She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother - Chapter 202

Chapter 202: Finally Invited
“Tell me… does it bother you?” Adrian asked, voice dripping with practiced condescension.

“Standing here while the important people conduct important business? Or have you gotten used to being left outside?”

Alex’s expression finally shifted… not anger, not offense, just the faintest trace of amusement that suggested he was watching something mildly entertaining but ultimately meaningless.

Like a puppy barking at thunder.

Alex decided to ignore him.

His gaze drifted past Adrian’s shoulder, finding Seraphine standing near the entrance.

She was still watching, that mysterious smile playing at the corners of her mouth as if she were being thoroughly entertained by the entire display.

Adrian’s voice sharpened immediately.

He couldn’t handle the audacity… this boy ignoring him while he was still speaking.

“Learn your place, little plaything.” The words carried particular venom, the kind of dismissal reserved for those who served at society’s pleasure rather than participated in its power.

“Men like you… decorative, temporary… you’re entertainment for bored wealthy women, nothing more.”

He circled slightly, warming to his performance.

“Let me be clear about something, since you seem new to how things work at Thornhaven Manor.”

He paused for effect.

“Lady Catherine is under my protection. My responsibility. And I take that responsibility very seriously.”

His expression hardened, and something possessive entered his voice…

“So let me make this even clearer.” Adrian stepped closer, his presence deliberate, intimidating. “Stay away from her. At all costs.”

His hand gestured toward Seraphine and Lucan, still positioned near the entrance, their presence suddenly feeling less like backdrop and more like threat.

“You won’t be able to handle my wrath if you don’t. Or theirs.”

The words hung in the air… not professional concern, not duty-bound protection.

Obsession wrapped in authority.

Alex’s jaw tightened fractionally.

The amusement that had been there moments ago… the mild entertainment at watching someone embarrass themselves… evaporated.

Irritation replacing the carefully maintained composure as Adrian’s blabbering continued without apparent end, each word more self-important than the last, the performance dragging on like a child demanding attention he hadn’t earned.

“You seem very insecure for someone in charge of security.” Alex said quietly.

Adrian blinked once, surprise flickering across his expression before anger rushed in to cover it.

He’d never expected this little pretty thing to talk back to him like that.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

Alex met his gaze with perfect calm.

“I asked if you were finished.” He paused, letting silence settle. “Because if you’re done posturing, I have a meeting with Catherine. She did request my presence, after all.”

The use of her first name… familiar, presumptuous, utterly casual… landed like a slap.

“Unlike some people,” Alex added, voice soft but carrying, “I don’t have to manufacture reasons to be near her.”

He paused, letting that sink in.

“I’ve been invited by her. For a private matter.”

Adrian’s hands flexed at his sides, cultivation energy flickering beneath his skin with barely controlled rage.

“You arrogant piece of—”

“Mr. Alex?”

The voice cut through Adrian’s mounting fury like a blade through silk.

A woman approached from the main entrance… late thirties, dressed in elegant business attire that marked her as administrative rather than security, moving with unhurried confidence that suggested she answered to Catherine directly, not to anyone standing in this parking area.

“Ms. Catherine will see you now,” she continued, her tone professionally pleasant while completely ignoring the obvious tension crackling between the two men. “If you’ll follow me, please.”

She didn’t acknowledge Adrian. Didn’t glance at his barely controlled rage. Didn’t seem to notice or care that she’d interrupted what was clearly escalating toward confrontation.

As if the entire scene was beneath her notice.

As if Adrian’s authority meant nothing when Catherine Blackwood issued an invitation.

Alex’s gaze shifted back to Adrian, and for just a moment… brief, deliberate… his expression carried something that might have been pity.

The look of someone about to meet the woman Adrian had been circling for years while Adrian himself remained exactly where he’d always been.

Outside.

Watching.

A good watchdog performing his duties while others walked through doors he couldn’t follow.

“Just remember what I said,” Adrian muttered, the threat hollow now that Catherine’s assistant had intervened. “Stay away from her.”

Alex held his gaze for one more heartbeat.

Then turned and followed Catherine’s assistant toward the entrance without another word, dismissing Adrian as thoroughly as if the Peak Enhanced guard had never existed at all.

Behind him, Adrian remained in the parking area.

Hands clenched.

Jaw tight.

Watching the massive oak doors close behind Alex with the slow, terrible realization that despite all his power, all his positioning, all his years of careful maneuvering…

He’d just been made to look like exactly what he was.

A guard.

Standing outside.

While someone else walked in.

***

Alex followed Catherine’s assistant through the entrance hall, his footsteps quiet against polished marble floors that reflected afternoon light filtering through tall windows.

The interior of Thornhaven Manor matched its exterior… elegant, expensive, designed to remind visitors exactly whose territory they’d entered.

The assistant moved with practiced confidence, her heels clicking a steady rhythm as she led him deeper into the manor.

