Chapter 66 False Concern

Chapter 66 False Concern
Adeline felt mentally exhausted. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling too much, her feet were killing her because of the heels, and every part of her body desperately wanted to disappear upstairs into some quiet room where no one would ask her questions anymore.

Unfortunately for her, the night was far from over.

The music inside the reception hall had softened slightly while guests continued eating, drinking, and moving around from table to table. Some reporters still lingered nearby taking photographs every few minutes while others interviewed guests quietly in corners of the room. Everywhere Adeline looked, someone seemed to be watching her.

She hated it.

Still, she continued smiling whenever necessary while Julian stayed close beside her almost the entire night. Every now and then he would quietly crack some sarcastic comment under his breath that made surviving the reception slightly easier for her.

At least until the master of ceremonies suddenly picked up the microphone again.

“And now,” the man announced warmly, “it is time for the father and daughter dance.”

Immediately, Adeline froze.

Beside her, Julian glanced sideways at her instantly after feeling the sudden stiffness in her posture. He did not even need to ask what was wrong because the answer was painfully obvious from the expression on her face.

Across the hall, Jonathan Carter was already standing from his seat.

Adeline honestly wanted to fake her own death. She had hoped maybe they would quietly skip this tradition entirely considering how terrible her relationship with her father was, but clearly someone involved in planning the reception had decided otherwise.

Her jaw tightened immediately. “You okay?” Julian asked quietly beside her.

“No,” she answered honestly.

Julian looked like he wanted to say something else, but before he could, several guests were already turning toward Adeline expectantly. Some reporters even raised cameras immediately, clearly eager to capture the emotional father-daughter dance.

If only they knew.

Adeline slowly forced a smile on her face again before stepping away from Julian carefully. Her body already felt tense as she approached her father near the dance floor.

Jonathan Carter looked just as displeased as she felt. Even now, dressed in his expensive black tuxedo with cameras pointed toward him, he still looked irritated by her existence. The only reason he was cooperating at all was because too many important people were watching.

The second Adeline finally stopped in front of him, Jonathan extended his hand stiffly toward her.

Neither of them spoke at first. Then finally, Adeline placed her hand in his while quietly muttering through her forced smile, “Smile before people start to point out how you look like you’re attending my funeral instead of my wedding.”

Jonathan’s expression darkened immediately, though he did force a smile on his face afterward for appearances.

“Always mouthy,” he muttered under his breath while guiding her slowly to the dance floor.

The music started playing around them while guests watched warmly from nearby tables. To everyone else, they probably looked like a normal father and daughter sharing an emotional wedding moment. Only Adeline knew how fake the entire thing was.

Jonathan placed one hand stiffly against her back while she rested her own lightly against his shoulder. Neither of them looked comfortable.

“Try not to look so miserable,” Adeline said quietly while keeping the fake smile fixed on her lips. “People are taking pictures.”

Jonathan gave a short, bitter laugh. “You should be more worried about yourself.”

Adeline’s smile thinned slightly. “I’m not the one publicly glaring at my son-in-law like a psychopath.”

“Don’t call him that.”

“He is literally your son-in-law now.”

Jonathan’s jaw visibly tightened. The tension between them felt suffocating even while they moved slowly across the dance floor together. Around them, guests watched emotionally while some older women nearby even smiled fondly at what they believed was a touching father-daughter moment.

Adeline almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it.

“You really went through with this nonsense,” Jonathan muttered quietly enough that only she could hear him.

Adeline kept smiling for the cameras while answering back calmly. “Clearly.”

“You still have time to realize your mistake.”

“No,” she corrected softly. “You still have time to stop treating my life like it belongs to you.”

Jonathan’s grip against her back tightened slightly. “You think that boy has good intentions towards you?” he asked coldly.

Adeline’s expression hardened immediately. “I don’t care what you think about my marriage,” she replied quietly. “But if you ruin my wedding reception tonight, I promise you I’ll make your life miserable afterward.”

The dance continued awkwardly while the music played softly around them, and every movement between them felt forced and tense.

Eventually Jonathan finally spoke again, sounding colder this time. “You have no idea what kind of man Julian Hale truly is.”

Adeline immediately looked up at him sharply. “And you do?”

Jonathan scoffed quietly. “More than you. No son of Edward is innocent.”

“Then maybe you should’ve spent more time worrying about your own behavior instead of obsessing over Edward Hale.”

Jonathan’s eyes darkened dangerously at that.

Honestly, Adeline knew she was pushing him intentionally now, but she no longer cared. Spending even five minutes pretending to have a loving father-daughter relationship with Jonathan Carter already felt unbearable enough.

Thankfully, before the conversation could become worse, the song finally started nearing its end.

Adeline nearly sighed in relief. The second the music stopped completely, applause filled the hall warmly again. Guests smiled while cameras flashed nonstop around them. Jonathan immediately stepped away from her like he could no longer tolerate touching her for another second.

