“Marry?!” Beverley, the brunette woman, could hardly believe her ears. Both confusion and shock filled her sight.
“If I get married, how will I be able to work and raise money for Dad’s treatment?” she asked. Her mother, Emma, was starting to get annoyed. The glamorous woman immediately replied, “That’s why I want you to marry the son of the Oliver family!” “So, you want to use me to pay your debts?” Beverley’s eyes turned red. Not because she wanted to cry, but because she felt so angry. How could Emma think such a thing? Was it because she was just a stepmother? “That’s not what I meant. I just want you to live comfortably with a rich man. You can live peacefully without having to think about money. Am I wrong?” Emma asked without feeling guilty. Beverley snorted in annoyance. “Who do you think you’re fooling? Emma, I’m not a child to be fooled. I will never agree to this,” she hissed sharply. She knew the situation she was in. Emma, the money-loving stepmother, wanted to use her stepdaughter to pay off her debts to the Oliver family. By what means? By marrying Beverley off to Michael Oliver’s rumored gay son! Beverley knew full well that the marriage was only being used to cover up the gay rumors. Of course, she didn’t want to. Marriage is a sacred thing. She didn’t want to get married carelessly. Especially with someone she didn’t know at all.After all, the person in debt is Emma. Why was she sacrificed? Why not the money-loving mom who married Michael Oliver's gay son? She would be happy if her father divorced that crazy woman.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t like it, huh?” asked Emma. She sat with her legs crossed and stared at Beverley with her head raised.
“If you argue, then I’ll leave your house. I will leave your crippled father alone,” she continued softly. Although it sounded subtle, there was a real sense of threat. “Emma!” Beverley immediately yelled. She clenched her palms so hard that her body trembled. Her eyes were closed, and she clenched her mouth tightly. “You dare yell at me?” Emma furrowed her brows deeply. “Don’t think just because I’m a stepmother that you’re free to be disrespectful to me!” she continued in an elevated tone. “Then just because I’m your step-daughter, you can have free rein over my life?!” Beverley shouted back. She had had enough of Emma. That woman was not a good stepmother at all. If she knew her true character like that, she would not have allowed James to marry her in the past. Yes. Beverley’s father, James, remarried after his first wife died. However, in the past year, James suffered a stroke that left him unable to work anymore. Emma, who is very fond of extravagance, has a credit card bill of millions of dollars. It made her dizzy because she didn’t know how to pay it off. Finally, under the alibi of her sick husband, she borrowed millions of dollars to pay off the bank bills. Then who loaned her the money? It was Michael Oliver, James’ boss. Perhaps because James was one of his confidants, Michael Oliver was willing to lend her that much money. Sometimes Beverley really wanted to kick Emma out of her father’s house. However, that was impossible because James loved that woman so much. James seemed to have been driven crazy by Emma. Could she be using a magic spell to seduce him? “Bev, you’re an adult. If you marry a rich man, wouldn’t you benefit from it?” Emma said sarcastically. She blew on her long, bright red nails and stared at them proudly. How sickening! “You should know, Emma. I don’t know that man at all. I don’t know what he looks like, about his nature, about his character, and...” “Why do you have to think about such things? What’s most important is a guaranteed life. Marriage isn’t always about love or any of that nonsense,” Emma retorted indifferently. Beverley became even angrier. “What do you mean you’ve never loved James?” “I didn’t say that.” Beverley snorted coldly. She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. “I will not marry the man of your choice. And your debts have nothing to do with me,” she said coldly. “Well, you can refuse now. However, one thing is for sure... Whether you want to or not, you will go to the wedding altar.” Suddenly, Emma stood up and carried her expensive bag. Then the woman waltzed away without caring about Beverley’s pale face. Before completely closing the door, Emma turned to look at Beverley sharply. “Don’t even think about running away. I can abandon James at any time!” Having said that threat, only then did she actually leave. The room became silent. Beverley’s breathing rose and fell irregularly. Her hands clenched tightly. “Damn stepmother!” Her voice echoed throughout the room. Luckily, no one was within earshot. The closed-door suddenly opened. A woman who looked about Beverley’s age stepped in. She was wearing a blazer suit that looked quite classy. Her high-tied hair swayed with her footsteps. “What’s wrong, Bev? I just saw your mom come out of here. Did you guys have another fight?” “Don’t call her my mom, Katy,” Beverley said quietly. She sat down in her work chair and rubbed her dizzy forehead. Beverley’s friend, Katy, also sat down. “You look so upset. What’s wrong?” Beverley let out a long breath. “Emma is trying to use me, Katy. She wants to use me to pay off her debts!” “How is that possible?” Katy was a little confused. “How?” “She’s going to marry me off to a man I don’t know at all. Oh my God! What