Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 213

Silvia lifted her gaze, the corners of her crimson lips curving in a faint, unhurried smile.

Her tone was calm, unruffled and firm. “Aunt Laurinda, you’re only here for the dowry—does Kent's father know about this?”

The air around the dinner table seemed to grow a few degrees colder.

Laurinda’s eyes hardened, cold and assessing. She stared at Silvia with a look that was both scrutinizing and laced with meaning.

After a long, tense pause, Laurinda suddenly let out a laugh.

But there was nothing warm in her laughter—it was edged with unmistakable sarcasm.

“Silvia, you’re clever, I’ll give you that. But sometimes, making the wrong choice is just plain foolish.”

She stood, dusting her hands lightly as if shaking off the conversation, one brow arching. “This ends here.”

With that, Laurinda strode out of the private dining room, leaving the spacious chamber to Silvia alone.

The dishes on the table were untouched, steam still curling up from the plates.

Silvia watched her go, then pressed her fingers gently to her brow, a trace of worry in her eyes.

She had met Laurinda a few times before—enough to know the woman was bold, reckless even.

If Laurinda truly meant what she said, if her pride was wounded by Silvia’s refusal... there was no telling what she might do next. All Silvia could do was stay alert and adapt as things came.

Right now, she was completely on the defensive.

Bang.

Without warning, the door—already shut—swung open from the outside.

Silvia started, glancing toward the entrance. When she saw the familiar, striking features of the man who entered, she finally let out a breath.

But she noticed the heaviness in Kent’s eyes, as if something else was weighing on him. After a moment’s hesitation, curiosity got the better of her. “Is there really that much bad blood between you and her?”

The Parsons estate was a nest of wolves, all sharp smiles and sharper ambitions.

Silvia had only visited once, and that was more than enough; she never wanted to go back.

Everyone there seemed consumed by their own schemes, calculating how to walk away with the biggest share. It was as if family meant nothing to them.

Kent caught her lingering gaze and gave a small, wry smile. His voice was cool. “It’s... complicated.”

Complicated enough, Silvia thought, that he wanted nothing to do with them.

As for the Parsons family, Kent was sure—there wasn’t a soul in that house who could really challenge him. Not yet, anyway.

But Laurinda... she had a habit of crossing lines no one else dared, and that was what made her unpredictable.