Chapter 2

Cordelia’s mind went blank. She felt a warm chest press against her back. She could even hear strong, rhythmic heartbeats. The man above her kept her securely within his arms, and she tried taking a deep breath but still could not stretch out her frozen limbs.

The man stopped abruptly.

“Do you know who I am?”

Cordelia paused.

The man wanted to say that he was her husband and this was their wedding night. It was more than justified for them to do this as husband and wife.

In spite of this, Cordelia took his question literally and timidly answered, “I do… You’re Marcus Grist.”

The man squinted and gave her a light smirk. Marcus Grist… Hah, should he be glad that she knew the name? It was too bad that he was not Marcus Grist—and she was not Yelena Jenner.

From the moment she had stepped through the door, he had been able to tell that she was only a substitute. He did not know why, but the temper of the Jenner heiress would never allow her to marry a countryside villager.

It was fine, though. She was a stand-in bride, and he was marrying her by pretending to be another man. It was a fair deal.

“Marcus…”

That snapped the man out of his thoughts. As soon as he looked down, he met her shiny eyes. The girl’s soft, shy expression felt like a hand clutching something at the bottom of his heart.

“I’m sorry, I’m too nervous.” Cordelia bit her lip and tried to hook her arms around his neck.

“You’re my husband. There’s nothing wrong with you doing anything to me… W-We can start.”

Tiny beads of sweat dotted the tip of her dainty nose. She inched closer to him clumsily but she was shaking like a leaf.

Marcus’ heart jolted. Just when Cordelia was about to kiss his lips, despite being clueless about what she was doing, he suddenly held her hand and put some distance between them.

Cordelia was stunned. Her blush was still evident on her cheeks as her eyes brimmed with confusion.

“Forget it,” he said, looking at her. “You’re tired today as well. Let’s sleep early.”

“Marcus, I—”

“I think you need some time to adjust. Until you’re adjusted to having a husband, I won’t put you in a tough spot,” he said before he turned away.

Cordelia was in a trance while watching his naked back. Then, when the man’s light snores filled the room, she studied him carefully.

He was handsome when he was asleep. His profile was sculpted, and his straight brows were manly. His muscled arm was cushioned under his head, and his chiseled body made Cordelia pink in the ears.

Cordelia felt her heart skip a beat and quickly turned away. Sleep soon muddled her consciousness, and her mind was filled with her stepmother and Yelena’s mockery before her wedding.

They had told her that the Grists were family friends with them and there was truly a marriage pact. However, the Grists had been hiding in the countryside village since their fall and had not been doing well. The Grist son was a useless, infamous thug and was said to frequent the police station…

“How could I possibly get married to a thug?” Yelena had huffed. “You’d do better. Your mother’s been with countless men anyway, and your brother’s a b*stard!

“Someone like you only deserves a thug!”

“Cordelia, think about it,” Cordelia’s father had said coldly. “I’ll give you some money as long as you marry Marcus Grist in Yelena’s place, and you’ll be able to treat your mother.”

Cordelia’s stepmother had insulted her. “It’s an honor for you to marry someone as the second heiress of the Jenners, you little wh*re! Don’t be ungrateful!”

Cordelia woke up with a startle, discovering that the sun had long risen and the man next to her was nowhere to be seen.