He Married Me For Duty, I Said No This Time

Chapter 6

Jane's expression darkened. "Adrian, don't you think this is a little inappropriate?"

Sherry immediately shrank behind Adrian, looking fragile and helpless.

Adrian calmly explained, "Grandma, Sherry is my college professor's daughter. Something happened to her family recently. She's the only survivor. She has nowhere else to go. I have to let her stay here for now."

Jane couldn't persuade him otherwise. In the end, she reluctantly agreed.

After settling Sherry into the mansion, Adrian came to find Violet, as if worried she might misunderstand.

"Violet. The situation is unusual. Don't get the wrong idea."

His expression was open and sincere. His tone left no room for doubt.

A faint sense of unease crept into Violet's heart. But in the end, she said nothing.

Sherry officially moved into the mansion. By coincidence, her room was assigned right next to Violet's.

Violet had planned to simply keep her distance. They could live under the same roof without interfering in each other's lives.

But the very next day, Wendy stormed into her room with Sherry in tow.

Sherry's face was covered in angry red rashes. The sight was shocking.

The moment Wendy entered, she demanded furiously,

"Violet, how could you be this vicious? What exactly did you put inside the scented sachet you gave Sherry? Look what it did to her face!"

Violet froze. She had never given Sherry any sachet.

But the embroidered pouch sitting on the table clearly bore the snowflake stitching that was uniquely hers.

Sherry's eyes turned red with tears. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Miss Ross... What did I ever do to offend you? Why are you targeting me like this? Everyone knows Mr. Winston only has eyes for you. You'll be engaged soon, and you'll become the future mistress of the Winston family. You already have everything. I'm just someone Mr. Winston kindly took in after my family fell apart. I've never even dared to think about him that way. I'm begging you... Please let me go."

The instant she finished speaking, the door opened. Adrian had returned.

Just as Violet was about to defend herself, Adrian walked straight to Sherry and carefully examined the injuries on her face. Only then did he turn toward Violet with a frown.

"I already explained why Sherry is staying here. So why are you still making things difficult for her?"

His words landed like a hammer against Violet's chest.

She stood frozen, unable to believe what she'd just heard. Her hands clenched tightly. Bitterness clogged her throat, making her voice tremble.

"If I told you...that I didn't do this... Would you believe me? Or would you believe her?"

Adrian's pupils tightened slightly. He had never seen Violet look so guarded and disappointed.

He was about to answer. Before he could, Sherry lowered her head, covering her reddened cheek with her sleeve as she quietly sobbed.

"Mr. Winston, a woman's face means everything. Why would I ruin my own appearance just to frame someone else?"

After hearing that, Adrian's expression softened.

He remained silent for a long while before finally speaking.

"I won't pursue this matter any further. But I hope... this is the last time."

That single sentence already revealed where his trust truly lay.

Violet felt as though she could barely breathe. The pressure in her chest was suffocating.

After several silent moments, she took a deep breath. Her eyes locked onto Sherry.

"I'll ask you one more time. Are you absolutely certain that I gave you this sachet?"

Every servant watching the scene shifted their attention to Sherry.

She kept her head lowered, quietly sniffling. "The snowflake is unique. It couldn't possibly belong to anyone else."

Hearing that, Violet suddenly laughed coldly. Then she turned toward Nina.

"Nina. Call the police."

The room fell into stunned silence. Everyone stared at her.

Violet's voice turned icy. "This concerns my reputation. I'm not about to let someone frame me. Nina, gather every servant in the mansion and call the police. We're going to investigate everything. From last night until now. I want to know who saw me, or you, enter Sherry's room. And who was ordered by me to deliver this sachet. We'll question every single person."

The situation instantly escalated.

Seeing Nina actually heading toward the door, Sherry panicked.

"Wait! I remembered! I bought that sachet from a roadside stall. The snowflake looked so similar to Miss Violet's, that's why I misunderstood."

At that point, everyone knew exactly what had happened.

Violet let out a mocking laugh. Without another word, she turned and walked back into her room.

The moment she closed the door, hurried footsteps chased after her.

"Violet!"

It was Adrian.

Hearing his voice made her chest tighten. Violet stopped walking.

Without turning around, she said hoarsely, "I told you. It wasn't me."

Adrian's heart sank. "I'm sorry. I misunderstood you."

His apology did nothing to ease the ache in her heart.

Before she could respond, he continued, "I'll apologize on Sherry's behalf too. She's my mentor's daughter. You can think of her as your junior. Please don't hold this against her. Let's just put this behind us."

Every word poured over Violet like ice water, freezing her to the bone.

Why? Why should she be the one expected to forgive the woman who had deliberately framed her?

Countless questions rose to her lips. In the end, she swallowed every one of them.

In her previous life, they'd had this argument countless times. She was exhausted.

This time, Violet asked only one question. "Do you still remember everything you promised me?"

Adrian frowned slightly. Then nodded. "Of course. I'll only be with you for the rest of my life. You have nothing to worry about. My relationship with Sherry is purely about repaying my late professor's kindness. There's nothing romantic between us."

Violet looked at him for a long moment. "Good. I hope you remember every single word you said today."

A few days later, Violet carefully made a handmade sachet. She planned to give it to Adrian.

But the moment she reached the door to his study, she stopped.

Through the floor-to-ceiling window, she saw everything clearly.

Inside the room, Sherry was crying in Adrian's arms. And he wasn't pushing her away.