All Chapters of The Man Who Failed Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1 Request

The whole estate went silent the moment my score was revealed. 89. One more mark and I'd have passed. A message written in fine print read, "The score is lower than 90. The wedding shall be delayed by a year, along with the partner's trust fund, the estate project's profit, and right to reside in the main house post-wedding."The Lawsons wrote those into the declaration of trust the year before. I gripped my champagne glass, beads of water trickling through the cracks between my fingers. In my previous life, I smashed the glass right here and demanded to know why they thought they could grade me like I was livestock.I waited for a year. Within that year, the estate project's profit came back to the Lawsons, Yves rewrote the prenup's terms, and Wendy married the man I was supposed to be my husband."Emilia." Yves' voice pulled me out of memory lane.Melanie, Yves' mother, put her cup down. "This set of rules has remained within the family for three generations, Emilia."Wend

Chapter 2 Preparation

I was already walking out of the estate's entrance when Yves caught up to me. The winds were biting tonight, and he draped his coat over my shoulders. "Don't take what happened tonight to heart, Emilia."I looked at his cufflinks. He asked me to pick it out for him last month, citing that the choice of his wife would be the pride he wore. Now, his wife's wedding would be delayed, all because she missed one mark."I didn't take it to heart," I said as I returned the coat to him.He didn't take it as he frowned. "So, why'd you ask for the details?""Just wanted to see where I messed up." I looked at him. "So, I can be better next year."A while later, the frown on his face softened. "A year isn't that long. Once the estate project's money is with us, the wedding will be better. I'll make it up to you, then. We'll hold the wedding on the lakeside field."I interrupted, "Yves, aren't you curious about who scored me that lowly?""Maybe some of the elders expected a lot from you.""G

Chapter 3 Gown Taken

The incessant messages from the wedding group chat woke me up the next morning. It used to be 'Emilia Oliviera Wedding Planning', but now it was 'The Lawsons' Delay Explanation'.The group leader was no longer me, but Wendy. She posted a long notification. "I'm so sorry for the disturbance, people. Emilia's in a bad mood right now. I'll handle guest and hotel liaison as well as attire safeguard."Everyone replied with a simple "Noted."The wedding planning manager asked, "Do we still go on with the gown exhibit this afternoon, Ms. Shaw?"Wendy answered quickly, "Yes. Mrs. Lawson doesn't want the flow to get messed up. She's going to talk about my family's case after the tea party."'Doesn't want the flow to get messed up.' I immediately straightened. This was where it started in my previous life, where I was slowly kicked out of the picture.It first began with the delay, which allowed Wendy to handle the liaison. Eventually, she was the one who wore that gown and took that fam

Chapter 4 His Name

The explanation for the delay was held in a small hall in the estate. The Lawsons' elders and the wedding planners were there. Yves was on the stage, holding the mic. There were dark circles under his eyes, but he spoke firmly."We're gathered here to explain the delay for the wedding that would've happened for me and Emilia. Emilia is a great woman, but marriage isn't something that can be done on a whim. She's still young and needs time to grow."I was watching him from the audience seat. This was the same thing he said in my previous life. He rephrased the delay into protection and humiliation into growth.Melanie continued, "The family does not take marriages lightly. The score is just a reminder, not humiliation. If Emilia can change after a year, the wedding will proceed as planned."Wendy was at the side. She wasn't in my gown, but a white dress. However, the brooch was still on her chest. She stood up and bowed to my uncle."Please halt your ire, sire. She's an understandi

Chapter 5 Excuses

The hall fell into silence. Yves' hand was hovering over the laptop. The screen's light shone coldly upon his pale, almost lifeless face.My uncle was the first to stand. His chair scraped against the ground, and the air screeched. "You gave my niece a one, Yves?" he thundered.Yves gulped. He quickly pulled his hand back and turned to the audience. "I'm her fiancé. I have to be strict. She's marrying into the Lawsons, not some regular family."Melanie backed him up, saying vehemently, "He's doing it for her own good. You might think it's harsh for a husband to say that about his wife, but he's saying it because he knows how the relationship works."I said nothing, watching the show unfold. My uncle's cup of coffee hit the edge of the table, causing some of the liquid to splash on the tablecloth.Mr. Zimmer expanded on the elaboration for the scoring, and the first one was Yves'. It read, "Poor emotional regulation. Unwise to add her into the partner's trust fund. Suggestion: pr

