Chapter 302

Chapter 302:

Nellie remained silent, smoothly combining the contents of both glasses before separating them again with practiced precision. She took a sip, then met Janice’s gaze with a challenging arch of her brow. “Does this satisfy your concerns about its safety?”

Janice remained unmoved, her voice cool and measured. “Give me a compelling reason to accept.”

A shadow crossed Nellie’s features as she lowered her voice. “While Sierra’s association with you has stirred the family’s wrath, I must acknowledge the kindness you’ve shown her these past days. This drink stands as a sister’s gesture of gratitude, nothing more.”

“A fair proposition,” Janice replied with the ghost of a smile, finally accepting the offered glass.

Leah’s and Sierra’s faces contorted with barely concealed alarm at her acceptance, their protests rising to their lips only to be quelled by Janice’s warning glance.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed to slits as he watched Janice drink, his fingers unconsciously tightening around his bracelet until his knuckles whitened.

Janice drained her wine glass with deliberate slowness, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow rising as she placed it on the table with a soft clink. “Miss Ramirez, while I value your gratitude and accept your thanks, there’s something crucial you need to understand.”

“I’m all ears.” Nellie’s gaze lingered on the empty glass, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Sierra deserves autonomy over her own destiny.” Janice’s voice carried the quiet authority of absolute conviction. “As Leah expressed earlier—Sierra is her friend, and Leah would protect her. And I would protect Sierra too.”

A flicker of anguish crossed Nellie’s features before she masked it, bitterness seeping through her carefully maintained composure.

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The irony wasn’t lost on her—how she bore the crushing weight of familial expectations while Sierra found herself cocooned in others’ protection, their defiance of the family’s wishes shielding her like armor. What made Sierra so deserving of such devotion? Nellie was the family’s crowning achievement: intellectually superior, multi-talented, and impeccably educated. She’d worn the mantle of the golden child, basking in universal admiration.

Yet here she stood, shackled by obligation, while her younger sister, who’d never quite measured up, soared free. More galling still were the champions who rallied to preserve Sierra’s freedom.

Nellie’s attention turned to Sierra, who stood at Janice’s side, her eyes sparkling with unmistakable trust and reverence.

The sight twisted like a knife in her chest. She struggled to recall when Sierra had last regarded her with such warmth and pride. Only one memory surfaced—Sierra at twelve, mesmerized by her masterful piano performance. The pure admiration in her sister’s eyes then had filled Nellie with a glow she could still feel echoing through the years.

“I hear you,” Nellie finally said, forcing a smile while fighting back the constriction in her throat. “But I’m powerless against my family’s mandates. Whatever Sierra’s fate may be, I hope you won’t place the blame at my feet.”

Janice’s eyes sharpened to steel points as she studied Nellie. Something about this sudden show of submissiveness was not right.

She had anticipated Delilah’s presence at the event as a direct challenge—a calculated move to cause trouble for her. Yet with Delilah now dispatched, the evening should have settled into peaceful waters.

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