How far would you go to repay the so-called debt of gratitude your family demands of you? Ever since she found out she wasn’t the real daughter of the Lopez family, her life changed. She is Eloise Jane—the girl everyone believed to be the one and only true daughter of the Lopezes. But once the truth was revealed, she was cast aside. And to repay the Lopez family's care for her all those years, she’s forced to marry a wealthy man. Cozmo Dominguez—the sole heir of the richest family in the city. Yet despite all he has, there’s one thing he cannot do—walk. Will Jane be able to help him? Or will he ever learn to accept Jane into his life?
View More“Get out!”
A cold voice rang out, followed by the sound of glass shattering at her feet.
Good thing Eloise had stepped back in time—otherwise, her pants would’ve gotten soaked. Luckily, she was wearing pants and not a skirt, or she might’ve gotten cut by the shards.
She looked at the man sitting on the carpet near the bed, clearly irritated and disheveled—he was the one who had thrown the glass just to drive her away.
Her new husband, Cosmo Dominguez.
Originally, it wasn’t supposed to be Eloise who would marry him—it was supposed to be her sister, Elaine Lopez. But once the truth came out—that Eloise wasn’t really the biological daughter of the Lopez family—everything changed. She became nothing but an adopted child. She no longer held value in the family, and her parents stopped loving her.
In the end, they decided to marry her off to Zedrix Montes, the illegitimate son of the powerful Montes family, as a way of repaying the Lopezes' gratitude for raising her for twenty years.
But then Elaine suddenly insisted on marrying Zedrix herself.
The Lopezes, not wanting to lose their connection to the influential Dominguez family, pushed Eloise to marry Cosmo instead.
Cosmo Dominguez—the heir of the most powerful family in all of Tagaytay. A man admired by everyone: intelligent, handsome, and someone people couldn’t help but envy.
But after the accident that left him paralyzed, most women stayed away. Otherwise, Eloise wouldn’t have been forced to marry him.
At this point in Cosmo’s life, the glow he once had was gone. Now he was bitter, quick-tempered, and full of rage.
“I said get out! Didn’t you hear me?!” he snapped, annoyance written all over his face.
Eloise remained silent. No fear in her eyes, no pity either. She didn’t even look offended or judgmental. She was too calm.
Finally, she spoke gently, “I heard you.”
“If you heard me, then why are you still here?!” he growled.
Instead of backing down, she replied calmly, “Cosmo, we have an agreement. Our marriage was blessed.”
He knew that. Still, he glared at her. “So what? That doesn’t mean I agreed to marry you willingly.”
Eloise only nodded. “I understand.”
There was something unsettling about how simple her response was.
That’s when Cosmo realized—he didn’t need to dig deeper into her story. He already knew what she’d been through.
Those two words—“I understand”—meant she didn’t want this marriage either. Just like him, she was forced into it.
“And what exactly do you understand?” he asked coldly.
Eloise gave a faint smile. “I understand your anger. You didn’t want this marriage. And you don’t want me.”
“Is that so?” he replied, still cold.
Eloise slowly stepped forward, calm and steady. “Cosmo, can we just talk properly?”
She knew neither of them wanted this marriage. She also knew Cosmo was angry and ready to make her life hell. But if she didn’t take the first step, she’d suffer more. She needed to do something, to make things clear between them.
Cosmo stretched out his legs, leaning slightly against the bed, clearly uncomfortable. When Eloise knelt in front of him to see him better, it only irritated him more.
He hated the fact that he couldn’t move on his own. If he fell off the bed, he’d need help. And the last thing he wanted was for a woman to see him this helpless.
“We have nothing to talk about! Get out!” he yelled again.
But Eloise didn’t flinch. Her voice remained calm. “Cosmo, I just want a proper conversation. We may not have wanted this marriage, but this is our reality now. It would be better if we tried to understand each other and live peacefully as husband and wife.”
Cosmo didn’t care about her reasoning. “Why should I even try to understand you? Look at me. And you—so eager to get married. What are you after? Isn’t it obvious? You just want our family's wealth! I know my mother gave the Lopezes a dowry worth 200 million!”
