Chapter 2

It knocked the bracelet off the table. I held back my anger and turned around. There stood Theo, glaring coldly at me.

"I've told you a thousand times, Cora might have been sponsored by your family for a few years, but she's not your servant!"

I immediately retorted with a cold face.

"What did I do?"

I hurriedly squatted to pick up the bracelet, but Jasper stepped on it along with my hand.

"You made her work-study, taking up her valuable time, first ordering her to clean all your hundred pairs of shoes, and then making her help you copy scriptures. How dare you ask?"

I cried out in pain, "I haven't even seen her in the past two days. What nonsense are you talking about?"

I tried to pull my hand away, but Jasper pressed down harder. His face was cold, and his eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Theo, did you hear that? I told you, a vicious woman like Fiona would never admit it! You didn't believe me."

Theo snorted coldly and brought Adeline out from the adjoining meditation room.

Adeline’s face was still streaked with tears, and upon seeing me, her tears started falling again. She hesitantly tried to hide her hands in her sleeves.

"Theo, Jasper, don't blame the young lady. Cleaning her shoes and copying scriptures is my duty! Without the young lady’s generosity, I might never have touched a piano in my life.

These are my debts to Fiona's family!"

Theo gently held her hands, soaked and bloodied from soap water, in his palms with pity. Then he shot a sharp glance at me.

"For the little money your family sponsored, you expect Cora to be your slave for life?"

"If I marry you to revive Fiona's family, does that mean your family should be my slaves for generations?"

I was numb to the injustice by now, a self-deprecating smile tugging at my lips.

Over the years, Adeline had placed countless blames on me. She said I forced her to date a thug, threatened her with living expenses to serve me on her knees, and accused her of seducing the teacher out of jealousy for her piano talent...

Such lowly tactics, yet they always worked.

Adeline pretended to be strong as she wiped her tears and lightly tugged at Theo and Jasper's sleeves, speaking on my behalf.

"Don't be angry, I'm already content with how things are now!"

"It's just that I really don't have time to work outside, so I can't buy good birthday gifts for the two of you. This is an extra scripture I copied in exchange for these at the temple."

She pulled out two wooden bracelets from her pocket and bravely placed them in Theo and Jasper’s hands.

"They're not as valuable as the young lady's gift, but they're a token of my appreciation for the care you’ve given me."

After saying that, she seemed to remember something, trembling and shrinking into Jasper's embrace.

"This is just something cheap, I absolutely don't mean to compete with the young lady for Theo and Jasper's affection! Please don't misunderstand!"

Jasper held her gently, comforting her, and carefully put on the bracelet as if it were a treasure.

Theo caught a glimpse and teased, "Speaking of gifts, our birthdays are on the same day. We're both about to marry Fiona, and she only prepared one bracelet.

Looks like whoever she gives it to is who she'll marry."

"Didn't you say you'd become a monk if you married her? The temple gift won’t actually be for you, right?"

The two tossed the marriage contract between them like a ball. I picked up my things with a cold face and walked away.

Seeing I didn’t react with the expected blush or argue, they were both a bit surprised.

Theo, unwilling to let it go, followed and grabbed the bracelet, looking as if he was making a noble sacrifice.

"Fiona, stop tormenting Cora. I'll accept it and marry you next week."

"But let me be clear, even if I marry you, Cora will still be the one I love most. Don’t ever think you deserve any different!"

With that, he was about to put it on his wrist. I reached out desperately to grab it back, and my nails left a long red scratch on Theo's arm.

"This isn't for you! Give it back!"