Chapter 1

After being toyed with by the brothers of the Carter family for three days, Blaire Presley arrived at the Carter residence wounded and exhausted.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carter Senior, I've made up my mind. I choose to marry Matthew Carter," she said.

Olivia Barrymore was surprised and exclaimed, "Blaire, did you make a mistake? Matt is the uncle of those three brothers."

Blaire wasn't entirely sure herself, but she had no other choice.

While cenching the hem of her clothes, she forced a smile and mustered up her courage to explain. "Mrs. Carter Senior, the union between the Carter and Presley families doesn't necessarily have to be made with one of the three brothers—Anthony Carter, Brandon Carter, or Cameron Carter. Am I right?

"They don't like me, and I don't want to pressure them further. Mrs. Carter Senior, I'm begging you. Could you please ask Mr. Matthew Carter if he is willing to marry me?"

As she spoke, her eyes were filled with a pleading look. Olivia noticed her expression and let out a deep sigh.

After exchanging a glance with William, Olivia slowly said, "Matt is currently on a business trip abroad. I'll call him to ask. Don't worry, my dear."

Blaire was feeling anxious. As she listened to the phone dial, her heart seemed to have leaped into her throat.

"Mom?" Once the call got through, Matthew's distant and deep voice came through.

Olivia briefly explained the situation, and then there was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

During the few seconds of waiting, Blaire was tormented with anxiety. Her mind went blank, and she was barely able to hear what Matthew said.

After a long while, Olivia smiled gently and nodded. "Matt agrees to this marriage. In that case, we both families will quickly set the wedding date so that you both can get married soon."

Blaire felt a jolt of shock, and then a smile spread across her face as she nodded hard. Even on her way back, her heart continued to race.

She felt an immense sense of relief after the heavy burden on her chest was suddenly removed. After taking a few deep breaths and calming herself down, she called her parents.

"Dad, Mom, I've decided to marry Matthew Carter instead."

Blaire's parents, on the other end of the phone, were somewhat surprised, but they then quickly regained their composure and replied coldly, "It's not a bad choice either.

"Matthew holds a higher position and has more influence than the three brothers. Let us know the time once the wedding date is set, and we'll return to attend the ceremony."

The phone call ended with two beeps, leaving Blaire alone in the cold, empty house.

Her parents had never cared much about her. They prioritized the company's interests and were often away on business trips. She had grown used to their impersonal tone.

The Carter and Presley families had been close for generations, and they were currently the two most prominent families in this metropolis.

The contract marriage was decided by their ancestors to form a strong alliance. Blaire couldn't oppose it. As the only young woman in the Presley family, she could only accept it.

She grew up alongside Anthony, Brandon, and Cameron. From a young age, her parents always told her she would eventually marry one of them.

Thus, she did everything she could to get closer to them, be kind, and try her best to make them like her a little more.

She had even risked her life to save them during the earthquake that made national headlines five years ago. Meanwhile, she herself was severely injured and almost lost her life.

Yet, they still treated her with indifference. It was because they liked Tammy Gray, the daughter of the Carter family's housemaid.

As a result, none of them were willing to marry her and grew even more disgusted with the contract marriage that bound them.

Ironically, they claimed that they liked Tammy because she had saved them during the earthquake. But in fact, Blaire was the one who had saved them.

Blaire was about to turn 24, and it was almost time for her to honor the contract marriage. She had told them the truth more than once. Not only did they not believe her, but they also hated her more due to Tammy's manipulation.

Just when Blaire was feeling hopeless, Anthony sent her a message. "Since the contract marriage is inevitable, I'll take the responsibility to marry you. See you at the city hall."

She was overjoyed. She stood outside the city hall with her identity card and foolishly waited in the rain for the entire day, but he never showed up.

She had a high fever for a whole day and night, and she received a call from Brandon the next day.

"Blaire, I heard you waited for Anthony for the entire day yesterday. Are you that eager to get married? Here's the deal—if you find the pair of rings I buried in the garden, I'll marry you."

Blaire believed him again. She searched for the entire day and turned the garden upside down. She even broke her nails, only to realize he had been lying to her as well.

On the third day, Cameron invited her to watch the meteor shower on a mountain. But just as she reached the top, he made an excuse about having something to do and left her alone at the peak. He even took away all the means of transportation.

Bruised and battered, she walked back and went to confront them, only to overhear them saying, "We were just messing with her. There's no way we would actually marry her.

"That day, she purposely made Tammy get caught in the rain and fall, causing Tammy to be injured. We did those things to avenge Tammy."

Upon hearing that, Blaire was completely disheartened. She walked home in the rain and spent the whole night reflecting. Eventually, she figured it out.

While the contract marriage couldn't be avoided, the marriage partner could still be changed. At last, she no longer had to compromise for them.

As soon as she got home, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door. Anthony barged in with a dark expression.

"Blaire, I've told you many times that I don't want to marry you. Why do you keep pushing it? You even came to our house to talk about the wedding. Are you that desperate to get married?"

Brandon followed right behind. His cold gaze were filled with annoyance, and his tone was detached and heartless. "I believe I've also told you many times that the person I like is Tammy. You're really shameless."

Cameron furrowed his brows as irritation etched across his rebellious face. "Who did you choose among the three of us?"

Blaire stared at the three faces before her, which were similar in appearance but completely different in charisma. She coldly answered, "I choose none of you."

Cameron asked with a frown, "What do you mean? Only the three of us are of the right age among the same generation of the Carter family. Who else can you choose if you don't choose us?"

Brandon responded curtly. "You've been following us around since we were young, looking desperate to get married. Now, you're saying you choose no one. What are you up to again?"

"Blaire, no matter what you do, we'll never like you." Anthony pinched the bridge of his nose, looking very annoyed.

Blaire took a deep breath and replied, "Who says the marriage partner has to be someone from the same generation? The one I've chosen is…"

Before she could finish her words, a bodyguard rushed in, panic evident on his face. "Sirs, something bad happened. Tammy found out that you're about to get married, and she… she…. committed suicide."

Upon hearing that, the three men's expressions changed instantly, and they quickly headed out.

Anthony suddenly remembered something and turned around with a look of disgust. "Blaire, look what you've done. If you choose me, I'll definitely run away on the wedding day and make you the laughingstock of the entire city."

Brandon's eyes also gleamed with coldness, and his voice was extremely icy. "If you dare to choose me, I'll have a dog wear the groom's suit and exchange vows with you on the wedding day."

Cameron also angrily added, "You better not choose me, or I'll ruin the wedding scene that day. I'll smash it every time it's held. We only like Tammy. Even if you force us to marry you, we'll never acknowledge you as our bride."

With that, the three of them rushed out one after another. Blaire watched their hurried departures and felt utterly ridiculous.

Her marriage partner had already been decided. From now on, she would only have one role—the one they had to bow to whenever they saw her.