The Heir's Return

Chapter 5

The silence in the main lobby was now heavy and oppressive, as if all the oxygen had been sucked out. Everyone's eyes—wide, scornful, and bewildered—were locked on a single point. Sherly Edelweiss, the fallen paradise, who had just done the unthinkable.

Aleesha stared at her cousin as if seeing her for the first time. Her sweet mask cracked, revealing pure annoyance and disbelief. Beside her, the contempt on Javier's face froze, replaced by a complex, dark flicker.

Among all the Edelweiss girls, it was Sherly who had once truly caught his eye—beautiful, brilliant, and his equal. But fate had a cruel sense of humor. A car accident, and Sherly became a damaged asset. Javier couldn't marry a disabled woman. Aleesha was just a more practical, second choice.

"Sherly, you were always so emotional," Javier sneered, his tone sharp. "Perhaps that's why you weren't careful on the road that day."

It was a vicious low blow. Oliver's face turned as dark as a storm cloud. "Sherly, be quiet!" he commanded, his low voice thundering.

Javon himself was transfixed. He stared at the bank card Sherly held out, an ordinary-looking debit card, not the platinum credit cards that usually circulated in their circles.

The card felt heavier than a gold bar. Adam's apple bobbed, but no words came out. He remembered Sherly—the girl who was quieter than Aleesha, with eyes that always seemed to be thinking. He remembered debating business strategy with her in this very garden and being surprised by the sharpness of her mind. Seeing her now, fragile in a wheelchair, felt like a temporal dislocation.

Sherly took a deep breath, ignoring everyone's stares. She pushed the card closer to Javon. Her voice was soft, but every word carried the weight of steel. "These are my savings from over the years. There's only fifteen million. Consider it the first installment. I promise I will pay off the rest."

The act was a declaration. An affirmation before everyone that yes, the Edelweiss family owed a debt. And yes, we are not paying it.

It was an invisible slap that landed squarely on the patriarch's face. Oliver placed his palm flat on the table with a slow movement, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. "Rebellious child!" he hissed, his anger cold and controlled. "Leo, get your daughter out of here!"

Leo, Sherly's father, a man who had always lived in his brother's shadow, stepped forward with a pale, sweating face. But before he could touch the wheelchair, Aleesha laughed. A crisp, triumphant laugh.

"Wait," she said, her eyes gleaming with cunning. "Sherly, don't tell me... you have a crush on Javon?"

She walked closer, circling Sherly’s wheelchair like a shark. "Otherwise, why would you defend him so fiercely? Give him your life savings? You were even the one most excited about our engagement back then." Her smile widened. "I have a better idea. You want to pay his debt. Javon needs a wife, and I want to be with Javier. It's the perfect solution! You can be the family hero."

Every word was honey-laced poison. An offer designed to humiliate.

Leo was about to protest, his face flushing with horror. His brilliant daughter, even disabled, couldn't possibly be married off to an ex-convict.

But Sherly's voice came first.

"Fine."

The single word was spoken with quiet calm.

"I'll marry him."

The words exploded in the silence, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Everyone was stunned. Javon felt as if the ground beneath his feet had vanished. He had come to break an engagement, not to swap it.

Sherly lifted her head. Her once-dull eyes were now clear and defiant. There was even a faint smile on her lips—a smile that was fragile, beautiful, and heartbreaking. It was the smile of someone with nothing left to lose.

"Sherly, are you mad?!" her father cried out, trying to snatch the bank card from his daughter's hand.

"I'm perfectly aware, Father," Sherly said gently, pulling her hand back. "Since Aleesha is unwilling, let it be me." She glanced down at her wheelchair, a bitter smile on her face. "Besides, in my condition, who else would want to marry me?"

Javier looked away, a trace of regret and anger flashing in his eyes.

Clap! Clap!

Aleesha clapped her hands cheerfully, her cruelty no longer concealed. "Congratulations, Sherly! Congratulations on your marriage to... my leftovers." She bent down, whispering in Sherly's ear, "Everyone used to praise you for a few small projects. Now look at you. I'm the one who will take over the O'Conner Project. I will be the star. And you? You get the trash."

She giggled, drunk on her victory. "Oh, and after this project, Javier will introduce me to the important people at the O'Conner Project."

Hearing that name, Javon’s eyes narrowed. 'The O'Conner Project.'

The same nest of vipers that had swallowed Yuke. The evidence he had gathered in prison now felt like a burning brand in his mind. He glanced at the arrogant Aleesha and thought, 'Enjoy your sweet dream. I'll be the nightmare that wakes you up.'

Seeing she wasn't getting the reaction she wanted, Aleesha turned to her grandfather. "Grandfather, since Sherly has agreed, shall we announce this swap of engagements?"

Hearing this, Oliver looked at Sherly for a moment. He had already done the cold math in his head. A disabled granddaughter was a liability. Marrying her off to Javon would solve two problems at once: it would silence Javon's demands for the debt and dispose of a useless asset.

"Fine," Oliver said with a tone of finality. "This matter is settled. The media will be informed tomorrow."

He then looked at Javon, his gaze full of condescending warning. "Javon. Your family is not what it used to be. Our family, regardless of the past, is willing to continue this relationship. You should know what you ought to do."

The message was clear—Shut up and be grateful.

Javon ignored the patriarch, he ignored everyone. He strode forward, past a surprised Aleesha, and stopped in front of Sherly.

He said nothing. With a gentle motion, he took the bank card from Sherly's hand. Their fingertips brushed for a fraction of a second. A brief contact that felt like a pact.

Then, he looked straight into Oliver Edelweis's eyes.

"Fine," Javon said, his voice calm yet resonating with new power. "The engagement is transferred."

He paused, letting them savor their momentary victory, before adding, "But the terms... have changed."