Chapter 264
Daron was momentarily at a loss for words, clearly caught off guard by Elnora’s comment.
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But Elnora acted like she didn’t even notice the irritation in his eyes and added in a cool tone, “Most of the guys who’ve been set up with Marina lately are about her age, and the oldest is only three years older. You’re a whole five years older than her.
“They say three years is a generation gap, so that’s nearly two generation gaps between you and Marina.
“Honestly, I can’t even put you on the list.”
As she spoke, Elnora met Daron’s gaze, a cold smirk on her lips, clearly out to make things hard for him.
Marina felt like Daron was about to crush her hand. She bit her lip, thinking, “They’re the ones having this showdown, but I’m the only one suffering here!
In the tense silence, neither Elnora nor Daron backed down.
“I… it hurts,” Marina finally murmured.
Only then did Daron loosen his grip, and when he looked up at Elnora, his gaze relented a bit.
“I’ll give you 30% of the shares in the Skyline Project,” Daron said
Elnora arched an eyebrow. “Thanks, Mr. Zamora. That’s pretty big of you.”
Daron shot her a cold, piercing look.
“I want to see her identification materials first thing tomorrow morning,” he said.
Elnora curved her lips into a sly smile and lifted her hand.
Anya, standing off to the side, swiftly pulled a household registration book from the inside pocket of his suit and placed it in Elnora’s hand.
Elnora took it without missing a beat and passed it straight to Daron.
Daron’s gaze was icy as he reached out and took it. “Guess you came prepared, Ms. Finley.”
Marina stared in shock. “Sis…”
‘Did she seriously have Anya carry my documents around just in case?‘ Marina thought.
Elnora’s icy gaze sparkled with a trace of a smile. “Because I knew I’d win.”
Daron was lost for words.
Elnora flashed a smile as her gaze swept past Daron. “Congratulations.”
It sounded like she was speaking to both Daron and Marina at once.
Marina’s eyes grew misty.
‘Sis has always been fighting for me behind the scenes, Marina thought. Whether it was in the past or now, she’s always been plotting for my sake.‘
Elnora walked over to her car, the sound of her heels echoing on the pavement.
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10:35 Fri, Feb 13 B B D ·
Chapter 264
Daron hurriedly shoved Marina into the car.
Elnora turned around and caught Daron’s action. She tilted her head slightly, her voice cool as she spoke.
“I’ll have someone box up her stuff and send it over to you tomorrow,” Elnora said.
Daron let out a cold laugh. “You really can’t wait, can you?”
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Elnora smiled back. “I’m in no rush. After all, my sister can walk away whenever she wants. But if you repeat your mistakes, Mr. Zamora…”
Daron didn’t let her finish. His face darkened as he got into the car and slammed the door, not giving her a chance to finish her jab.
Seeing this, Elnora chuckled quietly and got into her own car.
Marina sat in the car, her eyes glued to the document in Daron’s hand, her head still in a daze.
“Are you… going to marry me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Daron tightened his grip on the family register, his tone icy.
“What, you don’t want to? Your sister basically handed you over to me. It’s not up to you anymore,” he said.
Marina bit her lip, her eyes rimmed with tears as they spilled down her cheeks.
She hurriedly wiped at her tears. He was going to marry her. This should be something to celebrate, but she just couldn’t stop crying.
Daron frowned, watching her frantically wipe away her tears, his gaze growing even darker.
His grip on the family register tightened unconsciously.
“Does marrying me really make you feel so wronged?” he asked,
Marina looked up at him when she heard his question.
“No…” she whispered.
Her eyes were all watery, making her look so easy to bully, and it just made his heart soft.
Daron felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.
‘I was just too soft before,’ he thought.
He always tried to respect her wishes.
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But now he understood, if he wanted her to behave, he had to keep her close, right by his side.
Daron didn’t give Marina a chance to finish. He leaned in and claimed her lips, silencing whatever she was about to say.
His lips were scorching hot. Marina froze for a moment, her hands tightening and loosening at her sides before finally slipping around his lean, strong waist.
The driver, knowing what was needed, quietly pressed a button to raise the partition between the front and back seats.
Their kiss lasted all the way until the car stopped at the villa entrance.
Daron picked Marina up, carried her out of the car, and walked raight into the villa.
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10:35 Fri, Feb 13 B B D.
Chapter 261
Inside, Daron looked down at the woman in his arms. Her delicate face nestled quietly against his chest, so meek and well- behaved.
Seeing her like this, a lot of the anger he’d been holding onto just melted away.
Instead of tossing her onto the bed like he’d planned, he gently laid her down.
“Even if you feel wronged, you’ll just have to take it,” Daron murmured.
Marina melted into the soft mattress, and soon his weight settled over her.
His warm lips brushed over her eyelids, and her eyes fluttered shut beneath his touch.
His deep voice rumbled in her ear.
“Marina, you’ve always belonged to me. That etiquette teacher your grandpa hired, all those lessons on how to carry yourself were all just preparing you to become part of the Zamora family he said.
“This is just how things are supposed to be. Crying won’t change anything.” Daron murmured.
Marina opened her eyes and looked at him, her eyes red and watery.
“So you’re marrying me just to make things go back to how they were?” she whispered.
Daron’s eyes were dark and troubled as he stared at her, but in the end, he looked away, unable to stand seeing her like that.
He was afraid he’d get soft again, just like last time, and let her go
If he hadn’t agreed back then, Marina kicking up a fuss would never have been enough to make the elders from both sides break off the engagement.
Daron let out a heavy breath, fighting the ache in his chest as he buried his face in Marina’s neck, hiding his vulnerable expression from her.
“Right now, no one is more suited to be my wife than you,” he said.
“You’ve seen what my family’s really like. It’s nowhere near as harmonious as it looks. Your grandpa’s got real skills, and I bet he taught you plenty. Those spoiled rich girls from other families wouldn’t last a day in this mess,” Daron said.
Marina’s eyes grew misty.
“Turns out, in the end, it’s all just about weighing the pros and cons, she thought.
Resigned, she shut her eyes.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around Daron’s waist, her voice barely above a whisper. “Okay, I understand.”
Daron frowned as he watched her, then looked up. Seeing that look of utter resolve in her eyes, his face grew somber.
“Marina, you spent seven years chasing after love, and it all ended in failure. Don’t you see? What you’ve been searching for in love is nothing compared to what I can give you,” he said. “Your sister’s way smarter than you.”
Marina blinked, the tear tracks on her lashes still clear.
Yeah, that’s true, she thought.
Elnora had already maneuvered things so Daron would end up with her.
Whether it was his possessiveness or just cold calculation, everything had gone back to how it was supposed to he
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10:35 Fri, Feb 13 BBD ·
Chapter 264
She shouldn’t hope for anything more.
This was already the best outcome she could get.
It was the best answer.
