Chapter 2 Schemer

"Amy!"

"Elisa!"

Before I blacked out, all I heard was a chaotic chorus of screams.

When I came to, I was lying in a hospital bed. The sound of Rylan and Grandma arguing filled the room.

Rylan said coldly, "Mrs. Houghton Senior, Elisa has tolerated Amy's behavior time and again, but Amy just keeps pushing her. How could someone so malicious be fit to marry into my family?"

My brow furrowed slightly, but I quickly composed myself.

Dad might waver between his two daughters, but Grandma was the one person who stood firmly by my side.

"Amy is the one who has tolerated everything, and she's the one who was pushed down the stairs by that tramp and is still unconscious!"

Grandma's voice was ice-cold. She didn't even bother to look up at him as she said, "Mr. Benton, I may be old, but I am neither deaf nor blind!"

Having held the reins of the Houghton family for decades, Grandma commanded authority whenever she spoke.

Rylan was genuinely intimidated for a moment, but he quickly found his footing. "Fine, let's put those minor details aside. The wedding is tomorrow. If you don't agree to let Elisa take Amy's place, I'd rather call off the whole thing. I will never marry a woman as wicked as Amy!"

His gaze narrowed menacingly. "Mrs. Houghton Senior, surely you don't want your granddaughter to carry the stigma of being dumped at the altar?"

Grandma never expected that Rylan would become this cruel and shameless for the sake of Elisa.

In my previous life, Grandma had fiercely rejected him, which set off a chain reaction of tragedy. But in this life, I wasn't going to let that happen again.

I reached out and gently tugged the hem of Grandma's sleeve.

Grandma was incredibly sharp. Seeing that I was awake but keeping my eyes closed, she instantly knew I wanted to speak with her in private.

"Get out. I need to think about it."

Rylan smugly thought he had found Grandma's weakness. With his head held high, he went next door to check on Elisa.

"Amy, you're awake!"

Joy flooded Grandma's aging face.

Guessing that I had overheard the conversation, she immediately tried to comfort me, "Sweetie, I know how much you love Rylan. Don't worry. As long as I'm breathing, that homewrecker will never take your place. You're still the only daughter-in-law for the Bentons."

Looking at my frail grandmother, my heart ached.

In my previous life, my miserable marriage had caused her endless sleepless nights. When she found out that Rylan had smothered my firstborn child to death, the shock was too much for her heart to bear, and she passed away.

This time, I was going to protect her and keep her safely by my side.

"Grandma, I don't want to marry him anymore. Let's call off the wedding."

Grandma knew exactly how deeply I loved Rylan. Hearing this, she looked at me in utter disbelief. "What did you say?"

As I stared at the stark white hospital ceiling, the gruesome memory of my death flashed before my eyes. Tears welled up as I whispered, "Call it off… How can I grow old with someone so heartless?"

"But you fought so hard for this marriage," Grandma said, her heart breaking for me.

Only she knew how much effort I had poured into winning over the Benton family.

Courtney was deeply devout, so I went on a difficult pilgrimage just to bring her a rosary bracelet blessed by a priest. For her 80th birthday, I spent months hand-copying sacred scriptures with my own blood. That was how I became Courtney's favorite.

But Courtney's favor meant nothing in the end. Rylan's heart was a block of ice that could never be thawed, and I refused to waste another second on him in this life.

"Maybe surviving this close call changed me. Falling down those stairs woke me up."

My gaze was calm as I explained with a self-deprecating smile, "What is there to hold onto? He's a man who slept with his fiancee's sister and uses any underhanded trick to get what he wants. How could I ever trust him with my life?"

Just then, Rylan walked in from the adjoining room, supporting Elisa.

Seeing me awake, he immediately barked, "Good, you're awake. Amy, if you don't want to become the laughingstock of the whole city, you'll let Elisa take your place. Don't make this harder than it needs to be!"

Having listened to my opinion, Grandma was much calmer now. "The Houghton family doesn't participate in scandalous shams like bride-swapping. If you insist on changing the bride, then I'll call off the wedding."

I looked at Rylan and, as expected, caught a flicker of panic in his eyes.

I knew him all too well. He just wanted Elisa to take my place. He couldn't afford to break ties with the Houghtons.

Both the Bentons and the Houghtons were prominent elite families in Astrael, and the wedding was already public knowledge. More importantly, the Benton family's finances were collapsing, and they were counting on my multi-million-dollar wedding gift to help them.

If the wedding was called off, Courtney would skin him alive.

Rylan's expression stiffened, and he quickly softened his tone. "Mrs. Houghton Senior, let's not get carried away. The alliance between our families is set in stone.

"Elisa is a Houghton just like Amy. What difference does it make which one I marry? If we make a scene, everyone will just laugh at both our families."

Beside him, Elisa broke out into a cold sweat at Grandma's words.

I sneered internally.

Why was Elisa so terrified of the wedding being canceled?

The answer was simple. If she didn't take my place as the bride, her status would never be enough for her to step through the Benton family's doors.

Elisa dropped to her knees at Rylan's feet, weeping pitifully. "Rylan, everything is my fault. The reputation of both families shouldn't suffer because of me. Just leave me and the baby to fend for ourselves!"

To Rylan, this transparent attempt at manipulation looked like the ultimate act of selfless devotion.

Moved and frustrated by her compliance, he gasped, "Elisa, how can you be so selfless? Even now, you're still trying to sacrifice yourself?"

Grandma couldn't take it anymore. She said coldly, "If she were actually selfless, she wouldn't have seduced her sister's fiance. I suppose some people are born with great eyesight but choose to stay completely blind!"

Rylan suddenly sensed that something was wrong. He frowned as he looked at Elisa.

Panicking, Elisa shook her head frantically, her tears rolling down her cheeks to trigger his protective instincts.

"No, Rylan, it's not like that!" she sobbed. "I didn't know you were Amy's boyfriend. I-I just couldn't help my feelings. That's why… I'll get an abortion right now! I won't make things difficult for you and Amy!"