Chapter 2

I pretended not to notice. Only an idiot would turn that down.

Valerie walked over to me. "Give me your PayPal account."

I had no idea what she was planning, but I obediently gave her the account number anyway. A few moments later, my phone chimed with a pleasant notification sound.

[PayPal transfer received: 5,000,000 dollars.]

I froze in shock.

How much?

Five million was an astronomical figure to someone like me.

Valerie looked at me calmly. "If it's not enough, tell me and I'll send more."

I swallowed hard. "Isn't five million a little too much?"

One of the servants nearby could not hold back a laugh. Who in the world complained about getting too much money?

Maybe I just was not used to receiving this kind of amount. If it happened a few more times, I would probably get used to it.

Besides, Grandma was still lying in the hospital waiting for surgery money. There was no way I could refuse.

Tristan shot me a vicious glare before turning to Valerie.

"Valerie, we still haven't figured everything out yet. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to give him that much money already?"

Valerie replied flatly, "It's only pocket money. There's nothing inappropriate about it."

Pocket money?

That was when I finally understood just how absurdly rich the Cooper family really was.

At that moment, Madam Cooper came downstairs. The moment she saw me, she warmly patted my shoulder and handed me the keys to a Maybach as a welcoming gift.

I had seen that model online before. It was the kind of car money alone could not guarantee you could buy.

Startled, I quickly said, "This car is way too expensive. I can't accept it."

That was when I learned what had happened.

Apparently, reporters had been waiting outside the hotel room that morning and secretly photographed me leaving in a panic. The pictures had already spread across the internet, and the entire city was talking about it.

The Cooper family was old money with a spotless reputation. They could not afford a scandal like this, so they demanded that Valerie marry me.

Madam Cooper forcefully stuffed the keys into my hand.

"No need to be polite. Thanks to you, Valerie's condition can finally be cured."

I blinked in confusion. "Condition?"

Madam Cooper glanced toward Valerie, then pulled me aside and lowered her voice.

"Oh, Valerie has never been interested in men since she was little. She's never even dated anyone."

Her eyes drifted toward the fading scratch marks around my collarbone, and her smile widened even further.

"But you're different. You're the only one who can let her live like a normal woman.

"Once you two get married, work a little harder. Maybe next year I'll finally get a grandchild."

My face instantly turned red.

So Valerie had never been interested in men?

And her body only reacted to me?

Which meant if the Cooper family wanted an heir, the only option was for Valerie to marry me.

Valerie probably guessed what we had been talking about. She cleared her throat lightly and looked at me.

"I'm marrying you out of responsibility. Don't read too much into it."

In other words, she was warning me not to get any inappropriate ideas about her.

I smiled. "Don't worry, Ms. Cooper. I'll remember what you said."

A flicker of surprise crossed her face.

After all, every man in the city practically threw themselves at her. There probably was not a single man who did not like her.

But I did not seem to react the same way they did.

Madam Cooper, however, looked dissatisfied with my answer. She had finally seen hope for her daughter to live a normal life and clearly feared the opportunity might slip away.

Without hesitation, she insisted that I move into the Cooper residence immediately.

"You're getting married anyway. Moving in earlier is a good thing."

I originally wanted to refuse, but when I met Tristan's resentful gaze, I worried he might try something against me again, so in the end I agreed.

I took the money straight to the hospital to pay Grandma's surgery fees and even hired a caretaker for her.

I was an orphan. Grandma was the one who raised me.

In my previous life, after Tristan got me killed, Grandma also died in the hospital because she could not afford treatment.

The thought made my chest ache.

Holding her hand tightly, I whispered, "Grandma, I'm going to make sure you live a long, long life."

After that, I went back to pack my things and officially moved into the Cooper family estate.

The bed in my new room was so soft and comfortable I barely wanted to get up.

Every meal was filled with things like caviar, black gold abalone, and king crab. I had only ever heard of those foods before. I had never actually eaten them.

It felt like I had suddenly landed the ultimate golden-ticket life.

However, I also understood something very clearly: if I wanted to survive in a family at this level of wealth and power, I could not afford to become lazy or useless.

So I started working out, signing up for classes, and doing everything I could to improve myself.

A week later, Valerie returned from a business trip.

The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up.