Chapter 12
+8 Pearls
Anna’s heart ached as she watched me endure their cruelty. Unlike me, bound by decorum and pride, she had no such restraints.
Her voice trembled with emotion as she stepped forward, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I may be just a humble maid, but I know right from wrong. You stand here as a celebrated woman, a force to be reckoned with. And yet, you’ve chosen to interfere in another woman’s marriage, using power and status as a shield. How is that honorable?”
Before she could finish, Adrian’s hand lashed out, striking her hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed through the room.
I gasped, rushing to catch Anna as she staggered back, clutching her cheek. A deep fury ignited. within me, burning hotter than the betrayal I had already endured.
Adrian turned to me, his voice as cold as ice. “Is this how you raise your servants? No respect, no restraint.”
My hands shook, but not with fear. Without hesitation, I stepped forward and delivered a sharp slap across his face. The impact left a red imprint on his skin.
“Do you think you can lay a hand on my people without consequence?” My voice was steady, but the rage underneath was unmistakable.
Adrian’s jaw tightened, shock flickering across his features. He hadn’t expected me to retaliate, especially in front of Vivian. A man like him, so accustomed to control, had never considered that I might fight back. But he couldn’t strike me–he wouldn’t dare. Instead, he shot me a glare filled with venom before turning on his heel, storming out with Vivian beside him.
I turned back to Anna, cupping her swollen cheek gently. “Does it hurt?”
She managed a small, pained smile. “Not at all. At least we’ll be leaving this place soon.”
I exhaled slowly, the weight of everything pressing down on me, “The official papers should arrive any day now. The sooner, the better.”
When Adrian had first mentioned the legal dissolution of our arranged engagement, citing some official decree as justification, I had held on to a small hope. A hope that Vivian, as the powerful woman she was, would never agree to be part of something so demeaning. I had admired her from afar, believing she would never settle for being the woman who tore another’s life apart.
But after today, after her words and actions, all those illusions had been shattered. I saw her for what she truly was–just another player in a game I had never agreed to join.
Adrian and Vivian’s wedding was already set for October. It was mid–August now. They had little time to prepare, and I wanted nothing to do with it. But I knew the Warren family all too well. They would expect me to play a role, to arrange the details as if I were still part of this charade.
1:15 P
Chapter 12
18 Pears
Instead, the responsibility fell to Beatrice. Though she despised Adrian for his heartlessness, family obligations and Evelyn’s worsening condition left her with little choice.
As for me, I was done. I had given enough, and now, I was taking back what was left of my dignity.
On the night before the engagement party, Beatrice called a family meeting. Everyone was there -Adrian’s father, uncle, younger siblings. And, of course, Evelyn insisted I attend as well. I knew exactly what this was about before I even stepped into the room, but curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see just how far they would go.
When the engagement between Adrian and Vivian was arranged, the Carter family had put forward an extensive list of demands for the betrothal gifts. Most of the basic items had already been arranged, but Beatrice had gathered everyone to discuss the more extravagant requests she hadn’t yet decided on.
As soon as JoAdrian skimmed the list, he scoffed. “This is ridiculous. There’s no way we can afford all this.”
His words didn’t surprise me. When Adrian and I got offically engaged three years ago, his mother. Evelyn, had made it very clear that their family wasnt financially secure, especially with Evelyn’s ongoing medical expenses. Because of that, she hadn’t asked my family for much–just a modest sum of five hundred thousand dollars and a few simple pieces of jewelry as a wedding gift.
But my dowry? That was a different story.
I had brought real wealth into the Warren family–properties, estates, and businesses. Assets that totaled in the millions. Just the designer furniture, imported silks, and high–end linens I had moved in with could have filled an entire warehouse. And over the past year, it had been my money–my inheritance–that covered the costs of Evelyn’s medical treatments. I had personally arranged for Dr. Nathaniel, one of the best 13 i keeping her stable. Without that, she might not have lasted even a month after Adrian left for his the country, to prescribe the medications overseas deployment.
And now, they expected me to sit here and listen to them plan his wedding to avian?
woman?
To help them figure out how to afford the lavish engagement they wanted for him and Vivian?
I clenched my fists beneath the table, my nails pressing into my palms. They had taken so much from me already, but this? This was beyond shameless.
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