CHAPTER 345: CHAPTER 345: COLD MARTHA

However, he controlled himself and patted her back.

"We can’t do that now," he whispered, "Our parents are right here."

Hannah blushed and pulled away while Marcus stared at her with an amused gaze.

Angelina sensed it and felt a deeper disgust toward her family members.

For a moment, she even felt like throwing up. She couldn’t understand how she ended up in such a family.

They couldn’t even be called a family... at most, they were a group of people whose interests aligned.

They only knew how to use each other; in reality, they didn’t have any positive feelings toward one another.

Even though Kate and Marcus seemed to treat Arthur as their beloved son, the truth was that they had their own selfish benefits tied to him.

They believed they would one day get a grandson who would inherit... well, God knows what they even had left to inherit.

And since they wanted their family to be extended, and believed that it was only Arthur who could give them a grandson, they fawned over him.

Angelina suddenly stood up, and seeing her rise, Kate immediately asked, "What happened?"

Angelina said, "I want some time alone." With that, she started walking toward the military base.

Seeing this, Kate immediately asked, "Where are you going?"

Angelina replied, "Since we were kicked out, it would be better if we went to the military base and lived there."

Hannah called out to Angelina, "You don’t need to do that! We can enter the base directly since I’ve contacted someone."

Hearing those words, Angelina turned around and was about to respond when she froze at what she saw.

Hannah’s number, which had been a glaring -10, had suddenly shifted to 0.

How could that be possible? This was the first time Angelina had ever seen someone’s score increase instead of decrease.

Then she watched as her own parents’ and brother’s numbers started dropping. Earlier, they had a glaring 20 or 30 percent success rate, but now it had fallen to 15 or 10 percent.

Seeing this, a sudden enlightenment dawned on her, and she stared at Hannah with slight horror in her eyes.

’This girl is a pure snake. I can’t stay with this family.’

She immediately said,

"I still want to opt for the military base. It’s much more comfortable. If you truly have a connection, Hannah, then take Arthur, Kate, and Marcus inside. Ivy is most likely furious with me, so she kicked us all out. As long as I don’t enter, maybe Ivy will spare the Evans family. I can visit them regularly."

Hearing her words, Kate lowered her gaze in calculation. Meanwhile, Arthur thought it was the best idea.

They could let their sister visit regularly while he enjoyed the luxury and released some of his frustration with Hannah.

Yet he put on a conflicted expression and said, "How can I, as a brother, let my sister suffer?"

Angelina waved her hand and said, "It’s my choice."

This time Arthur didn’t argue. Instead, he nodded and said, "Since it is your decision, I’ll respect it."

Then he turned to Hannah with an eager expression and asked, "Where is that person? How long before they get here?"

Hannah blushed under Arthur’s gaze and said, "Only five minutes. I gave him a lot of benefits."

Hearing those words, Arthur finally looked at Hannah in a positive light and said,

’So she is of some use, after all. Otherwise, I would’ve hesitated whether or not to let her join us... since we’re destined for greatness, considering we have Angelina.’

Meanwhile, as Martha was leaving, she came across Kael. She truly couldn’t believe her eyes. How could Kael, who was usually only seen in the military, suddenly appear in front of her?

For a moment, she was stunned and even had the urge to run away.

This guy, whenever he opened his mouth, always made her feel small. And to say that she was sometimes furious with him wouldn’t be a lie. However, more than fury, she felt a bit afraid of him.

When Kael saw Martha almost running away, he immediately called out, "Martha!"

In an instant, Martha froze as if she couldn’t believe her ears. For the first time, Kael had spoken her name directly. She paused, waiting for him to cross the distance, even though she was frozen stiff in place.

Kael remembered Silas’s advice and tried his best to appear gentle. He asked, "What are you doing here?"

Martha clenched her fists and replied, "I... I was just doing some base work." She even stuttered, unused to giving explanations.

Kael tried to look gentle, but from Martha’s perspective, he looked gloomy. She even started wondering if she had done something to offend him.

Sure enough, the next second, when Kael opened his mouth, his words made Martha feel as if someone had dumped cold water on her.

Kael asked, "Why did you become Ivy’s assistant?"

Martha pursed her lips and clenched her fists. Marcus’s earlier words echoed in her head.

Was he displeased that she was becoming close with Ivy? Did he hate her so much?

’Too independent. Too opinionated. Destined to stay single.’

A hint of self-loathing appeared in her eyes.

’Maybe I truly am too independent and opinionated. If that’s the case, and no man will ever love me, what’s the use of loving this guy? I should just give up on him.’

With that thought, a sudden jolt of courage flashed in her eyes. She stared at Kael with a cold expression and asked,

"Why should I explain everything to you? What does it matter to you?"

Kael was stunned by Martha’s coldness.

Martha continued in a calm yet sharp voice,

"You’re no one to question me. Who do you think you are to constantly intimidate me and threaten me? Do you think I’ll back away because of your attitude? You’re nobody to me. I won’t listen to your words."

With that, she turned around and started to walk away.

Kael immediately tried to stop her, calling out, "Martha..."