Iliana watches the scene unfold. Her last birthday, just a few weeks ago. She didn't notice at the time how some of them sucked in their breath when they saw her. Their response makes her smile, so they truly did find her attractive. That is good.

Isaac is the first to greet her as he comes to meet her at the bottom of the stairs. He gives her a kiss on the cheek, "Happy birthday, Iliana." He nearly forgot that she would be angry if they used the diminutive of her name. They will have to earn back everything, including the right to use nicknames once again.

It doesn't take long for the others to follow Isaac's example.

Blake goes to her and escorts her to the sitting room. He has her take a seat as the others get their gifts. "Please take our gifts. Once they are given then we will finish the discussion I started upstairs with you."

The boys hold their breath. If she refuses to take their gifts then she is there just for that night and there won't be anything further. They'll have messed up too much for her to forgive them for.

After she takes her seat she looks at all the expectant waiting faces. As she watches and says nothing the hope that is there starts to die. That is when she speaks, "I have been so incredibly hurt by some of you that there were nights when I wanted to die. There were times when I cursed my life after the snake bite two years ago." Iliana carefully wipes at the tears that were falling. "I have talked extensively with Connor about how you ten were treating me. I just want you to know that he never said anything against any of you. So no matter the outcome of this trial I am giving you, it won't be anything he said that will have me saying goodbye or staying here. All he told me was what am I willing to tolerate in a relationship? He then gave examples of good relationships even if they weren't mainstream normal. He is aware that I am in love with all ten of you and never discouraged that either. Probably the reason he gave me the examples of the non mainstream relationship examples.

"I will not tolerate being ignored, I will not tolerate you having the disrespect of targeting and choosing your flavor of the night in front of me. If I am, as Blake claims, your special one there will be no sharing with others." Iliana shrugs, "That won't be easy on you all, after all there are ten of you and only one of me. That makes things highly weighted in my favor. I don't give a fuck." The boys cringe, Iliana really doesn't like using curse words but seems to be using them around them quite a bit lately.

"There are rules that we'll go by. If you are willing to follow those rules then we'll see just how far we can go. I really don't think it will be any different than before. You've done this since I was six and I am so done with it. I will not be invisible, I will not be disrespected by those flavors. I am more than willing to sell my part of the house to Blake and leave forever. I deserve respect especially in my own home by those that are just visiting for a night." Iliana says and has to wipe the now angry tears carefully off her face.

"There will be no more flavors allowed in the house. If there are any that don't choose to follow your rules to be your special one then they can leave. They are all adults and have sufficient money that they can afford their own place." Blake says emphatically from her side as he glares at his brothers.

All of the brothers agree to those terms. "Very well, if you are willing to listen and accept whatever terms I give then I will accept your gifts, at least to open them." The brothers accept that that will be as good as it gets.

Isaac and Preston are the first two to get up and go to her. She takes and opens each in order of birth.

Iliana still is shocked over some of the gifts. After all the boys have presented their gifts Blake comes back with a second one and so does Isaac and strangely enough Casper.

"This is from my mother and father." Blake hands her a smaller gift, he specifies that that one was from his father. She opens it and gasps. The gold cuff was intricately worked. "It was a piece that belonged to his grandmother. It was to go to his daughter on her eighteenth birthday." Blake explains.

"My father gave this to my mother at her first social when introducing her to the Board of Directors of the company. She directed that this be given to you on this birthday so that when you take your parents place you will have something to wear as well."

Iliana opens the gift and finds a rather large box. Opening the box she finds, "A fucking tiara, Blake, really?" 

"Continue looking, Iliana." Blake says calmly.

Lifting up the layer of the tiara she finds that the rest of a matching set there. "You have to be kidding me. There has to be more than a million in diamonds on all that."

"It was valued at one point two million last it was looked at. Since then  prices have changed." Blake shrugs. "This isn't every day wear obviously. It is for high society events where the bitches look down at those that don't have the money to show off. Even should you tell us to go to hell after tonight, I would ask that you take these items with you. My parents would be devastated if by our actions you refused their gifts."

