“What the hell was that?” Echo had seen Adolph reach out his hand, but to her surprise, he pulled it back at the last second. She was instantly furious.
Adolph smiled at her calmly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, but Ryan had a fiery temper, and it had taken a lot for him to find someone he actually liked. If Ryan found out he had touched Echo, that could get dangerous. Adolph knew Ryan well enough to realize letting Echo fall to the ground was the safest move. This way, Ryan wouldn’t have any reason to come after him.
“You stupid woman, you have a death wish!” Cecily glared at Echo, who was still lying on the ground, not having gotten up yet.
Echo shot Cecily a glance. After years of honing her reflexes, she was quick, ruthless, and precise. Losing her balance from the fall, she couldn’t grab onto Adolph since he was too far away. But Cecily, standing just close enough, was within reach. Echo’s arm wasn’t quite long enough, though-she only managed to grab hold of Cecily’s dress, tearing off a piece with a loud rip.
Looking up, Echo saw that half of Cecily’s thigh was now exposed. She raised an eyebrow, but before she could say anything, her attention flicked back to the car, where she’d been trying to catch a glimpse of the man inside.
Finally, she saw his face-a handsome man with an alluring smile, who gave her a nod as if amused by the whole scene.
He was so striking that Echo found it hard to look away.
Just as Echo was about to stand, a sharp pain shot through her palm. She whipped around to see Cecily glaring down at her, her face twisted in anger as she ground her three-inch heel into Echo’s hand.
Echo’s expression turned cold. Without missing a beat, she grabbed Cecily’s ankle and yanked hard. Cecily let out a scream as she crashed to the ground with a thud.
Adolph had been about to intervene when Cecily made her move, but Echo acted even faster.
By the time Adolph had taken a single step, Cecily was already on the ground. He burst into laughter. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Cecily’s bodyguards rushing toward Echo.
A cruel smirk flickered across Adolph’s face.
In a flash, he was beside Echo. He grabbed one of the charging bodyguards by the throat and, with a quick move, tossed him aside like he weighed nothing.
Echo scoffed, flipping herself back onto her feet.
Cecily wasn’t as quick, still sprawled on the ground.
Echo ignored her, frowning at Adolph. “What’s your deal? Didn’t you see that old woman was trying to bully me?”
As Echo walked toward Adolph, her foot just so happened to land on Cecily’s hand, drawing another shriek.
Adolph met her with a grin, chuckling. “Sorry about that. I didn’t expect a mad dog to suddenly go wild.”
Adolph glanced at Cecily’s approaching bodyguards, his smile accompanied by a cold, steely gaze. The guards hesitated-they knew well enough what Adolph was capable of.
“If she’s a mad dog, someone should keep her in check. Biting people in the street like that… I have every right to call animal control and have her put down. Ruined my mood for shopping.” Echo was visibly annoyed, snapping at Adolph before storming off, completely ignoring Cecily.
Adolph flashed a bright smile and responded, “That’s a great suggestion.”
Then he turned to Cecily, raised an eyebrow, and gave her a graceful smile. “I hope you take care of yourself and don’t get sent to the dangerous animal control center. That would be quite embarrassing for me.”
After saying this, he gave a polite bow to Cecily, who was being helped by her bodyguards. His cold eyes glanced at the black luxury car without changing his expression, and with the same smile on his face, he turned and followed Echo.
The men who had been following Adolph kept their distance but maintained their formation as they trailed behind.
“Cecily, let’s go,” said the seductive-looking man inside the car, laughing softly.
Outside the car, Cecily was fuming, her entire body radiating anger.
She and Adolph had been at odds for years, but they always kept up appearances since they were mother and son. No matter how messy things were behind the scenes, they had to keep up the act in front of others.
But today, Adolph had allowed his girl to disrespect her in public, catching her off guard and humiliating her in front of her subordinates and guests.
Cecily took a few deep breaths, watching as Adolph and Echo strolled away leisurely. The venomous look in her eyes was now fully revealed. Adolph always went out with a bunch of bodyguards, but they were always hidden somewhere, which was why she hadn’t dared to order her men to retaliate.
As Adolph and Echo grew smaller in the distance, Cecily muttered coldly, “Enjoy your arrogance today. Don’t blame me when I stop pretending we’re family.”
“Cecily.” The man in the car still sounded calm, though there was now an edge of impatience in his voice.
Cecily inhaled sharply, and adjusted her clothes, and when she turned back to the car, her face had returned to its usual expression of regal elegance.
Meanwhile, Adolph caught up to Echo, his face lit up like a blooming flower, full of joy as he walked beside her.
Echo noticed and raised an eyebrow. “You look pretty happy.”
Adolph didn’t bother hiding it, grinning wide. “Of course. It’s not often I get to do something this childish but so satisfying. Hard not to enjoy it.”
Echo rolled her eyes. “That’s pathetic. Getting this worked up over something so small.”
Adolph just laughed, shaking his head. He’d been locked in a power struggle with Cecily for years, always relying on influence and tactics.
Pulling off something like this, embarrassing her in public, was the kind of petty move no one would ever expect from people like them. It might be small, but it felt surprisingly good to see Cecily lose face like that.
As Echo spotted Cecily’s car driving away in the distance, she casually flipped her wrist, revealing a tiny chip in her hand.
She weighed it for a second, frowning. “What’s this?”
Adolph leaned over for a closer look and raised an eyebrow. “Where did you get that?”
The chip was small, no bigger than a fingernail, and looked insignificant. But for someone like Adolph, who knew the most advanced tech inside out, he could tell it was something special despite its size.
“From the heel of Cecily’s shoe.”
When Cecily had stomped on her hand, Echo immediately felt that something was off about the shoe’s heel.
Using the momentum from throwing Cecily to the ground, she swiped the chip without anyone noticing.
Adolph’s eyes lit up instantly, and he gave Echo an enthusiastic hug, saying, “Well done!”
Then he grabbed her and rushed forward, making a few quick hand signals to the sky as they ran.
Echo, confused by Adolph’s sudden excitement, gritted her teeth and said, “What’s going on? Can you act with a little class?”
She didn’t even bother struggling anymore as Adolph practically shoved her into a car that appeared out of nowhere, speeding off toward the castle.