The Ashes of Vows (Elara and Damon) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 3

When Alice appeared, everyone turned to look. Faced with their gazes, Alice remained expressionless.

She wore a simple T–shirt, but atop her head was an exquisite golden phoenix crown, a deep green necklace around her neck, jade bangles on her wrist, and a pink diamond ring on her finger.

Laughter erupted around her.

“Alice’s so gaudy, wearing all that jewelry at once! She looks like a newly rich person,” one guest scoffed.

“I think Alice is deliberately showing off her expensive stuff to embarrass Chloe.”

Alice strutted up to Chloe, her tone calm.“Congratulations, you finally become a member of the Welch family today.”

In her past life, once Chloe joined the Welch family, her nightmare began. No matter how hard she tried, how much she cowered and obeyed, her brothers all favored Chloe. Noah had even said he wished Chloe was their real sister. This time, she wouldn’t cling to any nonsense about familial ties.

Seeing all the valuable items on Alice, 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.

Alice smirked, a perfect picture of a delicate white lotus. In her previous life, she had been completely fooled by Chloe’s innocent act, only to see the woman’s true colors just before her 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!”

When Alice saw the limited edition figurine inside the box, she wasn’t surprised at all. After all, in her past life, Noah had also ‘kindly‘ taken it upon himself to give the figurine she 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?”

Alice nodded. “I know. So, I brought a gift to apologize.” She took off all her jewelry and placed each piece on a platter.

“This antique crown is from Ethan,”

“This emerald pendant is from Noah.”

“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.”

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Alice 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.”

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She had anticipated Caleb’s demand for an apology, so she had prepared these items. Ever since Chloe came to the Welch family, Alice’s brothers had never given Alice anything decent, and these were the only valuable things left. In the end, they would all be taken back by her brothers for various reasons to give to Chloe.

When Caleb saw the items on the plate, his expression froze. These were Alice’s most treasured possessions! How dare she?

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?” Alice’s expression was flat, her emotions unruffled..

When Chloe saw the items in the box, she was taken aback, unsure of what Alice 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 Alice; no one was allowed to touch them. He never expected her to lay them all out as an apology to Chloe! Was she trying to sever ties with them? Or was it because he had taken her figurine to apologize to Chloe that she was sulking? Noah was sure Alice didn’t genuinely want to give them away!