Chapter 6 Grand Gesture

Wren warned, "Yes, she's quite devious; you must watch out for her." Helen nodded in agreement. "I will, thank you, Wren." As she spoke, Helen suddenly sneezed. Seeing this, Wren expressed concern, "Ms. Helen, you should stop talking and go take a warm bath, then change into some dry clothes." Meanwhile, as Caroline opened the door, she was greeted by the familiar voice of the parrot. "Caroline is back! Caroline is back!" Observing the parrot perched on an artificial tree branch, fluttering its wings excitedly at her, Caroline felt a surge of emotion well up inside her, bringing tears to her eyes. "Polly, it's good to see you're still here." "Still here, still here," echoed the parrot, its bright green crown and vibrant blue feathers standing out, its black eyes shining. Caroline tenderly stroked its feathers, reassuring, "Polly, don't worry, I'll make sure you're safe this time. I won't let anyone harm you again." Polly seemed to understand her words, often lifting her spirits when she felt low. She marveled at how such an empathetic parrot came to be, wondering about its previous caretaker. Caroline speculated that the man at her grave, who likely sent her the parrot, had some connection to her, but his identity and motives remained a mystery. As she was lost in thought, Liam's furious shouts approached. "Caroline, come out here now!" Caroline, amused by his anger, knew exactly why Liam was upset. Did he really think she was still the docile puppet of her previous life? She swiftly moved to the door and locked it just as Liam attempted to push it open. Outside, Liam banged on the door repeatedly, his frustration mounting. "Caroline, you're really proving to be quite the handful! Ignoring me, huh?" After several fruitless attempts, Liam resorted to kicking the door. "Get out here!" Bang! Bang! As he prepared to kick again, the door suddenly swung open. Caught off guard, Liam's momentum carried him forward, and he stumbled, crashing to the floor. "Oh, Liam, what's this grand gesture?" Caroline could not help feeling a bit smug, though she feigned concern. "Why are you on the ground? Please, get up." She extended a hand to help him, but he swatted it away. "Stop playing innocent. I called you several times, and you didn't answer. Were you waiting for me to break down the door, just to see me fall?" Liam, picking himself up, glared at her. Caroline shook her head, feigning innocence, "You've misunderstood, Liam. I had my headphones on, listening to music, and didn't hear you. I only heard the noise when you kicked the door, and that's when I realized it was you. It wasn't intentional." Liam glanced at the headphones lying on the desk, his suspicion momentarily appeased. "You wouldn't dare set me up to fall!" Caroline responded with a non-committal nod. Wouldn't dare? Indeed, she would not have dared before, nor did she wish to. She never wanted her brother to be hurt. Yet, times had changed; she had died once and was no longer the Caroline who meekly submitted to being bullied by others. What wouldn't she dare do now? Liam, however, was still focused on the day's events and confronted her. "Why did you take the car today without telling anyone, leaving Helen to get caught in the rain? You know Helen is delicate; rain could make her ill!" "Ill? She can just pop some cold medicine for a few days; it's not like she's going to die. Why are you making such a fuss?" Caroline threw back at him the same words he once said to her when she was sick after being caught in the rain. Liam was taken aback by her callous retort, his brief calm shattering as anger surged within him again. "How can you speak like that? Helen is your niece, the sole heir of our family. How can you be so heartless?" A smirk curled the corner of Caroline's mouth, "Heartless? You used to say similar things to me all the time. Does that mean you're heartless too? Or perhaps you never really considered me as part of the family?" "I was ... Was it wrong for me to be strict with you?" Liam floundered, then quickly redirected, "Never mind that, how did you learn to drive? Who taught you?" Caroline met his gaze blankly, "What does it matter to you?" In her previous life, after their clothing factory closed down, Caroline leveraged her culinary skills to help her brothers start a successful restaurant chain, rapidly expanding to hundreds of branches. It was during that time, in a rare moment of familial joy, that they had agreed to let her learn how to drive. However, she was not about to share any of that. Her aloof demeanor only fueled Liam's anger further. "Fine, you want to challenge me today, is that it? I'll teach you a lesson." He raised his hand as if to strike her, but just then, Miguel intervened, "Liam, stop!" Liam halted and turned to Miguel, who had just entered the room, "Miguel, good thing you're here. Do you know what she did today? At noon, she gave our food to the dogs, and then she took off in the car in the afternoon, leaving Helen to get soaked. She's acting with real malice!" Helen, still damp from her shower and looking the very image of vulnerability, followed Miguel into the room. Her sorry state seemed designed to evoke sympathy. "Uncle Liam, please, don't be too harsh on Aunt Caroline," Helen interjected softly. "I believe Aunt Caroline didn't mean to cause trouble today. Something must have provoked her; she wouldn't have hit Wren without reason." Liam's fury reignited at Helen's words. "What? You struck Wren? Caroline, have you lost your mind? Wren may be a maid, but she is also our sister-in-law's cousin. How could you possibly justify hitting her?" He was baffled by Caroline's actions, which were completely out of character for the sister he knew, who would normally never dare such boldness. Miguel, looking equally stunned, asked, "Caroline, did you really hit Wren?" "Yes, I did," Caroline confirmed, her gaze steady as memories of past grievances surged within her. Of all her brothers, Miguel had always treated her somewhat kindly. However, his support waned when it came to issues involving Helen, always insisting that Caroline, as the elder, should be more accommodating. Yet, he seemed to forget that she and Helen were the same age. "Caroline, this is unacceptable!" Miguel's voice was thick with disappointment. He had hoped the day's earlier events might have been a misunderstanding, but Caroline's admission about hitting Wren left no room for doubt about her rebellion at the company. Helen coughed weakly, attempting to defuse the tension. "Uncle Miguel, please don't blame Aunt Caroline. It's my fault; I always depend on her to bring me food, and I can understand if she resents it. It's just unfortunate that Wren had to suffer for it, and I feel terribly guilty."