Chapter 6

The text from Douglass had arrived late the night before. Tomorrow. 10 a.m. We'll discuss the conditions you mentioned. Short. Professional. A business meeting, nothing more. Adelina had read it a dozen times, her heart racing each time as if she were reading it for the first.

Now, at precisely ten o'clock, the doorbell rang.

Marlene was already on her feet. She had intercepted the text-had been monitoring Adelina's phone with the vigilance of a prison warden who senses her inmate is about to escape. She had spent the morning in a state of barely contained agitation, fluffing pillows that were already fluffed, rearranging flowers that were already arranged.

"He's here," Marlene announced, her voice pitched somewhere between excitement and desperation.

Beryl, who had been lounging on the sofa scrolling through her phone, looked up with narrowed eyes. She had seen Douglass at the first meeting. She knew he wasn't the awkward, bookish nerd she had pictured-he was tall, sharp-jawed, and maddeningly indifferent to her charms. She had not forgotten. But she had refused to accept that a man like that would choose Adelina over her. It was a mathematical error, not a preference, and she intended to correct it.

"Let's see if he's changed his mind," Beryl murmured, smoothing her blouse.

Adelina watched them from the landing of the stairs, a silent observer. She knew who today was really about. It wasn't about Beryl's last-ditch audition. It was about the conditions she had yet to lay out-the real ones, the ones she hadn't dared to put in a text message.

The doorbell rang again.

Marlene practically ran to the door, smoothing her dress as she went.

Douglass stood on the threshold. He was wearing a simple, well-tailored gray suit, no tie. He looked less like a man on a blind date and more like an agent on a mission. His gaze swept the room with the same polite but remote expression he had worn at the first meeting. When his eyes passed over Beryl, there was no flicker of interest-only the briefest pause of recognition. He had seen her before. He had already dismissed her.

"Douglass, come in, sit!" Marlene gushed, already positioning herself between him and Adelina. "Beryl, get our guest some coffee."

Beryl rose with practiced grace, her movements calculated. She had switched tactics since the first meeting. No more bright, girlish chatter. Now she was poised, sophisticated-a woman of substance. She handed Douglass the cup with a measured smile, not leaning forward, not showing off. She had studied him last time. She knew he didn't respond to obvious plays.

Douglass took the cup, his eyes already searching the room. For Adelina.

"My stepmother said I was meeting a candidate," he said, his voice cool. "The first meeting made it clear that this is a more... complicated arrangement. I'm here to discuss the specifics."

"Of course!" Marlene cut in, her voice bright and brittle. "And we're so glad you came back. Beryl has been hoping for another chance to talk with you-she felt you two didn't really get a proper conversation last time."

Beryl stepped forward, her voice smooth. "I don't think we got off on the right foot. I'd love the opportunity to-"

Douglass held up a hand. It was a small gesture, but it carried absolute finality. "That won't be necessary." His tone was polite, but it left no room for argument. "My decision was made at the first meeting. I'm here to speak with Adelina."

Beryl's practiced composure cracked. A flush of red crept up her neck. She opened her mouth to protest, but Marlene silenced her with a sharp look. The message was clear: Don't make a scene. Not yet.

Douglass's gaze found Adelina at the bottom of the stairs. This time, his look wasn't just polite. It was assessing-the look of a man who had already made a preliminary choice and was now evaluating whether that choice could withstand closer scrutiny. He was not seeing her for the first time. He was assessing her for the first time as a potential wife.

"It must be hard," Adelina said, her voice quiet but clear. "Raising three children on your own."

The question landed in the room like a stone, shattering the fragile surface of small talk. Marlene's mouth opened and closed. Beryl stared, her face a mask of disbelief.

But Douglass's expression changed. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. "It is," he said. "Which is why I need a reliable partner. Not..." He glanced in Beryl's direction. "...a distraction."

Beryl's face went white. She had been dismissed. Twice.

A small smile touched Adelina's lips. It was the opening she had been waiting for. "Then perhaps we could speak privately," she said. "About the 'partner' position."

Douglass was silent for a long moment. Then he stood up. "Alright."

"Mom!" Beryl gasped, shooting to her feet. "You can't just let her-"

"Adelina, what do you think you're doing?" Marlene hissed, stepping forward as if to block the way.

Adelina looked back at her adoptive mother, her gaze calm and unyielding. "This is my business."

She followed Douglass out of the living room and onto the front porch. The cool air was a relief.

He turned to face her, stuffing his hands in his pockets, his posture guarded. "What did you want to talk about?"

She took a deep breath, the words she had practiced a hundred times in her head rising to her lips.

"I have a proposal for you," she said, her voice steady despite the wild beating of her heart. "I propose we get married."