Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Regret-3

Brenda’s composure finally cracked. "I was wrong! I was foolish! You’re perfect for my son...he’ll see that too!"

Ivy clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"Now that sounds desperate, Aunt. Just a moment ago, you said we were bluffing, and now you’re begging us to stay? How quickly your heart changes when food is involved."

The faint smirk tugging at Ember’s lips deepened.

"If we truly meant to deceive you, Aunt Brenda, we wouldn’t have brought this much rice. But since you don’t believe us... We’ll just leave it at that."

Brenda lunged forward, clutching Ember’s sleeve, her pride long forgotten.

"Please! I’ll agree...no, I’ll insist on this marriage! You don’t have to wait for Jay to come back; I’ll prepare everything!"

Ember gently freed her sleeve, her smile serene but distant.

"There’s no need to rush. After all, your son should have a say too, right?"

Her calm voice felt like a slap. Brenda stood frozen, her hands trembling as the reality dawned; she had overplayed her hand, and now even her false kindness looked pathetic.

Ivy turned to Felix with a cheerful tone, "Let’s not waste more time. We still have to deliver supplies to the southern base before dark."

Felix nodded and began steering the cart away.

"Wait!" Brenda shouted, and the next second she knelt down and bowed to Helena, "I am sorry for my words earlier; I was arrogant before! I shouldn’t have insulted you!"

Before the other could even react, she turned toward Victor and bowed, "Sorry! I didn’t know the difference and repeatedly insulted you! Please forgive me!"

Brenda could swear she had never apologized to someone so sincerely before.

Though the Nightbane family was taken aback by Brenda’s actions, they regained their composure soon.

"Alright! Alright! We forgive you." Helena waved her hand with a generous expression. Her daughter had beaten up Brenda before, and Brenda had now apologized too.

So all the other matters could be forgotten.

Not to mention... an even more cruel punishment was waiting for her.

Seeing them accepting her apology, Brenda heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe now... the marriage could be retained.

"Then the marriage..." Brenda began, but Ivy cut her off midway, "We will talk about it when Jay returns. For now, let’s return."

Brenda’s hopeful smile froze midway, the light in her eyes dimming again. "B-but... why wait? What if something happens to him out there?" She stammered, trying to sound concerned, though her gaze still lingered greedily on the departing cart.

Ember’s voice remained calm but carried an unmistakable finality. "Then we’ll handle it when the time comes, Aunt. We’re not in a hurry."

Those words, polite on the surface, sliced through Brenda like a knife. She could only nod stiffly, forcing a shaky smile. "O-of course... I understand."

The Nightbane family began walking away, their figures retreating slowly under the bright sunlight.

Brenda wiped away the sweat dripping down her forehead and entered her house with a sway. The heat had become increasingly unbearable...

Even the fans and air conditioner in the house couldn’t prevent her from sweating buckets.

She thought about the Nightbanes, who didn’t even break out in a single sweat and seemed to have returned to their former selves.

Especially the soft pink dress Ember was wearing... it looked comfortable and high-end! The Nightbane family was truly a dragon among phoenixes!

Though they faced a setback when the apocalypse descended, once they found their daughter... they all returned to their former selves.

She suspected that the poor persona they had adopted till now was nothing but a test.

And if that was the case... then she had failed miserably!

Sigh! At least her son was more astute than she!

’Once Jay returns and gets married to Ember, I will ask for that dress Ember was wearing and give it to Ophelia...’

Midway through her sentence, Brenda stopped, and tears pooled in her eyes.

Just God knows what kind of spell she was under... she even thought of selling her precious son and daughter...

Brenda regretted her decisions deeply and vowed in her heart that once Ophelia and Jay returned... she would treat them well!

This disaster and the empty house had helped her see through many things she had ignored before.

However, what she didn’t know was... it was already too late.

.....

Ophelia was lingering outside her own villa like a thief. She had no other place to go.

Hence, she heard everything the Nightbane had done. Shock was written all over her face, while regret slowly started to claw at her heart.

If only... if only she had let her brother leave and not knocked him out... maybe today she wouldn’t be so miserable and would be living like a king!

However, the most useless word was ’if.’

After hesitating for a long while, Ophelia left.

Her mother’s greed just now spoke volumes about how unrepentant she feels.

"I should find my boyfriend..." Ophelia murmured and left.

Within the next two days, Ophelia successfully found her boyfriend’s location. Her heart throbbed with excitement when she realized he was in his home, though she was also confused.

Why in his house? Wasn’t he assigned some task by her mother?

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door with anticipation, and when the door swung open, Ophelia grinned.

"Hi Ryan..."

Instead of the familiar young man with curly hair and emerald green eyes, Ophelia saw a young woman with blonde hair and pitch-black eyes.

"You are..." Ophelia questioned, her heart sinking slightly, yet she desperately hoped... it wasn’t like what she was thinking.

"Oh? I am Ryan’s wife."

Ophelia’s smile shattered instantly, her words catching in her throat. "W-wife?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

The blonde woman nodded casually, leaning against the doorframe with a faint, triumphant smirk. "Yes. We got married a month ago. Who are you?"

Ophelia’s mind went blank. Her lips trembled as she forced a shaky laugh. "T-that’s impossible... Ryan would have told me... we..."

Before she could finish, a familiar voice drifted from inside the house. "Honey, who’s at the door?"