BVAP Chapter 5

“You get out too. This is my house.”

“Is it good?”

“…”

Geran asked with a crooked tone, sitting next to Janice who was focused on her apple pie. Janice ignored him completely.

Geran groaned as he looked at the annoying little girl. The old general scolded him.

“Why are you talking to our little lark while she’s eating her snack!”

“Can’t I even talk to her? She’s my daughter, isn’t she? And aren’t I supposed to apologize?”

Janice stopped eating and looked at Geran. The old general snorted at his grumpy son’s response and countered.

“Why? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t accept her?”

Geran opened his mouth but ended up turning to the old lady instead.

“…Can I have a slice of pie too?”

“Sorry, dear. I just finished the last of it.”

She said as she moved the remaining three slices of pie from the tray to her own plate.

“I’m the real child!”

“But our little lark is the true granddaughter. And I like her more than you.”

With a sweet smile, the old lady drove a dagger into her son’s chest. Just then, Janice, who had been chewing her pie diligently, swallowed and opened her mouth.

“I don’t accept you as my dad.”

It wasn’t just Geran who disliked Janice—Janice also disliked Geran. She didn’t want anything to do with a twisted man like him.

As she firmly declared that she couldn’t recognize Geran as her real father, everyone in the room turned to look at her. Geran seemed at a loss for words.

Janice continued.

“My late parents loved me more than anyone else in this world. They always told me I deserved to be loved. So why should I accept someone who doesn’t even care about me as my father?”

It was perfect logic—no one could argue against it. The silence was broken by the old lady.

“You must’ve had wonderful parents. You’re smart, my little lark. You’re right. Never let anyone lower your worth.”

“Indeed. They sound like admirable people.”

The elderly couple praised Janice’s adoptive parents.

“They were good people.”

Fernando added. Janice’s face lit up. To her, the Baker couple were the best parents in the world.

Her sparkling eyes gleamed with joy. Watching her happiness, Geran felt something uncomfortable stir inside his chest.

She may have been a child he accepted begrudgingly, but seeing her call someone else her parents still irked him.

‘My daughter, huh…’

As Geran continued to stare at her, Janice suddenly made eye contact with him while smiling—then snorted and turned her head sharply away.

‘That little brat!’

Geran was seething. But Janice didn’t care.

‘You mad? Be madder. Get so mad you pass out clutching your neck!’

That was Janice’s honest wish.

They say a pig sees only pigs, and a Buddha sees only Buddhas. To Janice, the old couple and Fernando were good people who respected her parents. Geran, who insulted them, was a bad person!

To Janice, Geran wasn’t even worth the dirt under her toenails—he was someone completely unworthy of her attention.

Seeing Geran’s annoyed face made her feel much better. She looked up at the adults and spoke slowly.

“So, about that… I want to go home.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the sudden statement.

“Home, as in…”

“The house I lived in with my parents! On Fifth Avenue!”

After her parents passed away, Janice had always stayed with Fernando. But no matter how nice someone else’s home was, it could never be more comfortable than your own. And now, after meeting her disgusting biological father, she missed the Baker couple even more.

Janice strongly insisted on returning home. The adults were worried—even Geran frowned and voiced his concern. But Janice’s resolve was firm. In the end, the adults raised the white flag.

“Then let us go together.”

They pretended to agree, at least for now.

The old lady came up with a plan. She figured Janice was only upset because she missed her parents and was angry at Geran. Once she went home and realized it would be hard to live there alone, they could gently coax her back to the duke’s residence.

Everyone agreed. The old couple and Fernando would accompany Janice. Geran had no choice but to join.

“Do I really have to come…”

“What was that, son?”

Geran tried to object quietly, but he couldn’t win against the old lady’s sharp tone. So they all set off for Janice’s old home.

The house she had lived in with the Bakers wasn’t far. But…

“Who are you?”

“…!”

That was the greeting they received from someone who came out of the house on Fifth Avenue.

