Chapter 11: Wife
It wasn’t much of a surprise. After they had tried to land a high-society husband for her, the family gave up on getting any social credit through her. With her inheritance on the horizon, they hatched a plan to secure it by marrying her to a cousin.
Gorden’s words hit Abby like a ton of bricks, igniting a mix of fury and disbelief that turned her cheeks bright red.
"Are you blushing because you’re excited to be married to me?" He had joked.
Suppressing her sharp reply, Abby struggled to collect her thoughts amid the swirling chaos in her mind. She finally managed to ask, "Gorden, if I-I agree to marry you, would you ever stand up to your parents for me? Would you let me see my father and take care of him?"
His smile faded, and his round cheeks drooped as he met her earnest gaze.
He grumbled, "If you weren’t so stubborn, they wouldn’t treat you like that, sweetheart."
Anger coursed through Abby, her stammer emerging as she responded, "Y-you’d take my in-inheritance and give nothing back—"
"Why would you even need a fortune?" he jeered. "You’re timid, useless, not into fancy stuff or jewels. Bad at chatting, not that attractive, no real talents. You should thank me for agreeing to marry you, but you’re too slow to see that."
"I-I-I—" Frustration silenced her, leaving her glaring and gasping in protest.