On the outside, the Lopezes looked wealthy and stable. But the truth? They were drowning in debt. They were desperate to marry off one of their daughters—not for love, but to sell them off like an investment.
That 200 million peso dowry from the Dominguez family had saved the Lopezes from financial ruin. It rescued them from a crisis and, through the marriage alliance, gave them access to more opportunities and potential profits for their business.
But Eloise didn’t flinch at Cosmo’s accusation. “I’m not the Lopezes’ real daughter. But they took care of me for twenty years. I owe them. And I need to repay that debt.”
Cosmo smirked. “Heh—”
She made it sound so simple. Her reason sounded noble, sure, but he didn’t buy it. Would she really give up her entire life just to pay off a so-called debt of gratitude?
Eloise sighed softly. “Believe it or not, I just want to return the kindness the Lopezes showed me.”
Even if she didn’t marry Cosmo, they would’ve married her off to another rich man.
She used to be engaged to Zedrix. She helped him solidify his position in the Montes family, met with clients, closed deals, and supported him as he climbed the business ladder.
After Zedrix’s father passed away, Zedrix stepped up as the new head of the family. Not long after, he took control of several major companies, bringing his wealth almost on par with the Dominguez family.
Meanwhile, Elaine, who had married into the Dominguez clan, had done nothing to help the Lopez family. Because of that, the elders in the Lopez family often turned to Eloise for financial help or to use her connections to win certain projects.
It happened more than once, and Zedrix eventually grew tired of it. That’s when the rift between them started to deepen.
In public, they pretended to be a picture-perfect couple to maintain the company’s image. But behind closed doors, their relationship had long been broken.
That’s why, this time, Zedrix wanted to cut ties with the Lopez family early—before they could use him any further or force him to do what they wanted.
Cosmo naturally didn’t believe anything Eloise said. She had already lost her title as a legitimate Lopez, and now, she was just an adopted daughter.
In the world of the rich, adopted children didn’t hold much weight. The best-case scenario was for someone like her to marry into a newly rich or middle-class family.
But instead, she ended up with Cosmo.
With Cosmo, she didn’t just gain wealth—she also inherited the power and prestige that came with the Dominguez name.
Cosmo looked at Eloise, one eyebrow raised. “I still don’t believe you.”
Eloise shook her head. “Then let’s make an agreement.”
Cosmo was caught off guard. There wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm in her tone—she was dead serious.
Eloise wanted to ease his doubts about her true intentions. “You can hire a lawyer and draw up a legal agreement.”
Cosmo hesitated. “Are you being serious right now?”
Eloise already knew exactly what she wanted in the agreement, so she began explaining calmly.
“First, even if we’re married, it will only be in name. If we need to show up together in public as husband and wife, I’ll cooperate—but that’s it. There’s no real relationship between us, just appearances.”
Cosmo remained silent.
“Second, I’m in a complicated position with the Lopez family. If the time comes when I need your help to deal with them, you have to be my backup. You don’t need to show up in person or face them directly—but I need permission to use your name and power to make things happen.”
Cosmo didn’t respond.
“Third, since this marriage is just for appearances, once the time is right, I want a divorce—and when that time comes, you’ll agree to it with no conditions.”