"Their gifts are incredibly generous and too much, but I will accept them. Thank you, Blake, for giving them to me on their behalf."

"It was a pleasure, Iliana."

Instead of Isaac being next it is Casper that steps forward. "This is a gift from myself, Flynn and the triplets. Even if you hate us and never want to see us again, we ask that you accept this gift."

Iliana takes the small gift and hopes that it isn't a ring. She doesn't need or want more jewels than she already received that night.

She opens the box and exclaims, "Oh!"

"Blake was being unreasonable and wouldn't let us take out a wall so that we could bring it in the house. It is waiting out front if you would like to see it?" Iliana gently places the other gifts on the floor and rises.

Opening the front door she is shocked to see the one and only car type that has interested her. "What the fuck are you doing spending that kind of money on me for? You could have bought a house similar in size as this one for what you paid for that car."

"Do you like it?" Dimitri asks nervously on their behalf. Iliana has wanted that car for years, but isn't into fancy things generally. It was the only thing that she's ever wanted that was really expensive.

"Yes, but it is far too much." It quite possibly cost twice as much or even more than the gift that their parents left her.

"It's custom, so we can't send it back. We bought if for you. If you won't accept it then it will sit unused in the garage until it falls apart." Gregor says as he shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't dare look at Iliana. He doesn't want to see her face as she denies the gift.

"It's perfect. Thank you, all of you." Iliana says softly with tears in her eyes.

Only then does Gregor dare to look at her. What he sees reassures him and he finally loses the anxious look on his face and smiles in relief.

"There is yet one last gift. Then if you wish to finish the conversation we will do so. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until we get back from dinner to take your car out for a spin." Blake tells her happy at how her face is shining in happiness for a change. It has been so long since he's seen that look that he'd forgotten how breathtaking it could be.

He just hopes that the last gift won't ruin that look. Iliana isn't known for her materialism and this last gift is very materialistic.

They all head back inside. They wait politely until Iliana once more takes her seat. The maids had already taken her other gifts to her room, other than the jewels. Those are retained by Blake, he'll put them in his safe once Iliana is done with the gifts.

Iliana takes the gift that Isaac hands her. "This is from Blake, myself, Preston, Phoenix and Kai."

Iliana unwraps the box and opens it. She gasps in shock. Still in shock she looks up at all the older boys, "I thought the younger ones were excessive in their gift. This must have cost more than the car."

Phoenix gently lifts the diamond collar from it's box and places it around her neck. The weight of the diamonds and the feel of the cold metal makes the collar feel heavier than it really was. "Please accept our gift and wear it tonight as we go to dinner?" Kai says.

Iliana locks eyes with Blake. "We all would be honored if you accepted this gift. It cannot be returned and there is no one else that we would allow to wear it, ever. If you will not accept it, it will forever sit in a bank vault or safe for the rest of our lives."

"We don't deserve your forgiveness and we don't expect to get it with the gifts we've given tonight. This is the type of thing we've wanted to do, show our love for you, for years and couldn't." Kai says softly not wishing for her to be angry with him. He knows that he isn't one of her favored brothers.

"Love isn't shown in the price of the gifts. I would take a simple dandelion given to me with a loving smile over this show of wealth any day." Indeed they have all given her flowers when they were younger.

Kai steps back head hanging and the others seem to be defeated as well. "But I will accept the gift in the spirit it was given. I am warning you now though, don't try to buy my forgiveness. Show me through your actions that you love me. You used to do that all the time until I was about six. Even then you would do things that I would know that you cared. That all changed after I was a teen. The closest you came was for my sixteenth birthday when you helped me clean up after that nasty storm. Should you choose to spend money for me, do so to those that need it. There are many that are in need."

Blake gives her a small smile. "We are working on something along those lines, but we are having legal issues that we are working on or we would have given that to you tonight as well."