Chapter 226: Unable to Refuse

"I think it's better to wait until Benjamin is really married in the future and then give it to the person he marries," Martina said. She was not wrong in saying so. After all, she didn't even have the confidence to continue with Benjamin, let alone considering marriage. In this situation, how could she accept such an important bracelet? It would be like deceiving someone, whether it was deceiving herself, deceiving Benjamin, or deceiving Jack. According to her character, she couldn't do any of that. Martina didn't want to escalate the situation. Some things had to be clarified in advance. Regardless of what Benjamin thought right now or what Jack thought, she simply didn't want things to become more complicated. If this were just an expensive piece of jewelry, she could keep it for the time being and maybe leave it behind when she eventually left. However, this bracelet was a family heirloom, a symbol of her identity. She couldn't accept it anyway. At this point, Jack's face had become rather unpleasant, but he didn't blame Martina for it. He was thinking that Benjamin was becoming more and more unreliable, unable to make a girl happy! Martina had been so good to Benjamin, but who would have thought that they still hadn't made any progress in their relationship, and now she was contemplating running away. How could Jack be happy about this? If there weren't other people present, Jack might have exploded by now. He was only holding back because he had to show respect to Benjamin in front of others. "Martina, though I am not quite clear about what's happened between you and Benjamin, I hope this situation won't affect your future plans," Jack said. "No matter what happened between you two, I hope you still remember what I said before. You and Benjamin are a unit, and you should think about the future together." Martina remembered these words, but remembering was one thing, and being able to follow through was another. She hung her head in distress, and even though she didn't say anything, her expression clearly revealed her dilemma. Faced with Benjamin's gaze, she had no choice but to pretend she hadn't seen anything. Perhaps Benjamin didn't want to put Martina in a difficult position, or maybe he knew it wasn't easy for her to agree, so he refrained from saying overly emotional things. Instead, he found a way out for Martina, suggesting, "Grandfather, why don't we wait a bit longer? Some things shouldn't be rushed." Martina felt a sense of relief, even finding Benjamin somewhat adorable at the moment, at least for not pressuring her. But the next moment, Benjamin said, "However, Martina, you can keep this bracelet. No matter what the future holds, keeping it for now is the right choice." Jack agreed from his side. He understood Benjamin's intentions, but some things indeed couldn't be rushed, and they would have to take it step by step. He thought his actions might pressure Martina into staying, but it seemed she was determined to leave. "Alright," Jack said. "I originally wanted you to wear this bracelet as an accessory. It was nothing more than that." With things having reached this point, if Martina were to refuse, it would seem rather impolite. "Okay, I'll keep it for now," reluctantly, she agreed. "If there's someone who really needs it, I'll bring it out again." Right now, the person with the worst expression should have been Elizabeth. She couldn't get what she wanted all along, and this had become a significant source of pain in her heart. However, now, Martina could easily reject it! What an agnorant woman! She could give it to Elizabeth if she didn't want it! In the end, Elizabeth couldn't hold back and continued to say, "Jack, since Martina doesn't want it so much, why don't you give it to me first, and I can pass it on to my son's future wife later." If it hadn't been for the fact that Benjamin's father had passed away so early, maybe this bracelet would have really ended up in Elizabeth's hands. Unfortunately, now it's too late for anything. Jack clearly knew that Elizabeth's intentions weren't entirely pure. If he had really left the bracelet to her, it would have caused even more trouble. To avoid those troubles, Jack refused without a second thought, saying, "Forget it! I've already given it to Martina. There's no reason to take it back. Besides, it's just a bracelet. If you really like it, let someone pick out a new one for you, but don't mention this bracelet again." In fact, this statement had a double meaning, but in any case, it left Elizabeth with frustration and her facial expression twisted, making her even more unhappy with Martina. Because all of this happened because of Martina, and for that reason, Elizabeth was becoming increasingly displeased with her. It seemed she must find a way to resolve this problem. The plan she made earlier should be carried out as soon as possible, or she couldn't stop Martina anymore. The others didn't know what was really going on in Elizabeth's mind, they just didn't pay too much attention to her. The meal continued, but each person had their own thoughts. For example, Benjamin truly regretted what happened. Unfortunately, there was no way to change the situation, and he felt quite uncomfortable. He really wished he could marry Martina, but it seemed too difficult. Hindsight is always 20/20. If only Benjamin had paid more attention to Martina in the beginning, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way. ... After the meal, Martina had a brief chat with Jack and then went upstairs to rest. She called it resting, but in reality, she wanted to have some personal space to be alone for a while. Staying in the dining room with Benjamin and with Elizabeth around was making things quite chaotic. She didn't want to continue being in the same place with them, but it wasn't that she disliked it. She simply wanted to relax a bit more. Jack gave Benjamin an impatient look and said, "Come with me to my room, I have something to ask you." As for Elizabeth, she was completely ignored from start to finish, mostly just there to fill her stomach.