Chapter 7

It seems that the old man has been recharged with energy and vibrance when he saw Avrielle inside his room

“Amery, Amery, come here to Grandpa!” Don Simeon called out affectionately, his arms spread wide open.

Avrielle immediately approached and embraced the old man. She kissed him on the forehead before sitting down beside him.

“How are you, Grandpa? Are you still feeling unwell?” she asked, gently holding Don Simeon’s hands.

“My grandchild, no matter how lousy I feel, just seeing you makes me feel as if I’m getting better in an instant!” His voice brimmed with happiness—but that quickly faded into sorrow as his gaze fell upon Brandon.

“Oh, why are you sad?” she asked.

“Is it true what that gossip said—that you two are divorced?”

Avrielle lowered her head and nodded softly. “Yes, Grandpa. It’s true—Brandon and I are divorced.” Her eyes glistened as she fought back tears.

“You evil bastard!” Don Simeon thundered at Brandon. “You truly have no heart! You had the best wife—someone like Amery—and yet you let her go! You’re completely out of your mind, you kid!” The old man was nearly livid, almost gasping for breath from his shouting.

Overwhelmed with worry, Brandon could barely find words.

“Shh, Grandpa…” Avrielle soothed him. “Please don’t be angry with Brandon. I’m the one who wants to break up with your grandchild.” She added gently, patting his back.

Brandon’s eyes widened at his ex-wife’s words. He wondered why she hadn’t reported it to his grandfather. In fact, this was the perfect moment for her to emphasize it to Lolo Simeon—and to lay all the blame at his feet.

But Brandon also thought maybe this was just Amery’s strategy to win him over and keep him from separating from her.

A wry smile played on Brandon’s lips as he mused at Amery’s brazenness, as if she believed she could win him over with such tactics.

“Amery, has my family done something to you?” Don Simeon asked in a deep, sorrowful tone.

“Oh no, Grandpa. It’s just that Brandon and I had so many differences that led to our disagreements, so we had to part ways.” Avrielle could no longer hide the sadness in her eyes. “Please don’t worry—though our union didn’t end well, we surely have many beautiful memories from the three years we spent together.”

Brandon raised an eyebrow. He almost wanted to laugh because, when he recalled the three years he and Amery shared, he couldn’t remember a single good memory with her. He hadn’t even given her a proper wedding; they’d merely received a marriage certificate from Lolo Simeon. And then one day, Amery simply arrived at the mansion carrying her little suitcase. That was the beginning of their marriage.

“Amery, perhaps I was the one mistaken about you?” Don Simeon asked again, his voice trembling with sadness. “I only wanted you both to be happy… I never expected to be disgraced by someone like that.” With a heavy sigh, he continued, “So maybe I am the one who made a mistake with you.”

“Please don’t say that, Grandpa. You’re not to blame. I just really had to separate.” Avrielle’s voice faltered as she spoke her final words.

In that moment, Avrielle realized that even though she loved Brandon dearly, she had to let him go. God knew how deeply she was hurting—she felt as if life itself had been stripped away by the pain.

If she didn’t separate, she would lose her dignity completely, for Brandon kept parading their togetherness. She refused to become a toxic, bitter woman just to have even a sliver of his affection.

“Gilbert!” Don Simeon called to the secretary standing by the door. “Bring the gift I prepared for Amery, now!”

The secretary promptly obeyed, donning white gloves before opening a red velvet jewelry box. When it was opened, a luxurious imperial green jade bracelet was revealed before them.

Avrielle, well practiced in appraising such items, immediately knew—just by looking—that this piece had been in the family for decades.

"Grandpa, don't tell me that you are going to give Grandma's jewelry to her?" Brandon asked in astonishment.

“Yes, and to no one else. I gave it to my dearest Imelda as a token of my eternal love. It is an heirloom of the Ricafort family, passed down from your great-grandfather.” As he spoke, Don Simeon held the bracelet, gazing at it in the sunlight.

“Before your grandmother died, she told me that this was her favorite among all her jewels. I promised myself I’d give it to my future granddaughter-in-law. And now that my wife is no longer with us, I want to give it to you, Amery. You alone deserve this jewelry.”

Avrielle was momentarily stunned by the old man’s words, and before she could react, Don nearly tossed the bracelet into the nearby trash can.

“Alright, alright—I’ll accept it,” Amery said hesitantly. She immediately extended her arm toward Don Simeon.

“Good girl, grandchild,” he said with a smile as he fastened the bracelet onto her arm.

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

Brandon was silent as he watched his grandfather and Amery. He was even slightly impressed at how perfectly the jewelry suited the woman’s fair arm. Only now did he notice, up close, that her hands were indeed beautiful and incredibly soft.

“You man—what did you ever give your wife for her birthday?” Brandon’s face soured, and his hands clenched. He had given Amery nothing as a gift except their divorce papers. A surge of irritation welled up in him toward his ex-wife. He even thought that maybe she was secretly celebrating now, seeing as his grandfather seemed to favor her.

“Is there really no hope for you two?”

“There’s none, Grandpa. Brandon and I have decided to separate for good.”

Don Simeon exhaled in disillusionment, giving up hope that the two would ever reconcile.

“Okay, fine. Now that your decision is set in stone, there’s nothing more I can do. I have only one request… wait until my 80th birthday before you completely separate. That’s just a little more time,” pleaded Don Simeon in a tone of supplication.

“Grandpa, this is inappropriate,” protested Brandon.

“And why not? What do you think is appropriate for you? Bringing your mistress, Samantha, and parading her as your next wife?!” In his anger, Don Simeon even struck his bed.

“If you truly respect me and want me to live a long life, then stay away from that mistress, Samantha! I’m telling you, Brandon… I will never accept that woman, even if it costs me my life!”

---

Outside the door of the room, Samantha anxiously waited. She paced back and forth, occasionally stomping her foot on the floor.

"Calm down," said Señora Carmela, who was seated beside the door. "You're making me dizzy." She massaged her temples and closed her eyes. "You should be used to your Grandpa by now... You know he's treated you that way from the start. But don't mind that old man. What matters is that you have Brandon wrapped around your finger."

"Oh, Auntie. The problem is, as long as that old man is alive, Brandon will never be able to marry me." After speaking, Samantha quickly covered her mouth, afraid someone had overheard her.

"You know, he used to be like that with me too. But look at me now… He couldn't do anything, and your Uncle Emilio and I ended up happy together." Señora Carmela dramatically raised her newly done nail extensions. "Trust me, the old man will eventually get tired of being an obstacle. As long as my son is madly in love with you, do you really need to care about his father's anger?"

Señora Carmela's words managed to somewhat calm Samantha. Moments later, the door to Don Simeon's room opened. Her expression softened when she saw Avrielle and Brandon stepping out. However, her eyes widened in shock when she noticed Avrielle’s wrist.

She could clearly see the expensive jade bracelet, which she guessed was an heirloom of the Ricafort family!

Amery hadn’t been wearing anything like that earlier, so Samantha immediately concluded that Don Simeon must have given it to Avrielle while they were inside the room.

A surge of intense jealousy flooded Samantha. Because of that, an evil plan formed in her mind.

As she was about to approach the two, she pretended to twist her ankle and grabbed onto Avrielle's arm.

"Ahhh!"

Unfortunately for her, Avrielle quickly dodged, causing Samantha to fall flat on the floor.

And to Samantha’s shock, instead of Avrielle’s bracelet breaking, it was her own bracelet that shattered into pieces and scattered across the floor.