Chapter 674

chapter674

Ruby was focused on her compact mirror, carefully retouching her makeup without sparing Ryder a single glance. Before the group could even settle into their seats, her father, Roderick, cut through the pleasantries with a blunt demand.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” Roderick said, crossing his arms. “I have one primary condition: a dowry of 70,000. As long as the funds are available, we can move forward with the arrangements.”

“What? 70,000?” Ryder was momentarily speechless.

He looked at Ruby, who was indeed well-presented with her makeup done. However, he couldn't help but compare this to his previous marriage. Back then, the expectations were significantly more modest, and the circumstances were entirely different. He wondered what justified such an exorbitant figure in this context.

Roselynn, sitting beside him, found the demand almost laughable. She glanced at the Zimmerman family, wondering if they had lost touch with reality. To demand such a high price while treating the meeting like a business transaction was, in her eyes, incredibly cynical.

“Is there a problem? Can you not afford it?” Belinda, Ruby’s mother, was even more assertive than the matchmaker. She began a rapid-fire praise of her daughter. “Ruby is graceful, beautiful, and comes from a reputable background. There are plenty of men interested in her. Considering the circumstances, 70,000 is a fair price for joining a family like ours.”

Ryder looked down, his confidence wavering. He had always been self-conscious about his appearance and his status as a single father. Hearing Belinda’s dismissive tone made him feel as though he truly was out of his league.

“Let’s not focus solely on the financial aspect yet,” Alessandra said, her voice tight with suppressed frustration. She had come to treat Ryder as her own son; if he truly liked Ruby, she was prepared to support him, but the blatant commercialization of the meeting was becoming hard to stomach.

Suddenly, Ruby snapped her mirror shut and looked up. The moment she saw the group, her brow furrowed, causing a fine dusting of powder to shift on her forehead. “Wait, I recognize you two!” she exclaimed, looking at Alessandra and Roselynn.

Roselynn didn't miss a beat. “Yes, it’s us. Since we’re not strangers, let’s stop beating around the bush. We know your family’s history, and we know what the standard expectations were for your cousin Milani. To demand this amount now, when everyone involved is looking for a stable, mature partnership, seems… excessive.”

Ruby’s face flushed with anger. “What are you implying? That I’m not worth the investment? This man comes here with a child and expects a premium match for nothing? If you want to talk about value, then the price just went up. 140,000, or don't bother calling us again!”

The demand for 140,000 sent a shock through the table. Roselynn felt an urge to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it. Ryder, meanwhile, felt a sense of finality. Even if he liquidated every asset he owned, such a sum was a fantasy.

Belinda doubled down, her voice rising. “Exactly. If he isn't a man of means, what makes him think he’s a suitable match for my daughter? A family needs security.”

“That’s enough!” Roselynn stood up, her patience finally reaching its limit. She couldn't stand by and watch Ryder be ridiculed any longer. “You talk about grace and beauty, but look at how you’re conducting yourselves. You’ve turned a personal introduction into a cold negotiation.”

She turned her gaze toward Ruby. “You claim to be graceful, yet your words are full of sharp edges. You claim to be a 'premium match,' but true value comes from character and sincerity—two things that seem to be missing from your side of the table today. You criticize Ryder for his appearance and his past, but he stands here with honesty. Can you say the same behind all that makeup?”

Roselynn had never been one to back down from a confrontation. She systematically addressed the contradictions in the Zimmerman family’s claims, pointing out that their demands were based on a sense of superiority that didn't match their behavior.

As Ryder listened to his cousin defend his honor, his sense of shame began to evaporate. He realized that a person's worth wasn't defined by a price tag or the harsh words of others. He sat up straighter, realizing that he deserved far better than a partnership built on a foundation of greed and superficiality.