Dorothy was forced to marry Stefan Everest, the man known as “the crippled mute.” Everyone thought her life was over, especially as she endured the mockery and whispers. But one night, everything changes. At a lavish event, Stefan proves he is far from what people believed. Looking at Dorothy, his words are simple: “You stood by me when no one else did. Now, it’s my turn to spoil you.”
View MoreA sleek Mercedes-Benz pulled into the Florence household's parking lot. Watching the car through the window, Clarissa couldn't help but sneer in jealousy. She was a slender beauty with smooth skin and long, flowing hair, appearing to be in her early twenties.
"Mom, that crippled man is here to pick Dorothy up, but he's driving an expensive car. Dorothy doesn't deserve to ride in something like that," Clarissa scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Don't worry, baby. It's just a car. Once she marries that crippled man, you'll have anything you want," her mother, Agnes, reassured her.
"I’d better," Clarissa pouted, her juicy pink lips curling as she flipped a lock of her hair behind her ear. Men lined up for a chance to date her as her beauty was enchanting. But her personality was a stark contrast to her looks, nothing good to write about.
A knock sounded at the door.
"It's them," Clarissa muttered, waving at one of the housemaids to open it. A sharply dressed man in a well-ironed suit stood at the entrance.
"Good morning, ma'am. We're here for Mr. Everest's fiancée," the man said politely.
Clarissa ignored him, peering behind him as if searching for someone.
"And where is her useless soon-to-be husband? Is he in the car? Oh, wait—I forgot he can't walk. How would he ever come here?" Clarissa mocked, laughing along with Agnes.
The man frowned but remained composed. "I’ll ask again: where is his fiancée?"
"We’ll send her out—but first, go back and switch that car for something cheaper. Something more suited to her," Agnes replied, her tone curt.
Clarissa nodded in agreement.
Sighing, the man pulled out his phone, clearly done with their antics. "Please bring the Toyota Yaris," he instructed. Clarissa smirked triumphantly.
A few minutes later, the Toyota Yaris arrived, and the Mercedes-Benz was driven away.
"Can we have her now?" the man asked calmly.
Agnes rolled her eyes and left the room. She returned moments later with a young woman who appeared to be Clarissa's age. Dorothy was simply dressed in a plain gown, her hair tied back, her skin pale with no makeup.
The man’s face lit up as he addressed her. "You must be Miss Dorothy. I’m Kai, sent by Mr. Stefan to pick you up."
"Good morning, Kai," Dorothy responded softly, her voice calm and gentle. Clarissa and Agnes exchanged scoffs.
"Since there’s nothing else, let’s go," Kai said, nodding politely at Clarissa and Agnes before escorting Dorothy out.
"She's so pathetic," Clarissa muttered. "Imagine marrying at twenty-two—to a crippled, mute loser!"
"She deserves nothing better," Agnes replied dismissively.
Despite the fact they believed Dorothy life would be miserable after getting married to Stefan, Clarissa can't help but get a little worried. He sent his assistant to pick her up in a Mercedes Benz, what if she starts living a good life? She bit her lips with this thought.
"Stop worrying too much, his family won't like her, she's ugly" Agnes reassured Clarissa once more.
"You're right, no one can love an ugly girl like her! What was I even thinking" Clarissa nodded, convincing herself as they watched Dorothy leave.
OUTSIDE
Kai opened the car door for Dorothy. "Your mother and sister are quite something. They wouldn’t let me bring the better car."
Dorothy offered a polite smile. "Thank you," she murmured before stepping into the car and settling in the back seat as Kai drove.
He glanced at her through the rearview mirror as he started the engine. "Don’t believe everything you hear about Stefan. He may be crippled, but he’s a calm, collected man, and minds his business. You’re in safe hands even though he's a little grumpy."
Dorothy stared out the window, feeling indifferent. Safe hands or not, she had nothing left to lose. Her family had forced her to turn down a medical school admission to marry Stefan. Dorothy knew Agnes wouldn’t allow her to marry a rich man unless there was something to gain.
Stefan Everest was wealthy—the CEO of Everest Stock Exchange and the son Arthur Everest, a powerful business magnate. Stefan was also a crippled mute man rendered so by an accident and this made him a laughing stock amongst others.
The car stopped moving as Kai had just arrived at the county clerk office. He got down and offered to help Dorothy get the car door but she already exited herself.
He cleared his throat and led the way "Mr. Stefan is waiting inside,"
Dorothy followed him, ignoring the judgmental stares from people they passed. Everyone else was elegantly dressed, their faces polished with makeup, while she looked plain in comparison.
At the registration office, Kai opened the door for her.
He was present, Stefan was there. He sat in his wheelchair, a commanding presence despite his disability. His physique was surprisingly toned for someone who had spend years in a wheelchair, his broad shoulders complementing his chiseled face and piercing blue eyes.
Dorothy’s heart skipped a beat when their eyes met, but Stefan looked away, focusing instead on a sharply dressed young man in a white suit standing behind him.
The man spoke. "Mr. Stefan has instructed us to proceed with the marriage registration," he said to the deputy county clerk, a stern-looking woman with a stocky build.
"Miss Dorothy, please take a seat," the clerk instructed, motioning to the chair beside Stefan.
Dorothy hesitated but obeyed, keeping her distance. Even though the man was mute and on a wheelchair, Dorothy was still weary of him. Stefan’s rugged appearance made her uneasy, despite his striking looks.
"Please provide the necessary documents," the clerk requested. Kai handed them over.
The clerk began asking questions. Dorothy answered softly, while the man in the white suit responded on Stefan’s behalf.
"Move closer for the photograph, please," the photographer instructed.