Chapter 6 Pale

Yves lost his composure for the first time since this entire farce began. He strode up to Wendy. "Shut up!"Wendy stepped back. "Why should I? You told me the delay would be for a year. And once the estate project's money comes in, you can renegotiate the prenup. You told me she couldn't live without you."Every word she said darkened Yves' expression further. Just then, Melanie slammed the table as she barked, "Enough!"That scared Wendy stiff, causing her shoulders to tremble. My uncle approached the stage. "The estate project?" He looked at me. "And what sort of agreement are they talking about?"I took out another document from my bag. The corners of the papers were pressed as flatly as I could make them. This was the extra agreement the Lawsons begged me to sign for the estate project. My father was still alive back then.Back then, the Lawsons' cash flow was destroyed, so that project nearly went bust. I used my mother's trust fund money to guarantee them and kept their cr

Chapter 7 Confrontation

The Lawsons issued a statement that night. They spoke not a single word of the unusually low scores, nor did they talk about why Wendy wore my gown. All they said was that the grading banquet was a family tradition, but a certain someone maliciously edited and distributed the process.They were one step away from accusing me. …Yves called me 10 minutes after the statement was issued. I didn't take it. So, he sent me a voice message. "I know you're furious, but you can't really destroy my family, can you?"I converted the message into words and screenshotted the text.The next message came from Wendy. "I'm sorry. I had no idea this would get so serious. I just didn't want to lose a friend like you. I was scared."I sneered in disdain. No, she wasn't scared of losing me. She was just terrified of losing her spot as a potential bridal candidate.…The next morning, my uncle, Mr. Chaucer, and I went to the company for the estate project at 9 a.m.The business partners were alr

Chapter 8 Three Days

Ms. Romulus paused the meeting. Yves wanted to intercept Wendy's phone, but Mr. Chaucer blocked him. "Touch the evidence again, and we'll call the cops, Mr. Lawson."Yves' hand froze midair, and he looked at me. "You're just going to let her frame me?"I nearly laughed at his face. "The texts came from you, Yves."Ms. Romulus had her assistant project the chat history onto the screen. The first message read, "Make sure she doesn't score 90 and above for tomorrow night's grading."The second one read, "89 would be ideal. The wedding will be delayed, and we won't have a fallout."The third one read, "Once the estate project's money comes in, I'll handle the prenup."Even the sound of papers flipping died down. Melanie closed her eyes. She knew these messages had just destroyed any defense her family had.Ms. Romulus closed the file. "The project will be put on hold. The ensuing funds will not be released until you've finished your internal liability waiver and affirmed Ms. Olivi

Chapter 9 No Quarter

Three days later, the Lawsons sent the first proposal. I skimmed through it once and slid it back. They had cut my profit in half and shoved all blame onto Wendy in the public statement.Mr. Chaucer closed the file. "It seems that you aren't taking this seriously at all, Mr. Lawson." He projected the amended parts onto the screen.The share of my profit was changed into "Amount will be decided after due consideration once the project enters a stable state."The public apology was amended into "We apologize to Ms. Oliviera due to miscommunication."Not a word about the candidate selection was written, but they made sure to list out all their terms. They wanted me to sign an NDA and delete all videos of the scene, as well as the recheck details.No one said anything. Yves sat across from me, his eyes bloodshot. "It's already very tough for me here, Emilia. The project's on hold, and the BOD is demanding answers. Must you push me to a cliff?"I looked at him. "You know who else wa

Chapter 10 In the Past

One month went by, and a meeting for the estate project was called. The Lawsons were kicked out as the leading faction. Due to my spot as the trust fund's representative, I took back the 20 percent that was mine from the start.The weather was nice for the signing. The windows were open, and a gust of breeze fluttered in. The pages rustled softly. Mr. Chaucer slid the new agreement over to me. "Go through the agreement and sign it if you're fine with the terms, Ms. Oliviera."I checked the first line on the first page. The beneficiary had my name written on it. There was only one name on it, mine. Not Yves' or his family's.As I signed the papers, I was reminded of that grading event. I scored 89 out of 100. They told me I didn't make the cut and had to grow. They told me the delay was for my own good.The business partner had thrown the Lawsons' grading system into the bin. Wendy's name was crossed out of any and all tea parties. The BOD made Yves step down, and he didn't have the

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