My decision to walk away landed harder than either man expected. Mason’s jaw locked, and Adriel’s expression tightened.

Adriel’s voice cut through the air, taut with anger. "Luciana, what the hell are you playing at now? Mason's been worried sick, and Elianna's the one who got hurt. They're handing you a chance to own up, but you're too ungrateful to take it!"

In the past, I would've swallowed my feelings, slapped on a smile, and done everything to smooth things over with my brothers. But not tonight. Tonight, my gaze was colder than theirs, and my resolve was forged in iron.

Sensing the rising tension, Elianna stepped in as the peacemaker, all wide-eyed innocence as she gently tugged Adriel's sleeve. "Adriel, please don't be harsh with Luciana. She stepped in for me with Jonathan, and I don't blame her for it..."

Her words were gracious enough, but her face was a carefully crafted mask of mild grievance and quiet endurance.

"A swap is a swap, and taking someone's proposal is stealing. How can you even compare the two?" Mason cut in, his tone authoritative. "Besides, you chose to agree to Mom and Grandma's request to take her place. Elianna didn't know a thing, so it's not her fault. Elianna, you've got a heart of gold. Don't let Luciana walk all over you."

Adriel turned to comfort Elianna, his voice soft and reassuring. He reached out to pat her head, treating her with a tenderness that stood in stark contrast to the venom he'd just spit at me.

Elianna's face lit up with a winsome smile. "Adriel, I'm so glad you're here." Then, with a hint of hesitation, she added, "But Luciana is still family. She's just having a rough day."

Mason looked at Elianna's understanding demeanor, then shot a glance at my calm, defiant stance. Our eyes locked, and his displeasure was written all over his face.

"She's not having a rough day—she's just spoiled by her too-gentle little sister."

"Rude, bullying her own sibling, and talking back to her brothers—Luciana's completely lost her grip on decency."

"Luciana, no matter what, you're handing over Elianna's proposal USB today, or you're not setting foot out of here."

"Did you come back to pack your things?"

"Nothing here belongs to you. You won't take a single thing with you!"

Mason’s jaw tightened, disdain and simmering fury written across his face. He wasn't necessarily looking for a brawl; he just wanted me to lower my head and admit I was wrong. Wrong was wrong, and someone had to face the consequences.

But I couldn't be bothered with their drama. "Move it. Stop blocking the way like a pack of dogs!" I snapped, turning to head upstairs.

"Luciana, maybe you should just apologize to Mason? We're family, after all. Let's keep the peace..."

Seeing me move, Elianna hurried to grab my arm.

But I was already walking fast, and the hem of her long tailored silk dress caught under my step. She stumbled, and before she could hit the floor, Mason caught her.

Elianna let out a tiny gasp. "Ah! It hurts..."

"Luciana, I'm sorry—Mason and Adriel didn't mean to be harsh with you. If you're going to blame anyone, blame me..."

Adriel rushed over, crouching beside her to check her sprained ankle, his face tight with worry. "Elianna, I'm getting a doctor right now!"

He shot me a look full of pure venom, the so-called "troublemaker," and barked, "Luciana, haven't you done enough?"

"Apologize to Elianna!"

Elianna whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she played the victim, yet still managing to look pitifully noble. "Adriel, don't be mad at Luciana. I wasn't careful and twisted my ankle on my own."

"She's just still upset... she didn't mean it."

Her words grew more heartbreaking, and her act was flawless.

Adriel's fury spiked. He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist hard. "I said—apologize!"

I shook off his grip coldly, making him stumble back a step, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Apologize for what?"

"Is Elianna's sprained ankle my fault?"

A playful smirk tugged at my lips. I sauntered closer to Elianna, who was still being supported by Mason, a mischievous glint in my eyes.

"You brought this on yourself."

Then, right in front of everyone, I gave her ankle a sharp, deliberate kick.

A clean, echoing snap sliced through the air.

"That one's on me."

I smiled, calm as ever, my icy mask dropping to reveal a raw, audacious confidence and sheer defiance.

That kick set Mason and Adriel's blood to a boil.

Mason, who was closest, raised his hand to slap me, fury blazing in his eyes.

But before his palm could reach my face, a strong hand caught it mid-air.

Mason's hand froze just an inch from my cheek.

Then he was shoved backward with enough force to send both him and Elianna tumbling to the ground.

"Mrs. Perez, are you all right?"

Ahmir Oliver stood beside me, unshakeable as solid rock.

His imposing frame—nearly six foot three—was sculpted by years of boxing, his strength seemingly without limits.