am I supposed to do now?” “What the hell! Has she lost her mind?!” Katy became furious. She had long heard stories from Beverley about her stepmother’s bad nature and behavior. As her best friend, of course, she didn’t like Emma. That woman really was like a snake. “I wouldn’t know what to do if she really did that.” Beverley bit her lip nervously. “What if you ran away?” Katy suggested. Unfortunately, Beverley immediately rejected her proposal. “I can’t leave my father. James is sick. I’m afraid Emma will also leave that man alone.” She shook her head several times. “How much is that debt? Maybe I can lend you a hundred thousand dollars.” Beverley sighed in frustration. “It’s more than that. Even if you sell this cafe, it won’t be enough. There’s no other way. If Emma really makes that deal, they’ll never let me go, Katy. My life is over....” “What an outrage!” Katy pounded the table in front of her. “If I meet your mom—I mean Emma—I want to punch those thick lips of hers!” Suddenly, Katy gave Beverley a serious look. “Are you sure she’s serious? Would she do this to you? I mean, you’re still her daughter, after all.” Beverley just shook her head weakly. She didn’t know whether Emma would do that or not. However, what was certain was that this was all already making her feel scared. At that moment, there was a sudden knock on the door from outside. A café waitress came in holding out an ivory-yellow invitation that looked elegant and classy. There was another folded piece of paper tied with a golden ribbon on top of the invitation. “Miss Holmes, this is for you,” said the waitress. Beverley’s brow immediately creased. She hesitantly picked up the invitation letter. The recipient’s name was indeed her, Beverley Holmes. Who was getting married? She hadn’t heard any news about friends or colleagues getting married anytime soon. Out of curiosity, she unwrapped the gold ribbon. Then she quickly opened the invitation letter. For a moment, she was silent while reading about who was getting married. Her heart seemed to stop beating when she saw the name listed there. Her face turned pale. The name of the bride written on the invitation letter was none other than her own name, Beverley Holmes! “No way,” Beverley muttered as she lowered her gaze. She quickly read the groom’s name. Brent Oliver. Her hands immediately shook. The invitation slid unceremoniously to the floor. “What’s wrong, Bev? Who’s getting married?” Katy picked up the invitation. And after she read the names of the bride and groom, her reaction wasn’t much different from Beverley’s. “The date... when is the date?” Beverley quickly snatched the invitation from Katy’s hand. “The seventeenth....” Her body went limp instantly. It was already the sixteenth. That meant the wedding was tomorrow!Hello my dear readers! Please add this story to your library. Don't forget to support me by leaving positive comments, reviews, and votes. Happy reading!
Beverley felt like her soul was falling to the bottom of the cliff. Emma had indeed told her about this marriage beforehand. However, she thought there was still time for further discussion. It turned out that the woman had already decided on the marriage well in advance. What should Beverley do now? Her chest became sore. How could Emma do this? Hadn’t she given even the slightest consideration to her feelings? “Bev ....” Katy didn’t know what to say. She rubbed Beverley’s back gently, hoping to calm her down a little. “I have to see Emma,” Beverley said suddenly. Her gaze turned icy. She grasped the invitation paper, along with a folded letter that she had yet to read. She straightened her back and tried to strengthen her resolve. “I’ll drive you.” Katy grabbed her car keys, and the two of them walked out of the room. Katy left a few messages for the café cashier before walking away. Katy’s café was quite a distance from Beverley’s father’s house. She had been working as a manag
One man in black pushed Beverley out of the car. No more screams came out of her mouth. No more crying or pleading of any kind. She realized it was a futile struggle.She stood up, staring at the big house in front of her. No, it was no ordinary house. One would more appropriately call it a mansion. The mansion looked very grand and elegant. A bone-white color dominated the exterior.Was it the Oliver family’s residence? Beverley did not know. Although it was a place filled with luxury, she did not feel attracted. She could not afford to spend her life there with someone she did not like at all.The night wind blew her hair. Her heart was pounding. Her feelings became erratic. Was this still real? Perhaps it was just a dream when she accidentally slept at the cafe table.“Miss, please come in.”The voice instantly broke Beverley’s reverie. She let out a long breath. “This was not a dream.” She finally stepped into the large mansion. Two men in black followed her from behind.The entran
This is bad! Beverley wanted to turn around and run as far as she could. However, Brent's pair of black eyes seemed to nail her in place. Her legs became weak and…. And she couldn't escape! Oh my, what should she do now? "Why are you just silent?" Emma whispered emphatically. Everyone in the venue turned their heads and looked at Beverley curiously. She didn't want her stepdaughter to embarrass her. Beverley glared at Emma. She gritted her teeth in anger. She wanted so badly to curse that woman. However, it couldn't be done because everyone was focused on her. Finally, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she really had to marry that jerk, then so be it. There was nothing she could do for now. For the first time in her life, she completely surrendered to fate. Her feet wouldn't move, but they continued to be forced until she finally arrived in front of the man. Brent Oliver. The sharp-eyed man who had been secretly haunting her for months. Beverley's eyes turned red. H
