Chapter 2

When I got back home, I opened the silk box Elias had sent me.

Inside was a emerald bracelet, warm to the touch, its color gentle and lustrous, and the fit was absolutely perfect.

Andrea helped me try it on, clicking her tongue in admiration. "He's really attentive. He even got your wrist size right."

I slipped the bracelet on and looked down at it for a moment, saying nothing.

Early the next morning, I called in the family artist and had him capture every detail from last night at the Rainstone Garden.

The seating arrangements, everyone's expressions, and their conversations into a scroll titled [Gallery of Fools at the Rainstone Garden.]

The highlight of the painting was the moment Jackson protected Linda, while Marcus handed her a cup of tea.

I had the scroll hung in the main hall of the Moonrise House, the liveliest place under the Lawrence family's name.

Beside it, I added a line of calligraphy. [With the master still away, the whole hall bows to a fake.]

In less than half a day, the news spread like wildfire across Kingston.

Those who backed Linda and tried to put me down last night were dragged home by their family elders for a harsh lecture, left with their pride in tatters.

That afternoon, Father summoned me to his study.

Inside, Marcus was kneeling.

Kelly sat nearby, wiping her tears. As soon as I walked in, she said gently, "Jessie, your brother's still young.

"He doesn't always know better. Why make such a scene and let everyone gossip about us?"

I didn't even look at her. I walked right up and dropped a pile of ledgers onto Father's desk. "Take a look at this first, Dad."

He opened the first page, and his expression instantly darkened. These were the accounts I'd dug up in Swiden while I was recovering.

Back then, Mother left behind thirty-six silk shops, two river transport routes, and half of the Lawrence family's salt licenses. All of it was part of my wedding assets.

For the past three years, the Lawson family had been using Marcus's name to siphon off profits from the silk shops, and with the help of the Lynn family, they smuggled tribute silk up north as contraband.

Just last year alone, they pocketed over 70 thousand silver coins.

When I was recovering in Swiden, healing wasn't all I was doing.

Everyone saw me as a sickly, unlucky girl, but nobody expected me to follow the clues and expose every dirty secret the Lawrence family tried to bury.

Father's face grew darker and darker as he read, and finally, he slammed his hand down on the desk. "Marcus! Were you aware of these accounts?"

Marcus's face went pale, and he shot a nervous look at Kelly.

Kelly immediately dropped to her knees, crying her eyes out. "Lord Richard, I swear I'm innocent. Marcus was running errands for my family's elders. He had no clue about any of this.

"Jessie's been gone from Kingston for years, and now she comes back throwing these ledgers at us. Does she really not trust her own family?"

I gave her a cold look. "If we were truly family, you would have protected what my mother left for me.

"But Mrs. Lawson, while you're busy paving the way for your son, you're also using my dowry to curry favor with others. Your scheming is so obvious, it echoes all the way to Swiden."

Father closed his eyes for a moment, then said in a low, cold voice, "Take Marcus to the ancestral hall. Don't let him out unless I give the word."

Marcus's head snapped up. "Father!"

Father ignored him.

As he was dragged away, Marcus shot me a glare, his eyes burning with undisguised hatred.

A coldness crept over me. So this was the brother I'd cherished for more than ten years.

Father rubbed his temples, his voice weary. "Jessie, I'll get to the bottom of what happened in Swiden."

I nodded and, almost without thinking, slid another marriage contract across the desk. "There's one more thing.

"I want to call off my engagement to Jackson."

Kelly was so shocked she forgot to cry, blurting out, "That's impossible."

I shot her a sideways glance. "Since when do you get a say in my marriage, Mrs. Lawson?"

Father was silent for a while, then at last, he nodded. "Okay. If the Lynn family can't even show you basic decency, then breaking off the engagement is for the best."

"Alright," he said. "This time, I'm in it with you."

When I stepped out of the study, Andrea was leaning against the porch, waiting for me.

She blinked and whispered, "Jessie, after that painting went up last night, there's even juicier gossip.

"Elias went over to the Lynn family first thing this morning. Word is, Jackson got two punches from Elias. His face got hurt now."

I stopped in my tracks for a second.

Andrea gave me a sly smile. "Elias really cares about you, huh?"

I didn't respond, just touched the warm emerald bracelet on my wrist.

It was still warm to the touch. But people's hearts were even harder to read than before.