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Chapter 2

ผู้เขียน: Favour
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-06-17 14:52:22

Lucas was taken aback by her question. She looked genuinely surprised, as if she was hearing the topic for the first time. He had assumed Samuel had discussed the whole thing with his daughter. Personally, he was not too happy about getting shackled into marriage with an ill-looked Johnson young lady after two failed marriages. 

Evelyn Johnson reminded him of one of the orphans in a charity home he had recently donated a huge sum of money to. She looked distasteful and lacked simple fashion sense. He still bore the scars of divorce that proved all women were the same. Once they perceived a man was wealthy, they did everything humanly possible to burrow their way into his life, and once they got what they wanted, they were gone. At least he had enough experience to criticize them.

His first marriage had been to Janice Bridge, an English model thirteen years his junior. He had been young and foolish back then to fall for her wiles and charming words. Eventually, she had trapped him into marriage with a pregnancy allegation, and because he was enthralled by her exquisite beauty, he had given in. In the end, she was exposed after an ultrasound test — impossible on her part — disproved her claims, showing no baby in her womb. 

He had sent her packing the very next day with divorce papers as a parting gift. Connie was his second mistake two years later, after which she cheated on him with a younger man. She was also a crack addict and had only married him to fund her expensive habits. Since then, Lucas had decided that getting married was an awful waste of time management.

“Miss Tina, I will not be a party to any pretentious attitude from you. Do you really want me to believe that Samuel sent you here without telling you the details of our agreement? That is impossible.”

Her weak chin wobbled in despair and she hid her teary eyes behind her thick glasses. “It’s Evelyn, sir, and no, my father told me nothing about this. I actually thought I was coming to pick up a cheque or... some money. I hope to go to school and... you must believe me, sir!” she asserted as soon as she saw the disbelief in his angry eyes.

Suddenly, he burst into a humorless laugh, one that did not reach his eyes. He didn’t resemble a man who laughed at all except when profit was involved.

“‘A cheque or some money?’” he mimicked her, repeating her shy words rudely. “Young lady, I don't know what you and your father discussed in my absence, but I cannot shoulder such a debt on your family’s behalf without something in it for me. Don’t flatter yourself though. This is strictly a contracted marriage, and I am a businessman. Other than that, I want nothing to do with you — physically or emotionally. Therefore, I suggest you quit stalling, pick up that pen, and sign the dotted lines accordingly.”

“But I don’t want to get married. I’m just 22, and I have my whole life ahead of me. All my schoolmates are in college, having the time of their lives. I haven’t achieved anything, and I just got... I can’t get married now.” She held her tongue at the last minute, pausing halfway through revealing her secret to a man who didn’t give a damn about her.

He turned lightly and sat up prominently, his sneer disapproving and lacking sympathy.

“Then your father should have thought about it before coming to me with his offer. Granted, you’re not much of a handsome package, but he did say you were his most prized possession. Samuel might think otherwise hearing your argument. What a total waste of time you are.”

Evelyn swallowed deeply, a knot forming quickly in her throat. It wasn’t fair; her father had deceived her with lies, plying her to dance to his tune. He had played her like a puppet, weaving tales of the possibility of her returning to school if the debt was resolved. Nobody had mentioned marriage to her — not even her mother, who was her closest confidante. They had let her wander into the lion’s den, unaware of the consequences that awaited her.

Besides, Mr. Kent was not even within her age bracket. She was barely twenty-two, with limited knowledge about life, and at thirty-eight, he had been in and out of two marriages. The age difference between them was older than her younger brother’s, and it would be odd, despite how wealthy he was.

She patted her purse, mentally caressing the paper that lay within it. Despite their financial difficulties, she had studied hard and nailed the entrance exams into UCLA, the school of her dreams. Her counselor at high school, Mrs. Scholes, had encouraged her, telling her not to give up on furthering her education, even after two years of sitting at home. She had saved up her pocket money, washed dishes at a diner, and worked briefly at a dry-cleaning shop just to raise the money needed to purchase the form.

Her earliest birthday gift had been a pocket calculator, and since then, Evelyn had been fascinated by the magic of numbers. That fascination grew into a love for mathematics, and at UCLA, she wanted to study Business Administration.

“Make up your mind, Miss. I am a very busy man.” He ostentatiously checked the time on his Rolex gold watch and returned his eyes to the young woman before him. He had another meeting in an hour. Regardless, he was not excited at the thought of spending any more time than required with the unattractive female.

His eyes drooped, filled with fear and something that looked like disappointment. Lucas was used to people being terrified of being in his presence. However, he felt he had not done anything worth scaring her into silence. Either she was a great coward, or he was just that good at frowning.

