Chapter 1
On my twentieth birthday, it was time to choose my new fiancé. In my past life, I joyfully chose Declan, oblivious to the conflict and pain in his eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, it was my turn to announce my fiancé. But Declan, holding Luna, sternly warned me, “I will not marry a vile woman like you! Just seeing you makes me sick!”
“Adeline, in this life, don’t even think about breaking me and Luna apart!”
Everyone watched us. They all knew I had been trailing after Declan, a humble suitor. Now, being publicly ridiculed, everyone was waiting to laugh at me.
I clenched my trembling hands, the pain of my past haunting me, and forced a smile. “Rest assured, even if I choose a dog, I won’t settle for you.”
Declan’s expression changed, and he looked smugly at me with Luna in his arms. “Sorry, Miss Lin, Declan isn’t the kind of person you can buy with money!”
Declan held her tightly and commanded me, “Luna isn’t well. Go serve her well at Seaview Villa.”
“Whenever you see her, you should kneel on the ground like a dog! Otherwise, I won’t take over Lin Corporation and work for you!”
With that, he left with Luna in tow. Watching his back, a cold smile crept onto my lips. It seems Declan forgot that he isn’t the richest man yet, just a worthless orphan.
The banquet ended unpleasantly. My parents, delayed by traffic, were furious after hearing about Declan’s humiliation towards me, ready to confront him. But I held them back.
“Mom, Dad, I’m willing to marry Wesley.”
My parents were surprised, hesitantly looking at me, “But don’t you like Declan?”
I lowered my eyes, hiding my hatred. “Our Lin family is so wealthy, he’s just an orphan, not worthy of me.”
My mom wasn’t well, so my parents adopted four boys as candidates for my fiancé to prevent my loneliness. Yet, they felt my adoption severed their hope of finding their real families, treating me with cold sarcasm behind my back.
I pitied them, always compromising, which made them see me as weak and easy to manipulate, leading to a tragic end for my entire family.
Mom gently advised me, “Adeline, we just want you to be happy.”
I held my mom’s warm hand to my face. “Though Wesley is a womanizer, marrying into the Wesley family can still elevate our Lin family.”
“Declan is poor and will only be a burden to our Lin family!”
My parents exchanged a glance, sighing in the end. “But I heard that Wesley is quite the womanizer and might even have some disease. Are you sure you want to marry him?”
Seeing mom’s reluctance, I acted spoiled in her arms. “Any disease can be treated. Besides, if it can’t, I just need his sperm.”
“After all, having a child doesn’t necessarily require any contact with him.”
Seeing my determination, my parents stopped advising me. They were just inevitably disappointed in Declan. They had already graduated from college, and technically, the Lin family didn’t need to support them anymore. Yet, under the guise of being my future husband, he continued to leech off the Lin family shamelessly. I just asked my parents to cut off their cards. Unexpectedly, they stormed into my house that night, furious.