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, Al