament.

But today, she was revealing a side of herself he had never witnessed.

She was no longer soft. She was no longer yielding.

There was a chilling, unshakeable resilience to her now.

A razor-sharp edge that violently severed any lingering illusion of compliance.

This jarring transformation was unsettling.

Lucius felt it deep in his bones.

She was done tolerating the abuse.

A strange, creeping unease clawed at the back of his mind.

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