Finally, she said, “Alright.”
It was merely a meeting, a slight trick, nothing serious. “Thank you,” Connor said, clearly relieved. He quickly signed the divorce agreement and wrote a check for 500 million dollars. Marissa took the check without hesitation and slipped it into her pocket
“See you tomorrow morning, Mr. Daniels,” she said, then ascended the stairs. As soon as she entered her room, a maid appeared, carrying a stack of new clothes and a package of sanitary pads
Seeing the sanitary pads, Marissa suddenly understood something. She quickly glanced down. “Miss Nash, Mr. Daniels asked me to prepare these for you.”
There was a stain of dried blood from the Dreamweed thorns between her legs, but Connor had mistaken it for menstrual blood. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. How dare he scrutinize such a personal aspect of a woman’s body. Pervert!
By the next morning, the weather had improved. Marissa got up early and made her way downstairs. As she descended the stairs, she overheard Arabella’s voice
“Hurry and arrange the flowers. My granddaughter-in-law loves roses and will be delighted to see them. Oh, and be careful not to wake her!”
Feeling Marissa’s gaze, Arabella swiftly turned around. Upon seeing Marissa, she smiled and exclaimed, “My granddaughter-in-law!” But her expression quickly changed to one of anger as she said, “You are not my granddaughter-in-law!”
When Arabella was angry, everyone was so frightened that they held their breath. Connor, standing just behind Arabella, was particularly worried. He hadn’t anticipated that his grandmother would uncover the truth so quickly and was concerned about the possibility of another crisis like the one from the day before
Marissa stood rooted to the spot. Just when everyone was in a panic, Arabella pursed her lips and snorted. “We used to be so close; I can’t believe you would leave without a word. Has someone new taken my place? Do you have another old woman to call Grandma now?”
At ninety years old, Arabella’s thinking and demeanor had regressed to being childlike. A mix of irritation and sulkiness was on her face, which somehow made her endearing. Connor let out a breath of relief and quickly helped Arabella to the sofa
“Grandma, Tiffany didn’t leave us. She went to study medicine and has been quite successful. She was the one who saved you last night.” Arabella took Marissa by the hand and guided her to sit next to her. “Sweetie, tell me, is that true?”
“Well, yes.” Marissa was unsure how to react and chose to go along with whatever story Connor had made up
“So, there’s no new grandma? Or did Connor upset you somehow?”
“No.”
“Then why would you leave on a day as important as the wedding day?”
“Um…” Marissa found herself at a loss for words. Since she wasn’t actually Tiffany Nash, making up details on the spot was challenging. She looked to Connor for help
Connor lied again. “Grandma, on that day, Tiffany’s teacher urgently needed her, so she had to leave quickly. She couldn’t say goodbye because she had lost her phone.”
“Oh… okay.” Arabella seemed to accept this explanation without much fuss and started chatting with Marissa. Thankfully, Arabella was not difficult to deceive, and soon Marissa found herself engaging effortlessly, eliciting genuine laughter from Arabella. Connor observed from the side. The village girl, who was excellent in negotiations, was also proving to be quite skilled at soothing the elderly!
Eventually, Arabella grew tired. Connor personally escorted her back to her room to rest. Once Arabella was asleep, Marissa felt the urgency to move things along, saying, “Mr. Daniels, please, let’s hurry.” Connor nodded. Aware of her urgency to marry her fiance, he didn’t want to hold her up any longer. He quickly arranged for a car, and together they headed to the court
At the court, Marissa and Connor filed for divorce. They expected a straightforward procedure but were stunned to learn there was a mandatory one-month cooling-off period for divorces. Not only were they unable to obtain the divorce decree that day, but they also received a scolding from the clerk
“Getting married yesterday and divorcing the next day? How can you young people treat marriage like it’s just a game!”
As they left the court, Marissa was visibly upset, her expression one of deep annoyance. She turned to Connor with a cold stare. “I need your number!”
They had not exchanged numbers before. Originally, there had been no need, but now, the cooling-off period made it necessary. For some reason, Connor smiled and quickly gave his number, watching her as she saved it in her phone. However, she didn’t call back
Looking at her, he was confused. “I still don’t have your number.”
She shot him a sharp look. “You don’t need my number. I’ll reach out to you when it’s time. No need to communicate until then.”
Connor was speechless. But as he was in the wrong, he didn’t dare argue. He even stood there cautiously, worried she might scold him in public. This country girl paid him no mind! He had learned the previous night that this was a country girl with a fiery spirit
“Mr. Daniels, make sure your phone is on and that you’re available to come to the court next month, on this date, for the divorce.”
“Okay.” Connor maintained his composure, watching her leave with a cold demeanor
Domenic approached to give an update. “Mr. Daniels, there’s news from the old manor that Mr. Neil Daniels’ long-lost son, missing for twenty years, has been located. He was apparently sold to Adagend as a child and now goes by Derek Tucker.”
Hearing “Adagend,” Connor instinctively looked back at Marissa’s retreating figure. What a coincidence! With the divorce still pending and her wedding nearing, what was she to do?
Marissa hadn’t yet figured out a plan. She needed to catch a taxi to the train station to meet Derek by noon as arranged. But the moment she laid eyes on him, she was taken aback!
Outside the train station, Derek looked visibly shaken, his face pale as if he was about to collapse. Marissa asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Derek?”
“Derek, are you thinking about calling off our wedding?” Derek inquired
“Absolutely not,” Marissa reassured him
“Then why haven’t you been answering my calls or responding to my messages?”
Marissa quickly checked her phone and discovered several missed calls and texts from Derek. “Sorry, my phone was on silent. I didn’t notice them.”
“You don’t really want to end things with me, do you?”
“No, I’m right here with you now.”
Derek was relieved by her response, his spirits lifting noticeably. Marissa offered a helpless smile. Derek’s family situation was challenging. Both of his parents were disabled, and his eighty-year-old grandmother relied on them. They were still living in a run-down house that had been his great-grandfather’s. They were the poorest family in their village
Derek had faced hardships since childhood. Although he managed to attend university, it was not a prestigious one, and Marissa had paid for his tuition. After graduation, Derek struggled to find a good job and resorted to working as a delivery man. In a society where wealth often dictated opportunities, finding a suitable partner for marriage was tough for Derek
Marissa, though she seemed like a simple village girl without a college education, was beautiful and could earn a living in the city. She was supposed to be out of Derek’s league. This was why his family pressured them to marry as soon as Derek was of age. They feared Marissa might leave him for another man. Securing a marriage certificate was the only way to reassure his family
However, Marissa couldn’t get a divorce today, so she was looking for a reason to postpone their wedding. Derek and his family could not afford to get entangled with someone as influential as Connor. If she revealed the truth, she didn’t know how shocked they would be, so she chose to keep it a secret for now
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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