“What kind of behavior is this?” he snapped. “An uncle and his step niece acting like this in front of everyone? Have you lost all sense of shame?”
Argus’s face turned cold instantly, and he let go of Celine’s hand, though not willingly.
“Why did you call us back?” he asked flatly. “What do you want with me and Dahlia?”
Grandpa let out a cold breath. “Of course it’s about your marriage.”
My heart skipped.
“You’ve been together for five years,” he continued, his voice firm. “It’s time to make it official.”
I froze.
Marriage?
“With everything arranged,” he went on, tapping his cane against the floor, “one month from now, you and Dahlia will register your marriage and hold the wedding. No more delays.”
The room went silent. Celine’s face turned pale instantly, like all the color drained out of her.
I couldn’t even process what I was hearing.
Marriage? After everything? Did he really think this could fix anything?
“No,” Argus said suddenly, his voice sharp and decisive. “I don’t agree.”
The word hit like a slap. And somehow… It still hurts.
Grandpa didn’t hold back.
His cane came down hard against Argus’s back. “You ungrateful child!" he snapped, voice shaking with anger. “You were the one who insisted on being with Dahlia back then. You stood in front of your parents’ graves and promised you’d give her a good life. So what is this now?”
I lowered my eyes.
“You dragged this out year after year,” he continued, breathing heavier. “Five years. Five whole years. How much longer are you planning to waste her life?”
Five years.
I stood there quietly, but memories still came back whether I wanted them or not.
There was a time… when things weren’t like this.
Even someone like Argus, cold and ruthless, used to hesitate because of me. He used to ask what I thought before making decisions.
Once, I told him to stop hurting people. Just casually, just because I didn’t like it. And he actually let go of someone who tried to kill him. After that, everyone knew he had a weakness.
Me.
When I had a high fever for days, barely conscious, he went up into the mountains himself just to pray for me. I didn’t even know until later.
And when I mentioned I liked white roses… he filled the entire villa garden with them.
I thought those things meant something.
But later… those same flowers were renamed after Celine.
Just like everything else.