Chapter 4

The skies over Philodorah were heavy and gray when rain began to fall.

"Granduncle Clyde… Granduncle Carson...I don't want to marry him..."

Amidst the rain, a young girl in a blue dress was kneeling inside the Yardleys' grand hall, tears streaming down her face.

She had a graceful figure and her slightly chubby cheeks were adorned with two charming dimples, making her look irresistibly sweet.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She looked around desperately with tears in her eyes, pleading with those in the hall.

At her side, two groups of people sat upright, facing each other with solemn expressions. On one side were the Boltons, who had come with a marriage proposal, while the other was made up of the Yardleys' elders.

"Marriage is not something a mere child like you can decide on. Since Mr. Sebastian has come to ask for your hand sincerely, you should accept him. The Boltons are one of Philodorah's three great noble families. They won't mistreat you."

The one who spoke with indifference was Carson Yardley, the Third Elder of the family.

Despair filled the young girl's eyes as she scanned the room, and her eyes finally landed on a young man dressed in yellow who was seated in the middle on the right side. She was terrified.

He was Sebastian Bolton, the youngest son of the Boltons and also the infamous rakehell of Philodorah. He was known for abducting women off the streets and dragging them to his manor. When their families sought justice, he had the women beaten to death instead of releasing them.

The number of young women who had suffered at his hands was beyond count.

Sebastian's eyes gleamed with wicked delight as he looked at the girl kneeling in front of him. "Don't worry, Liliana. Once you marry into the Boltons, I'll take good care of you."

This girl—Liliana Yardley—was Theodore's younger sister.

Upon hearing that, she collapsed to the ground, her body shaking uncontrollably.

At that moment, a middle-aged man stepped forward and knelt beside her. "Elders, Liliana is too young! Even if she is to marry, it should only happen when she grows a little older!"

Another man came forward and added firmly, "Yeah, I think so, too. Not to mention, even if we are to discuss an engagement, we should at least wait until Lord Callum emerges from seclusion to make a decision."

Smack!

An elder at the front of the hall slammed the table and thundered, "Are you brothers saying that I have no right to make decisions now?"

The middle-aged man beside Liliana immediately lowered his head in silence. However, the one who had spoken firmly glared at the elder and retorted, "A marriage alliance between the Yardleys and the Boltons is no trivial matter. We need Lord Callum to make the call. Besides, Lord Callum is Liliana's grandfather!"

"Anthony, are you implying that I am not an elder of this family?" the elder's voice turned cold.

His name was Clyde Yardley, Liliana's second granduncle and acting patriarch of the Yardleys.

Anthony Yardley was at a loss for words and could only glare defiantly at Clyde with his fists clenched.

"How entertaining," Sebastian suddenly said. He stood up and smiled mockingly. "But, you are mistaken. I am not here to ask for her hand in marriage, nor is this an alliance between our families. I am here to take Liliana as my mistress. Do I need your patriarch's approval for that?"

"You—!" Anthony's face twisted in rage. "Don't think I don't know what you Boltons—"

Before he could finish, Sebastian signaled to one of his men. A black-clad figure flickered through the air and struck Anthony in the chest with a punch.

Pow!

Despite being a first-class cultivator, Anthony had no time to react. The force of the blow sent him flying backward instantly.

Splurt!

He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his face turned ashen. His eyes were filled with terror as he lifted his head. "He's a Postnatal Grandmaster!" He croaked while trembling slightly.

The moment the Yardleys heard those words, a collective gasp echoed through the grand hall. Among the Yardleys, there was only one Postnatal Grandmaster—their patriarch, who was currently in seclusion.

Yet standing next to Sebastian, beside his five first-class cultivator guards, was a Postnatal Grandmaster!

That move showed that the Boltons were powerful enough to act recklessly at the Yardleys’ grand hall.

As the Postnatal Grandmaster, Jayden, retreated, Sebastian dropped his smile and continued coldly, "Let me make something clear—I didn't come here today to ask for your permission. Whether you agree or not, I will take her with me. From this moment on, she's my mistress. I'd like to see if any of you dares to stop me!"

His words plunged the hall into silence.

Anthony, who was still on the floor, clenched his fists in fury as his eyes burned with hatred. Meanwhile, the rest of the Yardleys lowered their heads.

The middle-aged man beside Liliana wanted to speak up, but he swallowed his words in the end.

"Me!"

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence. Everyone in the hall stiffened as they turned their heads toward the source of the sound from outside.

In the rain, a young man with disheveled hair and drenched clothes slowly approached, his sharp eyes locked onto the people inside like an eagle.

As he strode into the grand hall, he looked like a demon who had emerged from the depths of hell.

Everyone present was confused about his identity. Sebastian, in particular, stared at him with a darkened expression. "Who the hell are you to interfere in the affairs of the Boltons?"

"Theodore..."

Before the young man could say anything, Liliana suddenly threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

It was Theodore, but no one in the Yardleys recognized him, nor did the Boltons. He was sent to the Ashcrofts at the age of five; he was completely unrecognizable now.

Only Liliana knew him. For thirteen years, she had been the only one permitted to visit him once a year at the Ashcroft Manor.

For Theodore, those annual visits were the only thing that made him persevere.

"Don't cry. I'm back. No one will bully you anymore," Theodore whispered while holding her close.

He had watched Liliana grow up during the thirteen years of torment. Every time he was on the verge of giving up, her face would appear in his mind, giving him hope.

"You're… Theodore? You're back?"

The Yardleys' expressions turned complicated at the sight of the siblings embracing. The elders, in particular, looked terrified.

They were glaring daggers at Theodore, as if they wanted to kill him on the spot, fully aware of what his return meant.

"Theodore..." Anthony, who was on the floor, stared in a daze for a long moment as guilt flooded his eyes.

"I thought the Yardleys had called in some expert. It turns out it's just the pathetic live-in son-in-law of the Ashcrofts—the one who spent thirteen years as a furnace for Vivienne."

The mockery snapped Theodore out of his thoughts.

Sebastian studied him with growing amusement. He knew all too well what had happened over the thirteen years in the Ashcroft family and how it had caused an uproar across Philodorah.

Everyone had assumed that Theodore had long lost his worth. They thought that he would cling desperately to the Ashcrofts just to maintain what little standing his family had left.

Even Sebastian was careful with his visit today because of the Ashcrofts. He didn't dare to be as forceful as he would have been thirteen years ago. The so-called proposal of taking Liliana as his mistress had merely been a pretense.