Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex’s "Uncle" - Chapter 594

Chapter 594: If You Like It, Then It’s Yours

“Selina, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying you can’t use expensive things. It’s just that since I’ve already used them myself, I don’t think there’s any need.”

Ava sighed. “A rug that costs over two million, a chandelier that costs three million—what’s the point? In the end, they’re just for use. Besides, you’ve never had such luxury before. I was worried that if the price was too high, you wouldn’t be able to accept it. Look, this is the room I arranged for you!”

Selina fell silent for a moment.

Ava was an idiot, but she couldn’t possibly be unaware of what she was doing, right?

She was being so blatant that only a fool would believe her nonsense. All that talk of things being too expensive, of worrying Selina couldn’t accept them—those were just excuses.

Ava’s real goal was to outshine Selina in every way within this family.

To eat better, live better, and have better things than her—total domination.

Selina glanced at the room and raised an intrigued brow.

The room was small—barely a third of Ava’s, especially compared to the other Hill Family bedrooms.

The décor wasn’t cozy at all; it used cold gray tones that made the space feel stifling.

It wasn’t that gray was a bad choice. But to make such a palette work, a designer needed strong skills and taste. Otherwise, it just looked like a “concrete box.”

Selina knew Ava was deliberately trying to put her down, but she hadn’t expected her to do it so obviously.

Wasn’t this basically handing her a weapon to use back?

Ava chattered on excitedly. “Selina, do you like it? If you don’t, you can tell me. I’ll change everything according to your requests…”

“I don’t like it.”

Selina cut her off without the slightest courtesy.

The joy on Ava’s face froze. Her expression faltered, paling as if she’d been deeply wounded. “Selina…”

“I said I don’t like it.” Selina’s tone was icy.

The brightness drained from Ava’s face. Her eyes welled up instantly, tears spilling down. “Selina, what don’t you like about it? I worked so hard to prepare this for you…”

“Oh my, what’s going on here? Ava, I asked you to bring Selina to see her room—why are you crying?”

June hurried over, her voice sharp yet loud enough for everyone to hear. She glanced deliberately over her shoulder, her words aimed at Ava but clearly meant for others.

“Ava, child, why are you crying out of nowhere? Stop it already. What if others think Selina bullied you? Wipe your tears, quick. Mr. Reid and Aaron are coming over.”

Ava wiped at her tears pitifully, but the more she wiped, the more they flowed.

June fumed. “Honestly, I just told you to show Selina her room. Why are you blubbering like this? Selina, don’t take it to heart. Ava’s always been this way…”

Selina folded her arms across her chest, leisurely watching the mother-daughter duo put on their performance.

At some point, Aaron and Logan had come up behind them.

Aaron’s gaze darkened. Just looking at that so-called “room” made his blood boil. He instantly understood why the pair were putting on this act.

—It was for Logan’s eyes.

Aaron clenched his teeth, about to speak, but before he could, Ava lifted her tear-filled eyes. Looking pitiful, she cast a glance at Logan before shyly lowering her head again.

She whimpered to June, “Mom… Selina doesn’t like the room I decorated for her. Does that mean she hates me? Boo-hoo…”

June’s eyes lit up—she knew this was her chance.

She gave Logan a conflicted look, then gently comforted, “Oh, Ava, don’t think too much. How could Selina hate you? Maybe she really just doesn’t like the room, that’s all!”

Then she sighed. “But Selina, though it’s hard for me to say this, as your elder I feel it’s my duty to teach you some things. Even if you didn’t like the room Ava prepared, you shouldn’t have dismissed it so harshly. At the very least, you could’ve put it more delicately.”

“Ava is such a sensitive child. She only wanted to do something nice for you. Sigh… I really don’t know what to do here.”

June cast a careful glance at Logan, her tone deliberately pointed. “Selina, being willful with us is one thing—we don’t see each other every day. But if you’re this selfish all the time, it’s Mr. Reid who’ll truly be put in a difficult position. After all, he’s the one you’ll be spending your whole life with, isn’t he?”

Selina suddenly realized it. All that setup, and this final jab—that was the real point the mother and daughter were trying to make.

“Put it more delicately when I don’t like something?”

Logan’s voice cut in, low and sharp. His gaze turned razor-sharp. “And how exactly should she put it delicately?”

June’s heart leapt with joy. “Well, since Ava put so much thought into it, she—”

“Sensitive, is she?” Logan interrupted, his tone even more cutting. “If Miss Ava is truly so sensitive, then how could she possibly take her own walk-in closet and turn it into the Hill Family heiress’s bedroom?”

…

…

The air fell silent.

