?


    On the couch, the family sat in a neat row, a scene straight out of a cozy Sunday gathering.


    He took a bite of his ice cream, his words sinct and to the point.


    "First off, it''s Christine or no one for me."


    Caldwell was the first to object, concerned for the rkson family''s reputation, and perhaps a bit for the ice cream as well.


    Dailey didn''t pay him any mind. "Second, Nelly needs to study abroad."


    Nelly, curled up in an armchair, had been keeping her head down. At Dailey''s words, tears began to fall, painting a picture of vulnerability.


    "Don''t me Dai, godmother. It was my idea to go abroad."


    Jayne was puzzled, "You''ve juste back. Why the sudden need to leave again? You won''t tell me what happened."


    "Last time, it was for your education. Now that you''re done, why go abroad all alone?"


    Nelly nced at Dailey before shaking her head. "Godmother, I know you care about me, but I want to go."


    "And, I wish to take my grandfather''s ashes with me."


    Jayne was even more baffled. "Are you nning to settle there and never return?"


    If it was for a job, why take her grandfather''s ashes? Couldn''t she just visit his grave during a holiday?


    Nelly''s tears kept falling, her eyes swollen from crying, hinting at a deeper, unsaid sorrow.


    Dailey, still eating his ice cream, was as cold as the dessert in his hand.


    Caldwell, trying to lighten the mood, chimed in, "Why the sudden decision to send Nelly abroad? Didn''t you guys just go on a trip? Did something happen?"


    Dailey thought back to before he


    returned, wondering if Nelly had said something to her mother aboutContent bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    them ending up in bed together, making her mother insist on keeping her


    Her hesitance to speak now made it seem like a big deal, revealing a side of Nelly he hadn''t seen before, a side perhaps influenced by growing up among the rksons.


    Yet, it wasn''t enough to anger him. What truly infuriated him was the harm done to Christine.


    Nelly had endangered Christine''s life, and sending her abroad was him considering her well-being, despite his guilt over her being alone in a foreign country.


    "I''m sending her abroad without harming the rkson family''s reputation or interests. Why turn this into an inquisition?"


    After finishing his ice cream and wiping his hands with a wet wipe, Dailey continued, calmly, "I''vee back today to make things clear. I was young and foolish before, and you had to worry about me. I listened and followed because was the younger one. But now, I''m not a child anymore. I know what I''m doing. If you insist on meddling in my affairs, then I''m ready to let the whole world see the rkson


    family''s drama."


    Normand, Dailey''s father, mmed the coffee table, his face stern with anger. "You''re talking back now?"


    "Your mother is just asking for a reason. What''s this all about?"


    "And that woman of yours, let me make this clear today, you marrying her is out of the question!"


    The conversation had hit a dead end, and Dailey wasn''t in the mood to argue further.


    He signaled, and his men came to take Nelly away.


    Jayne blocked them, insisting, "You need to exin before I let you take her anywhere."


    Mother and son were at an impasse, the atmosphere heavy with tension.


    Madge nced at Nelly, breaking the silence.


    "Dailey, you can choose who to marry, but don''t forget the rkson family''s legacy rests on your shoulders."


    Her words reminded him that his choice of bride had to be someone who could benefit the rkson family, someone the family would approve of.