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Chapter 19 ~ Where Silence Ends
Last Updated:
2024-10-27 13:04:10
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Mary Johnson ~ The Paid Bride Chapter 20 ~The Proposer
~~~~Halfway down the stairs, Clara's boyfriend and his gang were lounging, the air thick with smoke from some hard drugs. I hurried past, doing my best to ignore them, even when he called out, "Oh, you work on Saturdays now? How lovely."At his comment, I threw him the'middle finger salute' without even looking back and continued out of the complex. Their chuckles followed me, and I couldn't help but wish they'd all choke on their cigars.I arrived at the restaurant right on time—exactly 7:00 AM—and just as I predicted, the silver-haired lady was already seated with the manager. She looked younger than when I’d last seen her, and that threw me off for a moment.“There she is,” the manager declared as I approached. “I told you, she always keeps to time.” He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. “And she’s pissed.”I let out an exasperated sigh, trying to mask my annoyance. “No, I’m not. This is my usual face,” I lied, even though it was obvious to anyone who paid attention that I was more
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~~~ “You’re quiet?” Mrs. Black asked, her sharp eyes studying me closely.Of course, I was silent—how could anyone just respond to such a bombshell? I could tell she doubted me the moment I said I didn’t know her family.To her, that probably only confirmed her low opinion. She took another sip of her wine, seemingly unbothered by my shock. “Well, it’s fine. You don’t need to say anything. As long as you understand what I’m talking about, then that’s good enough.”I finally managed to clear the lump in my throat, forcing a polite smile. “Sorry, ma’am, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m finding it very difficult to understand your words. You want me to act as a wife for your son? I mean, it’s kind of funny, right? Wouldn’t it just be easier for him to get married?” I chuckled nervously.Her expression hardened, the politeness in her tone disappearing. “Don’t act smart with me, young lady. After all, if you were indeed smart, you wouldn’t be in the position where I found you.”The chill
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Last Updated : 2024-11-01Mary Johnson ~ The Paid Bride Chapter 23 ~ The Deal
~~~~~Turning to me with rage, he demanded, “What did you just say to me?” His eyes darkened as he gripped my neck harder. “I think it’s best I kill you now, since you clearly don’t know your place. And just so you know, I don’t feel bad fucking a corpse,” he sneered, pressing both hands down on my throat.“Great, because I won’t feel bad killing you either,” I hissed, glaring at him. Summoning the last of my strength, I kicked him hard in the groin. He winced in pain, his grip loosening just enough for me to breathe. Desperate, I reached for the hand mirror on the nearby cabinet.Without hesitation, I smashed it into his face. He staggered, trying to regain his balance, but as he lunged at me, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed a shard of the broken mirror and drove it into his hand, the jagged edges sinking deep. He screamed and collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding hand.I stood over him, panting and trembling as I forced ragged breaths through my nose. Seeing her boyfriend dow
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~~~~~As the plane touched down in Austria, I could barely keep my legs steady from the nerves. Mrs. Black glanced over and sighed, "No need to look like someone about to face the firing squad, Mary. The marriage won’t happen right away. You still need to meet my son and discuss a few things. So, try to look a bit more alive."Easy for you to say, I thought, but managed a strained smile. "O...kay," I replied. "So, where are we heading now?""To the Black Estate. My son is expecting us there," she said, signaling to someone nearby. Almost instantly, a pristine white SUV pulled up in front of us.I mumbled to myself, “Wow, it must be nice to have this kind of money.”Mrs. Black turned with a curious look. “What was that?”"Nothing," I quickly replied, smiling.“Good. Now, get in the car.” She climbed inside, and I followed, bracing myself as we drove off.To be honest, from the airport to the Black Estate, I kept asking myself why on earth I agreed to this kind of arrangement. For the f
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~~~~Eric sighed in frustration as he glanced at his reflection, the veins in his neck visibly pulsing.He felt an overwhelming urge to strangle the person responsible for his current predicament. "What on earth is 'virginal hair'? This is absurd." Despite his intense anger, he had no choice but to endure the situation; everything had already been set in motion, and canceling now would be a tremendous hassle.***Alone in the spacious sitting room, I couldn't contain my laughter. It was an uncontrollable fit, one I hadn’t experienced before. The expression on Eric Black's face was absolutely priceless.I continued laughing until Mrs. Nora entered, holding a steaming cup of coffee in one hand. I quickly stifled my laughter, not wanting her to suspect anything. She settled down beside me, and I smiled, extending my hand to receive the coffee. However, the look she gave me made me retract my hand.After a moment, she sipped her coffee and asked, “What did my son say?”“Oh, nothing much.
