chapter2209

The moment she heard that her father had orchestrated Jason's visit, Chelsea felt her stomach snap tight, as though an invisible string had been jerked hard inside her chest.

"What does he want with you?" she asked, the words leaving her mouth faster than she could brace for the answer.

She worried Kingston might corner Jason and hurl insults that would hurt Jason. Jason shook his head. "He didn't say. He just told me he wanted to talk to me."

"All right," Chelsea breathed, fighting to sound casual.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "If Dad says something rude, please— don't take it personally, okay?"

Jason's lips curved into a small, unforced smile.

"Relax. No matter how sharp his words get, I won't lose my temper."

After all, Jason thought, if he were a father whose daughter had been claimed by a penniless man, he might bristle, too.

Every parent simply wants the best life possible for their child.

"Mm-hmm," Chelsea murmured.

While they exchanged these soft assurances, Kingston and Phoebe stepped into the room.

The door swung open, revealing the couple caught mid-conversation-two young lovers, close enough to share a single breath. An awkward silence flooded the doorway.

Kingston bypassed Jason entirely, closing the distance to his daughter with protective gravity.

"Why sit so close to my girl?" he rumbled. "Take the couch over there." "Yes, sir."

Jason rose at once, relocating to the far couch. Back straight, hands quiet, he waited with the deference of a man on trial.

From the sidelines, Phoebe took in Jason's respectful posture and found her earlier dislike softening, almost against her will.

Perhaps this was how mothers grew to like their sons-in-law.

Kingston wasted no time. "Jason, I'll be blunt. Are you with my daughter because you're eyeing the Rainsworth money?"

Jason shook his head once, firm. "Absolutely not. I'm here because I love Chelsea."

Kingston released a short, scornful laugh—more a bark than a chuckle. "Anyone can mouth pretty words."

He leaned

forward, knuckles

whitening against polished

mahogany. "So hear me. You want my approval? Fine. You will marry into the Painsworth family, and every child you two bring intothis world will bear our surname."

Chelsea shot to her feet, pulse leaping. "Dad!"

Her father did not even glance at her. His gaze drilled straight into Jason. "Well? Do you accept?"

Jason's expression did not flicker. He folded his hands, voice low but steady. "Mr. Rainsworth, you know grew up in an orphanage. I wasn't adopted by the Wayman family until I was eleven, and they only wanted me to earn money for them. Last year, I repaid every cent they spent on me That closed their ledge leaving me an orphan once more co to someone without roots, whether I marry in or not is meaningless. As for the children's surname... How could I care about that when I don't even know my own birth parents?"

The logic hit Kingston harder than he cared to admit. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Jason was right—a man with no true family name had little reason to defend an empty word. Let the children carry their mother's bloodline; it made sense.

Jason added, calm as ever, "Chelsea is your only child. You've poured everything into her, and the Rainsworth estate needs an heir. Her children should naturally carry her name."

Phoebe flashed her husband a pointed look, the kind that spoke volumes in a heartbeat. "Did you hear him? The boy agreed she Whispered, as though delivering the final exhibit in a courtroom.

Kingston cleared his throat, buying a moment to regroup. "I heard perfectly well. My ears work just fine."

He looked at Jason again. "But, Jason, words vanish on the wind."

Jason straightened, shoulders squared. "Then let me put it in writing. I'll sign an agreement—throughout my life I won't take a single penny from the Rainsworth

fortune."

All he wanted was Chelsea, and, as a man, he intended to provide for her with his own hands, not her inheritance.

That had been Kingston's next demand, yet Jason had offered it unprompted. Surprise flickered behind the older man's eyes.