Chapter 34

"Since it was my first time visiting all of you, l brought these gifts. I hope you all like them." Rising from her chair, Brinley signaled the servants to pass the gifts around. "For Westley, an oil painting. Briseis loves scarves-this one's this year's limited release.Byron and Ryder each get a set of..."

Carolyn shot up with a theatrical gasp, hands flying to her cheeks. "Oh my gosh, Brinley-you are really generous!"

With a mild turn of the head, Ryder sent her a measured look, his tone even yet pointed. "Since it's your first visit, Brinley, you've been very thoughtful to prepare these gifts.But..."

Dragging out the word, he let the silence settle before he continued, "These gifts cost a fortune,right? Austin may be running the company now and hardly short on cash, but our family has always preached restraint. Your extravagance could draw unwanted criticism if people hear about it."

At once, Carolyn cut in, "Exactly, Brinley, you ought to be prudent with money. How could you be so careless? And isn't it Austin's money you're burning?"

From the couch, Brinley listened to their criticism of her, a cold smile ghosting at the corner of her mouth.

They saw her as an easy target, someone they could lash out at to make Austin look bad.

Resolved, Brinley lifted her handbag, slid out a stack of printed pages, and set them on the coffee table."Ryder, Carolyn, how about you take a look at these?"

Attention snapped to the neatly stacked papers,curiosity humming through the room.

In a crisp, steady tone, Brinley announced, "I chose every gift myself, and yes, they weren't cheap. I paid for them with my own money-none of it came from Austin."

With a light tap of her fingertip, she indicated the documents. "Here are the itemized gift list, the matching receipts, and my bank statements. Go ahead and verify them."

Corbett reached for the list first. As his eyes skimmed the columns, his brows knitted tighter until he drew a sharp breath. "Hold on-this painting is the one from last month's auction?"

"Yes," Brinley replied with a small nod. "I'd heard Westley is into paintings, so l made sure to bid on that one."

A stunned edge roughened Corbett's voice. "We're talking thirty-two million for this painting!"

Most of them didn't truly grasp art, yet they felt the price tag humming off the painting.

Gasps cracked through the room.

Refusing to accept it, Carolyn snatched the itemized list and the bank statements, running a finger down each line.

Rows of figures-some in the hundreds of thousands,others pushing into the millions-drove her to the final tally.

These gifts totaled forty-eight million seven hundred thousand!

Color drained from her face as the sheets slid from her grip and fluttered across the floor.

"No way," she snapped. "This was an arranged marriage-why would you torch that much money?"

"If you doubt me, feel free to look into it yourself."Brinley's voice stayed steady, yet it carried a steel edge of authority. "Back then I broke with my family,almost cutting ties completely, but I didn't sit around doing nothing. I've built up plenty over the years.Using my own savings to buy gifts for my husband's family-tell me, what's wrong with that?"

The living room went utterly still, the weight of her words settling over them like a heavy veil.

Carolyn's lips parted as if to fire back, but nothing came out.

She had hoped to embarrass Brinley, but instead,she ended up embarrassing herself.

Westley's eyes lingered on Brinley, a flicker of intrigue glinting in his expression.

From his chair, Byron studied her calm face, his features giving nothing away.

With the receipts squared into a neat stack, Brinley let a courteous smile return. "I know you can afford anything you want, but these gifts are personally selected for each of you because you are Austin's family. I am standing on my own feet-with a career and savings. Austin didn't pay a dime for any of these gifts."

A beat ticked by as her gaze swept over Carolyn and Corbett, her tone turning cold. "Carolyn, since you feel the gifts are over the top, I'll come empty- handed next time."

Carolyn found no retort; instead she cut a glare toward Corbett, pinning the mess on his loose talk.

Silence seeped back into the room. The Moores hadn't imagined the soft-spoken Brinley carried that kind of edge.

Wealth and confidence wove through those few lines,leaving Ryder and his family completely embarrassed by her retort.

His fingers stilled on the tabletop, Westley's gaze warming with quiet admiration as he stayed on the sidelines, watching rather than weighing in.

With a soft cough to cut the strain, Byron tried to smooth things over. "Brinley, thank you for your gift."

Across the room, Ryder and Carolyn looked stormy,their features set in dark, unyielding lines.

Ryder had tried to put Brinley on the spot to humiliate Austin, but his plan backfired spectacularly when he was outmaneuvered. The quiet broke when Westley finally stepped in, his tone calm yet commanding. "That's enough, Ryder.Why are you being so harsh with Austin's wife?Careful-you might spook her."

Though his words carried the edge of a rebuke, they subtly offered Ryder and his family an escape, all while making his support for Brinley unmistakable.

Ryder dipped his head in a quick nod. "I shouldn't have said that." He turned to Brinley, voice easing."Don't take it to heart,Brinley."

Carolyn also stretched a smile so stiff it read as a grimace.

Without offering a word, Brinley gave a small nod,letting the air settle as though the earlier storm had already blown past.