"Grandpa, you are the wisest patriarch in the world!"
Bianca was the most ecstatic. She had practically been scared to death, thinking the old man was about to explode.
"Grandpa..."
Aurelia couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was shocked and utterly disappointed.
Caspian had always pampered his youngest granddaughter. Even though he could guess exactly what she was thinking, he maintained his warm demeanor. "Lia, do you have something to say?"
Aurelia glanced around the room before gathering the courage to meet Caspian's eyes. "Grandpa, I don't think you should indulge Vivienne like this. You didn't see it, but Julianne was..."
Caspian kept a gentle smile on his face. "Why should I care about someone else's granddaughter?"
"..." Aurelia faltered for a second. "Grandpa, we have to be reasonable, right? Julianne clearly just wanted to use the knife to scare her, but Vivienne deliberately orchestrated a malicious scheme. This whole incident happened because Vivienne's heart is in the wrong place!"
Getting worked up, Aurelia couldn't stop herself from pointing an accusing finger at Vivienne. "Grandpa, you always taught us to be kind to others and never abuse our power. If someone like her gets rewarded for this, does right and wrong even exist in the Ravenshire family anymore?"
Aurelia's question echoed through the room. She was so emotional that her body was faintly trembling.
Before Caspian could answer, Bianca snapped. She lunged forward and slapped Aurelia's hand down hard.
"Stop pointing your finger! Do you think being loud automatically makes you right?!"
Bianca hadn't held back. The sharp slap echoed in the room, leaving the back of Aurelia's hand completely numb.
"Hey! Bianca, no hitting."
Caspian rubbed his temples. Truth be told, Aurelia was usually the easiest child to manage in the family. She had always been obedient, sweet, and incredibly smart.
But she had one fatal flaw: her overflowing, misplaced kindness. And in their world, that was a liability.
Aurelia knew no one in the room agreed with her, but she simply couldn't understand why. Looking like an abandoned, helpless animal, she turned her teary eyes to Caspian.
"Grandpa, am I wrong? Am I really wrong? But... where did I go wrong?"
"Come here. Come to Grandpa."
Caspian beckoned her over, and Aurelia walked up to him slowly, her eyes rimmed with red.
"Lia, the world has many facets. It can't be simply divided into good and evil. Sympathizing with the weak isn't kindness; it's the greatest hypocrisy. I support your choice to be kind, but first, you need to understand what true kindness actually is."
By then, Aurelia was already pregnant. Preston's cruel abandonment left her reeling. She couldn't comprehend how the gentle, loving man she knew could turn into a monster overnight.
Unable to accept it, she used her unborn child as leverage, begging the Everhart patriarch for a legitimate title. But instead of a title, she received a highly explicit sex tape of herself with other men.
In the video, a heavily intoxicated Aurelia clung to different men, crying out Preston's name. The footage was high-definition, utterly degrading, and uncensored.
It was uploaded to Athelvia's most popular streaming platforms. Not only did the social elite see it, but every ordinary creep on the internet had a copy saved to their hard drive.
Crushed by the final straw, Aurelia jumped from the roof of the commercial tower Caspian had gifted her, ending her chaotic, tragic life.
Everyone believed Aurelia was a discarded pawn of the Ravenshire family, but Vivienne vividly remembered that it was Grandpa who personally collected her broken body.
Gently stroking Aurelia's bloodied face, Caspian had whispered in her ear:
"There are no abandoned pawns in the Ravenshire family. Since you loved him so much, Grandpa will send him down to keep you company. Don't be mad this time, or you'll blame Grandpa for being too cruel again."
He had looked just like he was coaxing a noisy, disobedient child.
...

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