He surveyed the room with a menacing glint in his eyes. "Mrs. Perez is part of the Perez family now. The Kellys don't get to push her around."

The intensity rolling off Ahmir made Elianna cling to Mason in fear.

Mason scrambled to shield her, his face pale with frustration.

Adriel's anger cooled a notch, but he still glared at me with barely concealed resentment, his eyes nearly bloodshot.

"No worries—accompany me upstairs to grab my sewing kit."

I replied coolly, not giving them a second glance.

My frame was slight, but it carried a rigid dignity. Even with blemished features, there was an undeniable, mysterious allure about me.

I might have looked delicate, but I stood there unshaken—self-possessed, isolated, and completely beyond their control.

Mason stared at my back, sensing something suddenly unfamiliar in the way I moved.

Adriel attended to Elianna's ankle, bitterness written all over his face.

Elianna watched me head upstairs, her light brown eyes darkening as realization began to sink in.

Upstairs, I found my room had been rummaged through.

My sewing kit lay sprawled across the bed, needles bent as if someone had set a careless trap meant to hurt me if I lay down.

Outside, housekeepers were watching suspiciously, led by Mrs. Harris—a woman who'd always fawned over Elianna. Her smug smile was a taunt in itself.

"Luciana, didn't you just get married? You tied the knot with that scarred, disabled loser."

"What, couldn't wait to bring another man home for fun on day two?"

Mrs. Harris sneered. She'd been waiting in the loft since the Perez car pulled into the Kelly estate.

She was relishing my downfall, having loved the days I sought approval from the Kellys and treated her well.

Now her mockery knew no bounds.

My gaze darkened. I closed the distance and clamped my hand around Mrs. Harris's neck, shoving her onto the bed—the one loaded with needles.

"Ahhhh!!"

Her scream tore through the Kelly mansion like a siren.

My smile thinned, all warmth draining from it. "Say that again."

"Jonathan Perez—what about him?"

My eyes gleamed with unsettling clarity. I leaned over the bed, my smile growing sweeter.

But Mrs. Harris's scalp prickled with pure dread.

In just one night, Luciana had changed.

Upstairs, the noise was impossible to ignore. Mason and Adriel exchanged frustrated glances—that same familiar irritation crawling up their spines.

Luciana causing trouble again!

With Elianna in tow, they hurried upstairs to find exactly what they expected: Luciana at the center of the chaos. Mrs. Harris was sprawled on the floor, pins jutting awkwardly from her back, blood streaking her skin, wailing dramatically, “Luciana, if you're upset, take it out on me. I'm just a housekeeper… please, don't take it out on Elianna… she's still so young…”

Mrs. Harris's face was etched with wrinkles, twisting into a pitiful mask as she played the devoted housekeeper protecting Elianna.

I stood by, glancing down at her with cold detachment—aloof, uninterested. A silver pin still clenched between my fingers.

The scene made Mason frown deeply. As the eldest brother, he was growing more and more disappointed in my rebellious streak.

“Luciana, haven't you caused enough trouble?”

“You can't get to Elianna, so you go after the woman who raised her? Are you trying to force me to kick you out of this family?”

His words were a thinly veiled warning. To him, being a Kelly meant polished manners, perfect optics, and never embarrassing the family in public.

Adriel instinctively shielded Elianna, glaring at me with hostility. “Luciana, have you lost your mind?”

“Mason, ever since Luciana married into the Perez family, people have been whispering that she's losing it. I heard all six other brides went mad or ran off. What if she's under some kind of curse?”

His brows knit as he cast a complicated look my way—a flicker of pity, quickly snuffed out when Elianna tugged at his sleeve.

“Mason, is sister acting out because they treat her badly at the Perez estate?” Elianna's pale face peeked out from behind Adriel, her voice a sweet blend of grievance and resilience.

I casually tucked the undamaged silver pin back into its case, completely unfazed by Elianna's mention of “our family.”

The Kelly estate was never home to me. I had no more longing for family ties.

I met Mason’s gaze head-on. “Fine, kick me out if you want—but I want a severance!”

“From now on, Luciana Crawford has no ties to the Kelly family. I renounce the Kelly name, and you are all dead to me.”

Our parents and the other brothers reached the doorway just in time to overhear my resolute words, and their faces darkened.

Grey stared at me in disbelief, stunned by my decisiveness. He tried to grab my wrist, but I sidestepped his grasp with cool precision.

“Luciana, what nonsense are you talking? It was just one night of standing in for Elianna. Do you have to be this mad?”

“I heard Jonathan Perez is disabled and all the previous brides ran off, so no one's going to miss you. Just treat it like a bad dream and keep living with us—isn't that better?”

