Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 109

Lennon, Susan, and Hollis were chatting in the main house.

Nadine realized she'd left her purse in the car, so she tugged Seren along and headed out to fetch it.

As they rounded the side gate, they nearly collided with the Swain brothers coming in from outside.

"What are you two doing here? Didn't I tell you already—there's no memorial today," Nadine said, frowning instinctively at the sight of them, as if they were unwelcome guests.

Swain ignored Nadine completely and strode straight over to Seren.

"Seren, why didn't you answer my messages?" he demanded.

Seren didn't reply, but Swain didn't seem to care. He just kept talking.

"Look, I brought you something special," he said, producing an elegant gift box. He flipped it open to reveal an exquisite bracelet, its surface shimmering with color and light.

"This is a Mars limited edition. It cost four million. I was going to buy that painting, *The Shadowed Oak*, for you, but honestly, that's just a piece of paper—nowhere near this valuable. So, I picked this out for you instead."

Swain beamed at Seren, clearly expecting her to accept his gift—and his apology—after all the effort and money he'd spent.

"I don't want it," Seren said flatly. "I don't care how much it's worth."

She looked at the bracelet with utter indifference. "You think *The Shadowed Oak* is just a piece of paper? Well, to me, that bracelet in your hand is nothing but worthless junk."

Her words were cutting and left no room for misunderstanding.

There was a time when Seren would have agreed with whatever Swain said, right or wrong, out of respect for him as her older brother. But now, things had changed. Swain was no longer her brother, at least not in any way that mattered.

She didn't owe it to anyone to swallow her pride and go along with his ideas anymore.

Nadine made a face on the sidelines and couldn't resist twisting the knife. "Even I know what Seren likes, and I'm just her cousin. You're supposed to be her big brother, and you don't even have a clue."

Swain's face stiffened. He didn't get angry, but the shame was clear.

The truth was, he knew exactly what Seren liked. He just never thought it was worth anything, and he'd spent years trying to force his own ideas onto her.

Somewhere along the line, he'd convinced himself he always knew best.

"Even if you don't like it, it's still a heartfelt gift from your brother. How can you just turn it down?" Slater spoke up, unable to hide his irritation at Seren's attitude toward Swain. "You could learn a thing or two from Carla. She'd never behave like this."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify