"Marry?!" Beverley could hardly believe her own ears. Her gaze was filled with confusion as well as shock.
"If I get married, how can I work and raise money to treat James?" asked Beverley.
Her mother, Emma, started to get annoyed. "That's why I want you to marry the son of the Oliver family!"
"So you want to use me to pay off your debts?"
Beverley's eyes were red. Not because she wanted to cry, but because she felt very angry. How could Emma think of such a thing? Is it because Emma is just a stepmother?
"That is not what I mean. I just want you to live comfortably with rich people. You can live in peace without having to think about money. Am I wrong?" Emma asked innocently.
Beverley snorted. “Who do you think you are tricking? Emma, I'm not a kid to be fooled. I will never agree," she hissed sharply. She knew what situation she was in.
Emma, the money-loving stepmother, wants to use her daughter to pay off her debts to the Oliver family. In what way? Marry Beverley to Michael Oliver's son, who is being rumored to be gay!
Beverley was very understanding. The marriage must have only been used to cover up the gay rumors. Of course, she didn't want to. Marriage is a sacred thing. She doesn't want to marry carelessly. Especially, with people who she doesn't know at all.
After all, the one who owed a lot was Emma. Why was she the victim? Why didn't her rotten stepmother marry Michael Oliver's son? She was very happy if her father divorced that crazy woman.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Don't like me, huh?" she asked. She sat piling his feet and looked at Beverley with her head raised.
“If you argue, then I will leave your house and leave your crippled father stranded alone,” said Emma quietly. Although it sounds subtle, there is a real threatening tone to it.
"Emma!" Beverley immediately shouted angrily. She clenched her fists so tightly that her body trembled as well. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was tightly shut.
"You dare shout at me?" Emma furrowed her brows deeply. “Don't think just because I'm a stepmother that you're freely disrespectful to me!” she continued in an elevated tone.
“Then just because I am a stepdaughter, you can freely determine my life?!” Beverley shouted back.
She had had enough of Emma. The woman was by no means a good stepmother. If she knew her true character was like that, then in the past she wouldn't have allowed James to marry her.
Yeah, Beverley's father, James, did remarry after his first wife died. However, this past year James suffered a stroke that made him unable to work anymore.
The extravagant Emma has credit card bills running into millions of dollars. It made her dizzy because she didn't know how to pay it off. In the end, with her husband's sick alibi, she borrowed millions of dollars to pay off the bank bill.
Then who is the person lending the money? That person was Michael Oliver, James' boss. Maybe it was because James was one of his confidants that Michael Oliver could lend that much money.
Sometimes Beverley really wanted to kick Emma out of James' house. However, that was impossible because her father loved the woman very much.
James seems to have been driven mad by Emma, who has a pretty appearance. Could it be that the woman used a magic spell to seduce him?
“Bev, you're all grown up. If you marry a rich man, won't you also benefit?” Emma said sarcastically. She blew on her long red nails and stared at them proudly.
How sickening!
"You should know, Emma. I don't know the man at all. I don't know like his appearance, his nature, and his—”
“Why do you have to think about such things? What is most important is a guaranteed life. Getting married isn't always about love or any bullshit,” Emma replied nonchalantly.
Beverley grew even angrier. "What do you mean? Haven't you ever loved James?"
"I didn't say that."
Beverley snorted coldly. She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "I'm not getting married. And your debts have nothing to do with me," she said coldly.
“Well, you can refuse now. However, for sure… you will inevitably go to the wedding altar.”
Suddenly Emma stood up and carried her expensive bag. Then the woman sauntered away unconcerned with Beverley's pale face.
Before completely closing the door, Emma turned her sharp gaze at Beverley. “Don't think about running away. I can leave James anytime." After saying that threat, only then did the door actually close.
The room became silent. Beverley's breathing rose and fell erratically. Her hands clenched into fists. Her teeth began to grit.
"You damn woman!" Her voice echoed throughout the room. Luckily no one heard.
The closed-door suddenly opened. A woman who looked to be Beverley's age stepped in. The woman was wearing a blazer that looked quite classy. Her hair, which was tied up high, swayed with her footsteps.
"What's the matter, Bev? I just saw your mother come out of here. Did you two fight again?”
"Don't call her my mother, Katy," Beverley said quietly. She sat on a chair and massaged her dizzy forehead.
Beverley's friend, Katy, sat down as well. "You look so annoyed. You are okay?"
Beverley took a deep breath. “Emma tried to take advantage of me. Katy, she wants to use me to pay off her debt!”
"How could it be? In what way?"
