8
I could hardly believe what I’d just heard.
Saoirse covered her mouth in a mock gasp. “Here’s the auction list. Oops, I forgot to tell you earlier, Sister. So sorry. But you don’t really have the right to meddle in Pearson family matters anymore, do you?”
When I was little, I truly believed our family was whole, even happy.
Despite his hectic schedule, my father always made time for me on weekends.
My mother was a celebrated painter.
She loved sketching me in secret.
Whenever I turned to look, she would quickly say she was painting the scenery.
“Belle, once you’re all grown up, I’ll show you.”
I didn’t know when it began, but she started coughing often.
Blood would stain her handkerchief. Her face grew paler by the day.
She was gone from home for weeks, sometimes months.
“Belle… let me see you one last time…”
I held her hand tightly as it slipped from mine, helplessly watching her frail body fade before me.
It wasn’t until many years later that I understood that moment had been death’s quiet arrival.
She hadn’t left much behind, mostly paintings.
Among them was a sketchbook titled Daughter, documenting every moment of my life from birth until age ten.
As I stared at the list of items up for auction, my fingertips trembled.
Beyond Daughter, my mother had left behind dozens of priceless paintings and jewelry she had cherished for years.
I bit my lip, turned on my heel, and walked out of the Pearson residence to begin raising money.
Fortunately, Armani had always cared about appearances. Everything he gave Saoirse, he had made sure I had a duplicate too.
I sold everything I owned. Then, clutching the million dollars I had scraped together, I stepped
into the auction hall.
In the front row, Saoirse sat cozily beside Miguel, whispering sweetly into his ear.
When her eyes found mine, they lit up with delight. “Oh, Assistant Belle is here. Want to join us?”
Armani’s bodyguards shoved me into my seat before I could speak.
Maybe Saoirse just wanted me to watch her show off that love.
But I didn’t spare them a glance. My entire heart was fixated on the auction list.
Miguel sat stiffly, visibly unsettled.
He could feel something had changed in me, and the pressure in his chest only grew heavier.
After a long moment of hesitation, I opened my contacts.
