Chapter 2209

The instant Chelsea realized her father had arranged Jason’s visit, her stomach tightened as if someone had yanked an invisible cord inside her chest.

“What does he want with you?” she asked, too quickly.

She could already imagine it—Kingston cornering Jason, lacing every sentence with humiliation sharp enough to draw blood.

Jason shook his head. “He didn’t say. Just that he wanted to talk.”

“All right…” She exhaled slowly, trying to appear calm.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she added in a softer voice, “If Dad says anything harsh, please… don’t take it personally.”

Jason’s lips curved into an easy, unforced smile.

“Relax. No matter how sharp his words are, I won’t lose my temper.”

After all, he thought, if he were a father whose daughter had chosen a man with no money and no name, he might bristle too.

Every parent only wanted the best for their child.

“Mm,” Chelsea murmured, though the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease.

At that moment, the door opened.

Kingston entered first, Phoebe at his side.

They stepped into the room and found the two seated close—so close their knees nearly touched. The air between them still held the warmth of private conversation.

An awkward silence fell.

Kingston’s gaze swept over Jason once—dismissive, assessing—before he walked straight to his daughter.

“Why are you sitting so close to my girl?” His voice was low, heavy with authority. “Move to the couch over there.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jason stood immediately and crossed the room without hesitation. He sat upright on the far couch, back straight, hands resting loosely on his knees—the posture of someone awaiting judgment.

From the side, Phoebe studied him.

The deference. The restraint.

Against her will, her earlier dislike began to soften.

Perhaps this was how mothers slowly came to accept their sons-in-law.

Kingston didn’t waste time.

“Jason,” he said bluntly, “are you with my daughter because you’re after the Rainsworth money?”

Chelsea’s breath caught.

Jason shook his head once. Firm. Certain.

“Absolutely not. I’m with Chelsea because I love her.”

Kingston let out a short, derisive laugh. “Anyone can say pretty words.”

He leaned forward, fingers pressing hard against the polished mahogany of the table.

“You want my approval? Fine. Marry into the Rainsworth family. And every child you have will carry our surname.”

Chelsea shot to her feet. “Dad!”

He didn’t even glance at her.

His eyes remained locked on Jason.

“Well? Do you agree?”

Jason’s expression didn’t waver.

He folded his hands together, voice calm and level.

“Mr. Rainsworth, you know I grew up in an orphanage. I wasn’t adopted by the Wayman family until I was eleven—and they only took me in so I could earn money for them.”

His tone never shifted.

“Last year, I repaid every cent they spent on me. That closed their ledger. Legally and practically, I became an orphan again.”

A faint stillness settled over the room.

“To someone without roots,” Jason continued, “whether I marry in or not makes no difference. And as for the children’s surname…” He gave a small, almost self-mocking smile. “How could I care about that when I don’t even know my own birth parents’ names?”

The logic struck Kingston harder than he expected.

He opened his mouth, then paused.

Jason was right.

A man without a true family name had little reason to cling to pride over one.

Jason added gently, “Chelsea is your only child. You’ve devoted your life to her. The Rainsworth estate needs an heir. It’s only natural her children carry her name.”

Phoebe shot her husband a meaningful look.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered. “He agreed.”

Kingston cleared his throat, reclaiming his composure.

“I heard. My hearing is fine.”

He studied Jason carefully.

“But words are easily carried away by the wind.”

Jason straightened slightly, shoulders squared—not defensive, but resolute.

“Then I’ll put it in writing,” he said. “I’ll sign an agreement stating that for the rest of my life, I won’t take a single penny from the Rainsworth fortune.”

Chelsea’s eyes widened.

All Jason wanted was her.

And as a man, he intended to provide for her with his own effort—not her inheritance.

That had been Kingston’s next demand.

Yet Jason had offered it without being asked.

For the first time, surprise flickered in Kingston’s eyes.