"She's going to marry me to a man I don't even know. Gosh, what should I do now?”
“What the heck! She is crazy!”
Katy was furious. It had been a long time since she had heard stories from Beverley about her stepmother's bad nature and behavior. As her best friend, of course, she didn't like Emma. That woman was like a snake.
"I don't know what to do if she actually did that." Beverley bit her lip.
"What if you run away?" Katy suggested. Unfortunately, Beverley immediately rejected her proposal.
"I can't leave my father. James is sick. I was afraid that Emma would also leave that man alone.” She shook her head a few times.
"How much is that debt? Maybe I can lend you a hundred thousand dollars."
Beverley sighed in frustration. "More than that. Even if you sell this cafe, the money won't be enough. There is no other way. If Emma did that deal, they'd never let me go, Katy. My life is over….”
“How Outrageous!” Katy pounded the table in front of her. “If I ever meet your mother—I mean Emma, I want to punch her thick lips!”
Katy suddenly looked at Beverley seriously. "Are you sure she's serious? Did she have the heart to do this to you? I mean… you're still her daughter after all.”
Beverley just shook her head weakly. She didn't know if Emma would do that or not.
At that moment, suddenly the door of the room was knocked from outside. A cafe waitress came holding out an ivory yellow invitation that looked very elegant and classy. There is another folded paper tied with a gold ribbon on the invitation.
"Miss Holmes, this is for you," said the waitress.
Beverley's brow furrowed. Hesitantly she took the invitation letter. The recipient's name there was indeed her, Beverley Holmes. Who's getting married? There doesn't seem to be any news of her friends or colleagues getting married soon.
Out of curiosity, she opened the gold ribbon that was there. Then the invitation letter was immediately opened. For a moment, she was silent as she read who the person will marry.
Her heart seemed to stop beating when she saw the name written on it. Her face turned pale. The name of the bride written on the invitation letter is none other than her own name, Beverley Holmes!
“No way,” Beverley muttered, lowering her gaze. She immediately read the name of the groom.
Brent Oliver.
Her hands immediately trembled. The invitation slid down to the floor.
"What's the matter, Bev? Who's getting married?" Katy picked up the invitation. And after reading what the bride's name was, her reaction wasn't much different from Beverley's.
“The date… when is the date?” Beverley immediately snatched the invitation from Katy's hands.
“The seventeenth….”
Her body went limp for a moment. It's the sixteenth. That means the wedding will take place tomorrow!
Beverley felt like her soul was falling to the bottom of the cliff. Emma had indeed told her about this marriage beforehand. However, she thought there was still time for further discussion. It turned out that the woman had already decided on the marriage well in advance.What should Beverley do now? Her chest became sore. How could Emma do this? Hadn’t she given even the slightest consideration to her feelings?“Bev ....” Katy didn’t know what to say. She rubbed Beverley’s back gently, hoping to calm her down a little.“I have to see Emma,” Beverley said suddenly. Her gaze turned icy. She grasped the invitation paper, along with a folded letter that she had yet to read. She straightened her back and tried to strengthen her resolve.“I’ll drive you.” Katy grabbed her car keys, and the two of them walked out of the room. Katy left a few messages for the café cashier before walking away.Katy’s café was quite a distance from Beverley’s father’s house. She had been working as a manager at
One man in black pushed Beverley out of the car. No more screams came out of her mouth. No more crying or pleading of any kind. She realized it was a futile struggle.She stood up, staring at the big house in front of her. No, it was no ordinary house. One would more appropriately call it a mansion. The mansion looked very grand and elegant. A bone-white color dominated the exterior.Was it the Oliver family’s residence? Beverley did not know. Although it was a place filled with luxury, she did not feel attracted. She could not afford to spend her life there with someone she did not like at all.The night wind blew her hair. Her heart was pounding. Her feelings became erratic. Was this still real? Perhaps it was just a dream when she accidentally slept at the cafe table.“Miss, please come in.”The voice instantly broke Beverley’s reverie. She let out a long breath. “This was not a dream.” She finally stepped into the large mansion. Two men in black followed her from behind.The entran
This is bad! Beverley wanted to turn around and run as far as she could. However, Brent's pair of black eyes seemed to nail her in place. Her legs became weak and…. And she couldn't escape! Oh my, what should she do now? "Why are you just silent?" Emma whispered emphatically. Everyone in the venue turned their heads and looked at Beverley curiously. She didn't want her stepdaughter to embarrass her. Beverley glared at Emma. She gritted her teeth in anger. She wanted so badly to curse that woman. However, it couldn't be done because everyone was focused on her. Finally, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she really had to marry that jerk, then so be it. There was nothing she could do for now. For the first time in her life, she completely surrendered to fate. Her feet wouldn't move, but they continued to be forced until she finally arrived in front of the man. Brent Oliver. The sharp-eyed man who had been secretly haunting her for months. Beverley's eyes turned red. H
