Heiress Unmasked: Shaking the World With Geomancy novel Chapter 2536

Alicia stood frozen in place, stiff and silent. Clearly, in all her careful planning to get close to Adam, she had never once considered that angle.

She wasn't the only one momentarily stunned, either. Just a few steps away, Adam, who had started approaching after catching Alicia's agitated expression, also stopped in his tracks.

He had originally planned to step in himself after feeling a flash of displeasure at Alicia's tone toward Thalia. He figured dealing with it directly would be simpler.

Then, he heard Thalia's words. At that moment, he finally understood the intent behind her approach. With that understanding came something warm rising in his chest.

The sternness in his eyes eased, replaced by a quiet, almost hidden joy.

He was happy because, from the start, Thalia had always been the one who understood him best.

Frankly, he had never taken this ill-fated entanglement seriously because no matter who they were, they were all irrelevant to him.

However, as a benefactor, Alicia held a different identity here tonight.

In the public eye, the relationship between a benefactor and a beneficiary was delicate. Scandals surrounding such relationships had caused real damage before.

…

The social standing of women had always been precarious. Society demanded so much from them, yet often treated them with harsh, unforgiving scrutiny.

When a woman was sexually harassed or assaulted, people rarely rushed to condemn the perpetrator. Instead, they questioned what she was wearing or whether she might've sent the wrong signals.

When a man abused a woman, it was called a domestic dispute. When a woman fought back, it was called a crime. In the end, they were the ones who got sent to jail.

After decades of struggle, as more powerful women rose and fought back, they finally began to win back some of the rights and dignity they deserved. But even those hard-won rights were being twisted and exploited.

Some took advantage of workplace protections for pregnant employees, hiding pregnancies during hiring. Others weaponize their status as "weaker" parties to falsely accuse men of misconduct.

Adam turned on his heels, offering not another glance at Alicia before standing before Thalia. With a gentle tone, he asked, "Are you tired? Should we head home?"

Thalia had wanted to say the night was still young, but when she met his eyes, she caved. "Sure. Let's go home."

She reached out, and the two held hands openly and walked through the banquet hall entrance without hesitation.

People around them cast envious and friendly glances, except for Alicia, who watched their backs with a complicated expression.

Her mind raced as she saw them slowly walk away, and she couldn't help but quietly call out to them, "Mr. and Mrs. Jensen, wait up!"

Adam and Thalia's steps faltered, and they turned around to look at Alicia, wondering what else she had to say.

However, Alicia fixed her gaze on them, her head lowering suddenly into an apologetic stance.