Chapter 231 He Knows Her No Less Than Edith Does
Caroline never responded to Edith's questioning.
But Edith grabbed her arm tightly, still pushing relentlessly.
"Caroline, say something! Tell Mom and Dad—do you like Alex or not? You like him, don't you? Just admit it, and we'll all understand..."
"Enough!" Isabella's voice cut through sharply.
"Caroline, I'll say this one more time. Since you refuse to say whether you already have someone you like, from now on, you're not allowed to have any contact with Alexander. And as soon as you graduate high school, you'll get married right away through an arranged match. This isn't for you to decide."
"No!"
The tightly shut living room door suddenly flew open.
Everyone's heads snapped toward the sound.
Alexander stood in the doorway and strode straight in, walking right into the heart of the confrontation.
"Alexander? What are you doing here?" Damon asked in disbelief.
A flash of shock crossed Edith's face, quickly covered by panic, and she immediately let go of Caroline.
Alexander walked straight toward them. "Mrs. Neville, it's not that she likes me. I like her. It's me—I'm the one who's completely in love with Caroline—that's why today happened. So please, don't blame her."
The living room instantly fell silent, as if the air itself had frozen.
Everyone stared at him. Caroline's eyes widened in shock.
After a long moment, Edith forced out an extremely awkward smile.
"So... that's how it is... Alex likes Caroline. Looks like we all misunderstood her."
She turned to Caroline. "Caroline... then I hope you and Alex can have a smooth future together..."
"Edith." Isabella cut her off coldly.
She took a deep breath to maintain her composure, then looked at Alexander, adopting the posture of an elder.
"Even if you like Caroline, she clearly doesn't like you. You should understand—you can't force someone to love you."
Alexander stepped forward, shielding the trembling Caroline behind him.
"It doesn't matter." His voice was especially firm in the quiet living room.
"Even if she never likes me for the rest of her life, it doesn't matter. That's my own business. But—"
He suddenly changed his tone. "Mrs. Neville, you can't marry her off to some spoiled trust fund brat!"
"What did you say?!" Isabella's voice distorted with anger.
"I said no." Alexander didn't back down.
"Caroline is her own person, and she's brilliant! Her dream is to become a psychologist, not to be forced into marriage right after high school. Her life shouldn't be stripped of the chance to go to college because of some so-called 'good future.' You're destroying her future!"
Isabella's face went pale from these direct hits, then flushed bright red.
"Psychology? What kind of useless major is that? What can she do with it? She can't take over the family business like her father, and she can't use it to establish herself in high society! Besides psychology, she can't do anything well! The best choice for a girl is to marry into a good family!"
"What gives you the right to say she can't do anything well?"
Alexander suddenly raised his voice.
"She taught herself advanced mathematics at thirteen, and the math teacher at school said she was one of the most gifted students he'd ever seen! She loves literature and has read most of the Neville family's collection! She passed professional-level piano at ten, but stopped performing publicly only because you said music wasn't a proper career path!"
He spoke faster and faster, his emotions fully ignited.
"Her instinct for financial markets is natural. Last year she invested some of her saved allowance in stocks based on Mr. Rossi's advice and doubled it in three months! Did you know about that? Did you ever ask her how she analyzed it?"
His voice trembled slightly at this point.
He suddenly realized—he understood Caroline far better than he'd imagined.
It's just that before, he'd put all his attention on Edith and never really noticed.
Even though Caroline had always been overlooked, crushed under the weight of favoritism until she couldn't breathe, she still tried to shine with a weak but stubborn light. And he had only been awakened by that light when he was at his lowest.
"Psychology is just one of her many talents, not her only option. The reason you can't see it is because you've never been willing to truly look at her."
Isabella was almost speechless, blindsided by these facts.
She opened her mouth but couldn't find any way to argue back.
"What do you know!" she finally could only raise her voice.
"Caroline is my daughter! Her life is mine to plan! It's not your place to interfere!"
Alexander laughed coldly, his gaze suddenly shifting to the pale Edith nearby.
"Well then, Mrs. Neville, Caroline and Edith are both your daughters. They're twins. Will you also make Edith get married right after high school? Without considering her abilities and dreams? Or is your favoritism already so obvious that you don't need to hide it anymore?"
"Alex!" Edith cried out.
Isabella was completely silenced by this statement, her whole body shaking.
"Enough!"
Damon, who had been silent for so long, finally spoke, his voice like a gavel coming down.
He stepped forward, blocking Isabella and Alexander.
"Isabella, enough. Since they were little, you've favored Edith, blaming Caroline for taking Edith's nutrition and making Edith weak. But they were still fetuses then—what could Caroline decide? All these years, you've only seen Edith's obedience but never been willing to see Caroline's efforts. You've even dismissed her talents entirely!"
He turned to Caroline, who was being protected by Alexander and had kept her head down the whole time.
"But I won't let my daughter marry that notorious kid you mentioned. If the Neville family's daughters are born just to get married, that's what's truly shameful."
Caroline's shoulders trembled slightly.
Only after Damon finished speaking did she lift her head, her eyes quickly reddening.
The next second, she suddenly pushed open the side door and rushed out.
"Caroline!" Alexander's heart tightened, and he bolted after her.
"Caroline! Wait!"
He nearly stumbled as he rushed out the door, but couldn't see her in the hallway.
But he didn't dare stop.