Bullied and Dumped, But She Won in the End (Adriana) novel Chapter 186

Chapter 186 Dark Clouds Looming

Chapter 186 Dark Clouds Looming

Could it be possible… that Adriana was the real Nicole?

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“You do nothing all day but tail me. Is that all you’re good for? Why are you so terrified of Curtis?” Nicole snapped, her irritation bubbling over.

Justin sat beside her, casting her a calm, unreadable glance before replying with deliberate mildness. “He’s the successor of the Lincoln Group. For many years, he was Mr. Harold’s only grandchild.”

“Not anymore.” Nicole huffed proudly. “I heard from Danielle that the Bartons saved the Lincolns in the past. Whoever I marry becomes the rightful Lincoln heir. Before, it was only Curtis because Grandpa Harold didn’t have anyone else to choose from. But now … Now they’ve found another heir. Nineteen years old. About my age.”

Her smugness all but filled the car.

If Curtis refused to appreciate her … then she would simply marry Curtis’s cousin, Denton. After that, Curtis would have no choice but to come crawling back.

“Ms. Barton, you’re correct,” Justin said mildly–offering no resistance, no argument.

Nicole was a dangerous kind of foolish–just enough intelligence to cause trouble, but far too impulsive to know when she was approaching a cliff. Justin knew Curtis well enough to understand: Curtis had no patience for leeches. Push him too far, and he would remove the problem entirely.

But Justin had made a quiet agreement with Curtis–until the real Nicole was found, this fake one had to be kept around.

The problem was Curtis’s temperament. One bad day, and all of Justin’s efforts could go to

waste.

So he nudged her attention elsewhere. “Perhaps if Denton agrees to marry you, Curtis would feel… threatened.”

Nicole’s eyes lit up instantly. She turned toward Justin, finally pleased. “You actually said something useful for once. I’ll give you three days–get me Denton’s number. Or arrange a meeting the moment we’re back in Haldoria.”

Justin’s polite smile didn’t reach his eyes. What was I, her personal wishing well?

“When Denton agrees to marry me, Curtis will dump Adriana immediately and beg to have

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Chapter 186 Dark Clouds Looming

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me back.” She leaned back against the seat, smug, putting on her oversized sunglasses. “Oh, right–there’s a limited–edition handbag I want. Buy it for me.”

Justin didn’t respond. Her greed was practically a second skin.

Meanwhile, at the Lincoln Estate-

Michael had returned with his new wife, and every opportunistic relative within a 50–mile radius had rushed over like sharks scenting blood in the water.

After all, Michael wasn’t just anyone—he was Harold’s only son.

For years, Harold had claimed publicly that he had only one grandchild–Curtis. But everyone familiar with the old man knew the truth: Michael was his weakness, the child he could never refuse.

Harold had loved his late wife deeply and had never remarried; people admired that loyalty, even envied it.

Back in the day, the Lincolns‘ fortune had nearly collapsed. Their inherited wealth had been bled dry by previous generations, and Michael had fled when things got tough–signing paperwork to relinquish all inheritance rights just so he wouldn’t be held responsible for the billions in debt the Lincolns nearly suffered.

But now, under Curtis’s hands, the Lincoln Group had risen from the ashes and reclaimed its throne as Harborton’s powerhouse. And now–now Michael wanted back in. He had a wife and a son to provide for, after all.

And this wasn’t just any wealthy family–it was the Lincolns, Harborton’s richest.

“Michael, after all these years, you finally figured out the truth. The outside world can’t compare to home, can it?” Rosa chimed in, her smile sugary and full of ill intent.

These relatives weren’t here to welcome Michael–they were here to make Curtis uncomfortable.

Curtis’s rising power and independence meant they were losing influence, and resentment simmered beneath their polite smiles. If Michael’s return created conflict, they stood to benefit.

After all, the man had come back with a son.

“What a massive place … So extravagant.” Michael’s wife, Juliet Lincoln, who’d grown up in a

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