Chapter 9

"I'm not leaving. I want to be with you, Oliver. Let's run away from this place. Why? Why did you marry her?" Maya cried until exhaustion overtook her, her tears drying to a dull ache in her eyes. When the Hart family arrived, she refused to leave. Oliver finally scooped her up, carried her out, and handed her to the Hart family members. "Take care of her," he said softly. That night, Oliver's head throbbed with pain. In his study, he flipped through the documents obtained from his father, flipping through them page by page. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing. He married a girl he had never met or known for the sake of the information. "It's just mutual exploitation anyway." With that thought, his heart felt less conflicted The next morning, Grace woke up and made her way to breakfast. As she sat at the table, someone placed a basin of water next to her. She didn't understand what it was for. With a mocking glance, Juniper said, "Those raised in humble families are simply different. Don't they even know about this? Even if they don't, shouldn't they have seen it on TV? Can people from those families not even afford a TV?" Grace's fists clenched as she steeled herself to endure the sarcasm. Then, she observed Juniper's every move and began to imitate her actions. Juniper's heart filled with disdain as she muttered under her breath, "Compared to Maya, she's miles behind. How did they end up choosing someone like her?" Sitting beside his wife, Jason coughed discreetly. "Grace isn't aware, so perhaps you, as the eldest sister-in-law, could explain it to her. Why involve others?" he murmured. "Is comparison not allowed?" Juniper sat in her seat, her face devoid of warmth as she faced Grace across from her. "If anyone dares to introduce such a person to my son in the future, I swear I'll kill myself in front of them." "Enough!" Jason was no fool. He could understand his wife's words. Didn't Juniper just criticize the wife chosen for Oliver by him and his father? "You are just Oliver's eldest sister-in-law. You have no right to interfere in his marriage," Jason was fuming early in the morning. Peter arrived slowly. "What are you all arguing about?" After a night's sleep, he was in a better mood and wasn't angry about what happened to Grace last night. Sitting down, he noticed the empty seat next to Grace. "Grace, where's Oliver? Go call him down for breakfast," he said. Grace looked at the empty seat beside her. How could she tell him that Oliver wasn't home? Rodrigo understood Grace's difficulty and said, "Mr. Oliver wasn't home last night. He might have gone to the company." "What! He went to the company on his wedding night? Didn't I ask you to keep an eye on him? Why didn't anyone inform me last night? Is everyone being rebellious?" Peter was furious when he heard this. Juniper said sarcastically, "If he doesn't like the person lying next to him, he'll have to keep his distance, won't he?" Jason snapped, "You shut up!" Just two days after the bride's arrival, Grace was already being bullied this badly, yet she remained silent. Unable to tolerate his wife's behavior any longer, Jason pulled Juniper away from the dining table. Slamming his fist on the table, Peter barked, "Call Oliver back immediately! He's stepping way out of line." "Yes, sir." Back in the bedroom, Jason yanked his wife's hand away and pointed at her accusingly. "Don't think I'm unaware of your thoughts. You're discontent and dissatisfied, but remember, you're just Oliver's sister-in-law. "You have no right to meddle in Oliver's marriage! And don't think I'm oblivious to your intentions regarding our son. James' future decisions are his own affair, and you can't dictate his path in life either!" "Explain yourself clearly, Jason. What scheme do you think I have? I've been married to you for 20 years, yet I still don't measure up to Grace, who has just walked through the door! It seems to me that you're the one who favors Grace!" "Nonsense!" Jason snarled, gritting his teeth as he raised his hand, intending to slap Juniper's face.