Chapter 4

"Juliette!" Marianne rushed forward. "Thank god… I knew you'd pull through! You've always been lucky."

Howard's face lit up, and he instantly pulled out his phone to call their private doctor.

Wanda and the butler were both smiling in relief.

On the other hand, Eileen and Laurel's faces fell.

Before long, a few medical staff arrived with equipment to do a full checkup on Juliette.

"How is she?" Marianne asked anxiously.

"She's in great shape, just a bit weak," the doctor replied, still looking stunned.

As the Jensons' private physician, he had examined Juliette regularly. Just a few days ago, her brain activity was barely fluctuating, and her muscles were severely atrophied. But now, she had miraculously woken up. Even her weakened muscles had also completely recovered.

It was hard to believe.

Howard burst into laughter. "Ha! Lady Luck is smiling on us!"

With his daughter awake again, all the gloom in his heart had vanished.

Marianne, though, couldn't help but glance at Archer and recall what had happened earlier.

Could it just be a coincidence?

She didn't dwell on it. Instead, she turned smugly toward Eileen.

"Oh, would you look at that? My son-in-law really does bring good luck! Right after they got married, Juliette woke up. With Archer in the family, our future's looking bright. You all had better watch out, or you'll lose the CEO title you snatched with your dirty tricks."

Eileen's face turned an ugly shade of gray. She never imagined her smug moment would get interrupted this quickly.

"Hmph! He's just an ex-con. What's there to brag about? You all are shameless," she muttered bitterly, shooting Marianne a glare before leaving with Laurel in tow.

The doctors soon followed.

Once the others were gone, Marianne walked straight up to Archer.

"You really are a blessing to this family. I know Juliette's going to be happy with you."

Her approval of Archer only grew stronger.

Howard, however, scowled. "Now that Juliette's awake, let's just call off this whole marriage."

He hadn't liked Archer even when Juliette was in a coma. Now that she was conscious, it was even worse.

Juliette was a well-known beauty in Duskhallow. She came from a respectable family, and was smart and gorgeous. She had no shortage of successful suitors.

There was no way Howard would accept her being married to someone with a criminal record.

Marianne's temper flared. "What do you mean? You just want to ditch Archer after he helped us out? He's the reason Juliette woke up from her coma!"

Howard snapped coldly, "No, she woke up because she's blessed, and Lady Luck was on her side. What does that punk have to do with anything? Don't tell me you actually believe the marriage brought her good luck!"

"Oh, really? Then explain this! Why did she wake up now, right after Archer arrived?" Marianne shot him a glare. "Did you already forget what just happened?"

"Those were all just coincidences," Howard grumbled. "Do you actually believe that guy? What would an ex-con—"

"Stop!" Marianne shouted, furious. "Archer is my son-in-law now. If you ever bring up his past again, I won't let it slide!"

Howard was stunned. He couldn't believe that his wife was yelling at him, much less for some brat who had only just joined the family.

That set him off.

"I've gone along with you on a lot of things, but not this. This time it's non-negotiable. He has to divorce Juliette!"

"Oh, so now you're yelling at me, huh?" Marianne barked.

Just as they were about to explode again, a calm voice spoke up from the bed.

"Dad, Mom. Please stop arguing. I just want some peace and quiet," Juliette said.

Both of them froze.

Marianne gave Howard one last glare, then turned to her daughter. "Get some rest. I'll make you some soup."

She left the room in a huff.

Howard shot Archer a death stare before following after her. That look said it all: he was ordering Archer to divorce Juliette on his own accord.

The maid and butler quietly slipped away, too.

Archer was just about to leave when Juliette spoke up again.

"Wait. I need to talk to you."

He turned and looked at her. Even pale and tired, she was breathtaking. Her eyes were like black gems—deep and cold, with a touch of arrogance.

Juliette slowly sat up against the headboard and glanced at him.

"I've more or less figured things out. My mom was desperate, which is why she came up with such a ridiculous plan. You and I are complete strangers. Getting married makes no sense. But when my mom was at her lowest, you gave her hope. As thanks, I'm willing to pay you two million."

Archer raised an eyebrow.

Two million? Was that supposed to impress him?

"What are you really trying to say?" he asked, unimpressed.

Juliette looked slightly surprised. Most people would've jumped at that offer, but Archer didn't even flinch. Two million wasn't pocket change.

She finally got to the point. "Let's find a time to divorce. We come from completely different worlds. Forcing it won't help either of us."

Her voice was calm, with no trace of superiority or aggression.

Even so, that calm was a kind of pride in itself.

