After All the Hurt, She Chose Herself novel Chapter 278

"But I never expected them to pay it and then keep the marriage a secret. They didn't want anyone knowing about Gideon and Aria, so the dowry just... faded into the background."

What a beautifully crafted excuse.

Aria couldn't help but scoff.

"So, you took millions in dowry money without my knowledge and pocketed it yourself, is that right?"

"Roxanne, you forced me to pay thirty million, and I accepted that. But now I find out you were extorting people in my name. I absolutely will not let this go!"

Roxanne bit her lip. "Three years ago, you were still legally my daughter. Asking my in-laws for a dowry is hardly extortion."

Aria was so furious she almost laughed.

She had heard of greedy relatives bleeding orphans dry, but to experience it firsthand was a whole new level of audacity.

"Since that's your stance, I'll see you in court!"

Roxanne's breathing grew heavy.

"The evidence of you murdering Lilith is overwhelming. If you want to sue me, you'll have to wait until you get out of prison. But with a murder charge, do you really think you'll ever see the outside world again?"

Charles looked appalled.

"Roxanne, do you hear yourself? The cause of Lilith's death hasn't even been confirmed, and you've already decided Aria is the killer?"

"Whether Aria pursues this or not, the Evernight family won't tolerate it," Raphael said, his voice cold and commanding.

"I'll give you three days to return the money. Otherwise, we'll see you in court as well."

The color drained entirely from Roxanne's face.

She had spent almost all of it. How was she supposed to scrounge up millions of dollars in three days?

"That was dowry money! Are you trying to back out of the marriage now? Do you think you can just use Aria for three years and walk away scot-free?"

Her words were incredibly vulgar.

Aria's expression darkened. Roxanne didn't see her as a human being; she saw her as a piece of merchandise.

He looked at Aria. If she just asked for his help, he wouldn't care about the public backlash. He would never let her suffer like this.

But Aria wasn't even looking at him.

She was tapping away on her phone, entirely focused on whatever she was doing.

She had outgrown her need for him a long time ago.

Because she knew that even if she begged for his help, his only solution would be asking her to compromise.

Aria had always been a woman of action. She texted her lawyer the basic details and instructed them to draft a lawsuit against Roxanne immediately.

Raphael contacted his legal team as well.

Once the lawsuits were filed, Roxanne would be hit with two massive legal battles at once.

She might have been able to handle Aria with the Rowan family's backing, but the Evernight family's legal team had never lost a case.

And since the two cases were fundamentally linked, losing the Evernight lawsuit meant she had zero chance of winning against Aria.