Chapter 03

Chapter 03

The familiar voice made Verity shudder, and she widened her eyes, looking towards the door. She silently reminded herself that it must be a mistake. That person couldn't be here, but their voice was loud and clear, making it impossible for Verity to ignore intentionally.

"What's this, where's my stepmother?" The loud voice of the man called out, filled with mockery, indicating that it wasn't his first encounter with his "stepmother."

The man forcefully kicked the door, creating a loud noise. He arrogantly entered without any hesitation. The housekeeper panicked and tried to intervene, "Young master, please. Don't cause trouble; if the master comes back, he'll be furious. Besides, today is his wedding day."

The man smirked at the housekeeper. "So what? Even if today is the day he dies, I will still cause chaos. Not to mention, it's not the first time my father's getting married."

Verity had already guessed that she wasn't the first bride, but hearing it from someone else still made her feel frightened. Due to fear, when the man kicked the door and barged in, Verity bowed her head, not daring to look up.

The man noticed the girl sitting still on the bed and found it intriguing. After all, the girls his father married were always young and, most importantly, very young. If he remembered correctly, his father had once married a fifteen-year-old girl. The majority of the girls his father married were younger than him.

"What's the matter? Scared? Quickly look at me." The man was amused as he grabbed Verity's chin, forcing her to look up. However, when he saw her face, he froze.

Verity raised her eyes and, to her surprise, recognized the face of the man in front of her. Unable to hold back, she softly uttered, "Noah…?"

"Haha... the world is indeed round. I never thought I would meet you in a situation like this. So, you're my next stepmother? What happened? Not enough money to enjoy life, so you accepted marrying an old man older than your father? Verity, you truly disgust me," Noah sneered, his voice mocking and cruel.

Verity didn't answer, nor did she resist. She kept her head lowered, avoiding Noah's gaze. Noah's anger was justified; he used to be her boyfriend and was now her ex-boyfriend.

As Noah said, the world is indeed round because now she is the stepmother of her ex-boyfriend. It would be laughable if this story spread, but it's not something she can decide. Even if Verity knew that her husband is her ex-boyfriend's father, nothing would change. From the beginning, she had no right to decide anything.

"Why so silent? I'm right, aren't I? You broke up with me before because I didn't have enough money to satisfy you, isn't that right? Hey, I told you to talk. Haven't seen you in a while so are you dumb?" Noah spoke a lot, but Verity remained silent, infuriating him even more. At this moment, he truly wanted to strangle her.

Verity remained silent, not responding to Noah's provocations. What could she say? Tell him that she was forced to marry his father because her father owed a huge sum of money and sold her to settle the debt? Would he believe it? Probably not, and it might even backfire.

"Young master, you should go to your room and rest. The master will be back soon," the housekeeper hastily said, surprised that the young master was acquainted with Mr. Anderson's new bride. Whatever the relationship was, Verity had become Mr. Anderson's woman and Noah's stepmother, so Noah had to maintain a distance.

Verity's silence made Noah want to strangle her, but when he reached for her neck, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Murder wasn't his expertise, and he feared dirtying his hands. For Noah, her silence was an acknowledgment of what he had just said.

"Indeed disgusting." Noah coldly looked at Verity before leaving the room and returning to his own. Originally, he didn't want to return to the country; he had been comfortable abroad for two years, free from anyone's supervision and without needing to pay attention to anyone. Every time his father called him back, it was solely for one reason: to attend his wedding. Apart from that, his father never inquired or cared about him, and he didn't need such concern from his father.

For the past two years, he had attended five weddings of his father with five different young brides, and this time was no different. However, Noah didn't oppose his father's decision; he simply didn't care. The previous brides couldn't live with his father for more than three months; they either died in bed, his father lost interest, or were sent to shelters, treated as organ containers.

Not everyone has a good outcome or at least survives. Noah sometimes doubts whether his mother was also a victim of his father, ever since he became aware that he has never seen his mother, only heard about her through the accounts of a few relatives.

His father is like that, with a sick obsession for underage girls. That is one of the reasons Noah despises his father and doesn't want to live with him. But he cannot completely escape his father because he is the only child of his father, and despite hating him, Noah cannot deny the blood flowing in his veins. The perverse nature is there, but his father's vast business still needs an heir.

The housekeeper locked Verity in her room, leaving her alone. She sighed, feeling that the coming days would be tumultuous. That night, Michael did not return, allowing Verity to sleep peacefully. She had worried all night, fearing that he might demand something from her at any moment, and if he did, she might not be able to resist.

Early in the morning, the housekeeper went upstairs to call Verity for breakfast. Despite being a debtor, given Verity's current status, she was considered Michael's wife and, in a sense, the mistress of this mansion.

Verity quickly got ready and went downstairs for breakfast. It was only now that she had the chance to examine the design of this large mansion more closely. She stared in amazement before starting to eat.

"Don't look around aimlessly. Even though you're Mr. Michael's wife, you should understand your position. Be obedient obey, and you will live," the expressionless housekeeper advised Verity. These were words of advice given to the young girl in front of her. The previous girls also died because of their protests. A hired worker like her could only take advantage of the time when no one was around to remind Verity.

"Be obedient obey to live," was what Verity had heard since she arrived. She didn't respond to the housekeeper and continued to eat. She wondered how the previous wives of her husband had ended up and if she was the next.

Lost in her thoughts, she heard a loud noise. Noah had just woken up and, in his aggression, kicked a chair blocking his way. Verity dared not look up at Noah. Her complicated emotions made even eating difficult.

Noah looked at her, grabbed the unfinished plate of food, and spilled it on the floor to Verity's surprise. Noah smirked friendly and said, "Oops, my bad. Step-mother, stop staring and quickly pick up the food."

Verity looked at the spilled food, knowing Noah did it intentionally. But now was not the time to argue about these issues. In her mind, she kept repeating, 'Be obedient obey to live.' If she could survive these days, she would be free.

Verity immediately bent down to pick up the food, continuing to eat without caring if it was dirty or not. Even if it was dirty, it was still better than the near-expired food at her previous part-time job.

Noah raised an eyebrow at her actions. He thought she would get angry, but her actions made him disdainful. The food had spilled, but she still picked it up to eat. He couldn't fathom how much she craved his father's wealth to discard her own dignity like this.

"If you want to eat spilled food like that..." Noah said, throwing the plate in front of Verity onto the floor. The food was scattered. The housekeeper remained silent, standing next to her without intervening, as this situation was all too familiar.

Noah sneered, "Sit on the floor and eat. I find it disgusting to eat at the same table with someone as despicable as you."

Noah's bitter words made Verity clench her lips and fists. Since her father's company went bankrupt, this wasn't the first time she had been humiliated. Perhaps due to being accustomed to malicious remarks and scornful looks from others, Verity quickly adapted without resisting. Her tolerance level had grown.

"This pathetic appearance suits you well, Verity. From now on, you are not allowed to eat at the table. Understand?" Noah coldly laughed, detesting Verity's current state. The more he looked, the more repulsed he felt.

Unable to sit at the table, Verity could only eat the scattered food on the floor. Her appearance was more pitiful than a dog. The housekeeper watched the scene silently, sighing. She knew nothing about the relationship between Noah and Verity, but Noah's temperament had always been like this. Therefore, she was not surprised at all.