4

In the end, Daniel and Jenny agreed to all the conditions Aeris had set. After that, the Harrison family began making preparations for Aeris’s marriage into the Castilano family.

Various wedding items began arriving at the Harrison residence. Dresses, jewelry, bags, shoes, and various gifts from the Castilano family were sent for their future daughter-in-law.

However, before Aeris had a chance to see any of them, Cyntia had already arrived.

She looked at the items with sparkling eyes. To her, all of them should have been hers anyway. She had always been the daughter acknowledged by the Harrison family. So when she saw the expensive items sent by the Castilano family, Cyntia felt there was nothing wrong with taking them.

Even Daniel and Jenny did not stop her immediately.

Aeris, who had just come down from upstairs, stood only a few steps away, watching Cyntia as she picked out a jewelry box.

No one asked her whether it was all right to touch the items intended for her. After all, all those things had been sent for the future bride of the Castilano family. That meant ... they were all hers, right?

Aeris walked closer. “Cyntia.”

Cyntia turned around. “What?”

“Put it down.”

Cyntia’s smile slowly disappeared. “I’m just looking at it.”

“Then look at it without touching it.”

Cyntia gripped the box more tightly. “Why? Aren’t I also a daughter of the Harrison family?”

Aeris looked at her for a few seconds. “That’s right. No one is denying that.” She then stepped closer.

“But I’m the one who will marry into the Castilano family.”

Cyntia immediately glared at her in annoyance. “I’m only taking a few things. Besides, they sent so many things. There’s nothing wrong with me wanting them.”

Aeris gave a faint smile.

“If you touch or take those things again, you’ll be the one I push into marrying that old Castilano man.”

Cyntia’s face immediately changed. “Aeris!”

Aeris did not budge. “The choice is yours, Cyntia.”

Cyntia stared at her with tears in her eyes. She knew Aeris was not joking. For the first time, Aeris was no longer letting her take whatever she wanted just because the entire family had always stood behind her.

Cyntia finally put the box down. With tears filling her eyes, she turned around and hugged her mother. “Mom, why is Aeris treating me like this?”

Jenny, who had remained silent until then, finally turned to Aeris, her face filled with anger. “Aeris, what are you doing?”

Aeris frowned. “What?”

“Cyntia just got out of the hospital, and now you’re still making her cry.” Jenny walked closer. “Why can’t you just let your sister take a few things?”

Aeris stared at her mother in disbelief. “A few things?” she repeated softly. “All of those were sent for me, weren’t they?”

“Then why?” Jenny replied in a raised voice. “You already got ten million dollars, didn’t you? Isn’t that enough?”

Aeris fell silent.

“Wait, Mom,” Cyntia looked at Jenni with a curious expression. “What do you mean by ten million dollars?”

Jenni sighed softly as she massaged her temples in frustration. “That was Aeris’s demand for replacing you in the marriage to the Castilano family.”

“What!” Cyntia cried out in disbelief. Then she looked at Aeris, who had remained silent in her place the entire time. “Are you crazy, Aeris? How could you do this to Mom and Dad?!”

Aeris closed her eyes for a moment. “Then you marry him.”

Cyntia’s hands clenched tightly.

“Don’t you dare say something like that to Cyntia,” Jenni snapped at Aeris. “You should be satisfied with that money, Aeris.”

“I never asked them to send any of this,” Aeris finally said. “But since they sent it for the future wife of the Castilano family, I should have the right to—”

A hard slap struck her cheek before Aeris could finish her sentence.

Jenny’s action sent Aeris stumbling to the side before she lost her balance and fell forward. Aeris’s shoulder slammed into the edge of the nearby table. A sharp pain immediately shot from her shoulder down to her arm.

“Ah!” Aeris grimaced as she clutched her shoulder.

Yet Jenny showed no concern whatsoever. “Don’t ever think that just because you got ten million dollars, you can do whatever you want in this house!” she shouted.

Aeris slowly lifted her face. Her cheek burned, while her shoulder throbbed from the impact.

She looked at the woman standing before her.

Her mother. Once, that woman had loved her dearly. She had always been gentle and had never hit her. But ever since Cyntia arrived five years ago, everything had changed. Slowly, yet enough to make Aeris feel increasingly suffocated and oppressed.

Even after three years without seeing her, Jenny still never once asked if she was all right.

Jenny turned to the servants. “Put all the items sent by the Castilano family in Cyntia’s room.”

The servants immediately lowered their heads. “Yes, Madam.”

