Chapter 1

Just as the sign flipped over, a rapid clatter of high heels sounded outside.

Jasmine Cooper hurriedly pulled me into the back room, slammed the front door shut with a loud click, then lowered her voice.

“Did you hear? Blake Hall, the only heir to the Hall family fortune, died in a car crash last night.”

The entire city of Southhaven had been shaken by the news.

I saw the headlines too.

I nodded as I reached over to take the little boy from her arms.

“Ben’s such a good boy.”

“He is. Thanks to you, my late husband finally left behind an heir. But never mind that for now…”

Jasmine cut me off impatiently.

“The Halls and the Dean family were supposed to hold their engagement banquet tomorrow. A marriage alliance between two powerhouse families isn’t something small. Now the groom-to-be is dead, both families are falling apart.

“Luckily, they heard about what you can do, so they asked me to come beg you for help. No matter what, they need Miss Dean to carry the Hall family’s child.”

I shook my head and gently set Ben down on the floor.

“I’m not taking this job.”

The heir of a top-tier wealthy family died in a car crash. The internet was already flooded with speculation that it hadn’t been an accident.

I had no intention of getting caught in the middle of it.

But the moment the words left my mouth, crying erupted outside the door.

“It’s Mrs. Hall.” Jasmine hurried to open the door.

An elegantly dressed wealthy woman stumbled in, sobbing uncontrollably.

Before she could even speak, she dropped to her knees in front of me.

“Dr. Shaw, please… please have mercy on this useless old woman… My son just died. If the marriage alliance between the Hall and Dean families falls apart, we’ll be ruined with lawsuits. My husband and I won’t survive this…”

She was completely devastated, her cries growing louder and louder.

“Shh. Please, get up first.”

I quickly helped her to her feet and pressed a finger to my lips, signaling for her to lower her voice.

Carol Hall looked up while wiping away her tears, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

“One million? No problem!”

Her gaze was fixed on the finger beside my lips.

“Should I transfer it now?” she asked cautiously.

Well, it was hard to refuse such sincerity.

I pulled out my phone.

“Half upfront. Five hundred thousand.”

A chime sounded as the payment came through.

Carol finally let out a breath of relief and stood up while wiping away her tears.

I lowered my phone and reminded her, “Send your son over as soon as possible. The fiancée must agree to this and be present.”

“No problem…”

After watching Carol leave with endless gratitude and thanks, I lowered my head and counted the zeros on my phone again.

Five hundred thousand already looked unreal with that many zeros. I couldn’t even imagine what a full million would look like.

Though, maybe I should’ve asked for more.

After Carol left, I quickly began preparing the bridal chamber.

I also set out fresh bedding and other necessities.

Less than an hour later, a stretched Rolls-Royce and three other luxury cars drove into my backyard one after another.

Several bodyguards dressed in black carried in a stretcher draped with a white sheet and brought it into the bridal chamber I had prepared.

Both sets of parents and the fiancée had all arrived.

“The parents can wait outside. The girlfriend, Vivian Dean, comes in with me.”

To reach the bridal chamber from the living room, we had to walk down a long hallway.

As we walked, I explained the process to the girl.

First came the wedding rites, then the marriage contract, removing the clothes, warming the body of her deceased lover, and then…

Right then, a sudden gust of wind swept through.

The window slammed against the frame several times with sharp cracking sounds.

Vivian let out a terrified scream and nearly jumped straight onto me.

“Oh, there’s no need to be scared.”

I hurried over and shut the window.

Vivian immediately followed behind me, clutching my arm as she nervously glanced outside.

Only after confirming there was nothing unusual did she continue toward the bridal chamber with me.

She seemed genuinely terrified.

Her entire body trembled as she clung tightly to me.

By the time we finally reached the bridal chamber, she made another request.

“Miss Shaw, can you stay here with me?”

Sigh…

She clearly hadn’t listened to a single word I explained earlier.

“That’s not possible. I need to stay in the next room and perform the ritual. It’s the only way your fiancé will be able to respond to you.”

I patiently explained the process to her once again.

Vivian fell silent, but her body shook even harder.

With her head lowered, she quietly walked into the bridal chamber alone.

I sat down in front of the surveillance monitor in the next room.

I watched as Vivian skipped nearly every part of the ceremony. She didn’t sign the marriage contract and only rushed through lighting a memorial candle before moving on.

But the moment it was lit, it immediately went out again.

That frightened her badly.

These candles were definitely defective. Once this job was over, I was getting my money back from the supplier.

Vivian was seriously reckless. She didn’t even take off her clothes before climbing straight onto the bed.

The moment she pulled the white sheet off Blake’s face, she reacted as though she saw a ghost and bolted out of the bridal chamber in a panic.

By the time I chased after her, she was already climbing out through the same window from earlier.

“Vivian Dean!”

I immediately jumped out after her.

At the same time, I shouted for help.

Who knew that girl could run like she’d had professional training? She was faster than a rabbit.

In the blink of an eye, she had already reached the backyard.

She got into a car, started the engine, made a sharp turn, and sped out through the gates.

The entire sequence was smooth and effortless.

By the time the bodyguards rushed out after her, even her taillights had disappeared.

Vivian’s father, Sean Dean, exploded in anger and barked at the bodyguards, “Bring my daughter back immediately!”