Chapter 3

Bidding on blank checks meant that no matter how high the price went, Harrison would outbid it by another million dollars. He was determined to win "Love" at any cost. Scarlett's face went pale. "Harrison." Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Do you really have to do this? I've never asked you for anything before. But please, I'm begging you this time. Let me have my mom's piece." Livia had told her about this porcelain sculpture so many times. It was the one thing Scarlett had spent years trying to get back. But Harrison's expression remained indifferent. "Sorry. Hazel likes it." Scarlett's hand slowly dropped. Even though she had inherited a fortune from her parents, she couldn't outbid Harrison's wealth. In the end, "Love" was placed in Hazel's hands. "Thank you, Uncle Harry! I love it so much!" Hazel beamed as she accepted the sculpture, only for it to slip from her grasp. The porcelain hit the floor with a sharp clatter, shattering into pieces. Livia's most cherished piece was gone just like that. Scarlett picked up the broken shards with red-rimmed eyes, carefully carrying them home. She sat down and began piecing them back together. She had barely formed the outline when a maid approached her. "Ms. Yeager, Ms. Sloane is here. She's kneeling at the gate, begging for your forgiveness. She said she won't get up unless you go out and tell her personally that you forgive her." Scarlett didn't even look up. "I don't want to see her." After a while, heavy rain poured from the sky. Harrison stormed into Yeager Manor, his expression thunderous. "Scarlett Yeager! Don't you think you're taking this too far?" The man who was always composed now burned with anger. "Hazel has been kneeling out there for an hour! All you have to do is step outside and tell her you forgive her. Is that so hard?" Scarlett's hands, carefully positioning the fragments, finally stilled. "She chose to kneel," she said coldly. "She destroyed my mom's piece. Why should I forgive her?" "You—" Harrison was furious. But before he could lash out, his assistant, Patrick Hampton, rushed in. "Mr. Steele! Ms. Sloane just fainted!" "What?" Harrison's expression darkened completely. When he looked up and saw Scarlett still calmly piecing the fragments together, his anger boiled over. With a fierce sweep of his hand, he sent the nearly reconstructed porcelain crashing to the floor. "Scarlett, you're heartless!" After saying that, he stormed out without looking back and scooped Hazel into his arms from the pouring rain. As Scarlett stared at the wreckage on the floor, the tears she had been holding back finally fell. Heartless? She had chased after him for years, hoping for just a sliver of his attention. And what had she gotten in return? A tragic death in her last life and cruelty in this one. Who, exactly, was the heartless one? Scarlett wiped her tears and bent down to collect what little remained of Livia's piece. "Harrison, I won't love you anymore. Not even a little," she thought. Determined to sever all ties, Scarlett packed every gift Harrison had ever given her and sent them back to the Steele residence. Not that those gifts had ever truly been from him. Each time, it had been his parents forcing him to send something, and he had Patrick buy them on his behalf. The only exception was the Steele family's heirloom emerald pendant. It was too valuable to simply mail back. Scarlett decided to return it to Harrison in person. But when she arrived outside Hazel's ward, she unexpectedly heard Hazel's voice. "Uncle Harry, please don't be so good to me. I'm afraid I'll get too used to it. When you get married, I won't know how to handle it." Through the glass on the door, Scarlett saw Harrison's expression soften with affection. He reached out instinctively, as if about to pull Hazel into his arms. But he stopped himself. Instead, his hand landed gently on her head. His gaze was filled with suppressed emotion. "Don't be silly. Even after I'm married, I'll always take care of you." Hazel's eyes lit up. But Harrison continued, "I told you. You can think of me as your real uncle. I'll look after you for life." Disappointment flickered in Hazel's eyes as she lowered her head. "Oh, just an uncle," she murmured. "But Uncle Harry, once you have children of your own, what will I be to you, then?" "That won't happen." Harrison's response was immediate. "I will never have children with Scarlett." Hazel froze. "Why?" Harrison looked at her, something unreadable in his gaze. "I've already arranged for long-term birth control. After Scarlett and I marry, she'll take it daily. We won't have children. "Hazel, I'll always be your uncle. And one day, everything I have will be yours. So, don't worry, alright?"