2

I quickly turned off the screen, but they had already seen the words "wedding will be held in three days."

Ryan immediately exploded:

"So you rushed the funeral just to inherit the ducal title and force us to marry you? Your mother just died, and you already have the wedding arranged. You're a cold-blooded, selfish monster. And you have the nerve to say you chose neither of us? How disgusting!"

Marcus looked at me with a dark expression:

"I know you chose me. For the sake of the Duchess raising me all these years, I can accept this marriage. But Ryan is done with the Blackwood family from now on. Don't you dare try to guilt-trip him anymore."

"Also, after marriage, you must give me an earl's title and transfer 50% of the family trust fund to Josie—since you ruined her graduation ceremony."

I looked calmly at these two war orphans that mother had raised from childhood. Although they held executive positions in the family business, the actual control had always been in my hands.

He was certain I was deeply in love with him and would willingly share the assets after marriage.

Mother had said that as long as they honestly served as my husband candidates and remained loyal to me, whoever I didn't marry would still receive a portion of shares as compensation.

So this was the real reason they stayed despite not liking me—they were after the money.

Before I could speak, Josie suddenly collapsed to her knees, trembling as she held out her phone: "Miss, please don't fire me!"

The screen showed a severance notice sent by the butler to all staff.

"Miss, it's all my fault for letting Marcus and Ryan attend my graduation ceremony and making you unhappy. You can punish me however you want, but please don't kick me out of the Blackwood estate. I have no one to rely on, nothing at all. I won't survive..."

With mother gone and my decision to cut ties with Marcus and Ryan, I would soon marry into the mafia family. I probably wouldn't return to the estate often, so I had the butler arrange to sell the mansion and dismiss the household staff.

I frowned at this stable master's daughter. After mother's death, I had decided to sell the Devon estate and prepared $200,000 in severance pay for each servant—enough for them to live comfortably for three years.

How did providing compensation and arranging their futures become "kicking them out"? How was it that they "won't survive"?

Marcus took her phone, his face immediately darkening. He looked at me like I was garbage.

Ryan shoved me into the hedge. Sharp branches tore through my clothes and cut my skin, blood flowing immediately:

"Catherine, we were just a little late! Your mother is dead, so what? Josie's graduation ceremony happens once in a lifetime!"

"If you have complaints, take them out on us! What kind of skill is bullying Josie?!"

I was reminded of similar scenes from the past.

Josie was originally the stable master's daughter. When her parents died, she was supposed to be sent to an orphanage. Seeing she was about my age, I begged mother to keep her as my personal maid.

I was always generous. At the Blackwood estate, her food, clothing, and living conditions were nearly the same as mine.

Whatever she wanted, I would basically satisfy.

But once, I participated in the International Physics Olympiad and won the grand prize—an exquisite commemorative brooch. I loved that brooch because I had worked tirelessly for half a year to win that competition. The award had great sentimental value.

The next day, I discovered Josie had taken the brooch without permission. When I asked her about it, she demanded I give it to her because it matched her new dress perfectly.

That was the first time I refused Josie.

That very night, Marcus and Ryan barged into my room, aggressively demanding:

"Catherine, just because you have some money, you think you can manipulate people's lives? What right do you have to steal Josie's award? That's the honor she earned through her efforts!"

I stared at Josie in shock, asking when I had ever stolen anything from her.

She cried pitifully then too:

"Brothers, please stop. The young lady took me in when my parents died. No matter how she treats me, it's justified. Don't create conflict with the young lady because of me..."

That day, Ryan smashed everything in my room in front of me, destroying an antique vase and a crystal chandelier worth a million dollars.

Marcus pressed my head down, forcing me to apologize to Josie, threatening to leave the Blackwood family immediately if I didn't, so I'd never see him again.

Back then, my heart and eyes were full of him. What I feared most was losing him, so I had no choice but to apologize to Josie.

The next day, Marcus and Ryan bribed corrupt journalists to report that I had used noble privilege to steal Josie's award. The incident escalated, making me a public enemy and damaging the Blackwood family's reputation.

Finally, my school principal and the competition chairman—two respected experts in the scientific community—came forward to testify that I had won the award through my own merit. Only then did the incident gradually subside.

But Marcus and Ryan still didn't trust me. They would only believe Josie's side of the story.

Seeing my silence, Josie made a show of kowtowing to me, but Marcus pulled her up.

He held Josie in his arms, looking down at me from above:

"Josie has no family left. I'll take care of her for life. No one can drive her away. I'm telling you now—she's no longer your maid and doesn't need to call you 'Miss' anymore."

"Catherine, if you still want me to marry you, treat Josie with respect. If you dare hurt her again, I'll never forgive you!"

With that, he and Ryan protectively escorted Josie away.

I struggled to get up. The wounds from the branches were still bleeding. I straightened my torn clothes and walked home in a daze, holding mother's portrait.

The bedroom still held traces of mother's life, but in this world, there was no one left who loved me.

The next day, the butler told me the mansion had found a buyer, but I needed to sign the papers.

After securing mother's belongings in the house, I went out.

When I returned home, the butler ran over in a panic:

"Miss, a group of workers just broke in! They said they're redecorating the mansion to throw a makeup graduation party for Josie. They've moved all of the Duchess's personal belongings!"