Chapter 530
Chapter 530:
As he spoke, he pulled a red scarf from his pocket — aged around the edges but clearly cared for. Its fraying threads didn’t hide the fact that it had been washed, folded, and held onto.
Maia’s brow creased the moment she saw it. Recognition was instant. She distinctly remembered Jarrod throwing it away.
Jarrod caught the flicker of emotion in her eyes and continued, his voice softer now, “I was a kid back then. I didn’t get what it meant. But now I do. That scarf… you put time into it. You cared. And I was too stupid to see that. I’m lucky I got it back. So today, this is me trying to make it right. If the scarf can find its way back, maybe we can too. We’re still family… right p>
Moved by his own words, Jarrod truly believed that he’d reached her. Surely Maia would feel something too — wouldn’t she?
He waited, almost smiling, expecting her to soften, accept the gift, and step back into the Morgan family as if nothing had ever broken. Maia, his good sister, would return at last.
But no emotion crossed Maia’s face. Her voice was steady and flat as she said, “I don’t want it p>
Jarrod froze for a moment, his fingers curling in hesitation. What was it that she didn’t want? The scarf or the love and care from a brother? Was it possible that she had no intention of ever forgiving him?
Watching Maia turn Jarrod down again, Richard finally lost his patience. His voice dropped, heavy with restrained anger as he said, “Maia, Jarrod’s putting himself out there. Just accept the damn thing p>
To him, the way Maia carried herself made it obvious to the guests that she hadn’t made peace with the Morgan family, and that left him feeling deeply humiliated.
Next to him, Sandra looked like all the color had drained from her face. Furious, but too proud to make a scene, she kept her voice low. “Maia, don’t embarrass your brother like this. Take the gift already p>
ℝ𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒸h𝒶ρtєrs 𝑜𝓃 g𝓐l𝑛ovєls.𝓬0𝓶
Usually, they never bothered with diplomacy. But in front of an audience, their fury had to simmer under a mask of fake warmth. Still, Maia could see their tempers trembling beneath the surface.
She couldn’t help but find it ironic. Of course, they came running when they had something to gain. But why should she show courtesy to the very people who had wounded her? Whatever debt she owed the Morgan family had been paid long ago, yet the pain they had inflicted was something she would carry forever.
With a bitter smile, Maia let out a short laugh. “Respect isn’t something you demand. It’s something you earn p>
She wasn’t about to keep playing the part they had written for her. Lifting her chin, she looked between Richard and Sandra and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Whether I accept this gift or not is my choice. You don’t get to decide that for me p>
The guests looked on with thinly veiled amusement, as if caught up in a live episode of some over-the-top soap opera.
Richard’s face flickered between shades of ash and crimson. Fury burned just beneath the surface, but he clenched his jaw. He could not afford a public outburst — not now.
After a tense pause, he forced himself to swallow the bitter taste rising in his throat.
There were bigger stakes at play. He needed to think beyond the present humiliation. “Yes! Maia, you’re absolutely right,” he said, his voice tight but steady. “If you don’t like it, don’t accept it p>
Without missing a beat, he shot Jarrod a hard glare and jabbed him in the ankle with the toe of his shoe. “What are you standing there for? Take your things and stop making a fool of yourself p>
Jarrod winced in pain, glancing at Richard and then at Maia. He seemed utterly lost, as if his soul had left him.
When had everything shifted so drastically? When did the warmth vanish from this family?