Beverley turned her face out the window to avoid Brent's piercing gaze. Her brow furrowed as she realized the car she was in was not making its way to Brent's house. She felt quite confused. Where will the man take her to? Despite being curious, Beverley refrained from asking. She didn't want to look anxious or worried in front of the man. Whatever the circumstances, she wanted to be a calm and indifferent woman. Moments later, their car stopped in the basement of a luxury hotel. Brent turned to look at Beverley. "Don't go anywhere. Stay here and don't make trouble!” he hissed coldly. Beverley didn't answer. She just watched the man leave with narrowed eyes. Where will the man go? Suddenly her vision caught something suspicious. Not far ahead, Brent seemed to meet a woman. The woman was wearing a red dress that was quite revealing. If there wasn't a long coat covering her body, maybe her body would be exposed. The woman was wearing sunglasses and a black fedora hat. Although her f
That day Katy's cafe seemed quite busy. When Beverley got there, the patrons and cafe staff immediately turned to look at her. Her current appearance was too flashy. And that made her hard to ignore."Oh my gosh!" Katy, who was initially recapitulating financial data, immediately ran over to Beverley. Her expression looked surprised and worried. "Honey, what happened to you?!"Beverley shook her head limply before finally settling into a chair away from the cafe patrons. Sweat was already soaking her body. She felt tired and thirsty after walking so far."Give me some cold water, please," she begged Katy. She removed the white bride veil from her head and a few other hair accessories.Without asking much, Katy immediately ordered her cafe staff to fetch cold water for Beverley. Moments later, a bottle of cold water was placed on the table.Beverley immediately took a sip of the water. Finally, her thirst was quenched. She took a deep breath. "You know, this is really ridiculous."Katy
Brent's gaze grew colder. He took his phone and placed it on the table. "Do you know your current status?" he asked, holding back a growl. The muscles in his neck seemed to tighten. Obviously, he was furious.Beverley glanced at Brent's cell phone only to see her picture on it—a photo of her still in her wedding dress, on the side of the road, messy and barefoot. Part of her face was covered by a veil, but her spectacular wedding dress was sure to be recognized by those in the business community."Why does it look like Mr. Oliver's bride's dress?""Did Mr. Oliver's wife run away from her marriage or what?"People will think like that if the photo manages to debut on social media. Yeah, unless they think Brent ordered a cheap dress of the same ten designs. But it certainly did not seem like the arrogant style of Mr. Brent Oliver.Beverley felt a little satisfied at the sight of Brent's anger, though she had to say it was also a little scary. The man had made her suffer enough today, an
The atmosphere was quiet again. Beverley put down her fork and touched the black folder on the table. Just imagining its contents made her head go numb. Why is that man so annoying?On the first page: The wife must be kind to the husband and the husband's family.Beverley snorted.On page two: The wife must act like wives should when appearing in public.Beverley snorted again. Her face became even more sullen.On page three: The wife should not interfere in the husband's personal matters, and the husband will do the same.This time, Beverley agreed. That means they won't meddle in each other's personal affairs. Then she turned to the next sheet.On page four: The wife should not travel alone at night."No," Beverley protested. "Why can't I travel at night?"Brent looked at her flatly. "Unless you want to be kidnapped or harmed by my business rivals. And if that happened, I wouldn't care."Beverley snorted. What kind of person is Brent? If the man was a mafia, then she believed there
"Oh, wasn't that your wife who was caught walking around while still wearing her wedding dress?" Brent's girlfriend's voice was so loud that Beverley could hear it. Her tone was sarcastic and mocking. It was a little annoying, but Beverley wanted nothing to do with her. She just narrowed her eyes and walked away. "Wait a minute!" Brent's girlfriend tries to stop Beverley. She walked over to her, holding Brent's hand. "Miss Holmes, why are you in such a hurry?" Beverley took a deep breath. She stopped her footsteps without turning back. "Sorry, but I have other, more important business." "Oh, dear Brent, look how your wife talks to me. She won't even look at me." Natalie complained spoiledly to Brent. The man kissed her briefly on the lips and then walked over to Beverley. "Where are you going?" "Unfortunately, it is a working day. So, I have to go to work," Beverley replied nonchalantly. She was preparing to continue her walk when suddenly Brent grabbed her by the wrist. "Let go