I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 215

Xander offered Alastair a polite nod, a barely-there smirk playing on his lips. "A coincidence? I'm just here to spend time with my daughter, but bumping into you is certainly unexpected. Regarding your comment about your grandson's wife, if you'll excuse my bluntness, when I met Ms. Newman, she introduced herself as a project lead at the institute. I had absolutely no idea she was connected to the Fletcher Family. Perhaps it's because Ms. Newman herself never bothers to use the Fletcher name."

The air seemed to freeze the moment the words left his mouth.

Hearing this, Felix gave Xander a perfect ten in his mind.

The man was truly a master of the boardroom. In just three sentences, he had completely shredded Alastair's possessive rhetoric, and he had done it so smoothly that the old man couldn't even accuse him of being disrespectful.

He neither confirmed nor denied Nora's connection to the Fletcher Family; he expertly spun the narrative back onto Nora herself.

The Fletchers might claim her as their own, but she clearly didn't see it that way. The Fletcher name wasn't even worth mentioning in her eyes.

Guilt trips? Utterly useless here.

Nora lowered her head, hiding a faint smile as a sudden rush of warmth filled her chest, though she suppressed it just as quickly.

Alastair's face visibly darkened. Unable to outmaneuver Xander with words—and unwilling to offend him—he directed his ire back at Nora.

"Nora, you are Finnegan's wife. Until you remarry, you will remain a part of the Fletcher family. That is not something a few casual words from an outsider can erase. While I am still breathing and the Fletcher name still holds power, I don't care who you associate with, but never forget whose family you belong to."

Nora scoffed inwardly. He made it sound so noble, yet when had anyone in the Fletcher Family ever treated her like one of their own?

The moment the words landed, a stunned silence swept across the group.

Finnegan whipped his head around to stare at Seraphina. She hadn't even had time to wipe her habitual, smug smile off her face. Under his fierce glare, her heart skipped a beat.

Felix was equally shocked. He never imagined Nora would lay Cassie's custody on the table right in front of Alastair.

But Nora knew better than anyone that not a single word she had spoken was driven by impulsive anger.

She had given Cassie countless chances, and every single time, the girl had chosen Seraphina.