Chapter 9

Giselle stopped in her tracks as a flash of mockery in her eyes quickly passed. The way Harrison spoke made it seem like she was nothing more than a commodity in a marketplace. It was time for a clearance sale, and everything should be sold off. Even though she told herself not to be sad, Giselle's heart still ached in waves, and her eyes started to water. Perhaps she wasn't ruthless enough, after all. She still had some unwarranted expectations for Harrison in her heart. She overestimated herself! In the eyes of Harrison, she was worth less than a mere commodity. "Hah!" Giselle sneered. "How could there be such a 'good' father like you in this world?" Knowing that the Canfield family was a pit of fire, he still pushed her into the flames. "Didn't you always want the 'Blossom Avenue'? As long as you agree to the marriage, Blossom Avenue will be your dowry," said Harrison. His face twisted with displeasure. Giselle still smiled, but her eyes turned red. Her throat felt dry and her voice was hoarse with anger, "Why should I? Blossom Avenue was left to me by my mother, so it's already my dowry in the first place." Harrison's expression suddenly changed, turning ashen as he was about to rebuke her. Giselle stormed out of the hospital room, slamming the door behind her and not once looking back. She was so furious and devastated. Plus, her throat felt dry and raw, and her eyes were painfully swollen. Giselle was so worked up that she ended up passing out right there in the hospital. When she woke up, Harper was sitting by her side. Giselle was stunned for a moment before asking, "How long have I been asleep?" Harper sighed lightly, "Hey, Giselle, you haven't been keeping up with your meds lately, have you?" Giselle nodded lightly. Harper looked at her with concern. "But looking at your current state, I'm afraid your body has developed resistance to the medication. If you can't control your emotions, it might cause problems." No one in the Hawk family knew about Giselle's illness. Giselle sat up and stared out the window in a daze. After a while, she chuckled lightly, "Harrison probably wants to drive me to death, just like how they drove my mom to death." Harper had known Giselle for many years, and she was aware of many things about her family. Giselle's mother was driven to death by Harrison's mistress. She jumped off a building. But even after she was gone, what difference would it make? After her mother died, the mistress took over and Giselle had to grow up in a family where she was always scared and careful. There was no care, no nurturing, and only left herself. Harper hugged her with concern and asked, "Giselle, what are you going to do?" Giselle snapped out of her daze, got off the hospital bed, and resumed her carefree demeanor. "What's there to be afraid of? Isn't there still Maverick?" Harper felt that she was perhaps a little too naive. She adjusted her glasses and said, "Well, Maverick is not as sentimental as you think." She often reminded Giselle that Maverick hadn't had any sincere feelings toward her and was just playing around. Giselle just laughed it off every time. Steward and Maverick grew up together as brothers. After spending so many years with Steward, Harper had a good understanding of Maverick. He was a person who was cold-hearted and aloof. His ways were ruthless. Maverick once had a girlfriend during his university years, whom he claimed was his first love. When things were good, he doted on her like a precious treasure. He could fulfill whatever unreasonable demand she requested. But once he stopped loving someone, he would not bother how pitifully the girl begged him. He would not be convinced by whatever means used to get his heart. Harper was worried that Giselle would get caught up in it and advised her to sober up and not waste any time. But Giselle didn't believe in such things. She couldn't believe that Maverick would be so ruthless to her. "No. He won't just abandon me." Giselle spoke with great confidence. Of course, whether or not she would be proven wrong later, she was currently too lazy to think about it. Anyway, she had an inexplicable self-confidence in herself. She simply refused to believe that Maverick would stand by and watch her being forced to marry Vincent.