Chapter 67: The persuasion

Tahlia didn’t know how to answer it.

Back then, she had believed Soren and the Vale family were finished. After his father’s sudden death, the family business had been struggling, and Soren had been left to deal with a mountain of problems.

She hadn’t wanted to tie herself to a man whose future seemed uncertain. But she had never imagined that Soren would recover spectacularly and rebuild the Vale empire, becoming the youngest and most successful CEO in the country.

Tahlia had regretted leaving him back then.

"I was childish," she exclaimed. "I thought I would study abroad and enjoy my life. I thought he would still be waiting for me when I returned. I never imagined he would reject me."

Her words were infuriating.

"You thought he would wait for you after you broke up with him?" Nolan was so furious that he wanted to knock her head. "What did you take him for? A man who had no feelings of his own? Someone you could discard whenever you pleased and reclaim whenever it suited you?"

His voice was so loud that it went out of the room and echoed in the hallway.

"I was wrong." Tahlia broke into sobs. "I regret it. I regret leaving him."

She folded her hands. "Please, Papa... I love Soren. I want him. You have to help me."

Nolan’s stoic expression turned unyielding. "He is already married. You have to accept the reality and move on."

"No." Tahlia’s refusal came out almost like a scream. "I’ll never forget him. If I marry anyone, it will be Soren. No one else."

"Tahlia," he warned.

"Why are you two yelling at each other?" Another voice echoed inside the study.

Both turned to the doorway.

Adel Blackwood stood there, looking between her husband and daughter in confusion. "Your voices can be heard all the way down the hallway. What’s going on?"

Her gaze settled on Tahlia’s tear-streaked face before shifting to her husband.

"Talk some sense into your daughter," Nolan hissed. "She is about to ruin this family’s reputation and destroy everything I’ve built."

At the coldness of his tone, Adel frowned. "If she has made a mistake, talk to her calmly. Why are you being so hard on her?"

Nolan shot her a piercing look. "Then you should deal with her. But understand this, Adel: I’m not in a position to declare war against the Vale family over her obsession."

Each word carried a chilling finality.

"Don’t make things difficult for me. If she continues down this path, I won’t be able to protect her from the consequences."

Dropping that chilling warning, he strode out of the room.

Tahlia’s broken sobs from behind reached his ears. But he didn’t stop. He didn’t go back to comfort her or reconsider his decision. He simply left the house.

Inside the study...

Tahlia clasped her mother’s hand desperately. "Mamma, you have to help me. I want Soren. I want to marry him."

Adel’s expression hung between helplessness and anguish. "Tahlia, dear... get a grip. You can’t keep behaving like that. You heard what your father said. We shouldn’t anger him by ignoring his warning."

She wiped Tahlia’s tears away. "Forget about Soren. He has a family now. You need to move on."

She let her lips curl into a small, suggestive smile. "How about I find someone suitable for you? There are plenty of eligible men from good families."

A name crossed her mind.

"I heard Theron has returned." Adel’s eyes sparkled as she spoke about him. "He is handsome, successful, and has built a company on his own. I think he is a perfect match for you."

The mention of Theron only made Tahlia even more distressed.

Theron Knox

He had had only one woman in his heart since high school.

Elowen

He had returned to pursue her. He was all set to snatch her away from Soren.

And Soren... The man who had treated his wife like a piece of furniture in his house for seven long years suddenly developed feelings for her. He, who couldn’t wait to end his marriage, now refused to let her go.

Both Theron and Soren wanted Elowen.

The thought made Tahlia’s blood boil.

"No... I don’t want another suitor," Tahlia yelled. "I want only Soren."

Adel let out a defeated sigh. "But he is already married."

"I don’t care." Tahlia’s voice rose to a hysterical pitch. "Everyone knows what their marriage is really like. He never liked Elowen. He is with her because he felt obligated to her."

Her tone softened into a desperate plea.

"Mamma. Please." She tugged at her hand. "Do something. If Elowen is out of his life, Soren will finally notice me again. You saw how he treated me before. He still loves me. He is only holding back because of his marriage to Elowen."

Adel was still hesitant. "Your father has already warned you. He is not going to agree to this."

Tahlia’s patience was thinning. Her father had already refused to help her, and her mother was clearly hesitant to do something.

Her desperation rose even higher. Her gaze darted around the study and landed on the paper cutter lying on the desk.

Without delay, she rushed over and grabbed it, pressing it against her throat.

Adel gasped, horror flooding her face.

"If I can’t get Soren, there is no point in living," Tahlia cried, her eyes wild in desperation. "I’ll kill myself."

"Tahlia!" Adel’s face paled as she feared Tahlia would hurt herself. "Drop that thing. Don’t do anything reckless."

"No..." Tahlia pressed the sharp object harder against her skin. A thin cut appeared, and a trickle of blood slid down her throat.

Seeing that, Adel’s knees nearly gave way. "Sweetheart. Put it down. Let’s talk. I’ll see what I can do."

Tahlia’s frantic eyes searched her mother’s. "Really?"

Adel nodded quickly. "Yes. I’ll find a way. Just don’t hurt yourself. Come to Mamma."

Tahlia had always known how to get what she wanted from her mother.

Whenever her father refused something, she would turn to her mother, cry, plead, and refuse to give up until Adel finally gave in.

Adel would always fulfil her demands, unable to bear seeing her daughter upset. This time was no different.

Convinced she had secured her mother’s support, Tahlia dropped the paper cutter and rushed into her arms.

"Oh, my sweet girl." Adel let out a sigh of relief as she enveloped Tahlia in her arms. "Don’t ever do such things again. You frightened me half to death."

"I am sorry. I scared you." Tahlia broke into sobs.

"Don’t cry. You are my precious daughter." Adel rubbed her back in a circular motion. "I’ll do anything to keep you happy. If I have to go against the world for you, I will."

Adel wiped Tahlia’s tears away. "I’ll talk to Valora. Our families have shared a close relationship for years. She should listen to me. She has to."

A fierce resolve settled in her eyes. "There is no way the Vales will throw away decades of friendship over a woman from a lowly background."

Tahlia quirked her lips sneakily. The despair in her eyes gave way to satisfaction.

That was her mother, proud, stubborn, and unwilling to accept defeat when it came to her daughter’s happiness.

Tahlia was certain her mother would find a way to get Elowen out of the Vale family. And once Elowen was gone, Tahlia believed Soren would have no reason to keep rejecting her.

’I’ll not give up on you, Soren. Never.’