In the end, they were still family, and he thought carefully about everything that had happened. If not for Sofia, they might never have had such a deep and honest conversation.For a man with one foot already in the grave, the picture of an ideal family was one filled with peace, harmony, and stability.The death of his eldest son had been a devastating blow, and now Cosmo losing the use of both legs in the car accident was another cruel strike. If Sofia’s deeds were to be exposed, what would happen to his second son Cris, and to Tania? At his age, he no longer had the strength to face such trials. Everything had to be handled quietly, no matter what.It seemed only right to bury Sofia’s actions, but that would never be fair to Cosmo. He had survived with hope, only to have his life ruined.The old man was torn and conflicted. Gabriel, however, offered a solution: all of his parents’ shares in the Dominguez Group should be transferred to Cosmo. He also thought it best to send himself
The plan back then had been carefully laid out, but people were never as flawless as the plans of heaven. Cosmo’s life was strong. He survived the accident, even though his legs were ruined. He lived.Who would have thought that Sofia, the quiet, gentle housewife who never seemed to have enemies or even a single worry, was the mastermind behind the car accident?Cosmo’s father had long passed away, and if the truth about Sofia’s past were to be revealed, it would not only damage the family’s reputation but also erupt into a major scandal for the entire Dominguez clan.Sofia admitted she was the one behind it all, but how was Cosmo supposed to deal with that? He had no immediate answer.The dead should no longer be disturbed. The living, like Tania and Cris, should not be dragged into this. But what about the innocent lives that were lost, like Kenneth and his assistant? How could he explain it to them?Cosmo held a full recording of Sofia’s confession, and though Eloise wasn’t physica
Cosmo and Kevin spoke for two hours. From being aggressive at first, Kevin eventually ended up holding his head in pain and regret.Eloise had been waiting outside for a while. When she saw Cosmo come out, she rushed to meet him. “You took so long!” she complained.She thought their conversation wouldn’t even last an hour, but it stretched to two. Kevin must have shared a lot. It wasn’t often that Kevin could talk to someone who actually knew Kenneth and was willing to listen to stories about him, things even Eloise herself never knew before.“It takes time to draw out information,” Cosmo said, taking Eloise’s hand.“So, what did you find out?” Eloise pressed.“I need to confirm everything before I tell you,” Cosmo replied. Then he whispered a few words to Francis.Eloise caught some times and places mentioned, it was probably important.When they left the precinct, Cosmo told Eloise about Kevin, how Kenneth had raised him, and how he ended up in prison.“People who are reckless are e
After ten minutes, Lander returned, the irritation still visible on his face. “Sorry, I didn’t know she was coming,” Lander said apologetically. “I hope you won’t take her words too much to heart.”Eloise answered directly, “Lander, she likes you, and you’re important to her. Of course she’d feel hurt if we keep in contact. If you want to try being with her, then be serious about it. Don’t string her along just to please someone else. You’ll only waste her time, and it hurts more than you think.”She didn’t really have to say it, but she didn’t want Michelle to be the one to end up hurt.Lander froze. He stayed quiet for a few moments before replying, “I know.”They were about the same age, but Eloise carried herself with more maturity and deeper thought. Lander knew deep down that he wasn’t worthy of her.After dinner, Eloise went home. On the way, she passed by a cake shop and, on impulse, bought a few small cakes.The villa was quiet as usual. Teresa greeted her like always and as
After Eloise left, Gabriel immediately lost interest in finishing his drink. Lazily, he walked out of the bar. A few people tried to stop him, but he brushed them off.Once outside, Gabriel headed straight to the Dominguez residence and went to the small building where his parents lived. His father wasn’t home yet, while his mother was in the music room, playing a somber piece on the piano.He didn’t interrupt her. Only when she finished and her mood seemed to settle did she notice him.“Gabriel, when did you get here?” Sofia asked, startled at first, but her surprise quickly softened into a smile.“Just now,” Gabriel replied as he walked closer. He glanced at the piano in front of her. “Mom, why are you practicing at this hour?”“It’s still early. If there’s nothing else to do, it’s better to practice. Your hands might get rusty if you don’t play for too long,” Sofia answered.Everyone who knew her understood how much she valued that piano, a piece she had worked hard to acquire at a
Every time Ardiel met Eloise, he would always try to remind her of the times she once loved him, using all the care and kindness he had shown her in the past. But it was all wasted, Eloise had become cold and merciless, even toward the man who had raised her for more than ten years.Because of this, Ardiel was consumed with anger and disappointment. He couldn’t stop himself from scolding her. “What happened to you? Why did you become like this?” he asked bitterly.Eloise answered calmly, her voice void of emotion. “Maybe if you hadn’t handed me over to Cosmo in exchange for your own interests, we could have at least preserved our relationship.”Their bond had been fading for a long time, especially since Elaine returned. If not for her sense of indebtedness, Eloise would have cut ties long ago. In truth, even when she tried to show respect, she no longer saw Ardiel as real family.She looked at him and gave a faint smile. “People always have to choose. You can’t have everything. Yo
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments