Staring at the ceiling, Allan felt as if the entire situation had been a childish farce.

Everyone had entered Cadena with high hopes, only to leave with empty hands and heavier hearts. Their return to Ublento was weighed down by a sense of defeat.

Tracking down Sally wouldn’t be resolved overnight, so Adah decided to change her approach.

Before, Elliana had always been the vanguard, steering their ambitions, forging alliances, and carving out their territory, while Adah worked quietly behind the scenes. Now that Elliana was dedicating herself to family life, content to savor marriage and raise her children, Adah found herself suddenly leaderless, with an unfamiliar abundance of free time.

Sitting around aimlessly was never Adah’s style. If she couldn’t force results in the search for her mother, then she’d pour her energy into reclaiming all that was wrongfully taken from her.

Back when Sally had married into the Norris family, they had been at rock bottom. Bankruptcy had loomed, debts had swallowed the family whole, and they had been nearly thrown out of their own home.

It had been Sally, utilizing her talent and wisdom—along with Rita’s secret assistance—who had pulled the Norris family back from the edge of collapse. Under Sally’s direction, the Norris fortunes had flourished far beyond what they’d ever dreamed. All that wealth and standing, their entire empire, could be traced back to Sally’s perseverance.

Gratitude, however, had never taken root among the Norris family. With their fortunes revived, they had scorned her. Gia had dismissed Sally as nothing but a lowborn outsider. Meanwhile, Adah’s uncle and his relatives had fed Gia lies until the entire family had turned against Sally, pressuring Adah’s father into a divorce.

After the fire that had supposedly claimed Sally’s life, Gia, egged on by Adah’s uncle, had handed the entire Norris legacy over to him. Adah’s father had been reduced to a mere employee, and Adah herself had been cast out into a backwater town.

For years, the uncle’s family had bled Adah’s family dry and trampled over those Adah cared for. Adah had finally reached her limit.

? ? : ?ν﹒

The morning after her return to Ublento, Adah marched straight to the Norris residence. Gone was the “awkward bumpkin” disguise. This time, she showed up in her true form. A dress the color of burning coals hugged her frame, her loose waves spilled over her shoulders, and her stiletto heels struck the marble with a queenly authority.

No spark of recognition flickered in the butler’s eyes. As soon as he noticed her approach, he rushed forward, blocking her path. “Excuse me, miss. May I ask who you are?”

Without hesitation, Adah delivered a sharp slap to his cheek. This was the same man who had mocked her mercilessly when she was younger and defenseless. Today, she intended to settle the score.

Stunned, the butler could only stand there, reeling from the unexpected blow.

A faint, chilly laugh escaped Adah as she tipped her chin up and strode through the front doors, every step steady and commanding.

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Message from Noa: I hope you enjoyed the new chapters, dear ones. Today, we also have a newly completed novel. God loves you, and Noa wishes you all the best. (? ? – ? ) ?

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