Chapter 2

"I feel terrible about it too," Charlie continued. "But I was so little back then. There was nothing I could've done. That's why I've bent over backward taking care of you all these years, and I didn't even fight you for the family fortune. It was all just to make it up to you."

As he spoke, he started squeezing out fake tears.

Mia, heartbroken at the sight of him crying, wrapped her arms around him before turning to admonish me.

"Charlie has worked himself to the bone to take care of you to atone for what happened. He even gave his inheritance to you! Isn't that enough?"

I chuckled inwardly.

My inheritance had been left to me by Mom. No matter how one looked at it, it had nothing to do with Charlie.

And "worked himself to the bone to take care of me"? That was even more ludicrous. In reality, Dad had forced me to take care of Charlie. Even when I was injured, I was expected to cater to his every whim.

"What does the inheritance my mother left me have to do with him?" I asked. "Did my mother give birth to him?"

Charlie paused mid-sob as a flash of self-consciousness crossed his eyes.

It wasn't that he didn't want to fight for a share of the inheritance. He simply had no grounds to claim it. So instead, he'd been pretending that he had generously given it all to me.

Mia was a mermaid. She didn't understand the intricacies of human law. All she knew was that her beloved had been terribly wronged.

"I never thought you could be this selfish. Even though Charlie isn't your mother's biological son, he's still your little brother. Can't you just show him some grace? He's already suffered so much. Can't you see he's crying?"

I looked at Charlie nestled in her arms, and I honestly had no idea how he had supposedly suffered. And even if he had, none of it was my fault.

Mia's blue tail slapped furiously against the water again and again, seemingly trying to intimidate me.

As I stared at the furious mermaid in front of me, I suddenly remembered how the book I read had stated that a mermaid's mood would directly affect the potency of her heart.

There were only three days left. I couldn't let anything go wrong now.

Taking a deep breath, I softened my tone and forced out what I hoped was a friendly smile.

"Don't be mad."

I wasn't as smooth-talking as Charlie, and I wasn't good at comforting people either. So those three words were all I could come up with.

Seeing me back down, Mia looked triumphant.

"Then let me go. I want to leave with Charlie. That way, I won't be mad anymore."

Charlie immediately turned to Mia, deeply moved. "Mia…"

The human and mermaid gazed deeply into each other's eyes, completely oblivious to me.

To be honest, I couldn't understand how Charlie could fall in love with Mia. To me, she was nothing more than a pet—no different from the average cat or dog.

Still, Charlie's presence kept Mia happy, which was ultimately beneficial to me. And so I had no intention of ruining their "sacred" romance.

"Your injuries aren't healed yet. If you leave the medicinal bath I specially prepared for you, your skin will start to rot."

What I didn't mention was that if her heart was harvested while her body wasn't in pristine condition, its medicinal properties would be severely diminished.

Unaware of my true motives, Mia just assumed I didn't want to let her go.

"You just don't want to let me leave!" she snapped, turning her head away in annoyance.

Charlie naturally assumed that was my intention too.

"Ricky, if you really love Mia, just let her be free," he urged, putting on a show.

Love? I'd said it a dozen times already—all I wanted was her heart. Why wouldn't anyone believe me?

I sighed. "Just give me three more days. Three days from now, I'll deliver Mia right to your doorstep."