Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously-Chapter 148: You are not suitable for Augustine.

At the mansion...

The atmosphere was heavy with intimidating silence. Anne stepped through the door, her gaze immediately falling on Dimitri, who sat stiffly on the grand leather sofa. His sharp, penetrating eyes fixed on her, his expression as stern as a judge preparing to deliver a verdict.

Anne felt a chill travel down her spine. Her legs threatened to buckle under the weight of his gaze. But mustering her composure, she plastered a polite smile on her face and walked toward him.

"Good evening, Grandpa," she greeted warmly, her heart thudding against her ribcage.

Dimitri didn’t smile back. Instead, he gave a brief nod and gestured to the seat beside him. "Sit down."

Anne perched herself on the sofa while trying to steady her breathing. Her palms lightly pressed against her knees, trying to hide their faint trembling.

"Augustine has endured more than you know," he began, his gaze distant as memories flickered behind his eyes. "He lost his parents just after graduating from high school. I sent him abroad to continue his studies."

Anne listened silently, already familiar with the broad strokes of Augustine’s past. She had heard stories of how he had fought to survive in a foreign land, while his own family barely reached out a hand to help. She wondered why Dimitri was bringing it up now.

Dimitri’s voice softened a bit. "It wasn’t easy, being abandoned in a foreign land. But he didn’t break. He fought, he endured, and he built his own success, brick by brick. I’m proud of him."

His eyes glinted with pride and emotion. But his expression clouded with regret the next moment. "In the past, I failed him. I turned a blind eye when he needed me most. I won’t make the same mistake again."

He sighed deeply. "From now on, I will do everything in my power to protect him—and to make sure no one brings him more pain."

Anne nodded quietly, a small, appreciative smile playing on her lips as she listened to Dimitri speak fondly of Augustine. It warmed her heart. But just as she began to feel at ease, Dimitri’s next words struck her like a cold slap across the face.

"My elder son, Gabriel, has amassed considerable power over the years," Dimitri continued seriously. "He despises Augustine’s return. To him, Augustine is nothing more than an obstacle standing between him and the Beaumont fortune."

Anne stiffened as Dimitri’s words sank in, an uneasy dread settling deep inside her.

Dimitri’s hand slowly rotated the carved handle of his cane. "Augustine is strong, but he can’t face Gabriel and Denis alone. He needs power. He needs a fortress of support behind him. And you..." He shot her a sidelong glance. "You can’t provide that."

Anne’s breath caught in her throat. Her body locked into place, disbelief widening her eyes. She had expected many things from this conversation, but not this.

"You are not suitable for him," Dimitri muttered with finality. "You should divorce him."

Before Anne could even find her voice, Dimitri gave a slight nod to the butler standing silently nearby. The butler immediately stepped forward and placed a check on the coffee table between them.

"This is five million dollars," Dimitri said evenly. "Take it. Leave Augustine. Start a new life wherever you want. I’ll make all the arrangements for you. But you must disappear from Augustine’s life. For his own good."

Anne glanced down at the piece of paper, her vision blurring for a moment. The silence that followed was deafening, pressing in around her like an invisible force, suffocating her.

Anne’s mind roared with fury, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst. She felt the heat rise under her skin. It was a blatant insult.

"How generous of you." A bitter, mocking smile tugged at her lips, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Five million to buy me out of your grandson’s life."

She held the cheque up, letting it flutter slightly as she inspected the long trail of zeros. "I thought you truly cared about Augustine, that you wanted his happiness above all else." She sneered, her eyes flashing with contempt. "I was wrong. You don’t care about him."

She leveled a scathing look at Dimitri. "You care about status, power, and image. And for that, you are even ready to sacrifice Augustine’s happiness."

Dimitri’s fingers curled tightly around the head of his cane. "Young lady, watch your mouth," he rumbled. "You have no idea who you are talking to."

But Anne didn’t flinch. She sat up straighter with burning defiance. "I respected you. But hearing you now, that respect is gone. Augustine suffered because of your indifference. Yet he didn’t let it destroy him. He clawed his way up on his own. He built his life, his success, with no help from the Beaumont family."

Her voice hardened with confidence with each word, her chest swelling with emotion. "He doesn’t need a strategic marriage. He doesn’t need your backup. He is powerful because he made himself powerful. All he needs — all he has ever needed — is someone who loves him for who he is, not for what he owns."

Anne lifted the cheque higher. "Even if you offered me five billion, I would still say no. I am with Augustine — not because he is rich or influential, but because I love him."

She ripped the cheque in half. The torn pieces fluttered to the floor.

"This money means nothing to me." She threw a cold glance at Dimitri. "Thank you for the conversation, but I’m not leaving him."

She turned on her heel, ready to walk away, but Dimitri’s furious roar stopped her in her tracks.

"You want to see him suffer. What can you offer him, girl? Can you shield him from Gabriel and Denis? What support can your pitiful foster parents give him? You are nothing but a parasite — living off Augustine’s money, making him pay for your father’s hospital bills. You are a burden to him. How can someone like you possibly help him?"

Anne’s grip tightened around the strap of her bag. She could feel the sting of his words, but she refused to let it shake her. She had heard enough insults before, but not anymore. She wouldn’t let anyone belittle her.

She lifted her chin high with defiance as she turned back to him. "You claim I’m not good enough for him, that I can’t support him. But do you really believe you are helping him by pushing me away? In the past, you abandoned him when he needed you most, and now you are repeating the same mistake. By driving away the person he loves, you are not protecting him — you are breaking him. How can you be so cruel?"

Anne’s voice turned steely as she delivered her final blow. "Think whatever you want. Call me whatever you wish. But I will never leave him. I’m not heartless like you. My loyalty lies with Augustine, and only death will ever tear me away from him."

Without giving Dimitri a chance to respond, she spun around and stormed out of the room.