No!
Nolan's face turned utterly dark.
So, your fiancé shows up, and now I can't even hold you?
Nolan ground his teeth, lifted his head, and glared fiercely at Serena. A man starved for affection is bound to have a temper, but if Serena would just act the part of a gentle wife and say a few soft words, he'd let it go.
But... Nolan forgot—his woman is Serena Feng, a woman just as proud and unyielding as he is. How could she possibly bow her head so easily?
Serena glared back without backing down, her face full of anger. Their eyes met, both blazing with fury.
"Serena!" Nolan shouted unhappily. Now he couldn't even hug her? Not only did she refuse to explain about the fiancé, she even dared to glare at him.
Serena shot back, refusing to yield: "Nolan Dongling!"
Her chin lifted, pride radiating from her posture—she made her displeasure clear. What did Nolan take her for? Even if she wasn't bound by mourning rites, she couldn't let him touch her before her parents were buried.
Their eyes locked, neither backing down. Though they were still locked in an embrace, there wasn't a trace of intimacy—only the fierce momentum of two people ready to devour each other.
The tension in the air was palpable. The lead shadow guard discreetly signaled to the others: Retreat! Anyone who stays is just asking for trouble.
Serena and Nolan Dongling stood locked in a standoff for ages. Serena felt her pride had lasted too long—her neck ached, and she was exhausted. She was just about ready to let it go and not argue with a man who'd just broken out of prison, when Nolan unexpectedly gave in first.
"Serena..."
Nolan softened his voice, gently holding Serena—not because he pitied her, but because he was pressed for time. He couldn’t afford to waste any more here.
It wasn’t easy for him to get out. He hadn’t even gone to see William Warren or Victor Yun; his first stop was Feng Manor. And what did he find?
He saw Sean Xuan escorting Serena back to her room, saw them lingering at the gate as if reluctant to part. How could he not be furious?
Ahem... Nolan, you really think your eyes saw Serena and Sean Xuan lingering at the gate?
I saw it with both eyes. What, you have a problem with that?
No, no, not at all. You go ahead and lecture Serena. I admit I was wrong—I’ll just squat by the wall, pinch my ears, and curse you to impotence.
Nolan had already backed down, so Serena didn’t keep up her pride either. But a woman has her dignity; she can’t just be yelled at and then coaxed as if nothing happened.
"Mm." Serena replied coolly, nose in the air, refusing to look at Nolan. Her posture said it all: We can talk, but it depends on how you behave...
She endured it.
Nolan took a deep breath and exhaled, the air landing right on Serena’s neck. She shivered at the ticklish sensation, unconsciously shifting her body; her cold, hard attitude softened a little.
Fine. Serena thought she really had no backbone—she was far too easy to win over.
Seeing Serena lower her guard, the frost in Nolan’s eyes faded a bit. Times were tense; he wouldn’t let anyone threaten his place in her life.
"Serena, what’s really going on between you and Sean Xuan?" Serena wouldn’t say, so he asked himself. It was a blow to his pride, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Thinking of this, Nolan silently cursed his imperial brother—locking him up at the worst possible time, just as Serena’s Hero-Making Plan needed to be put into action.
Nolan’s mind was in two places at once, but Serena didn’t notice. Realizing Nolan was upset about this, she sighed in relief—she’d worried something serious had happened to him for nothing.
Serena didn’t want Nolan worrying in prison, so she explained, "Sean Xuan is exactly what you know: my mother arranged the engagement before I was born. I doubt she meant it seriously, or she wouldn’t have later agreed to the imperial marriage with Adrian Dongling. But Sean Xuan took it to heart."
As for Nolan knowing about Sean Xuan, Serena wasn’t surprised at all—it would be strange if he didn’t know.
The shadow guards around her belonged to Victor Yun and Holden Cui, but both men ultimately answered to Nolan Dongling. There was no way Serena’s movements could escape Nolan’s notice.
"So you admit he's your fiancé?" Nolan felt a surge of anger—calling someone 'fiancé' sounded far too intimate.
"Whether I admit it or not, the engagement was set by my mother. That won’t change. Right now, it’s not about me but about him. It’s not me clinging to Sean Xuan, it’s him who insists he’ll marry no one but me." With the Couple’s Jade Pendant and the way Sean spoke of her mother with such familiarity and longing, Serena couldn’t help but believe him.
"So, if he refuses to let go of the engagement, you’ll marry him? Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn his wedding into a funeral?" Nolan’s long lashes trembled, hiding the darkness and ruthlessness in his eyes, leaving only a trace of cold disdain.
"Can you stop threatening violence every time my marriage comes up? I never said I’d marry him." Serena shot Nolan a glare. Every mention of her marriage made him look ready to kill someone—anyone who didn’t know better would think the dignified Ninth Royal Uncle was some kind of madman.
She knew Nolan would be angry about her so-called fiancé, but it wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t made the arrangement—she wasn’t even born when the engagement was set. She never even had a chance to refuse.
Hearing Serena say she wouldn’t marry him, Nolan’s anger faded a little. "If you’re not marrying him, then why keep him around?"
Nolan forgot he still needed to discuss strategy with William Warren about attacking Skyvault Palace. Without Sean Xuan, there would be no new plan.
"Even if I wanted him gone, Sean Xuan wouldn’t leave. Besides, his bond with my mother was special. Out of respect for her, I can’t just drive him away. Because of one promise she made to comfort him as a child, he’s waited eighteen..." Serena started out confident, but Nolan’s increasingly icy gaze made her lose her nerve, and her words trailed off into a mumble.
[System/Meta] Chapter not finished~.~ Click next page for more!
"Serena, are you sure you’re only keeping him for your mother’s sake—not because you’re moved by his eighteen years of waiting?" Nolan’s anxiety wasn’t unfounded; Sean Xuan was a dangerous rival.
Serena hadn’t even remembered how stubborn Sean Xuan could be. Eighteen years—because of one promise from her mother, he’d waited for Serena all this time. If he hadn’t found her, he’d keep waiting year after year.
A man like that is dangerously appealing—any woman would be moved, or at least feel sympathy.
"Of course not! Nolan Dongling, what do you take me for? If I married every man who moved me, I’d have been married ages ago." Serena looked at Nolan in disappointment.
How many times did she have to say it before Nolan believed she had no intention of marrying anyone?
Victor Yun’s proposal, Sean Xuan’s existence—none of it was under her control. Why did Nolan always seize on these things and refuse to let go?
Once or twice, she could take it as a sign he cared. But after so many arguments over the same thing, Serena couldn’t help but doubt if Nolan really trusted her.
Sean Xuan’s presence already gave her a headache, and instead of helping, Nolan didn’t trust her. Serena suddenly felt wronged; when Nolan stayed silent for ages, she grew angry and shoved him away: "Let go of me."
Nolan said nothing, just held Serena tighter, burying his head against her chest. He nuzzled her silently, wordlessly telling her: I’m sorry.
It wasn’t that Nolan didn’t trust her—it was just that the current situation left no room for mistakes. If he hadn’t been locked in prison, cut off from the outside world, he wouldn’t be so anxious.