Chapter 372 - Taken Away (6) - Evan's POV

"Look how much she resembles them. It wouldn't be odd if someone thought they were her parents," grandma mumbled.

My parents couldn't disagree with grandma, staring at the lovely scenery formed. Almost dazzled by their beauty like a wall of extravagant roses bloomed behind them. Rika was the result of taking the best gorgeous features of Joanna and William. She naturally sat in Joanna's lap, calling her mother instead of coming to my parents. Her innocent eyes reflected Joanna's sweet and loving gaze towards her.

As I carefully studied my parents, they appeared betrayed by Luke. Rika's current appearance couldn't have come from her illness. It didn't make sense that it would be a coincidence. My parents turned to Luke for an explanation, getting offended when he coldly ignored them. Meanwhile, Rika begged Luke's parents if she could raise a pet, pulling out the most mesmerising eyes. And unexpectedly, they absolutely melted under her, agreeing to let her raise a pet. She barely acknowledged us existing, resembling the rest of Luke's family.

After Rika got what she wanted, she kissed Joanna's cheek, displaying their closeness. Meanwhile, Luke never let Rika come closer to us than the fixed distance he chose. My parents were heartbroken, their eyes glistening, mixed with envy. Taking this chance, Joanna slightly smirked in our direction, sending Rika away with Luke and Alex. She brightly smiled as she gestured, "we should resume our discussion in the meeting room."

The tension heightened inside the meeting room, Luke's parents hiding their hostility towards us behind their polite masks. Unlike before, William got straight to the point, passing my parents a thick folder of doc.u.ments. I stayed silent as my parents froze in the middle of reading the first page, almost slamming the entire folder down.

"We're not selling our daughter away," my mom's hands trembled.

"Is one trillion not enough to compensate you?" Joanna wondered.

"We would never sell our daughter for any amount of money," my dad was angry.

"I think you are misunderstanding the situation. We are compensating you for taking care of our daughter for the last month and the first few years of her life," she revealed.

"You're trying to take our parental rights away!" My mom raised her voice.

"We are being generous on our end. We could have easily gotten custody without having to meet you. However, we decided to have a discussion with you," William believed.

"You mean your lawsuits?" Grandma guessed.

"We do not want to go to court. We wish to settle this matter on amicable terms," he urged them.

"What gives you the right to take our daughter away from us?" My mom shouted.

"You made my children and nephew stay inside a former storage room the previous month. In addition to nearly killing my daughter from your carelessness when she caught a virus," Joanna angrily smiled.

"And a few days ago, my daughter was almost kidnapped from your rash actions. How could we still trust you? This is neglect and a clear sign you do not have the ability to take care of my daughter," she pointed out.

"That storage room was the most luxurious room in my entire house," grandma scoffed.

"Are you trying to mock us?" She nastily stared at them.

"If I didn't send my son and nephew prepared, they would have suffered from the unlivable conditions. The space you gave them was less than the size of this table. The picture my son sent me shows they could have gotten severely sick within the first few days," Joanna turned on the screen.

Grandma went speechless as Joanna pointed out the stained rotten corners of the storage room. The leaking ceiling where old rainwater dropped onto the nasty floors, covered with dirty bugs and endless dust. No sunlight could come inside as there were no windows, creating terrible bacteria and viruses. In addition to the horrible beds that were surprisingly hand-me-downs her neighbour's dogs used. It brought back my memories of how badly grandma treated them in the beginning. As Joanna's presentation continued, it was obvious whose side the judge would pick if my parents took this to court.

"She was an unwelcome guest in the beginning," grandma admitted.

"It wasn't like you did anything to stop me," she guiltily mumbled.

"I should have done something back then," my mom regretted.

"Take their money. At least help your sister with the lawsuits," grandma suggested.

"We can take back the lawsuits in addition to compensating you if you sign these doc.u.ments," William agreed.

"Your daughter is a complete stranger to you. How many times has she visited you? Think about your sister who is about to go to jail with her husband. Who is willing to take in their children? You can do more for Evan with the money they're offering you. It's better than nothing," grandma aggressively argued.

"We can also offer visitations. However, it is a maximum of once a year inside our villas," Joanna added.

Luke's parents were giving an illusion of a choice. With the terms they were offering, it was hard for my parents to refuse. Especially with grandma on their side, eyeing the cheque in Joanna's hand. My dad tightly clenched his hands, helplessly gazing, "you're not giving us a choice."

My dad blamed everything on my mom's side of the family, furiously signing everything. My mom's hands trembled as she struggled to pick up a pen. She grit her teeth as she was pressured by grandma to quickly finish everything. Once they were finished, Joanna insultingly passed them a cheque while her husband got rid of the lawsuits. I shuddered as my parents had officially sold my sister for the well-being of my aunt's family.

Eventually, the bright day turned into the evening as William thoroughly went over the doc.u.ments with my parents, disclosing everything. Meanwhile, Joanna was missing, leaving the room after confirming everything was signed. My mind was hazy, not listening to their discussion anymore. My parents loved my sister, sometimes making me think more than they loved me. If they could sell my sister off, what would that mean for me?

In my eyes, they barely fought back, a few hours at most. Although I knew they didn't have a choice, it was disappointing. Near the grand doors, William put his phone on speaker mode, letting us hear Luke asking Rika, "your parents are leaving right now. Do you not want to say your farewells?"

"I don't. I want sleep," Rika was clearly disappointed.

As we exited the mansion, I raised my head to look at my sister standing behind a large window. Her sad eyes staring at us from above, trapped inside her castle, pure and unknowing. Somehow reminding me of a confined princess, waiting to be freed.

The tragic day when she was taken away from us forever.