Chapter 1: The Man Who Bought Her
It was dusk, and the sky was dim. An expensive wedding car slowly pulled into the Brooks family villa. However, the groom wasn’t in the car. The groom… was dead. David Ellison, the eldest son of the Ellison family, had accidentally ingested poison. Despite all attempts to resuscitate him, doctors declared him brain dead, with only his heart faintly beating. It could stop at any moment.
David’s grandfather, Richard Ellison, was superstitious. He insisted on finding a wife for David before he died, hoping a marriage would bring luck to his grandson. Richard searched across the city for a woman willing to marry David. As a reward, he promised five billion dollars!
Despite their power and influence, it was nearly impossible to find someone willing to marry a man who was essentially dead. But the Brooks family agreed to the proposal. Caroline, dressed in a red bridal gown and veil, looked at herself in the mirror and laughed.
“Miss Caroline, it’s time. The car is waiting downstairs,” the butler reminded her.
“Let’s go.”
Caroline stood up and got into the car, not looking back at her house. Marrying David would mean becoming a widow one day, but she would also bear the respected title of Mrs. Ellison. No one would dare bully her again. If she stayed with her family, she would remain a lowly stepdaughter, constantly at the mercy of others.
Caroline knew her step-parents used her for their own benefit. Even if she didn’t marry David, she would be married off to someone else for their gain. Marrying a dead man didn’t seem so bad. At least she could live a quiet life.
When Caroline looked out the car window, she realized, This isn’t the road to the Ellison residence!
“Are you going the wrong way?” she asked the driver.
“Nope,” came the reply.
“But this isn’t the direction to the Ellison residence!” she said, growing uneasy. “Stop the car!”
Instead of stopping, the driver stepped on the gas. Moments later, a strange aroma filled the car. Before she could react, her head tilted backward, and she lost consciousness.
At a hotel suite
Caroline woke up feeling dizzy and weak. There were voices coming from outside the room.
“The Brooks family sure knows how to do business. First, they earned five billion just by agreeing to marry off their daughter, then sold her to another man to earn another big sum.”
“She’s adopted anyway, so why should they care?” another voice replied.
“They’ve raised her for over twenty years. They have to recoup their costs somehow.”
“How heartless. The Ellison family had already paid them so much, and they’re still this greedy.”
Caroline heard every word clearly. It was all orchestrated by her step-parents! Before sending her to the Ellison family, they had sold her virginity to a wealthy man at a hotel. With David on the verge of death, there was no way he could touch her.
Caroline bit her lip. Even if I’m adopted, I’m still a living, breathing person. How can they treat me like this?
Thud, thud, thud. Steady footsteps approached, stopping at the door. Caroline’s heart skipped a beat. The man who had bought her had finally arrived!
The room was pitch-black, with no lights on. The man walked straight to the bed, undressing himself without a word. Caroline couldn’t see his face, only the outline of his tall figure.
“No… Don’t…” she murmured weakly.
The man paused, then leaned over, resting both hands on either side of her waist. His breathing was heavy, and his body burned like fire.
“Everything’s been arranged, and now you want to back out?” His voice was magnetic, raspy, and cold. “Stop pretending to be so noble.”