Evelyn picked up the ballpoint pen, twisting her wrist in indecision. It was a sacrifice, a price she had to pay to save her family. Finally, she scrawled her signature across the lines neatly, signing away her freedom.

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favourojamalia
Hope she's not making a wrong choice 🥹
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  • One More Chance   Chapter 5

    The weather was perfect, cloudy and humid, just right for an outdoor wedding. It was true that only her immediate family was invited, and although she missed her best friend, Ella, she was partially glad that none of their classmates were present. She had been the brightest in class back then and the student with the highest potential of continuing her education. However, she sat in a wedding chamber, fanning herself nervously though she was not feeling hot. The ivory ribbed dress was fitted to her like a second skin, and the diamond teardrops on her ears were worth a fortune. Any woman would be happy, knowing the luxurious life that awaited her, any woman but not Mrs. Evelyn Johnson–Kent.Lucas sat beside her, his fake smile gone from his lips and an indifferent mask on his face. He was a better actor than she could attempt and he had to subtly pinch her rather elbow to remind her to smile whenever a camera passed by. She was sick of the pretense and her cheeks hurt from smiling all

  • One More Chance   Chapter 4

    "Why didn’t you tell me, Dad? It’s not fair! This is my life you toyed with, my future and you sold me without my knowledge.”Evelyn paced the wooden floor of the dining table, unable to sit down any longer. Usually, she was the cool-headed and reasonable one, but the situation at hand called for violence. She had waited till after dinner, barely managing to chew her dinner to discuss the disturbing topic with her parents. She was angry and her soul wanted retribution for the wrongs done against her. Josh, her younger brother, watched them curiously, eating his dinner in silence. Samuel held his head down in shame and her mom patted his back, sharing in his pain.“Josh, would you mind finishing your dinner upstairs in your room?” Helene requested in a suggestive voice. The young man frowned, letting his spoon drop noisily into his plate. He had thought they would not notice his presence in the midst of the argument. It was not every day one saw Evelyn lose her temper.“But why? You gu

  • One More Chance   Chapter 3

    On her way home, Evelyn reminisced about the events that had taken place in Mr Kent’s office. Prior to entering his office, the notion of marriage had never crossed her mind. Many young women would jump at the idea of being a billionaire’s wife but Evelyn was old-fashioned when it came to issues of the heart. She believed that a marriage was to be built on love, not on material fantasies. Yet, she had just sold herself to save her family from ruin. It was a sacrifice she could not term selfless because she was totally against it. She was not interested in the trinkets he would give her because the jewelry would not compare to the love he could not give her.“Tell Samuel that the deal is done. You can take a copy of the agreement to him as evidence. His presence is required so that we can discuss the marriage date as soon as possible. Everyone will think that it is an arranged marriage so you have to pretend like we are in love. I believe you should be good at that judging from the act

  • One More Chance   Chapter 2

    Lucas was taken aback by her question. She looked genuinely surprised, as if she was hearing the topic for the first time. He had assumed Samuel had discussed the whole thing with his daughter. Personally, he was not too happy about getting shackled into marriage with an ill-looked Johnson young lady after two failed marriages. Evelyn Johnson reminded him of one of the orphans in a charity home he had recently donated a huge sum of money to. She looked distasteful and lacked simple fashion sense. He still bore the scars of divorce that proved all women were the same. Once they perceived a man was wealthy, they did everything humanly possible to burrow their way into his life, and once they got what they wanted, they were gone. At least he had enough experience to criticize them.His first marriage had been to Janice Bridge, an English model thirteen years his junior. He had been young and foolish back then to fall for her wiles and charming words. Eventually, she had trapped him into

  • One More Chance   Chapter 1

    “Mr. Kent will see you now,” his secretary, Miss Havilah, said to the young lady who had been sitting outside the boss’ office for close to two hours. Evelyn was not in her Sunday best but she had tried to get the wrinkles out of her pleated skirt and her shirt was starched till it was as stiff as a snobbish old lady. She had been afraid that the security would not let her in considering how poorly dressed she was. Every now and then, she pushed her thick glasses up her nose, playing with her fingers too out of anxiety. From the newspapers and internet business news, Mr. Kent was definitely not an ordinary man. She wondered how her father could have known such a powerful man as Lucas Kent.“Thank you,” she murmured and gradually got on her feet. She clutched her purse close to her chest, looking as petrified as a chick. Her heels were broken from the impact of jumping off the bus and they clacked noisily against the milky tiles. Her embarrassment doubled when necks turned to locate

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