Alex’s Enhanced perception engaged almost unconsciously, analyzing the woman walking beside him the way he’d analyzed everyone else today.

[Scanning…]

[Analysis: Amanda Ward – No Cultivation Detected]

Alex blinked.

Normal.

Completely, utterly normal.

Just… a regular woman working in a place where everyone else… security guards, household staff, probably even the groundskeepers… operated at minimum Early Enhanced.

His surprise must have shown on his face, because genuine curiosity flickered through his thoughts.

She must be extraordinarily intelligent for Catherine to keep her in this position. Brilliant enough that her mind compensates for what she lacks in power.

The thought was still forming when he realized he’d been staring.

She glanced over, catching his gaze, and something shifted in her expression… not quite embarrassment, but close.

A faint flush colored her cheeks.

She smiled, shy and curious, her voice carrying warmth that made the question sound more like gentle inquiry than accusation.

“What are you looking at?”

Not angry. Not defensive.

Just… interested.

Alex’s expression softened immediately.

“You’re beautiful,” he said quietly, the words honest and unhurried.

Her flush deepened, pleasure evident in the way her smile widened fractionally, and she ducked her head just slightly before meeting his eyes again.

“You’re quite handsome yourself,” she replied, voice still carrying that sweet tone, though confidence threaded through it now.

“I’m Amanda. Amanda Ward.”

She offered the introduction with natural grace, as if compliments and professional courtesy existed comfortably in the same breath.

“Alex Hale,” he responded, matching her tone.

A moment of comfortable silence passed between them as they continued walking.

Then Alex spoke again, genuine appreciation threading through his voice.

“You were quite impressive back there, Amanda.”

She glanced at him, curiosity replacing the lingering shyness.

“It’s part of the position,” she said modestly, though Alex could see she appreciated the compliment. “Ms. Catherine values discretion and professionalism. When she issues an instruction, everything else is… secondary.”

She paused, then added with quiet pride:

“Besides, Mr. Blackwell’s moods aren’t my concern. My loyalty is to Ms. Catherine, not to her security detail’s personal feelings.”

The subtle dig at Adrian was delivered so smoothly, with such professional neutrality, that it took a moment to register.

Then Alex’s smile widened.

Intelligent indeed.

“It’s nice to meet someone who actually knows how to do their job without making it everyone else’s problem.”

Amanda’s laugh was soft and genuine.

“You’d be surprised how rare that is, even here.”

They walked in comfortable silence for a few more steps, the tension from the parking area feeling increasingly distant with every meter of marble floor between Alex and the outside world.

Amanda stopped walking so suddenly that Alex nearly passed her before registering the change.

She turned to face him, her expression shifting back to professional courtesy, though something apologetic flickered in her eyes.

“I’m afraid this is where I leave you,” she said, her tone carrying the kind of polite finality that suggested the decision wasn’t hers.

“Ms. Catherine requested you meet with her alone.”

Alex glanced around the hallway… elegant, lined with closed doors that presumably led to offices, sitting rooms, private chambers.

But nothing obvious. No receptionist desk. No secretary station. No door marked as an office or meeting space.

Just hallway stretching in both directions.

“Ms. Catherine asked that you meet her there,” she clarified, lifting one hand to gesture down a side corridor that branched off to the left.

Alex followed the direction of her gesture.

Through tall windows lining that corridor, he could see glimpses of what lay beyond… manicured grounds, outdoor furniture, the distinctive shimmer of water reflecting afternoon sunlight.

The pool area.

Gardens and recreational spaces.

His eyes shifted back to Amanda, question evident even if he didn’t voice it.

At the pool?

Amanda’s smile widened fractionally, as if she’d been waiting for exactly that reaction.

“Ms. Catherine prefers… less formal settings for certain conversations,” she explained.

“She finds offices too confining when she wants genuine discussion rather than political posturing.”

She gestured again, more specifically this time, indicating a glass door at the end of the side corridor.

“Through there, turn right along the terrace path. You’ll find her by the main pool.”

A pause.

“She’s expecting you.”

Alex studied Amanda for a moment… the professional composure, the slight amusement playing at the corners of her mouth, the complete certainty that this was perfectly normal.

“By the pool,” he repeated, not quite a question, more confirming he’d understood correctly.

“By the pool,” Amanda confirmed. Then added with perfect diplomatic neutrality: “I’d suggest not keeping her waiting. Ms. Catherine values punctuality almost as much as discretion.”

The gentle warning was delivered with such pleasant professionalism that it took a moment to register as a warning at all.

Alex’s lips curved slightly.

“Understood.”

He moved toward the corridor Amanda had indicated, footsteps quiet against marble that gradually transitioned to slate tile as he approached the glass door.

Behind him, Amanda’s voice called out one final time, warm and genuine:

“Good luck, Mr. Hale.”