My parents were pushing me into an arranged marriage with a 60-year-old billionaire. My stepsister, Vivian, panicked and immediately called my three childhood best friends. “Which one of you is willing to marry Iris? Otherwise, she’s going to have to marry that ugly old man!” Ronnie, the guy I’d had a crush on for 10 years, frowned at Vivian. “Vivian, you know perfectly well I like *you*.” Noah, my high school deskmate, scoffed. “Ha, like? You’re just the Sterling family’s butler’s son. How could you ever be good enough for Vivian?” My friend, Alex, leaned back lazily on the couch. “Iris, I’m already Vivian’s boyfriend! Sorry!” I froze. So, all these years, them hovering around me was all because of Vivian. Fine. If that’s how it is, then I’ll marry the billionaire. Vivian secretly glanced at Ronnie, her face flushing as she retorted. “Alex, when did you become my boyfriend?” Alex’s tone was firm. “I will be, eventually.” “Alex, you’re so foolish!” Noah wagged a finger. “Vivian, you can’t keep a guy like that. How about you be my girlfriend instead?” Vivian cupped her face in exasperation. “Alright, Alex, Noah, I really just see you two as brothers, stop messing with me.” Ronnie’s lips curved slightly. He pulled her closer, subtly asserting his claim. Alex’s face instantly darkened. Noah punched the coffee table, the glass shattering with a crash, fragments flying everywhere. Looking at the mess, I pointed towards the door. “Gentlemen, if you want to confess, make a scene, or smash things, please turn right out the door. That’s Vivian’s room.” But after I yelled, my heart felt hollow. I didn’t understand why Ronnie liked Vivian. When I was nine, Mom found out about Dad’s illegitimate daughter but chose to endure it. Yet, whenever she drank, she’d lash out at me, as I resembled Dad so much. Ronnie would always rush over and shield me, laughing carelessly. “Iris, don’t cry. Boys can take a hit; it’s fine.” When I was fifteen, Dad filed for divorce, and Mom jumped from the rooftop. Ronnie desperately covered my eyes and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll always be with you.” At eighteen, Dad brought his stepmother and stepsister home. I ran away, freezing unconscious under a bridge. That’s when Ronnie got angry with me for the first time. “You’re upset and didn’t call me? You’re cold and didn’t crawl into my arms? You just had to hide in a place like this, waiting to die?” I thought he’d always be by my side, that our marriage was only a matter of time. “Iris, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize there wasn’t even one person willing to marry you.” Vivian clasped her hands, pleading with the guys. “Guys, don’t just stare at me! Iris is being forced to marry next week. Can you really stand by and watch her jump into a pit of fire? She’s only twenty-two, and that old man is sixty – he’s old enough to be her grandfather, even if he is the wealthiest man alive! If you have any conscience, you should step up and save her!” Seeing their silence, she seemed to make a huge decision, speaking in a self-sacrificing tone. “As long as one of you is willing to marry Iris, I… I’ll agree to anything.” I was about to cut short her performance when Ronnie spoke in a low, reprimanding voice. “Don’t be ridiculous.” He finally turned his gaze to me, his eyes dark. “You want to help her, but how do you know this arranged marriage isn’t what *she* wants?” Alex raised an eyebrow, his tone playful. “After all, the other party is a billionaire. Even crumbs from his table would be enough to fill the Sterling family’s current hole.” Noah suddenly understood, giving me a thumbs-up. “So what if he’s sixty? That’s prime time to hustle!”
“The old man has no heirs. Iris, you should quickly get pregnant, give him a child, and then after a few years when he’s gone, you’ll inherit everything. Instant millionaire!” He said, still shaking his head with a “tsk.” “Her father played this perfectly! I was just mentally cursing him for selling his daughter for money, but it seems I was wrong.” Vivian looked at me with feigned pity. “Iris, why do you have to sacrifice yourself like this? Even if the Sterling family gets richer, you won’t be happy!” “Or rather, are you really after the billionaire’s fortune?” She tilted her head, gazing softly at Ronnie. “If it were me, maybe I’m just not ambitious enough, but I would never give up love for money.” Ronnie returned a doting smile, but when he turned to me, his face instantly hardened. “It’s not that *you’re* not ambitious enough. It’s that some people have too much ambition; they’re never satisfied.” My throat tightened. But the truth was, Dad had only gone to meet the Hayes family yesterday to discuss business, and today, the news of the arranged marriage broke. I called him countless times, but he kept hanging up. When I was completely at a loss, these so-called childhood best friends came to mock me. Who did they think they were? “Yes! I’m ambitious! I’m vain! I’m not content just being a minor Sterling. I want to be the billionaire’s wife, and I’ll pay any price!” “What’s love? Anyone who stands in my way, I’ll kick them aside, including all of you!” I looked at Vivian, sneering. “You hastily rounded these guys up. Have you had enough of watching my humiliation? Can you all just leave now?” “Heh.” Alex let out a cold laugh, then stood up and walked away. Noah followed, sighing dramatically and looking back every few steps. Vivian’s eyes were red. “Iris, I didn’t know you thought of me so badly.” “I’m sorry, I meddled where I shouldn’t have and almost messed up your marriage.” Finally, only Ronnie remained frozen. He grabbed my hand. “The arranged marriage must be Uncle Sterling’s decision, right? If you don’t want it, I can go with you to beg him.” Begging him would help? Years ago, I knelt before him, begging until my knees ached, but didn’t he