“Evander, you will marry this woman.”
Evander snapped, “No way! I already said it. If someone wants to marry me, they have to go through the blind box draw. But she rigged it. There’s no way I’m letting a manipulative woman like her into our family!”
A brief silence fell.
Then Madam Astrid spoke, voice like ice.
“That blind box… was my arrangement.”
The entire room went still.
No one could understand why she, Madam Astrid herself was standing up for an outsider like me.
Evander’s fury exploded.
“Mom, are you out of your mind?! Why are you defending her? What did she do to brainwash you all?!”
Madam Astrid gave me a sideways look, her voice thick with mockery.
“Your mother isn’t so easily brainwashed. This came from your grandfather himself. He gave a clear order and if you don’t marry her, forget about inheriting the Vale Family.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd as dozens of stunned eyes turned toward me.
No one could understand what kind of power I held, or what kind of charm I had, that made Henry issue such an ultimatum.
But inside, I laughed coldly.
Clearly, Henry had no intention of letting go of the patent opportunity.
Unfortunately for him, all he’d done was guarantee that Evander would hate me even more.
Sure enough, Evander’s rage boiled over.
“That old man… he’s completely lost his mind!”
Before Evander could finish his sentence, a loud slap echoed through the hall.
Madam Astrid had struck him square across the face.
“How dare you say such nonsense?” she snapped. “The Vale Family doesn’t revolve around you alone!”
That single sentence shut him up completely.
His jaw clenched tight, fists curled at his sides. After a tense silence, he reluctantly nodded. “Fine. Since Grandpa insists, I’ll marry her. But don’t expect me to be happy about it.”
I scoffed coldly. “Do any of you even care what I think? I already said that I don’t want this marriage!”
Bianca, mistaking my refusal for arrogance, was beside herself with rage. She lunged at me again.
“You bitch! What did you do? How did you force Henry to make Evander marry a woman he doesn’t even like?!”
Before she could strike, Madam Astrid stepped in.
“Enough!” she barked. “The matter is settled.”
She turned to me, her eyes sharp and cold.
“Odette, I don’t care what you did to make the old man side with you. But since you got what you wanted, don’t you dare play coy.”
“This was your choice. You two are getting your marriage certificate today. The rest can wait.”
Before I could speak, she signaled her bodyguards to seize my bag. They snatched it away, pulled out my ID and ordered someone to begin the registration process.
My blood boiled.
“Are all of you deaf? I said I don’t agree to this marriage! Give me my ID back right now!”
But no one listened. No matter how I resisted, they ignored me completely.
Not long after, the marriage certificate was done.
Bianca and the others watched in disbelief as the red booklet was handed over. Hopelessness settled in their expressions.
“Unbelievable… What’s so special about her?” one of the girls muttered bitterly. “She’s just some backwater nobody. Why is Henry protecting her of all people?”
“We all had a chance to marry into the Vale Family and now it’s ruined because of her.”
Bianca clutched Evander’s arm tearfully. “Evander, now that you’re married does this mean I have to move out of the Vale estate?”
Evander, face full of pity, pulled her into his embrace. “Don’t worry. I’ll buy you a villa. You’ll be my golden canary. That certificate means nothing. She doesn’t get to control me.”
I stared at them, rage surging like a storm tide. I wanted nothing more than to slap every one of these people across the face.
But Madam Astrid misunderstood my glare. She thought I was jealous.
She sneered. “Odette, now that you’ve married into the Vale Family, you’re one of us. If you don’t want him to keep a mistress, then you’d better learn how to win his heart.”
