"Your stepmother spoke calmly, 'Both you and your sister must leave the house today, and you won't be returning ever.' She added, 'I understand,' I replied without hesitation, despite the ache in my heart. 'Also, you must relinquish your share in your father's company,' I said, trying to remain composed. 'Agreed,' I said, hiding any emotion. 'Is there anything else? Just get it over with,' I urged.
'Oh, just one more thing,' she said, her sinister smile sending chills down my spine. 'You'll be marrying the eldest Devereaux son.' I had anticipated most of it, but this caught me off guard. 'Why?' I asked, seeking an explanation.
'It's necessary, and since it won't be me, a suitable match like you, an orphan, suits a humble tailor perfectly,' came a smug comment from upstairs, which I ignored, rolling my eyes at my stepsister Caroline.
'We can't break the agreement,' my stepmother sighed, brushing aside Caroline's remark. 'And Caroline already has a beau.' So, it boiled down to marrying a stranger I'd never laid eyes on. Disheartening, but I had no other choice. My grandmother was hospitalized, and my younger sibling needed to start school. '$50,000,' she had promised me. 'The funds will be transferred to my account post-marriage,' I clarified, locking eyes with her.
$50,000 was a fraction of what she had taken from my father's estate, but I knew I could either accept the money or face being homeless. 'As long as you consent,' she replied. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I said, 'I agree.' 'Excellent,' she responded with a smile I despised.
The originally planned wedding in two months had been hastily moved up. 'Given your consent, the ceremony will take place in a week. Then, you'll enjoy a blissful life with that tailor lad,' she said, her smirk growing. A tailor? They would regret their decision once they saw my incredibly wealthy, handsome husband-to-be.