Aeris stared at them blankly. She tried to get up even as the pain spread and the ache in her shoulder became increasingly unbearable.

Jenny did not even turn around to see how she was doing.

“Come on, my dear Cyntia. Don’t pay any attention to her.”

They left, leaving Aeris still struggling to get up. Meanwhile, one by one, the servants carried in the items that had been left in the living room. As their rightful owner, Aeris no longer wanted to argue over those things.

If they wanted to give everything to Cyntia, then so be it. After all, after this marriage, Aeris would never return to this house again.

That night, Aeris lay alone in her room.

The pain in her shoulder returned after her body had fallen that afternoon. She tried to find a comfortable position, but the pain only became more intense whenever her shoulder moved.

Aeris raised her hand and touched her aching shoulder.

Without realizing it, her memory returned to three years ago.

Back then, in prison, she had once been beaten with a baseball bat. The blow struck her shoulder so hard that she could barely move her arm for several days.

The injury had long since healed. However, the pain sometimes returned, especially when her shoulder received a strong impact or enough pressure.

Just like that afternoon.

She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. The pain in her shoulder throbbed again. However, this time Aeris did not cry.

She simply closed her eyes and let the pain slowly pass. After all, compared to the three years she had endured in prison, this pain was not something she could not bear.

Aeris took a deep breath. Tomorrow, she only needed to get through a few more days before her wedding day arrived. After that, she would leave the Harrison family forever.

The next morning, the Harrison residence was bustling again.

Cyntia sat in the family room with several gift boxes surrounding her. David and Donna had just brought her various things, from bags, jewelry, and clothes to several other branded items.

“This one is from David,” Donna said as she handed a box to Cyntia. “And this one is from me.”

Cyntia accepted both with a happy expression. “Thank you, David. Thank you, Donna.”

David smiled and patted Cyntia’s head. “We just want to make you happy.”

Donna nodded. “Don’t think about yesterday’s problem anymore. Just consider all of this a gift to cheer you up.”

Cyntia smiled brightly.

Aeris, who had just come down from upstairs, saw the scene from a distance.

Cyntia immediately noticed her presence and deliberately lifted one of the bags David had just given her. “Aeris, look. David bought this for me.”

Aeris only glanced at it. “Nice.”

The brief answer left Cyntia slightly dissatisfied. She then opened another box and showed off the jewelry Donna had given her.

“Donna bought me this too. Pretty, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Aeris was about to walk past them when Cyntia spoke again, “Actually, I feel bad.”

Aeris stopped.

Cyntia looked at her with an expression as if she felt guilty.

“Mom asked for all the things sent by the Castilano family to be put in my room. Now David and Donna have also given me so many things. I’m afraid you’ll think I deliberately took everything from you.”

David immediately cut in. “You don’t need to feel that way, Cyntia.”

He looked at his sister gently. “You don’t need to feel guilty. Aeris already received ten million dollars as compensation. Isn’t that enough?”

So they already knew? Aeris asked herself. And they all thought that what her father had given her was more than enough. If that was the case, what was the point of Aeris responding?

Not long after, the doorbell rang. A servant immediately opened the door.

Giovani Kingsley came to visit. As soon as he entered, his gaze immediately searched for Cyntia.

“Cyntia.”

Cyntia immediately smiled. “Gio, you’re here.”

Giovani walked closer. His gaze then fell on the various gifts covering the table. “So many things for you?”

Cyntia smiled faintly. “David and Donna bought them for me.”

Giovani nodded and smiled broadly. “That’s good. They love you very much. At least you’re feeling a little better.”

Cyntia immediately approached Gio and linked her arm through his affectionately, not caring that Aeris had been watching them all this time.

Even Gio did not care how Aeris felt when he was close to another woman.

“Gio, do you know? Aeris herself agreed to it.”

Giovani looked at Cyntia in confusion. “Agreed to what?”

Cyntia was silent for a moment before answering in a soft voice. “The marriage.”

Giovani frowned. “Marriage?”

“Yes, with the Castilano family.”

“Didn’t she refuse before?” Gio pressed.

“That was how it was at first,” Cyntia replied. “But she eventually agreed after the family gave her something in return.”

Giovani looked at her. “What?”

Cyntia said softly, “Ten million dollars.”

Giovani’s expression immediately changed. He turned to Aeris. “Is that true?”

Aeris, who had remained silent all this time, finally looked at him.

Giovani stepped closer. “You accepted ten million dollars to marry into the Castilano family?”

Aeris did not answer immediately.

Giovani stared at her in disbelief. “Aeris, have you lost your mind?”