Diamond.

But that's not possible, right? He is blind.

“Sister, it's not proper to look at a man that way," Eileen says, looking for a way to embarrass me.

She tucks her hair behind her ears, looking at her feet. To everyone here she must have looked pure, merely saying something out of naivety without knowing the meaning. But she wouldn't be able to fool me.

“But he's my fiance, is he not? I can look at him however I want.” I turn my attention back to him, a smirk on my lips.

“Your fiance?" Mr Lexington asks confused, looking between Mr and Mrs Athanas.

"Isn't Killian supposed to be getting married to your youngest daughter? Why is your oldest calling him her fiance? Are you making a mockery of my family?” His confusion turns into anger as he stares at my father, waiting for an answer.

"No, it's nothing like that.” Father tries to explain, breaking into a sweat.

“You see, my eldest daughter loves her sister so much and she was only worried that her sister wouldn't be able to manage so she decided to get married in her place. Isn't that right?” Mrs Athanas asks, grabbing my wrist and squeezing it tightly.

“Yes, it is," I say, ignoring my throbbing wrist.

"Killian what do you th-” Mr Lexington starts to ask but Killian cuts him off, his voice sounding so attractive I could listen to him speak all day.

"I don't care. Do what you like." He says dismissively, not even caring that his wife-to-be just got changed.

And just like that my engagement with Killian was done swiftly and a big diamond ring sat on my finger.

I could see Eileen eyeing the ring from time to time and I knew if this wasn't my engagement ring she would have made me give it to her.

Ha! I chuckled internally.

I guess that's one thing I own that she can't take, this ring and my husband.

“What's making you so happy?” Eileen asks from beside me, getting the attention of everyone in the room, even the elders who were engaged in a conversation.

“I'm engaged. Isn't that a reason to be happy?" I smirked at her, playing with the diamond on the ring.

Her eyes follow my movements and I can see her turn green with envy.

“But don't you think the ring is too much? Especially given my brother-in-law's situation. Something simpler would have been better" She says innocently, her question sounding harmless but it had a hidden meaning.

She was asking if it wasn't bad to give me a ring of this worth because my husband was broke.

She's trying to get them to take it away from me, ‘If I can't have it then you can't.’

“Do you think I can't take care of my wife?" Killian asks coldly, the room temperature dropping drastically.

His head turned in her direction but his eyes were unfocused. He is blind, I wonder what I was worried about.

I watch as Eileen's face whitens as she stutters, trying to find an answer to his question.

“No brother. That's not what I meant. I was just worried about my sister, I didn't mean to offend you." Her eyes were filled with tears as she panicked, her voice sounding pure and harmless. Everything was done in an attempt to make him turn to her side.

I wonder if this was how she got Gabriel to fall for her, playing the role of the innocent angel.

To my surprise and relief, Killian's face didn't soften like I had thought it would, instead he scowled at her.

“I might be blind but I'm not stupid.”

Even Mr Lexington didn't seem to fall for her antics.

Eileen turned to our parents for help, her face holding pain like she had been hurt.

“Mother, father. I didn't mean to insult brother." She cried out.

“Don't be so hard on her. She's just a child, she doesn't know what she's saying." Mrs Athanas says, stroking Eileen’s hair.

“Isn’t your first daughter just a year older than your second? And yet she's just a child.” Killian says sarcastically, causing a little smile to form on my lips.

“Killian that's enough, they are your guests." Mr Lexington cuts in, not wanting to take any side.

“I think it's time we leave. Ruelle will be sent over after we have signed the wedding certificate and the dowry has been received.” Mr Athanas says standing up, causing the rest of us except Killian and Mr Lexington to stand up with him.

“Please see yourself out." Mr Lexington says, waving his hands dismissively.

A frown forms on Mr. Athanas' lips but he doesn't say anything, instead, he walks away with Mrs. Athanas and Eileen following behind him.

“Goodbye. Be well." I say, bowing slightly before I leave too.

"Mother, did I do anything wrong?” Eileen cries out in the car, holding onto her mother's blossom.

“You certainly didn't my dear, instead it was your sister that did something wrong. She should have taken your side but she didn't." Mrs Athanas accuses, sending a glare my way.

“It had nothing to do with me but you didn't who didn't know how to control her tongue.” I point out, playing with the ring on my finger.

Eileen’s eyes go to my finger once more and she tugs at her mother's clothes.

“Mother I want the ring.” She whispered, but it was loud enough for me to hear it.

I was wondering when she was going to attempt to take my ring. She didn't even let us get home first.

Mrs Athanas eyes go to the ring on my finger and her eyes twinkle with greed. She licks her lips as she stares at the diamond.

“Uhmm. Ruelle, I think it's better you hand the ring over to me for safekeeping. You haven't handled something with value before and I don't want you to lose it.” She says, the diamond reflecting in her eyes.

Ha!

Hand it over for safekeeping? She just wants to keep it for herself.

She's just as greedy as her daughter. I'd rather chew glass than let her have it.

“But mother.. this is my engagement ring. I can not possibly give it to you." I say innocently, covering the ring with my palm.

Calling her mother left a sandy feeling in my throat and I tried to ignore it.

She isn't my mother and she never would be. She never even tried to be a mother to me.

“I know. But you might lose it. Wouldn't it be better if you gave it to me?" She tried to coax me, reaching for me from where she sat but I pulled myself away.

"Mother! You said you would give it to me." Eileen cries, looking at her mother with betrayal written clearly on her face.

“Shush child. Would you be able to handle such a valuable object? Let your mother have it." Mrs Athanas says.

The bickering between the mother and daughter pair over a ring made me feel embarrassed and I rubbed my face with my hand.

“That's enough you too. Stop it! It's her engagement ring, what would you tell her inlaws when they see her without a ring.” Mr Athanas scolds them and they both shut up, turning to glare at me.

It didn't take long for us to get back home and immediately I escaped to my room, ignoring the people calling my name behind me.