still divorce Mom? Looking at the concern in his eyes, I suddenly felt confused. “Ronnie, marry me…” Just a fake marriage, we’d divorce after a year. The next second, he brutally pushed me away. My lower back hit the table corner hard, and I doubled over in pain. Ronnie’s voice fell from above, cold and steady. “Iris, from the first moment I saw Vivian, my heart was set on her. For you, there was never anything like that.” “I’ve always just seen you as a friend, a sister I needed to look after. I’m sorry, I can’t marry you.” I pursed my lips. “Not even a fake marriage?” “No, I can’t let Vivian, in the future, be gossiped about for marrying a man who’s been married twice.” He paused, then seemed to soften. “I can convince Noah to marry you. He has a slight crush on you… Alex, though he has a sharp tongue, has a soft heart; maybe he could…” He said something else, but I didn’t want to hear it anymore. Tears blurred my vision. I stumbled out of the house, and only when I reached Mom’s grave did I finally cry out loud. “Mom, I’m getting married.” “It’s not Ronnie. It’s a sixty-year-old man, even older than you.” My throat tightened, and I forced a smile. “At least at his age, he won’t cheat and raise an illegitimate daughter like Dad did, right?” My phone vibrated. Someone added me as a friend. “Hello, Ms. Sterling, I’m your fiancé.” Looking at the animated, comic-book-character avatar, I replied. “Mr. Hayes, you have a very youthful spirit.” The other party quickly sent a laughing-crying emoji. “Actually, I’m not that old. Just a bit older than you, Ms. Sterling.”
I was speechless for a moment. Sixty and twenty-two, and he said “a bit older.” This was probably what they called inappropriate. Without the mood to chat further, I tossed my phone into my bag. As I walked out of the cemetery, I saw Vivian leaning against my car. “What, you’re coming to tell Aunt about something so shameful as marrying a sixty-year-old man? Aren’t you afraid you’ll make her so angry she’ll flip over in her grave?” Seeing my face change, she grew even more smug. “But she probably wouldn’t care, right? When she found out about me and my mom, didn’t she put up with it for six years? Looks like you and your mother are equally tolerant.” “Speaking of which, in those years, she drank herself silly every night at the bar, her personal life was a mess. She either hit you or yelled at you. I don’t think she even liked you as a daughter, did she?” “Shut up!” I couldn’t take it anymore and raised my hand to slap her. The next second, my wrist was seized by Ronnie. “When your mother was out of control and hit you back then, what did you hate most? And now you’re going to become just like her?” Alex shielded Vivian behind him, giving me a cold look. “Iris, you haven’t even become the billionaire’s wife yet, and you’re already throwing your weight around?” Noah raised his palm towards me. “Try laying a hand on Vivian, I dare you.” Vivian peered out from behind them, looking utterly wronged. “I just saw Iris driving out looking upset, and I was worried something would happen, so I followed her.” “Iris, these three guys are all your childhood friends. They don’t want to help you, you should look for the reason within yourself. Why are you taking it out on me?” The guys, who usually argued amongst themselves, now glared at me, ready to stand up for her. I retorted sarcastically. “Everything she just said, insulting my mother, is recorded on the dashcam. Want to listen?” Alex curved his lips playfully. “Things like that can be faked. I only believe what I see with my own eyes.” Ronnie rubbed his temples, looking exhausted. “Vivian cares about you. Why don’t you appreciate it and have to resort to violence against her?” Noah looked utterly bewildered. “Iris, why can’t you like Vivian like the rest of us? She really is such a sweet and kind girl!” “Is it really that hard to understand that I don’t like my dad’s illegitimate daughter?” I had no desire to argue anymore. One person couldn’t possibly argue against four mouths. As soon as I got into the car, my sixty-year-old fiancé sent a message. He said he wanted to meet before the wedding, that he had something to tell me in person, and he’d set the time for tonight. I was about to decline, but he sent a pleading emoji. “Okay.” My finger moved, and the message was sent. I suddenly felt a little curious. What kind of person was he, exactly? What if he had Alzheimer’s? The car door suddenly opened, and Ronnie got into the passenger seat. “I talked to Alex and Noah. They won’t agree to a fake marriage.” “We’ll go to the Hayes’ place, together, and talk to your fiancé. We’ll make him an offer to cancel the engagement.” In the back, Alex and Noah sat on either side, protecting Vivian in the middle. Vivian smiled. “Iris, it’s okay, I’m not angry anymore.” Alex ruffled her hair, a pained look on his face. “Such a kind, silly girl.” Noah glanced at me impatiently. “Just so we’re clear, if this doesn’t work out, don’t think you can latch onto us.” I silently started the car, not wanting to say another word. Whatever I said, it would only lead to a combined attack from the four of them. Just as we were about to reach the agreed-upon restaurant, an out-of-control truck suddenly swerved and crashed into us from the side. Ronnie cried out in panic. “Iris, how are you driving?!” “Vivian! Alex, Noah, protect Vivian!” “Bang!” The airbags deployed. A sharp pain shot through my head and chest. In a haze, I saw Ronnie, blood trickling from his forehead, frantically hailing a car by the roadside while holding Vivian. Alex and Noah were also injured, but they ignored themselves, just anxiously calling out to the unconscious Vivian.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “308962”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #后宫Harem #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply