In Oliver Edelweis's cloudy eyes, there now shone the sharp glint of a merchant calculating profits and losses. The decision was made, and his face hardened into a mask of indisputable authority. The other members of the Edelweiss family showed varied expressions—relief, anxiety, disgust—but no one dared to object. The patriarch's word was law.
Aleesha clung tighter to Javier's arm, a victorious smile painted on her lips. "It's settled then," she said in a sweet, mocking tone. "My dearest Sherly can't wait. Haha, an ex-convict and a disabled woman. Truly a match made in heaven!"
"Aleesha!" Oliver feigned a scolding, tapping his jade cane on the floor.
"I'm not wrong, am I, Grandfather?" Aleesha lifted her chin, growing even bolder. "They're both family burdens. Isn't that what you call compatible?"
The people around them looked down, but the sideways glances they shot toward Javon and Sherly said everything. They agreed.
Sherly lowered her head slightly, her face as calm as a lake's surface. But under the thin blanket covering her lap, her fingers gripped the fabric of her pants tightly, her knuckles white from holding back the turmoil within.
"This marriage," Javon said suddenly, his voice cutting through Aleesha's laughter. He stepped forward, standing right beside Sherly's wheelchair, becoming her invisible shield. "I agree to it."
Before anyone could respond, he continued, his tone shifting from resignation to steel. "But that doesn't change anything. The hundred-million debt must still be paid."
"Is there something wrong with your brain?" Aleesha shrieked. "Still thinking about money?"
Oliver snorted coldly. "Sherly will marry you. The debt will be considered her dowry. Don't push your luck."
"A dowry?" Javon almost laughed. The guilt he had briefly felt for Aleesha had now evaporated without a trace. The woman didn't deserve it. Now, there were no more emotions. This was purely a transaction.
"A dowry is a dowry," Javon said, a thin smile on his lips. "That is the price for the honor of a woman like Sherly. She deserves the best. But a debt is a debt." He looked straight at Oliver. "And if your memories are hazy, I can refresh them."
He paused, his gaze sweeping the room before stopping on a small CCTV camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling. "I've always admired the security system in this house. So advanced. Capable of recording images and sound with such clarity, even private conversations about an 'urgent loan'."
The threat was veiled, but its impact was immediate. The air in the room tensed again. No written contract, but a recording? That changed everything.
Oliver's face flushed a deep red. Reputation was everything, especially with the O'Conner Project at stake. Being humiliated in front of Javier was the last thing he wanted. "We're family," he growled, forced to swallow his pride. "That much cash can't be prepared in an instant. Fifty million for now..."
"Agreed," Javon cut in quickly, giving him no room to maneuver. "Installments. I won't even charge interest for the five-year delay. The remaining fifty million in one month."
Aleesha looked like she was about to explode. But Javier suddenly let out a small laugh, stepping forward as if to play peacemaker. "It's alright, Mr. Edelweis. Let me cover it. Consider it my wedding gift to them."
He looked at Javon, his eyes sparkling with friendliness, but his smile didn't reach them. "Sooner or later, we're all family, aren't we?"
Javon felt a chill run down his spine. This man was a smiling tiger. But he didn't care what his game was, as long as the money was returned.
After agreeing that the transfer would be made within seven days, Javon turned. Without another word, he began to push Sherly's wheelchair toward the exit. That simple act was a statement more powerful than words. He was no longer an uninvited guest; he was this woman's guardian.
As soon as Javon left the villa, Oliver dismissed the other guests. Aleesha immediately started whining. "Grandfather, why did you really give him the money? How dare he threaten us! Do you actually believe he has a recording?"
Before Oliver could answer, Javier wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Calm down, darling," he whispered softly. "A hundred million is a steep price for a cockroach."
Oliver glanced at him. "A cockroach can be stepped on."
Javier smiled, a smile that would make one's skin crawl. "Of course. And I have very good shoes. That money is only for him to see, not for him to enjoy."
***
Javon pushed Sherly's wheelchair away from the grand house, toward the silence of the garden under the shade of the cherry blossom trees. The scent of flowers and the gentle burble of a fountain became an ironic soundtrack to the drama that had just unfolded.
"That money... I will pay it back," Sherly said softly, breaking the silence. "I may have lost my legs, Javon, but I haven't lost my mind. This debt is my debt, and my honor is the only thing I have left. I will help you, not as a burden, but as a partner."
A light blush colored her cheeks as she said it, revealing the fragility beneath her fortitude. Javon stopped pushing. He looked at the woman before him—the woman who had risked everything for a principle. A sincere respect grew in his heart.
He crouched in front of the wheelchair, looking directly into Sherly's eyes. His gaze then lowered to the legs covered by the thin blanket.
"Our partnership," Javon said, his voice low and steady, "Begins with a healing."
Sherly's heart pounded.
"Your legs," Javon continued, and in his eyes was an absolute conviction that defied logic. "I can heal them."
Sherly's breath hitched. Her once-weary eyes now widened, filled with shock and a painful glimmer of hope.
"Wh-what...?"
Could she really stand again?