Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 98

It was almost too much—Silvia could hardly take it all in.

She touched the tip of her nose, feeling a bit uncomfortable. “Really, there’s no need for such an extravagant dowry,” she said quietly.

The Ashford family certainly wasn’t the type to care about such things, and she didn’t need a mountain of gifts to prove her worth.

Kent, however, simply smiled at her understated reaction, his voice warm and low, “Let’s show it to Mom and Dad.”

Mom and Dad.

He called them that so naturally, it caught Silvia off guard.

Her fingers curled slightly with uncertainty. After a brief hesitation, she forwarded the list of gifts to Garth.

A few minutes later, Garth called back. “Silvia, this is a fortune. Far too much. Tell him it’s unnecessary.”

Traditionally, dowries and wedding gifts were supposed to be balanced, a sort of transaction between families. But given that this was an alliance between equals, insisting on matching gifts just felt pointless. It would be better if both families simply made a gesture and left it at that.

Silvia relayed Garth’s opinion to Kent. He didn’t seem the least bit surprised. Instead, he reached over and took the phone from her hand.

“Dad,” he said easily, his tone steady. “This is my gift to Silvia. As for the Ashford family’s dowry, that will be placed under Silvia’s name as well.”

All Kent wanted was to ensure Silvia would always have the security she deserved.

He still remembered all too well how she’d once asked him for money in Luminova City, embarrassed and desperate.

He never wanted her to experience anything like that again.

He wanted her to live freely, even if she chose never to work a day in her life.

Garth hadn’t expected Kent to make such an offer, but after a moment’s thought, he realized it wasn’t a bad idea for Silvia to have everything in her own name. He agreed without hesitation.

It was his fault, for not giving her enough security, for making her feel she had to be so cautious.

He reached out, his hand hovering, wanting to touch hers—but hesitated, letting it hover midair.

Silvia saw Kent’s restraint, the way he ached to be close but held himself back. On impulse, she reached for his hand, her cheeks tinged pink.

Meeting his gaze, Silvia felt a jolt of embarrassment and quickly let go, her eyes darting away. “Mr. Parsons, I didn’t mean to bring up divorce, I just—”

“I understand,” Kent interrupted gently. “You don’t have to explain.”

He looked at her, one brow slightly arched, a soft smile in his eyes. The spot where she’d touched him still felt warm.

She really was as sweet and innocent as ever. How could he not want to protect her?