Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 691

Bella understood immediately. Was Sebastian implying that she didn't have a dowry as large as Lillian's?

Bella grew frantic. "Sebastian…"

The way she said his name was tinged with a mix of grievance and anger.

Sebastian continued, "Let's not even talk about the shares and properties from the Mercer family, or the shares and properties from my parents.

"The one-billion-dollar engagement gift my parents gave her—Lillian didn't spend a single cent of it before the divorce.

"The jewelry they gave her, you saw it just now, she returned that too.

"As for the dowry she brought from the Mercer family, just looking at the antiques, I may not be an expert, but I can make a rough estimate. They’re worth seven or eight hundred million dollars.

"The other items are worth at least another hundred million.

"Then there’s the portion that Mr. Mercer and Brandon have now taken back, which is valued at another one or two hundred million, and that's not even counting appreciation.

"On top of all that, there are the jewelry sets Lillian took with her, and the ring she took back from me…

"I don't know how much that ring is worth, but since it's a Lancaster family heirloom, its value can't be insignificant.

"So, Lillian's dowry was worth billions of dollars.

"Are you telling me you want to follow that precedent?"

Instantly, Sebastian's words left Bella speechless.

Billions of dollars for a dowry?

Where was she supposed to get that kind of money?

So far, her only dowry was a large, high-rise condo, and its value was only in the tens of millions. And even that condo was currently mortgaged to loan sharks.

Besides, even if the men of the Mercer family supported her marriage, the most they could offer for a dowry would be ten million, and that was pushing it.

Worth hundreds of millions?

Bella wished she could get her hands on the dowry items Lillian had just returned, the ones her father and brothers had just claimed. But even all of that, according to Sebastian, was only worth one or two hundred million.

How could that compare to Lillian’s billions?

There was no comparison at all.

So this was the difference between being born into a wealthy family and being from an ordinary background.

Even if Lillian was just a useless woman who could only have children and raise them, completely incomparable to a high-achieving professional like herself, Bella was still at a disadvantage when it came to marriage.

"Sebastian, are you… looking down on me because my dowry is too small?"

Bella’s heart sank, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she adopted an expression of fragile devastation.

But this time, Sebastian offered no words of comfort.

"I'm stating a fact."

Bella froze. Whenever her mother used this tactic, Martin would be completely wrapped around her finger, ready to give her anything she wanted. So why, when she tried it, did Sebastian not fall for it at all?

Before she could even start crying, Sebastian spoke again. "Let's just simplify the wedding arrangements.

"We can do everything else according to your wishes, but I don't think my parents have the extra energy to discuss these tedious wedding formalities. And given the Mercer family's current situation, they probably aren't in the mood either.

"Let’s just skip all these conventional procedures, what do you think?"

Bella stood there, stunned. What did he mean by no procedures? No engagement gift, no shares, no properties?

Was he joking?

Without those things, her wedding would be missing its most dazzling part. Plus, word would get out, and people would laugh at her.

Before Bella could say anything, Martin received an important call and was in a hurry to leave. He said to Sebastian appeasingly, "Sebastian, you two can figure out the wedding details yourselves.

Martin knew exactly how much the elder Blakes despised the mother and daughter by his side. He also knew that if they kept pushing, Sebastian's patience would run out, and the marriage would be completely off the table. That's why he had to seize the moment while Sebastian was still willing to go through with the wedding. They could strategize about everything else later. Now was not the time to be making demands.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify