Chloe then shifted her attention to Marissa, masking her reluctance to look away from Connor. “Tiffany, I’m glad you finally came back to Connor. I was so worried when you fled before the wedding.”
“Really?” Marissa replied with a smile. “You were worried, yet you never visited. I’ve been back for nearly a month.”
Chloe’s face fell, and tears began to gather in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Tiffany. I wanted to visit sooner, but I feared I’d disturb you. After all, Connor was quite upset when you left before the wedding.”
Marissa found the excuse laughable and far from convincing. She suspected Chloe’s delayed visit was due to her belief that Tiffany would be dismissed by Connor soon. Chloe’s appearance now likely stemmed from curiosity about why Marissa had not yet been sent away
“Thank you for your concern, Miss Brock,” Marissa said coolly. “But let me clarify-I didn’t flee. I went to study medicine. Please, don’t twist the truth.”
“What kind of attitude is that, Tiffany?” Another girl suddenly intervened, her tone laced with accusation. Marissa turned to see that the newcomer was Melinda Warren, from another prominent family in Blebert
Melinda was known to be close to Chloe and, by extension, was considered a friend to Tiffany-at least, that was what everyone outside their circle believed. To Marissa, however, it seemed Chloe had a hidden agenda in befriending Tiffany, and Melinda was nothing more than a naive follower in this charade
As Marissa formed her thoughts, Melinda proved herself to be a naive follower. “Tiffany, you’re the one who said you didn’t love Mr. Daniels. You told us you didn’t want to marry him and ruin your life. You even begged Chloe to help you escape before the wedding. Why deny it now?”
Before Marissa could respond, Melinda pressed on. “Do you realize how worried Chloe was when you ran away? She prayed for you every day. It’s wrong for you to treat her like this now.”
“Stop it, Melinda,” Chloe cut in, tugging at Melinda’s sleeve to silence her. Marissa noted this exchange carefully-it was revealing. So, Chloe had assisted Tiffany in fleeing the wedding? This raised several questions: Did Chloe know the exact details of Tiffany’s escape plan? Or perhaps she knew where Tiffany was all along and recognized that Marissa was an imposter? Was Chloe simply playing along with the scenario as it unfolded?
As Marissa was pondering how to coax more information about Tiffany out of Chloe, Chloe spoke up again
“Connor, Tiffany did ask me to help her escape the wedding, but I declined,” Chloe admitted to Connor. “I’ve been urging Tiffany to consider everyone’s feelings and not just act impulsively. The wedding invitations were already mailed, but she still chose to leave, ignoring the potential problems it might cause you,” Chloe continued, her voice heavy with disappointment. “Tiffany grew up without parental guidance. Her reckless behavior spoiled her academic prospects and led to the cancellation of five engagements. Her reputation suffered terribly, which is truly unfortunate. Luckily, she’s begun to make amends. I trust you to look after her going forward, Connor. I’m grateful for that.”
Marissa, upon hearing this, narrowed her eyes with skepticism. Chloe’s words seemed caring on the surface, but to Marissa, they felt more like a subtle betrayal, wrapped in a guise of kindness while scheming against Tiffany
Chloe’s approach starkly contrasted with Ayla’s. Ayla, despite her outward gentility, was overtly superficial and domineering, her true nature transparent. Chloe, on the other hand, was more deceptive. Celebrated along with her sister Della as two of Blebert’s most stunning women, she possessed notable merits
Chloe deftly highlighted Tiffany’s past mistakes, subtly insinuating that she was an unsuitable match for Blebert’s wealthiest man. Public perception would not view Chloe as spiteful but as compassionate. One might anticipate Connor to react with embarrassment or anger. Yet, he remained composed. With indifference, Connor said, “I’ll certainly take care of my wife. No need for thanks.”
Chloe was visibly embarrassed by his calm response. Her smile froze, yet she did not exit gracefully. Instead, she mustered another smile and turned to Marissa, saying, “Tiffany, Melinda and Derek are getting engaged. You’ll both be daughters-in-law in the Daniels family now, so do take care of each other.”
“Melinda marrying Derek?” Marissa looked over at Melinda and responded warmly, “Certainly. I’ll be like an aunt to Melinda from now on.”
