Chapter 4
At the banquet, Chloe was dressed in a white evening gown, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders, exuding the innocent charm of an innocent, sweet girl. Noah and Caleb stood beside her, looking at Chloe with gentle affection.
The scene was undeniably heartwarming.
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Noah couldn’t help but think of me, wishing I could be as well–behaved and understanding. In recent years, my temperament had become increasingly arrogant and overbearing.
“Alice’s here!”
When I appeared, everyone turned to look. Faced with their gazes, I remained expressionless.
I wore a simple T–shirt, but atop my head was an exquisite golden phoenix crown, a deep green necklace around my neck, jade bangles on my wrist, and a pink diamond ring on my finger.
Laughter erupted around me.
“Alice’s so gaudy, wearing all that jewelry at once! She looks like a newly rich person,” one guest scoffed.
think Alice is deliberately showing off her expensive stuff to embarrass Chloe.”
Chloe
I strutted up to Chloe, my tone calm.“Congratulations, you finally become a member of the Welch family today.”
In my past life, once Chloe joined the Welch family, my nightmare began.
No matter how hard I tried, how much I cowered and obeyed, my brothers all favored Chloe.
Noah had even said he wished Chloe was our real sister.
This time, I wouldn’t cling to any nonsense about familial ties.
Seeing all the valuable items on me, Chloe felt a surge of jealousy, but she didn’t let it show on her face. She shrank her neck at first, then answered cautiously.
“Alice, I know you’re upset, but don’t worry, I won’t compete with you for your brothers‘ affection. After all, I’m just an outsider. You’re their real sister. How could I ever compare to you?” As she spoke, her eyes began to redden.
I smirked, a perfect picture of a delicate white lotus. In my previous life, I had been completely fooled by Chloe’s innocent act, only to see the woman’s true colors just before my demise.
Caleb, noticing the tension, quickly interjected, “Don’t cry, Chloe. Who says you’re an outsider? From today, you’re my little sister.”
Chloe lowered her gaze, hiding a fleeting look of triumph.
Noah presented Chloe with a box.“Chloe, this is a gift for you.”
Chloe feigned surprise. “Noah, isn’t this a gift for Alice? I can’t accept it!”
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When I saw the limited edition figurine inside the box, I wasn’t surprised at all. After all, in my past life, Noah had also ‘kindly‘ taken it upon himself to give the figurine I had waited so long for to Chloe as an apology.
Noah said, “Take it. It’s what she owes you.”
Caleb, dissatisfied, said,“Alice, even though Chloe isn’t holding a grudge about you pushing her into the water, and the second brother has given her a gift, what about your sincerity?”
I nodded.“I know. So, I brought a gift to apologize.” I took off all my jewelry and placed each piece on a platter.
This antique crown is from Ethan.”
This emerald pendant is from Noah.”
This
This hundred–year–old ginseng is from Alex.”
This rare pink diamond ring is from Caleb.”
This jade bracelet is from Finn.”
“And this gold trophy is from Luke.
I placed them on the plate one by one. These are all very important to me, and as an apology gift, it should be sincere enough.”
I had anticipated Caleb’s demand for an apology, so I had prepared these items. Ever since Chloe came to the Welch family, my brothers had never given
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me anything decent, and these were the only valuable things left. In the end, they would all be taken back by my brothers for various reasons to give to Chloe.
When Caleb saw the items on the plate, his expression froze. These were my most treasured possessions! How dare I?
Noah pursed his lips.“Alice, what do you mean by this?”
“Noah, I said these are my sincere apologies. Caleb, do you think it’s enough?” My expression was flat, my emotions unruffled.
When Chloe saw the items in the box, she was taken aback, unsure of what I was trying to pull–was this a strategic retreat? Chloe quickly piped up,“Alice, these are gifts from the brothers to you; they’re too precious for me to accept.” Caleb angrily retorted, “Exactly! These are our gifts to you; how can you just pass them on to someone else?”
Chloe’s smile faltered slightly as she bit her lip.“Yes, Alice, I’m just an outsider. How could I deserve such gifts?”
Caleb, realizing he’d misspoken, quickly explained,“Chloe, that’s not what I meant. I’ll choose a new gift for you. How could you accept something that someone else has received?”
Chloe immediately brightened.“Thank you, Caleb.”
Caleb’s heart softened. This was the obedient little sister he had always wanted.
Noah sighed.“Alice, what are you throwing a tantrum about now?”
These gifts had always been precious to me; no one was allowed to touch them. He never expected me to lay them all out as an apology to Chloe!
Were you trying to sever ties with us? Or was it because I had taken your figurine to apologize to Chloe that you were
