Chapter 5

Cheryl immediately raised her head when she heard them. When she saw them about to open the box, she immediately snatched it away from them. Leon, Zane, and Steve were shocked at Cheryl's reaction. Their gazes locked on her as they asked, "Who did you choose? Zane? Steve? Or…" Leon bit his tongue, not wanting to mention himself at the end of his sentence. Cheryl knew that he was afraid. He was too afraid that she would pick him. She just smiled at them and held their gaze. "So what if I've already made my choice or not? You don't have to get so riled up like this. It has nothing to do with the three of you anyway." Zane grabbed her hand hard and practically yelled, "What do you mean that it has nothing to do with us? You can only form a marriage alliance with either of us! There's no one else eligible within the same age group from the Kingsleys, the Thomsons, or the Laurents!" Steve also pressed forward, staring straight into Cheryl's soul. "We know that you haven't been able to make up your mind in the past, and we've never tried to rush you. But since you've already made a decision, you need to tell us who you picked. Tell us the truth. I want to put an end to my misery." So, did Steve mean that not knowing whether he was going to be forced into marriage with someone he didn't love was a form of misery? Cheryl took a deep breath and opened the box, taking out the dazzling diamond necklace that the Sterling family had sent her and showing it to the trio. "This is my answer. Are you happy now?" It wasn't the sapphire bracelet from the Kingleys, the 20-carat diamond ring from the Thomsons, or the ruby brooch from the Laurents. It was only then that the young men caught sight of the huge shopping box behind her and put two and two together. "Oh. It's not the marriage tokens from our families, but just a new diamond necklace you bought today, right? How much did you pay for it? We'll reimburse you in full. Take it as a form of apology from us for whatever we did." Cheryl looked at the brilliant diamond necklace in her hand, still not saying a thing. Leon thought that she simply loved the necklace too much, so he took it from her hand and clasped it around her neck. Zane gave her two thumbs-up and praised the color and beauty of the necklace, saying that it suited her very much. Meanwhile, Steve took a few photos of Cheryl in the necklace, saying that he was going to save them as a keepsake. This was the first time Cheryl had ever seen real smiles on any of the trio's faces since she was reborn. And to think that they were only genuinely happy because they thought she still hadn't made up her mind about who among them she'd choose to marry. They were simply celebrating that. All of a sudden, Cheryl thought that it was just hilariously ridiculous. She was just about to say something when she was interrupted by Giselle's sudden appearance. Giselle stared at all the gifts in the living room in awe, her face lighting up considerably. "Why are there so many gifts at home? Are these… Are these all for Ms. Jenner?" When Leon, Zane, and Steve saw that Giselle was home, their eyes immediately locked onto her and refused to budge. Cheryl saw that the three men could barely stop themselves from smiling. So, she said in a faint voice, "Yes, the gifts are for me, but I don't like them. You can have them all if you want." Then, Cheryl went back into her room without bothering about them anymore. Giselle had a look of disbelief on her face. She pointed at herself and asked shakily, "M-Me? Have them? Wait, Ms. Jenner, you're not joking, are you? I'm not worthy of the gifts that Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Thomson, and Mr. Laurent prepared for you!" The trio could hear the sadness in her voice and felt pity for her. They quickly guided her over to their mountain of gifts and said, "Since Cheryl said that she's giving them to you, they're all yours now. These dresses, bags, and jewelry are from the latest season. You'd look lovely in all of them. Why would you ever say that you're not worthy?" "That's right. Things only have value if someone uses them. Gigi, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You deserve all the best things in the world." "Come on, let's open the gifts. We'll help you pick and choose the styles that suit you the most…" The trio's voices gradually faded in the background. After Cheryl closed the bedroom door behind her, she could no longer hear a thing. She still wasn't used to the ice-cold feeling around her neck. However, she thought she would soon get used to it after wearing it for a while.