Melinda’s face turned red with frustration. She had no fondness for Derek, who came from a modest village, and her parents had decided on the match without her input. Already distressed about marrying someone she did not love, Melinda now bristled at the thought of Tiffany possibly outranking her within the Daniels family
In the past, Chloe, Tiffany, and Melinda were a trio, though hardly on equal footing. Chloe led decisively, Tiffany lingered at the bottom, and Melinda occupied the uncertain middle. Chloe’s allure and skills were without question. Melinda had looked up to her since they were young, always eager to show her admiration. However, extending such courtesy to Tiffany, whom she deemed unworthy, was unthinkable
Marissa had a keen insight into Melinda’s mindset. Melinda had tried to humiliate her in front of everyone just now, and Marissa could easily imagine how Melinda might have once praised Chloe while mistreating Tiffany. Now, Marissa was determined to settle scores on Tiffany’s behalf. Without saying a word, Marissa looked at Connor, her eyes communicating her plan
Connor caught on quickly and turned to Melinda. “Melinda, why don’t you show your respect to your aunt-in-law and bring her a cup of tea?” he suggested. This gesture symbolically welcomed Melinda into his family, which should have been welcome news for her
However, it devastated Melinda. Tears filled her eyes, on the verge of spilling. Marissa, meanwhile, had already taken her seat, expecting Melinda’s act of deference. But Melinda, fists clenched, stood defiantly still. Connor, noticing her reluctance, pressed her. “Why the hesitation, Melinda? Don’t you want to marry Derek and join our family?” Then, turning to Trenton Warren, Melinda’s grandfather, with a light-hearted smirk, Connor joked, “Mr. Warren, are you thinking of calling off the engagement?”
When Connor mentioned calling off the engagement, Trenton panicked and harshly reprimanded Melinda, “Why are you just standing there? Serve tea to Mrs. Daniels immediately!” Left with no choice, Melinda knelt before Marissa, performed a kowtow bow, and accepted the teacup passed to her by a servant. She then offered it to Marissa, saying, “Mrs. Daniels, please enjoy some tea.” Marissa smiled and reached for the tea
As she was about to take the cup, she noticed Melinda’s hand trembling slightly. Marissa paused and pulled her hand back. “Ah!” Hot tea spilled onto Melinda’s hand, making her cry out in pain
“You did that intentionally, didn’t you, Tiffany?” Dennis Warren, Melinda’s brother, accused angrily. Marissa glanced at the fiery young man and retorted mockingly, “Didn’t you notice that Miss Warren attempted to scald me but ended up burning herself instead?”
“Stop lying!” Dennis vehemently denied the accusation. “Melinda has been timid since childhood. How would she possibly dare do such a thing? You’re clearly holding a grudge against me for breaking off our engagement, and you’re taking it out on Melinda!”
Marissa suddenly had a light bulb moment. Dennis was Tiffany’s fourth fiance. His decision to break off their engagement had surely caused Tiffany more than a little embarrassment
At that moment, Melinda began to softly cry. “Tiffany, do you think Dennis broke off his engagement to you because of my influence? You’re mistaken. I may have never spoken well of you, but I don’t have the power to sway Dennis’s decisions. He ended the engagement solely because your reputation was too poor for his liking.”
“That’s correct,” Dennis added. “Tiffany, if you hold a grudge against me for breaking off our engagement, take it out on me, not Melinda.”
“Dennis, you must be joking,” Marissa replied, looking at him as if he were foolish. “If you hadn’t ended our engagement, how could I have married my wonderful husband now? I’m grateful you rejected me. Why would I bear a grudge? You’re overthinking.”
These words left Dennis speechless
Marissa then addressed Melinda, who was still kneeling. “Miss Warren, you said you’ve never spoken well of me, meaning we were never friends. So don’t claim any supposed friendship between us going forward. When you marry into the Daniels family, I’ll be your elder, and you the junior. You must remember the hierarchy and talk to me with respect. Understood?”
“Yes, Mrs. Daniels,” Melinda replied. The banquet continued, and the Sanchez family formally accepted Marissa as a member with ceremony. For the first time, Marissa felt valued by her family. Surprisingly, Connor also stayed to watch the ceremony
With Connor present, no one acted out, and the ceremony went smoothly. Melinda sat beside Chloe, enviously watching Marissa bask in attention
“Tiffany is nothing but trouble. How does she deserve all this attention?” Melinda complained to Chloe
“Melinda, let’s not be bitter,” Chloe replied gently. “It’s wonderful to see her finally finding some happiness. We should be happy for her.”
“Happy for her? Did you see her smugness earlier? I can’t understand why Mr. Daniels, with his status, used to detest her but now fiercely protects her.”
“Probably to appease his grandmother,” Chloe replied
“Of course, that’s the only reason!” Melinda sneered. “But mark my words, once Mrs. Arabella Daniels is out of the picture, Tiffany’s luck will run out.”
Chloe simply smiled and remained quiet, glancing down at her phone. She had received a message reading, “Miss Brock, we’ve found out this impostor calling herself Tiffany is actually named Marissa Nash, a simple girl from Adagend! And here’s the most ridiculous part-she was Derek’s fiancee when he lived in Adagend!”
After reading the message, Chloe glanced at Marissa with a significant look and stowed her phone away
At the medical conference, Chloe had suspected that the current Tiffany was an imposter, and her instincts had proven correct. Chloe marveled at how the world seemed wondrous, given that the two women bore an uncanny resemblance to each other
Tiffany had always been naive and docile. Previously, Chloe had persuaded her to escape her wedding and cross the western border illegally to avoid Connor’s men. Tiffany had followed her advice to the letter. The region was treacherous, filled with vipers and wild animals-a place so perilous that even a strong man might not return from. Chloe doubted Tiffany’s chances of survival
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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