Delphine froze upon hearing those words, her entire body trembling. She looked toward Stone Leclair, unsure whether he had discovered her origins or harbored some other motive.
Stone Leclair's refined and scholarly face carried a faint smile, presenting an air of false righteousness, as though the man who had furiously whipped her months ago was someone entirely different.
Ignatius Leclair, upon hearing Ms. Carter reveal Stone's intentions, let out a faint, icy smile before speaking indifferently, his voice as sharp as clashing metal: "Eight years ago, by my mother's deathbed, Father swore an oath. Do you remember it? That he would never marry again in this lifetime, and should he break that oath, it would bring about estrangement between father and son, with power and wealth vanishing like clouds."
