Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 2231

All eyes in the room were on Marlon, curiosity and gossip thick in the air.

He hadn’t stayed at the Keller estate that night, nor had he bothered to ask Grandma Edith what she thought about any of this. He’d simply followed the family’s instructions and cut all ties with Maggie.

Strangely, though, he found his mind drifting to Athena’s face.

It was almost laughable—he’d never been the type to watch TV dramas, but somehow he’d ended up watching one that Athena had starred in, just to kill time. Back then, he’d only thought she looked decent—not the kind of beauty who turned heads at first glance, but the more he watched, the more comfortable she seemed. There was a quiet strength in the way she acted, something resilient that drew people in.

Especially someone like him—someone who couldn’t help but be intrigued by that sort of toughness. He always wanted to see how far he could push something so unyielding, just to see if he could break it, see how she’d react.

Clean, untainted things like her didn’t really belong in his world, not among people like them.

A slow, crooked smile played at Marlon’s lips just as someone in the group piped up, “Maggie’s here. Looks like she’s come to see someone.”

Hardly had the words left his mouth when Maggie pushed open the door and walked in.

She’d been with Marlon long enough to know everyone in the room. Her eyes grew red, making her look especially fragile and pitiful.

“Marlon,” she called softly.

He kept a smile on his face, but his eyes had already gone cold. Hadn’t he made everything clear enough over text? Why had she come here, of all places?

He took a sip of his drink, impatience flickering across his features. “What is it?”

The room went dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

No matter the family, the topic of illegitimate children was always touchy. For Maggie to bring it up so bluntly, in front of everyone—didn’t she realize some things simply couldn’t be said in their circle?

Marlon’s eyes turned icy. “Say that again.”

Maggie shrank back a step, fear flickering in her gaze.

“Isn’t it true?” she pressed on, her voice shaky. “How else do you explain all this? I apologized to Athena, I even went so far as to beg for forgiveness, but Grandma still won’t forgive me. If Athena really is the Keller family’s illegitimate daughter, well, that would make sense. Your mother’s been gone for years, and now all of a sudden this girl shows up. Shouldn’t you be looking into it?”

She took a shaky breath and tried to steady herself. “Marlon, I’m only thinking of you. What if someone shows up out of nowhere to fight you for your inheritance? I’ve always been on your side. I really love you—that’s the only reason I even dared to say any of this.”