Adeline felt exactly the same. Still smiling for appearances, she quietly muttered one final thing before walking away from him.

“Thanks for not ruining the reception.”

Jonathan looked deeply unimpressed by her sarcasm but thankfully said nothing else. The second Adeline stepped away from the dance floor entirely, her fake smile disappeared immediately.

God, she was annoyed. The entire interaction had left her emotionally drained all over again. She grabbed the nearest glass of champagne from a passing waiter almost immediately before taking a long sip.

“That bad?”

Adeline turned slightly at the familiar voice.

Lucas.

Her older brother stood nearby with both hands inside his pockets while watching her carefully. Unlike Nathan, Lucas rarely looked openly hostile toward her. Instead, he always looked tired around family drama, like someone exhausted from years of watching everyone destroy each other slowly.

Adeline stared at him for a second before speaking quietly. “You finally decided to acknowledge my existence.”

Lucas sighed softly. “Don’t start.”

“Then what exactly do you want, Lucas?”

For a second, he stayed quiet before answering honestly. “I wanted to see if you’re okay.”

Adeline let out a dry laugh immediately. “That’s funny considering none of you bothered calling me before the wedding.”

Lucas visibly looked uncomfortable after hearing that. “We’ve all been dealing with enough already,” he said quietly.

Adeline shook her head slowly. “Right, of course.”

Lucas looked at her for a long moment before finally asking the real question clearly sitting on his mind. “Are you sure you made the right decision?”

Adeline immediately stiffened slightly.

“With Julian,” Lucas clarified quietly. “Are you really sure about this?”

Adeline’s expression hardened almost instantly. “Yes.”

Lucas sighed softly again before glancing briefly across the hall toward Julian, who currently stood speaking with several business associates nearby.

“I just…” Lucas hesitated slightly before continuing carefully. “I don’t think you fully understand what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

Adeline scoffed immediately. “Please don’t start sounding like father.”

“I’m serious, Addy.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“No,” Lucas said quietly but firmly. “You think you do.”

That irritated her immediately. “Why does everyone keep acting like I’m some helpless idiot making emotional decisions?” she snapped quietly. “I chose this marriage.”

Lucas looked frustrated now too. “That’s exactly the problem. You chose it thinking you could control it.”

“And I can,” Adeline hissed under her breath.

“You can’t always win every battle through sheer stubbornness.”

Adeline crossed her arms immediately. “Funny coming from someone who spent most of his life avoiding every battle entirely.”

Lucas looked hurt by that comment for a second before his expression flattened again. “You think I’m judging you,” he said quietly. “But I’m actually worried about you.”

Adeline looked away immediately. “I don’t need anyone worrying about me.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

She turned back toward him sharply. “You barely even spoke to me before the wedding, Lucas. So forgive me if I suddenly find your concern a little too late.”

Lucas rubbed one hand over his face tiredly before speaking again. “You know how this family is.”

“Yes,” Adeline answered coldly. “Which is exactly why I stopped expecting anything from any of you.”

For a second, silence settled heavily between them. Then Lucas quietly said, “Julian Hale is not someone you can afford to underestimate.”

Adeline’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You sound exactly like Father right now.”

“Maybe because for once he isn’t entirely wrong.”

That immediately annoyed her again. “You know what?” she said sharply. “I’m getting really tired of everyone acting like Julian is some monster waiting to destroy me while I apparently stand around clueless.”

Lucas sighed. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying you don’t trust people easily,” Lucas answered carefully. “So the fact that you suddenly trust him this much and married him worries me.”

Adeline immediately opened her mouth to argue again, but before she could, another voice suddenly interrupted smoothly beside them.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

Julian.

He stood beside them now with one hand casually inside his pocket while the other held a champagne glass loosely. Despite the polite smile on his face, his eyes immediately flicked briefly between both Carter siblings, clearly sensing the tension already.

Lucas straightened slightly immediately.

Meanwhile, Julian smiled politely toward him. “Lucas,” he greeted smoothly. “Thanks for coming tonight.”

Lucas nodded once. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

There was a brief awkward silence afterward before Julian casually stepped closer beside Adeline, his hand resting lightly against her lower back instinctively.

“We actually need to greet a few more guests,” he said politely. “I’m stealing my wife back for a bit.”

The word "wife" still sounded strange every time Adeline heard it.

Lucas looked between both of them quietly before finally nodding once. “Right.”

Julian smiled politely again before guiding Adeline away smoothly without another word. The second they were finally far enough away from Lucas, Adeline let out a frustrated breath.

Julian glanced sideways at her immediately. “That looked intense.”

Adeline scoffed quietly. “My family suddenly discovered concern now that I’m already married.”

Julian stayed quiet for a second before speaking carefully. “What did he say?”

Adeline looked ahead tiredly. “The same thing everyone keeps saying. That I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Julian’s expression shifted slightly at that. Then finally, very quietly, he asked, “And do you?”