Chapter 1: Chapter 1
"You're already married, why are you here to register again!"
"Don't you know the crime of bigamy?"
...
Keira Olsen walked out of the courthouse in shock, holding the marriage certificate that the staff had just printed for her.
The man who had accompanied her to register looked at the stunning girl before him and said with pity, "Miss Olsen, you're already married, why pay me to have a sham marriage with you?"
Leaving behind the words "no refund on the deposit," he hurried away.
Keira Olsen pursed her lips, still unable to process what had happened.
She had never even been in a relationship, how could she possibly be already married?!
She looked down and gazed at the printout in her hands again.
On the certificate photo, the girl looked somewhat constrained, smiling reluctantly with a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye; it was indeed her. As for the man...
His features were distinctive, nose high and bridge prominent, thin lips curled in a faint, almost imperceptible smile. His deep gaze was fixed on the camera, piercing as if to penetrate the paper.
Even in a black and white print, his mysterious and commanding presence could not be hidden.
She looked again at the name: Lewis Horton.
... She was sure she didn't know this man at all!
What on earth was going on?!
Keira Olsen took out her phone to snap a photo of the printout and opened WhatsApp, sent it to a contact with a black profile picture: [Help me find out who he is.]
The reply came instantly: [Received.]
Only then did Keira Olsen push aside the confusion in her heart, hopped on an old electric bike, and leisurely entered a luxurious villa complex, heading to the Olsen Family home.
Today was her sister Isla Olsen's big day, as her fiancé was coming for the betrothal.
The house was decorated with lights and festive ornaments, the servants bustled about orderly, and there were a few temporary workers hired as well.
Keira Olsen parked her bike in a corner, as the voices of the temp workers and servants reached her from behind:
"Who is she? She's so pretty!"
"Shh, she is the illegitimate daughter who isn't acknowledged by the father."
"Her mother was the other woman, who brazenly showed up heavily pregnant demanding justice while the lady of the house was about to give birth, resulting in both women delivering on the same day. That old woman has such thick skin, she's found various reasons to stay in the house for years without leaving."
"Miss Keira knows her place though. She moved out ever since junior high and hasn't come back in years. I wonder what brings her here today..."
Keira Olsen lowered her eyes, pretending not to hear the conversation, and entered the living room.
Her mother, Poppy Hill, was waiting at the entrance, the still-charming woman anxiously pulled her upstairs the moment she stepped through the door, "First, let's go find your sister. Oh, did you get your marriage certificate?"
Keira Olsen's voice was soft and indifferent, betraying no emotion, "I got it."
Even though the groom had changed, it still counted, didn't it?
"That's good. Remember your place, Jake Horton is your sister's fiancé, part of a top-tier wealthy family, and not something an illegitimate daughter like you could aspire to! Only your sister is worthy of him!"
Hearing this, a touch of irony flashed in Keira Olsen's eyes.
Jake Horton was the legitimate grandson of the first branch of the Horton Family, Oceanion's most prestigious family. He'd chased her for four years in college but proposed to Isla Olsen on the day of graduation...
Upon learning this, Poppy Hill had demanded that Keira Olsen immediately find someone to marry her off and completely sever any potential ties with Jake Horton.
It had always been this way since she was a child...
Whenever there was even the slightest conflict of interest between her and Isla, Poppy Hill would insist on her unconditional retreat.
Because she was an illegitimate daughter, her existence was seen as the original sin.
As a child, she had been brainwashed to believe enduring all this was only natural.
But now she had long since woken up to reality.
Keira Olsen's face was solemn as she said with pause between words, "We agreed this is the last time."
The fault was Poppy Hill's, she was the one who stayed at the Olsen house just to see her father every day, she was the one who wanted to please Isla Olsen, Keira wouldn't pay for her life with her own.
This time, it was an opportunity to repay her for the grace of giving birth, to make a clean break.
Poppy Hill was impatient, "I know that."
As they talked, the two arrived at Isla Olsen's room.
The pretty girl sat on the sofa in a gorgeous dress like a princess, selecting jewelry with the whole room shimmering with glitz and glamour.
Keira Olsen, dressed in shabby clothes, had her spine straight as an arrow.
Isla Olsen saw her and greeted, "Keira, why are you here?"
Before Keira could speak, Poppy Hill interjected, "Isla, Keira got married today."
Isla Olsen was surprised, "So soon? Who is the man, is he even better than Jake?"
Poppy Hill said with sarcasm, "How is that possible! There's no one in the whole of Oceanion with a status higher than young Mr. Horton! Isla, what kind of decent family could she possibly find? Nothing but a fallen household, she didn't dare bring him here, afraid his poverty-stricken appearance would dirty your eyes!"
Isla Olsen's voice carried a hint of jealousy, "How can that be? Keira is so beautiful, otherwise, Jake wouldn't have pursued her for four years."
"What's the use of being pretty? A worn shoe fits a tattered sock, with her status she could only marry some lowlife who'd be willing to take her. Young Mr. Horton just saw her as a toy, to play with casually, only someone with Isla's status is worthy of young Mr. Horton..."
Keira Olsen frowned.
The man in the photo, in terms of looks and temperament, how could he be linked to a fallen house or a lowlife?
But she was too lazy to argue against these superficial remarks.
At this moment, Isla Olsen had chosen her jewelry and intended to put on her high heels but found the dress too tight to bend over in.
Isla Olsen smiled slightly, looking towards Keira Olsen.
Poppy Hill immediately nudged Keira Olsen, "You useless thing, can't you see what's needed? Your sister can't do it herself, aren't you going to help her with the shoes?"
Keira Olsen: "..."
It was like this again.
Did Poppy Hill really think she was still the naive and ignorant little girl who didn't know how to fight back when bullied?
Her eyes cold, her voice laced with impatience, "You can put them on for her."
"Keira Olsen, what kind of attitude is that? Do you think you can be arrogant just because you're married now? Your husband is just living off a woman; in the future, he will still need to rely on the Olsen family!"
Poppy Hill's voice rose, "If you don't establish a good relationship with your sister now, there will come a day when you and your husband will have to beg in front of her! Besides, the Olsen family has raised you, so you should be a servant to the Olsen family!"
At that moment, a towering figure appeared at the door, it was her father Taylor Olsen.
The man frowned, "We're expecting an important guest soon, what are you quarreling about here?"
Isla Olsen didn't speak and acted innocent.
While Poppy Hill complained, "It's all because of this cursed girl, she got so high and mighty just because she got married today that she doesn't respect her own mother..."
Taylor Olsen's gaze fell on Keira Olsen and he frowned, "Married? Why didn't you let the family find someone for you? Let me see the marriage certificate..."
Facing her estranged father's concern, Keira Olsen hesitated before taking out the printout from her bag.
The next second, it was snatched away by Poppy Hill, "Let me see, what's the name of your useless husband!"
Meanwhile, Isla Olsen curiously asked, "Dad, who's coming that's got you so worked up?"
Remembering the visitor, Taylor Olsen felt invigorated, as he excitingly mentioned a name:
"Lewis Horton."
Keira Olsen was instantly stunned.
...Who?