“It’s getting late. Go to bed.”The man’s deep, husky voice pulled Cordelia Jenner out of her reverie abruptly. When she looked up and met his deep eyes, there was an emotion that she could not decipher in them.She clung to the hem of her dress nervously and could not help feeling the pace of her heartbeat picking up.Since she had entered the room, she had been sitting by the edge of the bed. She had stayed in the position for so long that her back was numb from being so tense and straight. She had not even changed out of her wedding dress.It was not until the man had taken a shower and exited the bathroom that realization had struck her. She was going to spend the night with this man as a newlywed. However, she had no idea how to interact with him. What was more, she had gotten married as a substitute.She was the illegitimate daughter of a rich family, so she had married this broke man in place of her elder sister—just to fulfill a marriage pact made by the last generation of

Cordelia draped a light robe over herself and went out to the front of the house, where Marcus was working out.The man’s upper body was bare while he held two dumbbells in his hands. As the morning sun shone on his pronounced muscles, it felt like he was Helios, who had descended from heaven.Cordelia’s cheeks burned a little as she greeted him softly. “You’re up early!”Marcus turned around to glance at her.Cordelia scanned her surroundings. The front of the house was not too spacious. It was rather messy, and there were sandbags, boxing gloves, baseball bats, weights, and similar things lying around. Her heart squeezed. She dared not claim that the rumors were true, but Marcus must fight often.She wondered about the man’s temper. She had heard that people in this area were severely masochistic and it was not uncommon for drunk men to beat their wives up.Cordelia bit her lip and stepped closer, asking him with almost bated breath, “Um… Have you had breakfast?”“No.” The man

The boutique was suddenly pin-drop silent. The others looked sympathetically at the sales assistant while the latter scowled. Despite that, the manager who came eyed her, urging her to do what the customer wanted. After all, that was one expensive wedding dress.Marcus was nonchalant, and the smile on his aloof face never did reach his eyes.Cordelia could not help tightening her hold on his hand.“Forget it, let’s not buy it,” she told him softly. “This wedding dress is very expensive, and we won’t have much use for it in the future…”“Swipe the card.” Marcus sounded frosty. “No password necessary.”Ultimately, it was the boutique manager and designer who mediated the situation.Marcus stood by the door smoking while Cordelia had her measurements taken inside. This time, no one dared mock her. The sales assistant stood aside stoically after the manager chastised her, and the designer kept complimenting Cordelia’s figure. Even the manager treated her like she was a VIP, making he

After taking a guess, Marcus went on to say, sounding unfazed, “Go to the drawer in the room. There’s a box inside. Bring it over.”Cordelia did what she was told, finding a carved wooden box in the deepest part of the drawer. The pattern carved on the box was exquisite and gorgeous, while the box had a vague refreshing scent to it.Marcus took it from her and opened it, only to reveal a few pieces of gold jewelry: a necklace, a pair of earrings, a ring, and a bangle. The bangle was especially unique, as it was made of gold and jade. The jade that was embedded in the gold was radiant in color and cool to the touch.Cordelia’s eyes widened as she looked at the man in confusion.“This is…”“I haven’t given you a decent gift for the wedding,” Marcus said as he picked up piece after piece of jewelry and looked at them nonchalantly.“Consider these a present from me. Have a look and see if you want anything else?”Cordelia clenched her hands under the table repeatedly. She felt rathe

“I said—dad’s not home!” Yelena smirked victoriously.“Dad forgot all about your visit today! I mean, given the kind of man you got married to, is it really necessary for dad to welcome you back? Please, it’s embarrassing enough as it is!”“I don’t need any welcoming!”Cordelia sprang up to stop Yelena. “I want my wedding gift!”“Wedding gift?”Yelena arched a brow and smirked vilely at her. “What wedding gift? Never heard of it!”Cordelia was stunned, but her heart beat fast. At that moment, all the reluctance, indignation, and resentment she felt rushed through her. She knew that she did not have a high starting point. The second she had come to this world, she had been stamped with the label of an illegitimate daughter.That was not what she would choose, however. Despite the darkness she had experienced all these years, she had worked hard to chase after the light.No ordinary girl would agree to the absurd request to marry a man in place of someone else! She had just wante