Beverley turned her face out the window to avoid Brent's piercing gaze. Her brow furrowed as she realized the car she was in was not making its way to Brent's house. She felt quite confused. Where will the man take her to? Despite being curious, Beverley refrained from asking. She didn't want to look anxious or worried in front of the man. Whatever the circumstances, she wanted to be a calm and indifferent woman. Moments later, their car stopped in the basement of a luxury hotel. Brent turned to look at Beverley. "Don't go anywhere. Stay here and don't make trouble!” he hissed coldly. Beverley didn't answer. She just watched the man leave with narrowed eyes. Where will the man go? Suddenly her vision caught something suspicious. Not far ahead, Brent seemed to meet a woman. The woman was wearing a red dress that was quite revealing. If there wasn't a long coat covering her body, maybe her body would be exposed. The woman was wearing sunglasses and a black fedora hat. Although her f
That day Katy's cafe seemed quite busy. When Beverley got there, the patrons and cafe staff immediately turned to look at her. Her current appearance was too flashy. And that made her hard to ignore."Oh my gosh!" Katy, who was initially recapitulating financial data, immediately ran over to Beverley. Her expression looked surprised and worried. "Honey, what happened to you?!"Beverley shook her head limply before finally settling into a chair away from the cafe patrons. Sweat was already soaking her body. She felt tired and thirsty after walking so far."Give me some cold water, please," she begged Katy. She removed the white bride veil from her head and a few other hair accessories.Without asking much, Katy immediately ordered her cafe staff to fetch cold water for Beverley. Moments later, a bottle of cold water was placed on the table.Beverley immediately took a sip of the water. Finally, her thirst was quenched. She took a deep breath. "You know, this is really ridiculous."Katy
Brent's gaze grew colder. He took his phone and placed it on the table. "Do you know your current status?" he asked, holding back a growl. The muscles in his neck seemed to tighten. Obviously, he was furious.Beverley glanced at Brent's cell phone only to see her picture on it—a photo of her still in her wedding dress, on the side of the road, messy and barefoot. Part of her face was covered by a veil, but her spectacular wedding dress was sure to be recognized by those in the business community."Why does it look like Mr. Oliver's bride's dress?""Did Mr. Oliver's wife run away from her marriage or what?"People will think like that if the photo manages to debut on social media. Yeah, unless they think Brent ordered a cheap dress of the same ten designs. But it certainly did not seem like the arrogant style of Mr. Brent Oliver.Beverley felt a little satisfied at the sight of Brent's anger, though she had to say it was also a little scary. The man had made her suffer enough today, an
The atmosphere was quiet again. Beverley put down her fork and touched the black folder on the table. Just imagining its contents made her head go numb. Why is that man so annoying?On the first page: The wife must be kind to the husband and the husband's family.Beverley snorted.On page two: The wife must act like wives should when appearing in public.Beverley snorted again. Her face became even more sullen.On page three: The wife should not interfere in the husband's personal matters, and the husband will do the same.This time, Beverley agreed. That means they won't meddle in each other's personal affairs. Then she turned to the next sheet.On page four: The wife should not travel alone at night."No," Beverley protested. "Why can't I travel at night?"Brent looked at her flatly. "Unless you want to be kidnapped or harmed by my business rivals. And if that happened, I wouldn't care."Beverley snorted. What kind of person is Brent? If the man was a mafia, then she believed there
"Oh, wasn't that your wife who was caught walking around while still wearing her wedding dress?" Brent's girlfriend's voice was so loud that Beverley could hear it. Her tone was sarcastic and mocking. It was a little annoying, but Beverley wanted nothing to do with her. She just narrowed her eyes and walked away. "Wait a minute!" Brent's girlfriend tries to stop Beverley. She walked over to her, holding Brent's hand. "Miss Holmes, why are you in such a hurry?" Beverley took a deep breath. She stopped her footsteps without turning back. "Sorry, but I have other, more important business." "Oh, dear Brent, look how your wife talks to me. She won't even look at me." Natalie complained spoiledly to Brent. The man kissed her briefly on the lips and then walked over to Beverley. "Where are you going?" "Unfortunately, it is a working day. So, I have to go to work," Beverley replied nonchalantly. She was preparing to continue her walk when suddenly Brent grabbed her by the wrist. "Let go