Agreement Behind Her Marriage

“Your mum is a whore! She got pregnant by someone else and then begged my husband to raise her child!” Mrs. Martin said before pointing her fingers at Drew. “And you, you have the guts to live like a prince, whereas your insane mother shoved Cristina out of the Walton Group’s building! Don’t you know that?”

Drew was resisting the urge to hurt her stepmother. Lily had a sense that both this woman and her dad harbored intentions to utterly shatter her, but the reality of the situation caught her completely off guard.

The woman’s mention of their mothers insinuated a deep-seated, unspoken rift between her and Drew.

“It’s rather ironic,” Lily observed, her words tinged with a touch of madness, as she gazed at her dad. “I once cherished the belief that our biological bond was the last bastion of hope for you to embrace me as your daughter. But right now, I’m profoundly let down by your actions. You shouldn’t have had the power to dismantle my life in the first place, and yet, I mistakenly granted you that authority!”

Lily ceased her cries as she no longer wished to appear frail in front of these two people.

“Thank you for the confession. I am severing any remaining ties I have with you and your wife!”

“What- You are a disgrace to my family, Lily! Allowing you to marry Drew was the worst decision I’ve ever made! I should have let my older, wealthier, and more influential business associates purchase you from me. They would have annihilated you!” her father yelled.

Orion, who could stand it no longer, punched Mr. Martin in the face.

Her dad fell off to the ground while her stepmother shrieked. “You bastard, I’ll call the police and file a lawsuit against you all!”

Seeing enforcers approaching inside, Orion retorted, “Right on time! There they are!”

Terrified resort staff members called for help after discovering that Mr. Martin and his wife had caused trouble at the resort. They cautioned the couple and prevented them from meeting Lily.

Lily felt that her strength had been drained, and she couldn’t control her tears.

Shaking and weeping, she rested her head on Drew’s chest. He was the sole reason she still held onto her sanity amidst the painful realizations and truths.

Drew reassured her, “You’ll be fine, babe,” even though he was trembling as well. “You’re with me.”

“Drew, I need to talk to your father. He knows something! Master Walton said he was there that evening. I want to know exactly what happened that night!”

“But… I don’t want to hurt you, babe.”

She dismissed his argument and stayed silent. She believed that avoiding the truth wouldn’t improve her relationship with Drew because it had already been tarnished.

The most distressing realization would be if she discovered that she and Drew were siblings, but she also thought that Master Walton wouldn’t go to such lengths, dispelling that notion. Her mother had gone to the building that evening for a reason. Whatever that reason might be, she had to confront it.

***

Lily and Drew remained on the island while Danica returned to the city and met Kael.

As Danica and Kael arrived at the luxurious hotel’s spacious hall for his mother’s birthday, guests were already enjoying themselves. They spotted Lauren engaged in conversation with several attendees, seated near Mrs. Escarrer. The two women smiled as Danica and Kael approached their table.

“Happy birthday, Mrs. Escarrer!” Danica greeted, handing her gift to the lady.

Mrs. Escarrer smiled even more broadly. “Thank you, Danica! Kael, take good care of her. Make sure she gets something to eat!”

“No problem,” Kael replied.

He guided Danica to the buffet table to get some food. “You know, I have a feeling there won’t be any issues if I marry you. It’s clear that my family likes you!”

Her cheeks flushed. Even though she was twenty-two, the notion of getting married had never crossed her mind, and she still considered herself quite young.

Kael stayed by her side, and the two of them engaged in constant conversation. As the party continued, they were called as a pair for a paper dance game, with Lauren and Finn as their competitors. Danica couldn’t stop laughing and had an immensely enjoyable afternoon, playing, dancing, and relishing the festivities.

Shortly after, a brunette woman arrived at the celebration, likely around the same age as Lily.

“Faye! It’s wonderful to see you! I’m grateful you could make it!” Mrs. Escarrer exclaimed joyfully.

“I’m sorry if I’m late. I’m still adjusting to the time,” the woman replied, looking at Danica with a questioning expression. As she took her seat at the Escarrer’s table, it was possible that people were wondering who she was, but Danica didn’t hold it against the woman.

Mrs. Escarrer noticed and said, “Oh! She’s Danica! She’s Kael’s girlfriend.”

Hearing this, her son cleared his throat. Danica felt a twinge of guilt for not being forthright, realizing that they had never discussed their true relationship status with Kael’s mother. However, Kael remained silent, allowing her to simply brush it aside.

Mrs. Escarrer continued, “Danica, this is Faye Burnham, Finn’s sister. She spent a few years living in America and has recently returned to be with my friend, her mother.”

“Hi! Nice to meet you!”

“Oh, nice meeting you too!” She shook hands with Faye.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

To socialize with some of her acquaintances, Faye moved to the table next to them. Danica noticed nothing unusual, except that she and Kael had ceased their conversation and laughter.

“Finn’s sister is quite lovely,” Danica remarked as she observed Faye, who was now engaged in conversation with her brother Finn.

Kael offered a simple smile, but she could sense that he felt somewhat uncomfortable with the woman’s presence.

“Eh, you seem a little awkward around her. Come on, confess!” she teased.

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because she’s so attractive?” Danica playfully mentioned. It’s common for potential in-laws to find each other attractive, so she didn’t think there was anything out of the ordinary about it.

“You’re beautiful too!” Kael playfully applied icing to her nose. “She’s a lawyer and exudes an abundance of confidence. That’s probably why you mentioned it.”

“Oh! So, she’s a lawyer…” Danica murmured.

Clearing his throat, Kael stated, “I’m going to the restroom. When I come back, I’ll take you home. I know you have to return to the resort tomorrow.”

“Sure!”

She reached for her phone and noticed a message from Lily. She informed her friend that she would be returning to the resort the following day because Kael’s family had invited her to a party.

Lily: You did what? Did you go to Mrs. Escarrer’s birthday party? Seriously?

Danica took a snap of herself, showing the stage and the gathering in the background. She sent it to Lily.

Danica: I’ll be back tomorrow. See you soon!

Her brow furrowed as she realized that ten minutes had elapsed without Kael’s return. She got up with the intention of finding him.

Meanwhile, in the restroom area, Kael cornered Faye in the hallway adjacent to it.

“Damn it, Faye! You were hurt! I could see it in your eyes!”