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~~~~~After that day, I spent the following week with my family—taking them out, making sure they got used to the new environment.I still needed to convince my mother that this place was far better than that dump.Although, to avoid confusion and the media, I had to take them to places where I wasn’t well recognized, always covering my face with sunglasses.Despite the fact that my family was here, and I was happy seeing the way Lisa and Lora’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the new clothes, shoes, and accessories I got for them, I couldn’t shake this feeling deep in my chest. Despite the joy of being reunited with my family, I felt... disconnected, like I was smiling on the outside but drowning inside.Since that call from Nora, my mind and heart have been a storm of confusion and guilt. I pretended to be okay for the sake of my family, but no matter how many times I told myself to focus on them, my thoughts kept circling back to Eric.I worried about his health. I wondered if he wa
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Continuations~~~~~~My ring… my wedding ring.I thought I’d hidden it well.He held it out to me, his hand hovering in the air, while I just stood there, staring at it like it had grown teeth. My fingers didn’t move.Sighing, he gently took my hand and placed the ring in my palm. Then, keeping his hand over mine, he looked straight at me.“You’re grown now, Mary. And there’s a part of you—no matter how much we love you—that we no longer know,” he said calmly, but with a heaviness in his voice that only a father could carry. “Still, no matter how old you get, there are some decisions you shouldn’t make without talking to us first. You know that, right?”Shit. He figured it out just from the ring?“Yes, Papa… I do,” I murmured, nodding. “And I promise, when the time is right, I’ll tell you everything… all the parts of me you don’t know yet. But please, for now… just don’t tell Mother. Not yet.”“Of course,” he said gently. “I’ll wait until you’re ready to talk. But don’t take too long,
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~~~~As I got closer to the top of the stairs, I could hear laughter and chatter coming from one of the rooms—the twin bedroom. The room I had specially prepared for Lisa and Lora. I should’ve felt joy, but instead, all I felt was fear.Funny how I felt more scared seeing my family again than I did standing in front of the whole world defending Eric Black’s unfaithfulness.I paused for a moment, catching my reflection in the windowpane. I had never felt so small, not even when I was still the innocent little Mary.Yes, I looked more beautiful now—refined, mature, confident—but for some reason, the thought of meeting my mother’s eyes made my knees weak. She was my mother, the woman I grew up watching, learning from, and admiring. But if she found out what I had done—how I’d gone against everything she and Dad raised me to believe in... I couldn’t even imagine what would happen.Worse still—
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Mary Johnson ~ The Paid Bride Chapter 90 ~ The comeback of Mary Black
~~~~For crying out loud, where should I even start? I questioned myself as the eyes around the room seemed to be pressuring me into saying something. This is what everyone’s been waiting for, no doubt. Even though I promised to make Diana pay, I never expected her to reveal this much.What should I do?“Mrs. Black?” Berry called, smiling that smug smile.I turned to her calmly. “Yes?”“You’re silent?” she said, her tone sharp.“That I am!” I replied just as calmly.“Why? Is it that you don’t have anything to say, or should we just count your silence as you agreeing with it being true?” She added, her words dripping with sarcasm. “Not that it is not.”Take a deep breath, Mary. You’ve got this.“You don’t have to count my silence for anything,” I said, my voice steady. “I was just wonde
