Chapter 4

The next morning, Mom and Dad started getting Rachael ready at the crack of dawn. They had already arranged a meeting with the Hesters and were absolutely determined to seal the deal.

For the first time ever, they dragged me along. Rachael tilted her chin up at me. "Selena, you'll never get to live a life of luxury like this, but I don't mind letting you tag along to see what it looks like."

Today was Monday. She had completely abandoned the idea of going to school.

When the principal called her, she even snapped back arrogantly over the phone. "School is for peasants trying to change their lives. I'm going to marry into a rich family!"

The moment Rachael laid eyes on the Hesters' massive estate, she became even more convinced that she had made the right choice. Still, she didn't miss the chance to put me down.

"Just look, Selena. Don't touch anything. Otherwise, you could work for the rest of your life and still not be able to pay for it."

She was reminding me that she was the one getting married.

I kept my head down and stayed silent.

So what if they were rich? There was a reason the old sayings warned against marrying outside your social class.

I only looked up once we met Mr. and Mrs. Hester.

Just as I had expected, their son was nowhere to be seen. A young man influenced by modern ideas would naturally rebel against an arranged marriage. Even if Rachael managed to wed into the family, her life would be a living hell.

Besides, going by the timeline of my previous life, he was scheduled to flee the country with his girlfriend in just a few days.

Knowing that the less I said, the better, I kept my mouth shut and stayed in the background.

Rachael, on the other hand, was paraded around like a piece of merchandise.

"Not bad. She looks like she'll bear healthy children with those wide hips. And I heard she made it to high school, so there won't be too much of a communication gap with my son. Let's move forward with the engagement."

The moment Mrs. Hester gave her approval, Mom was over the moon. She nudged me hard with her foot, and the whole family immediately bowed in gratitude.

In a normal household, a family would wait for suitors to come begging for their daughter's hand. But the way Mom handled this made Racheal seem so desperate that an outsider might have thought she was going to become the mistress rather than the wife.

I kept my thoughts to myself, watching them exchange verbal promises.

Rachael blushed every now and then, seemingly not caring at all what her future husband looked like or if he even wanted this marriage.

On the way back, Mom and Dad kept hammering into me.

"We only brought you along to broaden your horizons. Don't even think about competing with Rachael, and don't go running off with the first man you see. We don't expect you to match Rachael's luck, but we raised you all these years. You'd better weigh your options wisely."

I feigned a look of deep melancholy and sighed heavily. "Mom, Dad, I've gone to school for so many years, and I still can't marry into a family like that. You can't just care about Rachael."

I needed to secure some money quickly, leave this place, and get back to campus.

By the time Mom and Dad realized the wedding wasn't happening, it would be too late.

Seeing my resentful reaction, Rachael became terrified that I might ruin her chances and began nagging Mom and Dad to send me away.

Since I had only taken a few days off anyway, and they wanted to coddle their precious daughter, they readily agreed.

And so, after watching them officially withdraw Rachael from school, I boarded a train back to college.

Sitting in the train car, I cried my eyes out. This time, I had finally escaped the wolves' den, and I was never going back.

Rachael called me every day, bragging about how wealthy the Hesters were and how she would soon have maids to order around.

I offered casual responses.

One day, my phone rang frantically, followed by an immediate roar of fury.

I pulled the receiver away from my ear as Rachael shrieked hysterically, "You bitch! You were the one who talked Mom into making me drop out of school! Now I don't have a diploma, and I can't get married! You wanted to ruin my life!"

"You bitch! You knew all along that the Hester guy was going to run away, didn't you? You deliberately pushed Rachael into this mess just to ruin her!" Mom screamed into the phone. She had completely forgotten whose idea this marriage had been in the first place.

I lowered my voice and explained in exasperation, "Mom, you were the one who met the Hesters, and you were the one who made Rachael drop out to get married. How can you blame me?"

Mom was absolutely beside herself with rage. Even through the phone, I could practically feel her rage.