Dorothy swallowed nervously and shifted closer, careful not to touch Stefan. The photo was taken quickly, and she immediately moved back, releasing a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
"Sign here for the final step," the clerk said.
Both signed the documents.
"Congratulations, Mr. Stefan Everest and Mrs. Dorothy Everest. You are now husband and wife."
Husband and wife. The words echoed in Dorothy’s mind. She was married. Her life, as she knew it, was over.
Later that day, when Michael returned from school, he insisted on going to the company because he wanted to see Dorothy. Beatrice agreed and took him there.It was Dorothy’s lunch break. She was eating with Stefan in the office when Maxwell burst in. He ran straight to Dorothy and hugged her. Due to his small height, he ended up hugging her lower body.“What’s that for?” Dorothy asked softly.“I want to say thank you for coming to school today and having that talk with Edward. He’s been so nice ever since, and because he likes me now, everyone at school likes me too,” Maxwell said excitedly.“You talked to Edward?” Stefan asked, narrowing his eyes a little.“I went to school because I got a call that Maxwell was being bullied again. Edward used to be the bully. I said a couple of things to him, and I think it changed his mind,” Dorothy shrugged.“Isn’t that great, Stefan? You bagged yourself not just a beautiful but a smart wife,” Beatrice said with a smile.“I’m really lucky,” Stefan
The kids were having lunch in the cafeteria. As usual, Maxwell sat alone—no one wanted to mingle with him. He hadn’t even taken a bite of his food when it was suddenly snatched away and the next thing he knew, the food was splattered all over his face.He gasped and looked behind him. It was exactly who he expected—Edward.The kids around pointed and laughed at him."That’s for your evil aunt who stopped me from seeing my dad," Edward snapped, then stormed off, his crew trailing behind him.Maxwell stood up and ran to a corner, unable to bear the laughter echoing around him. He curled himself into a ball and began to cry. A gentle tap landed on his shoulder—it was his class teacher."What happened to you, Maxwell?" she asked, eyes landing on the food smeared on his uniform. She looked around at the laughing students and understood instantly."Get up. Come with me to the counselor’s office," she said, helping him up. Maxwell wiped his tears and followed her.Minutes later, Beatrice and
The next morning, at Bianca's workplace. A soft knock landed on her door before her personal assistant stepped in."Good morning, ma'am," Jack greeted. He looked slightly feminine and was holding a white envelope."This came from Stefan, ma'am." He placed the letter on the table.Bianca smiled as she took the envelope, but her expression dropped as she read through the letter."What's wrong, ma'am?" Jack asked with a concerned look."I can’t believe Stefan would do this!" she exclaimed, angrily handing the letter to Jack. He read through it and shared the same stunned expression."Is he serious? He meets his son only three times a week, and he even timed the hours they spend together? Does he think this is some kind of assignment?" Jack said, clearly upset."I bet Dorothy asked him to do this," Bianca scoffed."Like, God forbid a son wants to spend the whole day with his father," Jack rolled his eyes. "You're not agreeing to this, right?""Of course not. I'm going to Stefan’s now!" Bi
Dorothy looked at Kai from head to toe—he was dressed in a waiter’s uniform. He wore a white shirt with the restaurant’s name printed on it, black pencil jeans, and a black apron tied around his waist.Dorothy couldn’t believe her eyes. She hadn’t seen Kai at the company in a long time. When she asked Stefan about it, he always found a way to change the topic.“What are you doing here?” was the first question Dorothy threw at him.“I believe I should be asking you that. Why are you here alone, ordering a mocktail by yourself? Where’s your husband?”Dorothy frowned at the question.“What, so a woman can’t decide to go on a solo date and have a mocktail on her own?” she asked, clearly offended.“Apologies, I didn’t mean to upset you. But I’ve known Stefan long before you did. When he’s obsessed with something, he doesn’t let it out of his sight,” Kai murmured, checking the time on his wristwatch. “Especially when it’s 9:30 p.m.”Dorothy scoffed and pushed her hair back. “Maybe you don’t
At a restaurant, three familiar friends sat at the same table, chatting as they waited for the waiter to bring their orders."I'm sorry, it's just really hard to believe—Stefan has a son who's about ten years old, and no one knew about this?" Chole said in surprise.Dorothy shrugged, sipping orange juice from her glass through a straw."That Bianca looks really deceitful. I'd say Stefan should look into this case a little more before claiming that boy as his," Kristin said with a scoff."Are you stupid? Stefan already had your boyfriend—aka his trusted doctor, Harrison—conduct a DNA test, and it turned out positive. He even did another test outside of Harrison, and still, it came back positive. If that’s not enough proof, then a screw must be loose in your head somewhere," Chole said to Kristin, who responded with a glare.Chole turned to Dorothy with concern. "How do you feel about all this?""Look at her—she's devastated," Kristin sighed."It sucks, but I won’t stop the boy from hav
"Why didn’t you tell me you had a son?" Dorothy repeated, her voice calm, though her eyes burned red as tears threatened to fall.Stefan stood motionless. His silence shattered her. She wanted it to be a lie so badly—but his lack of denial said everything."How did you find out?" he finally spoke.Dorothy laughed—dry, painful laughter that echoed off the walls. "How did I find out? So you were never going to tell me? Just going to keep pretending? Keep lying to me?"Her voice cracked, and the tears finally came.Stefan clenched his fists, a tortured look crossing his face. "Bianca told you, didn’t she?""Does it matter, Stefan? She’s not lying, is she?" Dorothy shot back."Love, listen—" he tried to step closer, but she stopped him by raising both hands to create distance."Don’t come any closer, Stefan. Don’t you dare," she warned, trembling. "What else are you hiding from me? Because right now, I don’t even know who you are anymore!"She couldn’t have imagined in a thousand years th
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