Chapter 3

Today was my birthday, yet he offered no blessings, only accusations the moment he saw me.

Noah followed close behind him upstairs, his expression equally displeased.

"I just tried to say hello to Mr. Hayes, and he completely ignored me. Have you been talking trash about my brother again?"

"You, Aria, living in your ivory tower, don't understand how hard we work. Liam never said he wouldn't marry you, so what's all this fuss about? You just cause trouble every single day!"

Liam finally remembered it was my birthday.

"Company meeting, lost track of time. Sorry for being late."

Noah scoffed.

"Liam, you say you're busy with work, and Aria will instantly offer you a blank check."

He mimicked my past self perfectly, dramatically handing an imaginary check to Liam.

"Just wanting you to spend time with me! How much is your project making? I'll double it, okay?"

Then, his face turned cold.

"Aria, we have our own work to do! Money isn't everything!"

Recalling my past doormat behavior, I took a deep breath.

"If you're so unhappy with me, you didn't have to come today. There's no need to make yourselves miserable, and I'm not so dense as to not notice."

Noah clutched his chest, his expression exaggerated.

"Oh, please, Aria! If we dared not celebrate your birthday today, Mr. Hayes would cut off our funds tomorrow! What are we, chopped liver? Do we look like we have that kind of guts?"

Liam, not wanting to completely burn bridges, softened his tone.

"Aria, I know you like me, and I'm willing to marry you. I just hope you won't use the Sterling family to threaten me anymore."

"Noah is my only brother. I'm begging you."

"Liam... don't say that..."

Liam's smile was bitter.

"Do you have any other choice?"

"It's fine. I'm your brother; sacrificing for the family is my duty."

Listening to his self-sacrificing words, one might think my family was some kind of monstrous threat.

It was laughable how ten years of my devotion earned me this look of suffering indignation.

A bitter ache filled my heart.

I didn't want to argue anymore and headed straight downstairs.

As I reached the grand hall, Seraphina approached, clutching a jar of handmade paper stars, carefully offering it to me.

"Aria, this is a gift I made myself. It's not expensive, but it's from my heart. Happy Birthday."

My gaze fell on her. The designer outfit she wore, worth thousands, had been bought with my secondary credit card.

I'd supported her for two years, and for my birthday, she gives me this worthless trinket, all while secretly trying to steal my fiancé.

My face instantly darkened.

"No thanks. I sponsored you for two years; you can find your own job after graduating. You don't need to stay with the Hayes family anymore. Or perhaps—"

Before I could finish, Seraphina's eyes reddened, and she clutched her clothes meekly.

"Aria, have I done something wrong? I apologize. Please don't be angry..."

The Sterling brothers immediately rushed forward, shielding her behind them, glaring at me.

"What do you want now? Seraphina only came to celebrate your birthday today!"

Since meeting Seraphina, they'd said the same thing countless times.

Two years ago, I took them to a community center to volunteer.

Liam spotted Seraphina in the crowd.

Having experienced his family's bankruptcy, he saw her as a kindred spirit and immediately felt sympathy.

He couldn't afford to sponsor Seraphina, so he subtly probed me.

"Aria, don't you think that girl reminds you of me back then?"

"She's an orphan, but her determined expression is just like mine."

"She's just not as lucky as I was to find someone to help her."

Liam was in a low mood then, and it was rare for him to talk to me so much.

To cheer him up, I immediately decided to bring Seraphina home and cover all her university expenses.

Soon after, she hand-folded a thousand paper cranes, saying it was to repay my kindness.

I was touched and displayed them in a glass cabinet.

My housekeeper, thinking the items were worthless, was about to throw them into the trash.

I stopped her just in time, but Liam snatched them away.

"What are you doing? Seraphina gave you these! Are you going to throw them away? How can you be so ungrateful?"

"Are worthless things just trash in your eyes? Are Noah and I also the same?"

Seraphina witnessed everything back then. I waited for her to explain for me.

Instead, she meekly said, eyes brimming with tears:

"It's okay. Aria uses all designer brands; my small gift is indeed too cheap."

I was about to question her when she suddenly knelt, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Aria, I'm already so grateful you helped me with my tuition. Please, don't argue because of me."

The more she explained, the more Liam disliked me.

"Just because your family is rich, you can act so high and mighty?"

"You sponsored Seraphina, but she's your equal, not your servant!"

I immediately lost my temper.

I pulled Seraphina up, wanting her to clarify things.

But somehow, the jar of paper cranes in my hand suddenly dropped and shattered.

I didn't see, and stepped right on a piece of glass.

The thin sole of my shoe was pierced, and blood gushed from my foot.

Seraphina instantly stood up, as if suffering immense humiliation, and shouted at me, her neck stiff:

"Even if you're rich, you can't just trample on my feelings like this! I'm a person too!"

Then she ran out crying.

Liam's face was darker than I had ever seen it.

"Are you satisfied now that you've caused such a scene?"

"Aria, you truly disgust me!"

Noah stood beside me, his eyes also filled with disappointment.

"What else do you have besides your dirty money?"

"Compared to Seraphina, you're not even worth a single strand of her hair!"