Alyssa’s POV
I wanted to ask if my mother’s death was something I was supposed to just “get over.”
I wanted to ask who was going to pay back all the humiliation I’d swallowed.
But when the words reached my lips, I forced them back down.
In front of Casper, I never had the right to negotiate.
“If you run into trouble in the future, you can still come to me.
“Alyssa, I really do hope you find happiness.”
How ridiculous.
The man who destroyed my happiness was wishing me happiness.
A week later, I was discharged. Because of the blood loss, I ended up staying in the hospital even longer than Merida, who actually needed surgery.
But before I could even find a place to stay, I received a message from my father.
[You and your sister are going to this auction together. Spend some time bonding.]
[I’m not going.]
[That’s Casper’s request! Get along and don’t embarrass me!]
At the auction, Merida looped her arm through mine, acting all close and sisterly.
“Alyssa, I’m scared I’ll pick something tacky. Casper said you should help me choose the jewelry for the wedding. I’ll be counting on you later!”
I pressed a hand over my fractured bone and quietly pulled my arm back.
The auction moved quickly toward the end. Casper had already bought more than ten pieces of jewelry for insane prices.
I didn’t want to stay any longer. Just as I was about to excuse myself to go to the restroom, Merida stopped me.
“Don’t rush off. There might be a surprise coming up.”
When the final item was rolled out, I shot to my feet.
My glare snapped straight to Merida. She only lifted her hands in an innocent little shrug.
Starting bid: five million.
I didn’t even think. I raised my paddle immediately.
“Ten million!”
Merida widened her eyes at me.
“Alyssa, do you have ten million? Doesn’t Dad only give you two thousand a month? Where would you get that kind of money?”
She stole my mother’s belongings, and she expected me to humiliate myself for everyone to see.
Now, she wanted to play the “good person”?
I ignored her and kept raising my bid along with the guests.
But when the price climbed all the way to fifty million—already far beyond anything I could hope for—I collapsed back into my seat, defeated.
Out of the corner of my eye, Casper seemed to be watching me for a long time.
He had just lifted his paddle when Merida beat him to it.
“Casper, you won’t be mad, right? I saw how much Alyssa liked this necklace, so I wanted to buy it for her.”
“It’s fine. Keep bidding. I’ve got you.”
That gentle reassurance—something I had never once been given—wasn’t meant for me.
But honestly, I didn’t have the capacity to care anymore.
The staff brought the necklace to Merida. I reached out, unable to wait.
She glanced at Casper. Seeing he wasn’t paying attention, she loosened her fingers.
With a harsh crack, the ruby pendant shattered across the floor.
She leaned in close to my ear and hissed, “Looks like your mom’s things are just as cheap as her life.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I swung my hand up.
But before the slap could land, Casper grabbed my wrist hard—so hard it felt like he might crush the bone.
“What are you doing? It’s a stupid trinket. It broke, so what? Is it worth making a scene?
“You spent a whole month in the hospital and you still can’t behave?”
When he flung my hand away, my wrist slammed into the wall behind me.
The sharp pain washed over me instantly.
I clenched my teeth so hard I tasted blood.
“But it was my mom’s—”
Before I could finish, he had already turned, anxiously fussing over Merida instead.
My chance to speak disappeared completely.
When the three of us walked out the front doors, Casper stepped aside to answer a call from his company.
The moment we were alone, Merida finally dropped the act.
“Don’t think I don’t know. I was gone for three years, and you were the one by his side the whole time.
“But now that I’m back, that spot next to him… can only belong to me.”
