Chapter 1 Newlyweds

The Campbell family villa was brimming with activity, with most of Gondoria’s upper crust flooding the spot-lit grounds. They swirled champagne in thin flutes, discussing the wedding that was to take place in about three hours. Yet instead of the expected geniality, their expressions oozed with ridicule, all because the bridegroom was a vegetable, having lost the ability to walk three years ago in an accident. He had not shown up in the public eye since then. A fact that everyone was well aware of. No one in their right mind would marry their daughter to a vegetable, even if that vegetable came from a family so powerful that it was responsible for nearly half of the country’s economic stability. The bride, Tiffany, thought so too. She had actually been in a relationship right before the wedding, but with another member of the Campbell family instead—Seth Campbell. Tiffany now sat listlessly before the mirror, the stylist fluttering around her, strapping the lace wedding gown about her body like she was a puppet being tied to its master’s whims. Hand clenching around her phone, she smiled at the stylist. “Sorry, could I go to the bathroom real quick?” Tiffany tried her best to restrain her turbulent emotions, especially in her voice, even though her bone-white fingers and quaking shoulders gave her away. Luckily the stylist was distracted by her veil, so Tiffany’s odd demeanor went unnoticed. The woman even reminded her to not smudge her makeup as she left. Tiffany dashed across the hallway, the hem of her gown in her hands. Sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows, casting a patchwork of rainbows on her dress. She had decided last night to not go through with this wedding. No matter what, she would not marry someone she didn’t know. She was going to find Seth and leave this place for good. Suddenly, low murmurings reached her ear from a nearby room. It was her sister Tabitha. “Our family’s crisis will be averted when that stupid sister of mine marries into your family. Then we can finally be together officially, right, Seth?” Tiffany felt a wave of nausea when she heard that name. “Yes, dear. I didn’t expect your sister to be so naive,” came Seth’s voice. “She was all over me the moment I said something nice to her. I can’t believe she even agreed to marry that vegetable, Mortimer. She’s probably thinking I can rescue her like some knight in shining armor!” Tears rolled down Tiffany’s cheeks as she held onto her shaking body. The two people she thought she could trust her everything with - her sister and her lover - had betrayed her. The intimate sounds between the two became more intense. They felt like harsh slaps to Tiffany’s face. She longed to reach out to push open the door, to ask them why they would do this to her. However, she hesitated. Tabitha and Seth had shed all their dignity and morals the moment they chose to hurt her like this. What use would confronting them do now? They wouldn’t be bothered with her. Letting them experience the same pain, the despair of suffering—that would be the proper revenge. Tiffany swallowed past the lump in her throat, wiping away her tears. When she swore her vows at the altar later, her eyes adopted a steely resolve as she ignored everyone else’s jeers. She had decided she would make those who took advantage at her expense and laughed at her misfortune pay. She was going to change from this moment on. No one else’s opinions mattered anymore. After the ceremony, Tiffany was sent to Mortimer’s private wing on the villa grounds in a sleek limousine. The property was centuries old and had belonged to the Campbell family for equally as long. It exuded an impregnable sense of class and nobility that was difficult to find elsewhere. “New money” families like Tiffany’s could not compare with the wealth and reputation the Campbells’ had. “Madam, this is Master Mortimer’s room,” the butler, Monroe, said before leaving with a bow. Tiffany hesitated before pushing open the gilded oak doors. There was a man lying in the bed within. She had heard a little about Mortimer Campbell before this whole arrangement. Some said he had taken over the family business at a young age, pouring his sweat and blood to strengthen it further. Others said he had a mercurial temperament, and those who pissed him off often vanished quickly from the face of the Earth. But the man before Tiffany didn’t quite appear as the rumors described. He was handsome, with chiseled features the likes of Michelangelo’s David. He looked serene in his slumber, unlike the devil others said he was. Tiffany felt a wave of sadness the moment she remembered she would be spending the rest of her life with this man. Just as she was deep in her thoughts, the door opened behind her, and Seth entered. “I’m so sorry, Tiffany. I couldn’t do anything to stop the wedding.” He had an apologetic smile on his face. The joy Tiffany used to feel when she saw him had now been replaced with disgust. Her eyes flared coldly. “Why are you still here if you couldn’t keep your word?” ”That’s because I love you, Tiff.” Seth grabbed her hands. “I had thought things through. Maybe marrying my uncle might not make much of a difference. After all, he’s not gonna live long in this state. Plus, the entire family inheritance is in his name, the moment he dies, you’ll get everything according to the will!” Seth had a greedy look in his eyes. “Then, it’ll all be ours!” Tiffany was thoroughly repulsed by him. It was difficult for her to accept that the man she had loved so deeply was a lying cheat. She pushed him away, yelling, “Let go of me!” Thinking that she was upset because of the wedding, Seth leaned in closer to hold her in his arms. He wouldn’t lose his chance at the family fortune. “Please hear me out, Tiff…” He suddenly stopped and his entire body began to tremble. Tiffany followed his fearful gaze and met a pair of sharp blue eyes.