Thinking he might have the wrong address, Fernando stepped out to double-check. Janice, confused by the strangers at her home, stammered.

“Th-This is my house!”

She had been born and raised there and had only moved out a few weeks ago. There was no way she’d misrecognize it.

When she asked what they were doing in someone else’s house, the strangers responded.

“This is our house now. I inherited it!”

They were in the process of clearing everything out—throwing away useless things like books, and taking anything that might be worth money. The house was a mess, with furniture and belongings tossed outside.

Janice’s excited face turned red with rage.

“This was my parents’ house, so I should be the one to inherit it! Why did you inherit it?”

“Because my grandfather’s cousin’s sixth cousin passed away, so it came to me!”

Janice was furious, her face flushed. A sixth cousin of a grandfather’s cousin was practically a stranger—how could that take precedence over a child?

That’s when Fernando suddenly looked shocked.

“What’s wrong?”

“Janice was never registered in their family registry.”

Legally, Janice was not listed as the Bakers’ child.

“Then whose registry is she on?”

“…We assumed she’d be registered under yours soon, so she doesn’t exist in any registry yet.”

They hadn’t expected it to take this long to inform Geran of her existence. Thinking he’d regain his memories soon, they had kept putting it off.

They believed Janice would eventually return to her biological father. That’s why the Bakers never officially adopted her. Though she was raised as their own daughter, legally she was a stranger. And so, the inheritance legally went to the distant relative who claimed relation.

Fernando’s face grew grim, realizing he had never considered the legal implications while worrying about Janice being left alone.

Janice cried in frustration. But there was nothing they could do—the law was on the strangers’ side.

“At least let me take my things.”

“Everything in this house is ours now.”

“Please… at least give me the family photos!”

The couple clearly didn’t want Janice to stir up trouble. They refused to hand over anything that could be used as proof she was the Bakers’ daughter.

Janice burst into tears again, and everyone was at a loss—until Geran spoke.

“How much?”

“Huh?”

“For the house. Including everything in it.”

Geran looked over the couple from head to toe, his arrogant words echoing in the silence. Janice, teary-eyed, looked at her biological father.

“I’ll give you 10,000 gold.”

Fernando tried to stop him, but Geran was faster.

“On the condition that you leave immediately. How about it?”

The couple was shocked. They had appraised the house at just over 3,000 gold.

“9,000 gold.”

“Um, sir—”

“8,000. That includes everything inside. You don’t take a single thread.”

The couple exchanged confused glances.

“7,000.”

“We’ll sell! We’ll sell it!”

They shouted desperately.

“Then… the money?”

“I offered 5,000 before reaching 4,000. Satisfied?”

The couple nodded eagerly.

“But who are you?”

Judging by his fine clothes and jewelry, he clearly wasn’t one of them. But Geran didn’t care for their curiosity. He silently wrote a check and handed it to them.

With a nod toward the door, Geran said,

“We’re done here, right? Now get out. This is my house.”

His tone and expression were both unpleasant, but since they’d received 5,000 gold for a 3,000 gold home, the couple erased any complaints from their minds.

They quickly packed up and left before he could change his mind. Now only Geran, Fernando, the elderly couple, and Janice remained.

Everyone blinked, stunned at what had just happened. No one knew whether to scold Geran for throwing around money or praise him for what he did. The first to regain her senses was Janice.

“Um, um…”

“What?”

“Thank you!”

She didn’t know much, but she knew one thing: Geran had protected her home.

Even if she hated him, she had been taught to express gratitude when it was due.

Janice bowed at a perfect 90 degrees. And in that moment, Geran, who had always been proud and aloof, faltered.

She had been so defiant until now—and just for a house…

As if unsure what to make of it, Geran stood in silence while Janice bowed.

In a gruff voice, he muttered,

“Why are you thanking me for buying my own house?”

“…Huh?”

Janice looked stunned.

“You get out too. This is my house now”