When Justice Meets Love

Yara turned to face her father, her expression cold and unreadable.

"Then there’s nothing I can do. The chamomile plants have been thrown out like trash. How do you expect me to replant it?"

Robert clutched his chest in anger. "You ungrateful daughter! You’re doing this on purpose to defy me!"

Elena rushed to his side, tears streaming down her face as she supported him. "Dad, Yara’s gone too far this time! She’s trying to push you to the brink!"

Robert coughed heavily, his trembling hand pointing accusingly at Yara.

"I’ll pretend I never had a daughter like you. Get out! Get out of this house right now!"

Yara shrugged nonchalantly. "If you don’t want me as your daughter, that’s fine. Honestly, I don’t want you as my father either. But as for leaving this house? Sorry, that’s not happening."

She took a step closer, her gaze sharp as a blade. "Dad, you must be getting old and forgetful. Have you forgotten? This house is in my name. It’s part of the inheritance my mother left me."

Her voice was calm, yet merciless. "Someone does need to leave this house, but it’s not me. It’s you two."

She raised her hand and pointed directly at Robert and Elena.

Both of them froze, stunned into silence.

Elena’s voice trembled with unease. "Dad, Yara must be out of her mind. What is she even talking about?"

As an illegitimate daughter, Elena knew little about the Cullen family’s affairs.

When Robert brought her to this grand estate for the first time, her eyes lit up with wonder.

She instinctively assumed that all this luxury belonged to her father.

But in truth, everything—every business, every piece of property—belonged to Yara’s mother.

Yara’s maternal grandfather was a renowned entrepreneur, and her mother grew up as the cherished only child of a wealthy family.

Robert, on the other hand, was nothing more than a husband who married into the family.

Yara’s mother, kind and considerate, allowed the children to take their father’s surname to protect his pride.

But aside from that, every asset belonged to her.

Robert let out a dismissive snort. "So what if this house is in your name? If needed, I’ll just buy a new one."

Turning to Elena, his expression softened with fatherly affection.

"Elena, we’ve lived in this house for so many years, it’s getting boring. Let’s go buy a new one right now—something even better."

Elena glanced around at the opulence surrounding them, her reluctance evident. "Dad, is this house really Yara’s?"

Robert fell silent.

Elena’s heart sank. She hadn’t expected it to be true.

Regaining her composure, she lifted her chin and sneered at Yara.

"Fine, then! We’ll leave right now and get an even bigger, better house. You can stay here alone like the lonely spinster you are!"

Yara didn’t react to Elena’s taunts. Instead, she smiled, a calm, knowing smile that seemed to pierce right through Elena, as if she already knew Elena’s triumph would be short-lived.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Elena felt a wave of unease. She clung tightly to Robert’s arm like a lifeline. "Dad, promise me, okay?"

Robert patted her head affectionately. "Of course, sweetheart. Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen."

The two turned to leave, only to run into Michael as he entered the house.

Michael stopped Robert in his tracks. "Mr. Cullen, the supplementary clause of your late wife’s will requires your presence to proceed."

Robert froze. "Supplementary clause? What clause? The will was settled years ago!"

He wasn’t wrong—Yara’s mother’s will was executed shortly after her passing.

Eighty percent of her assets had been left to her only daughter, Yara, while the remaining twenty percent went to her husband.

Even that twenty percent was an astronomical sum, more than enough to ensure Robert lived in luxury for the rest of his life.

And live luxuriously he did. Over the years, he squandered his wealth with reckless abandon, indulging in extravagance and racking up massive gambling debts.

What he hadn’t anticipated was that such a lifestyle could be taken away at any moment.

The power to decide now lay in the hands of the daughter he had long ignored.