Chapter 2

His brow furrowed in irritation. “You were the one who insisted that you’d marry no one but Cole. When he finally agreed to marry you, you wanted to break up with him. I arranged the Holt match to secure your future, and you wailed like a banshee. Now, when Cole offers to take you back, you refuse again! What do you actually want?”

His words felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

I never imagined my own father would be so willing to throw me into the fire just to clear the way for his illegitimate daughter.

A bitter laugh escaped me as tears streamed down my face.

Just as my father was about to unleash his anger at my silence, his phone rang and broke the tension.

He answered it with visible irritation. When the caller introduced themselves, all color drained from his face.

“You’re the… the Holt family?”

A calm, authoritative voice said, “Yes. Congratulations, Mr. Theroux. Your daughter, Bethany, has been chosen by Mr. Vincent Holt himself. Someone will be delivering the wedding gifts shortly.”

My father stared ahead in disbelief. His voice trembled as he asked, “T-This isn’t some kind of mistake, is it? You’re sure he picked my daughter?”

The reply was sharp and brisk. “Mr. Theroux, this was a personal decision made by Mr. Vincent himself. There are no mistakes. But if your family intends to treat this engagement as a joke, be prepared to face the consequences.”

At that, cold sweat broke out across my father’s forehead. He forced out a shaky smile.

“No, no, I was just overjoyed by the news! We’re honored! Truly! Our family will cooperate fully with the arrangements!”

The call ended. His phone clattered to the floor.

His face darkened as he pointed at me and shouted, “You stupid girl! If you hadn’t broken up with Cole, we’d never have attracted the attention of the Holt devil himself! That’s the man who threw his own father into prison. If you think marrying into that family means a life of luxury, you’re being delusional!”

As soon as he said that, his hand, with its veins bulging, swung toward me.

I did not flinch. “Dad, what do you think Vincent Holt will do when he finds out someone laid a hand on his fiancee?”

His face flushed a deep red with rage, but the fear of crossing the Holt family made him hesitate. He pulled back his hand.

“Fine! We’ll see what game Vincent is really playing!”

With that, he stormed off and slammed the door behind him.

I stood frozen in place.

Cole’s betrayal, my father’s manipulation, and a marriage I could not see the end of…

The weight of it all crashed over me.

Half an hour later, a chauffeur from the Holt family arrived with a group of servants who carried in eight sandalwood chests.

Each one was filled with exquisite and rare jewels.

“Miss Bethany, these are but the first of Mr. Holt’s wedding gifts.”

His words sent a jolt through me.

I had assumed the engagement would be a quiet, perfunctory affair, but I had not expected that they would make such a grand display.

Not long after, footsteps echoed down the staircase.

Cole descended with Lulu clinging to his arm. They were stunned when they saw the sandalwood chests wide open in the foyer.

They were clearly unaware of what had just taken place.

Lulu deliberately tilted her neck to display fresh hickies as she sniffled against Cole’s chest.

“Oh, I envy you, Bethany! You’re marrying your true love with such splendor. Unlike me… I can’t even provide my child with a legitimate status.”

At her words, Cole shot me a smug glance.

“Bethany, just days ago, you were sobbing about breaking up. And now, you’ve prepared a wedding gift? Couldn’t wait to be my wife after all, huh?”

Then, he turned to Lulu affectionately.

“My family has more than enough of this stuff. Let’s just give it all to Lulu.”

Lulu covered her mouth and feigned surprise.

“Bethany, you’d really give me all of this?”

Before I could speak, Cole chimed in, “Consider it our baby’s welcome present.”

“I couldn’t possibly…”

Before I could respond, she turned to order her bodyguards. “Take these to my villa. Be careful, there shouldn’t be a single scratch.”

The villa had been a gift from Cole just last month, supposedly for the baby.

In moments, the eight sandalwood chests were whisked away.

I had not uttered a single word the entire time.

As she turned to leave, Lulu cast one last taunting glance in my direction. Her hand brushed gently over her round belly.