Oblivious to my rejection, Grey kept edging closer. His eyes were bright, skin fair, and his dimples deepened when he smiled—easy college-boy charm.

As a college sophomore, Grey was two years behind because of failing grades, so he was now in the same year and class as me. He was always relying on me to cover for his screw-ups at home and school.

Seeing my dismissive attitude, Adriel's patience snapped.

In his wheelchair, Rue surveyed the messy room, his expression chilling. Disappointment weighed down his voice. “Luciana, you're being unreasonable.”

“For years, anything Elianna had, you had too. What more could you possibly want?”

Rue had survived a car accident two years ago, leaving him with crippled legs. Though various specialists said there was no hope, recently he'd been feeling faint sensations—a glimmer of recovery.

Those changes came after Elianna started massaging his legs every night...

Mother nodded in agreement, her eyes full of reproach as she looked at me. “Luciana, I heard you stole the business proposal Elianna prepared for Mason's company, and now you're taking it out on Mrs. Harris? How could I have raised a child like you?”

Father's face soured even more. His gaze fixed on my blemished features, agitation building. This little disaster had brought nothing but misfortune to the Kelly family ever since she was brought back!

But since she was his own flesh and blood, he furrowed his brow and spoke harshly, “Luciana, return that USB to Elianna and apologize to her and Mrs. Harris. I'll let your careless words slide.”

“Otherwise, you're free to leave!”

Father believed he was giving me an out. Confess, beg for forgiveness, and I'd still be their daughter.

Refusing would just prove that this little jinx never learned her lesson and didn't deserve the good things in life!

I laughed coldly. In my past life, those words might have stung—might have pushed me to apologize and smooth things over. But now? It didn't matter.

I straightened my back, my gaze steady and unflinching. “I've done nothing wrong.”

“I won't apologize!”

“Since the whole family is here, let's make things clear. In the four years I've been with the Kellys, my expenses were all charged to Grandpa's card. I'll repay him directly—it's none of your business.”

“I won't take a single thing the Kellys gave me. We're done here. Goodbye!”

With one last cold glance at the disheveled Mrs. Harris, I tossed a voice recorder to the floor and turned to leave.

That move immediately challenged Father's authority, sending him into a fury. “Such insolence!”

“If you leave, don't you dare think about coming back!”

To Father, I was penniless, with no connections—and the Perez family would never accept me either.

He expected me to hit rock bottom and come crawling back on my own!

Ignoring his impotent rage, I clutched a second recorder and the USB, quickening my pace.

“Luciana, stop being unreasonable. It's just an apology to Elianna. Why are you making this life or death?” Grey frowned, confused, trailing behind me—only to be blocked by Ahmir's towering six-foot-three frame.

Helpless, he watched me stride confidently away, my bearing as cool and upright as ever…

Inside the room, the recorder played Mrs. Harris's malicious slanders loud and clear, leaving the whole family facing an ugly, uncomfortable truth.

They had misunderstood me!

But Luciana was so unreasonable—ready to sever family ties over something so trivial. Did she expect them to beg her to come back?

They refused to enable that kind of behavior!

Mrs. Harris scrambled to her feet, pleading, “Sir, ma'am, I only meant to warn Luciana about being too close to shady men—all for the family's reputation.”

“I never imagined she'd retaliate so viciously. How can an old woman like me endure this…”

Tears streamed down her face as she wailed. Despite the bent pins, they were still painfully embedded in her skin.

Mason's face went pale, his knuckles trembling. Had he misjudged Luciana?

Yet pride held him back from acknowledging the gnawing guilt in his gut.

It didn't matter. Luciana wouldn't stay angry.

Just like always, even without an apology, she'd come back eventually!

The same thought flickered through the others' eyes. Silently, they blamed Luciana for bringing an outsider upstairs, provoking Mrs. Harris's misunderstanding, and triggering this whole mess.

Mother, unwilling to punish Mrs. Harris—who had raised Elianna since childhood—sighed, “Mrs. Harris, you did nothing wrong.”

“Luciana is just too sensitive.”

Who would ever defend a disfigured, disabled man? How disgraceful.

Elianna's brow furrowed slightly, but then her eyes caught sight of the USB that I'd “carelessly” left on the vanity. A flicker of intrigue sparked inside her.

She moved closer, clutching Mother's arm, and soothed softly, “Mom, sister isn't bad. She'll come home once her anger cools.”

“See, she left the USB behind for me.”

Noticing the USB, relief washed over the family's faces. They were convinced Luciana had realized her mistake.

Surely, she'd be back home soon!