June never imagined Logan would strip away her veneer so bluntly. “That’s because—”

“I just heard Miss Ava say the room was decorated according to her own taste,” Logan pressed on, not giving her a chance to finish. His tone stayed calm but cold. “I respect Miss Hill’s sense of style. But this isn’t Selina’s taste. Since Miss Hill likes it so much, then why not let her have it instead?”

“If she thinks she doesn’t deserve the Hill Family’s best and largest bedroom, if she feels unworthy of a two-million-dollar rug, then Miss Hill should move right into this room-turned-closet. That way she won’t lose any sleep worrying about it.”

The silence grew heavier.

Ava’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Mr. Reid, that’s not what I meant, I was just—”

“So Ava doesn’t like her room after all?”

Aaron nodded, still smiling. “That makes things simple. Someone, move Miss Ava into the other room.”

The butler, who only followed Jeff and Aaron’s orders, immediately obeyed. He stepped into Ava’s room, packed up her belongings, and moved them straight into the gray “closet room.”

June’s eyes nearly popped from her head. She hadn’t expected things to turn out like this!

Not only had Selina refused to be humiliated by living in the closet room, but Ava’s grand bedroom was gone instead.

Ava herself was stunned. Just two sentences from Logan, and the room she had been so proud of was stripped away. She was actually being forced into the closet room!

Without thinking, Ava snapped back, “No! Absolutely not!”

“And why not?” Aaron asked with a laugh.

Ava’s face flushed scarlet. Why not? Because she couldn’t bear the thought of living in that closet room, that’s why!

“Because… because…” Then her eyes brightened suddenly. “Because that room was meant for Selina! Even if I like it, I can’t possibly—”

“No worries,” Aaron cut in smoothly. “I’m sure Selina won’t mind. Right, Selina?”

Aaron’s tone was mild. “Selina is easy to get along with. Since Ava likes the room, Selina doesn’t mind letting her have it. By the way, didn’t Second Aunt just say Selina was willful? That’s far from the truth. Selina has always cared for her younger sister. Look—Ava liked the room, and Selina gave it up without a word.”

“So, what is it, Ava? You’re not happy?” Though Aaron was smiling, the look he gave her made Ava shiver all over.

“Or is it that… you never liked this walk-in closet at all? It’s small, poorly decorated, and you deliberately made Selina live here—right beside you. Isn’t that malicious intent?”

“My sister, the Hill Family heiress, being reduced to a mere foil for an adopted daughter—Ava, is that your idea? Or is it Second Uncle’s and Second Aunt’s? Or perhaps Old Mr. Hill’s?”

June’s face turned deathly pale at his words.

Ava felt utterly wronged. “Big Brother, is that really what you think of me? That’s not what I meant at all! I was just worried Selina might be scared, coming back for the first time, so I wanted her close by. But there were no other rooms near mine, so I…”

“But I already had a room prepared for Selina. And yet, under your insistence, it was turned into a tea room.”

Aaron’s smile never reached his eyes. “Ava, would you care to explain that?”

“My sister—the true heiress of the Hill Family—didn’t come back to be your shadow, nor to live in a discarded walk-in closet. Do you understand?”

“I… I…”

“Young Master, the move is complete,” the butler said softly at that moment.

Ava looked on as her room was emptied, her belongings hauled into that ugly gray room. Tears streamed down uncontrollably. “Big Brother, why are you doing this to me? Why… why are you being so cruel…”

“What do you mean? I thought I was simply following your preferences,” Aaron replied smoothly.

He had no intention of letting Ava wriggle free. His tone softened but his words cut deep. “Ava, explain the tea room to me. Since when do you care about tea?”

“I…”

“That tea room was my idea! If you have complaints, direct them at me!”

A frail but sharp male voice suddenly rang out. Matt stood at the top of the staircase, leaning heavily on his cane, his eyes narrowed and venomous. “I converted that room into a tea room. When Ava learned Selina had no room, she offered her closet out of kindness. Who knew her good intentions would be so cruelly twisted!”

Aaron’s tone remained steady, neither humble nor servile. “So it was your idea, Old Sir. But when you converted that room, you knew very well it had been prepared for Selina. To change it on a whim—doesn’t that show just how unwelcome you find her? Could it be that the rumors are true? That you bear a grudge against our Hill bloodline, and because you yourself are only an adopted son, you’ve done everything you can to prop up an adopted daughter while sidelining the true Hill heiress?”

Matt’s face darkened. “I didn’t know at the time! I never intended to target Selina. But the tea room is already complete. Do you expect me to tear it down for the sake of a junior, and hand it over to her as a bedroom?”

“I am still your elder, Aaron. Are you trying to drive me to my grave?!”

Both Aaron’s and Selina’s expressions hardened at once.

A man who clawed his way up with dishonorable means, who brought about the death of the Hill Family’s rightful son, who seized its wealth and name—how dare he stand here and call himself an elder?