Chapter 2194

At that moment, a figure stood atop Adam's car. A sweep of fiery fox tail flickered through the air, sending Flynn into unconsciousness. The next instant, he collapsed to the ground. Adam didn't show much panic at that sight. He merely stepped back once, calmly lifting his gaze to see the figure standing atop the car—or, more precisely, the demon. Fiery red fox tails flared freely behind her as the woman looked down at him from above, a hint of amusement and curiosity in her eyes. Suddenly, she leaned forward, baring her teeth at him in a mock-threatening gesture, her face shifting into full fox form. It was snarling, fanged, and absolutely terrifying. An unfazed Adam stood still, staring at the fox before him as though she were a human. Then, with a deep voice, he addressed her, "Aunt Marilyn." One simple address froze Marilyn's mid-snarling grin. Her ears twitched slightly, and she abruptly shifted back into her human form, narrowing her eyes at him with curiosity. "You know me?" Adam gave a quiet nod. "Thalia's mentioned you before." His gaze briefly swept over the seven fox tails behind her, and then, with composed solemnity, he added, "I have you to thank for helping Hector out of that barrier and returning him to the clan." Marilyn casually sat cross-legged on the car roof and waved him off. "No need for that. I didn't do it for you anyway." Hector was Thalia's child, and by blood, that made him her great-nephew. Adam's expression remained serious. "As his father, I should've come to thank you long ago." With that, he turned and walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and carefully lifted out two gift boxes. He brought them to Marilyn and said, "These are thank-you gifts I prepared for you—one in gratitude, and one as a proper greeting." Marilyn glanced at the elegant gift boxes in his hands but didn't take them. Instead, with a casual flick of her tail, she slid over to the open trunk, peered inside, and then shot a look back at Adam, raising a brow. "These aren't just for me, are they?" She stood up, and with a light, soundless leap, landed in front of him, arms crossed. "Did you come knowing you were going to meet me today? Was it your plan?" Adam replied calmly, "I didn't plan it. But ever since these gifts were prepared, I've made sure they're in the car whenever I go out." He paused, glanced at Marilyn, and added, "Just in case." Clearly, her sudden appearance was exactly that "case". Marilyn glanced again at the gift boxes in his hands. Hector had been taken back to the clan nearly two years ago. So, if these gifts had been prepared back then, it meant Adam had been bringing them around ever since, not knowing when, or if, he might meet a member of the Wynthorpe clan. Even she couldn't help but look at him like he was the demon here. What kind of man had Thalia married exactly? Marilyn had merely come out to satisfy her curiosity, but now, she was genuinely intrigued. Narrowing her eyes, she suddenly asked, "Tell me, dear nephew-in-law, would you like to meet your mother-in-law?" Adam stiffened slightly at the question, his posture instinctively straightening, though his voice remained calm as ever. "If the opportunity presents itself, I naturally would." But here he was, cast outside the gates, wasn't he? Even the large red gates behind them were warded with a barrier; without permission, he couldn't take a single step past it. As if reading his thoughts, Marilyn casually said…