Maybe in her eyes, Archer was a nobody, while she was the phoenix soaring above. Once they divorced, their paths would never cross again. She didn't even feel the need to intimidate him.

After all, why would a phoenix concern itself with a nobody?

Archer almost laughed.

"And how exactly do you know we're not from the same world?" he asked. "Do you even know me?"

Juliette sighed and rubbed her temples. "I don't like people who cling. I hope you'll know your place."

Even though this was her first time meeting Archer, she had already learned enough through her parents. He had been to prison and then got roped into this marriage.

She figured a man like him was way too ordinary and definitely not her type.

Juliette had made herself clear. Archer had no reason to push it any further.

Sure, he needed the True Phoenix Form to suppress the Dragon's Fury inside him, but he wasn't going to grovel for it.

If this didn't work out, he would find another way. Simple as that.

"I'm fine with that. As long as your parents agree," he said.

He didn't shut it down completely, because he really did like Marianne. After the passing of his mother, Marianne was the only one who made him experience that familiar warmth again.

"I'll talk to my mom," Juliette said, lying back down. "You can go now. I want to rest."

After Archer left, she sighed softly.

What she did might have been a little harsh, but given her background, keeping him around would only cause trouble.

Downstairs, Marianne was busy cooking. Soon, she had a full table of food ready.

Wanda helped the still-weak Juliette down the stairs.

"Juliette, come sit. I made your favorite chicken soup," Marianne called warmly.

Everyone took their seats. Just as they were about to eat, Juliette turned to her mother.

"I talked with Archer. We're not a good match, so we plan to get divorced."

The smile froze on Marianne's face.

Howard laughed out loud. "Ha! Just what I was thinking. That guy doesn't belong in our family. We'll go file the paperwork after dinner."

Smack!

Marianne slammed her utensils on the table.

"I dare anyone to try! Juliette, you can't just turn your back on people like that! I won't allow it!

"When you were in a coma, all the men who used to chase after you disappeared. None of them were willing to marry into our family.

"But Archer stepped up. And you woke up right after he got here. He's your lucky star, and he's a good man! What more do you want?"

She rattled it all off in one go, clearly siding with Archer.

Howard scoffed. "A good man? He's been to prison."

Marianne shot him a look. "You don't know anything! I've looked into it. He went to jail for taking the blame for his brother. And now, he's sacrificed himself for his family again. If that's not a good man, then what is?"

Howard was left speechless. After a long pause, he mumbled, "But he's still an illegitimate child. How could someone like that be worthy of Juliette?"

"Shut your mouth!" Marianne's glare was ice-cold. She turned to Juliette. "I'm saying this now, Juliette. If you dare divorce Archer, I'll disown you."

With that, she stormed upstairs.

Juliette rubbed her forehead. She could tell Marianne was truly furious. She figured she would wait and bring it up later.

Howard looked at his daughter. "Just know that I'm on your side."

Juliette said nothing and quietly returned to her room.

Meanwhile, Archer offered to help clear the dishes.

Howard glared at Archer—he just couldn't stand the latter! Frustrated, he stormed out of the house.

Archer didn't care. He brought a bowl of food upstairs for Marianne.

"Don't skip dinner, Mom. You need to take care of yourself."

Marianne took the food, even more impressed by Archer's thoughtfulness. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, Juliette won't get to divorce you."

Archer smiled and nodded. Of course, he didn't want a divorce.

In the next room, Juliette had heard it all. Her head was pounding.

She pulled out her phone and made a call.

A surprised voice answered. "Ms. Jenson? Are you awake?"

"I need you to look into my car accident," Juliette said solemnly.

"I already did. It was Timothy and his crew." The voice on the other end was filled with rage. "Should I send someone to take care of them quietly?"

Juliette had expected this, but hearing it out loud still stunned her.

Timothy truly couldn't care less about blood ties.

Fine! If that was how it was going to be, then she wouldn't show mercy either.

"No need. What's the situation with the Windsors?" Juliette asked.

"They've successfully entered Duskhallow, but they're having some disputes with the Frostclaw Order over demolition projects."

"What happened?"

"They can't agree on the price, apparently."

Juliette frowned. "Frostclaw Order, huh? They're not easy to deal with. Keep an eye on the south district. Update me the moment something changes."

As she was about to hang up, she added, "Also, look into someone for me."

Afterward, she ended the call and sat cross-legged on the bed.

She focused inward and sensed the changes in her body. After a moment, confusion and surprise filled her eyes.

"That's strange... The corpse bloom toxin feels so much weaker. Did something happen while I was unconscious?"