Chapter 7

Jeremy was no longer in the room by the time Corinne changed her clothes and came out. She did not care about where he had gone anyway. After all, their marriage was nothing more than a cooperation, and it was only valid for three months. After that, they would part ways and never see each other again. Corinne locked the door and drifted into sleep. Early the next morning, Corinne was awakened by the knocks on the door. A maid said, "Ma'am, I was told by Mister Jeremy to hand you your clothes! Ma'am!" The noisy voice woke Corinne up before she could even get enough sleep. However, she did not have any choice because she was living in someone else’s place. She could do nothing but get up, open the door, and take the dress that the maid brought for her. After freshening up and getting changed, Corinne headed out of the room trying to get something to eat. To her surprise, a basin of smelly cold water was splashed all over her. At the same time, she heard peals of laughter. Her eyes were blurred by the smelly water. She was unable to make heads or tails of what was going on until the water completely flowed down from her head. In front of her was a girl who was about her age. The girl wore exquisite makeup and looked haughty as she sneered triumphantly. Several of the Holdens' maids surrounded the girl, and one of them was holding an empty water basin in her hand. It was pretty obvious that the smelly, dirty water had been splashed all over Corinne's body. Corinne frowned slightly, blinked her eyes to get rid of the water from her wet eyelashes, and looked at the girl calmly. She then asked, "Who are you? And why did you splash water all over me?" The girl had applied the latest lipstick on her lips, and she arrogantly said, "My name's Francine. I'm the Holdens' young miss, and Jeremy's my brother!" It turned out that the girl was Corinne's 'sister-in-law'! Corinne cocked an eyebrow and asked, "So, why did you splash the water on me?" Francine raised her chin and looked at Corinne with contempt. "So you'd know your place! Don't get the false impression that you'll become the young madam just because you've married into the family! You're not fit for the role!" Corinne frowned. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm your brother's wife, which makes me your elder sister-in-law! Don't you think it's unbecoming for you to do what you just did to me?" Francine laughed and chided, "Sister-in-law? Bah! Don't think too highly of yourself! My brother didn't even sleep with you last night. How could you have the audacity to call yourself my brother's wife when he slept alone in another room on his wedding night? I'll be honest with you, my brother only married you to appease my grandfather, who is currently ill. By the time he recovers from his illness, you'll have to leave us right away!" Corinne was speechless, but she finally understood why Jeremy was so eager to get married. Francine warned again, "Don't even think about relying on my brother. He'll never fall in love with a woman like you! You're his wife in name only, and you're nothing in the eyes of our family. You're lower than a servant, even! Whatever I say goes when my brother isn't here, and you also need to abide by my rules, understand?" Corinne nodded earnestly. "Understood. I'll remember!" Francine was happy to see Corinne's cowardly expression. "At least you're learning. Keep in mind who you really are! Let's leave, girls. I have a manicure appointment today, and the manicurist will be here soon..." Francine said as she was about to leave with the maids. "Wait!" Corinne called out. Francine stopped and looked at her impatiently. "What's wrong? Do you have any objections?" Corinne smiled. "No, Miss Francine. It's just… I only got married yesterday, and I'm not really sure what the rules are. Could you explain them to me? I'll bear them in mind and make sure to comply with them." Francine was stunned for a moment but soon cackled in disdain. "Women who come from poor families like you indeed know the ways of the world well! Alright, since you asked, I'll give you a rough idea of what to take note of! Listen carefully, then. You'd better be on your best behavior." "Umm, okay, wait a minute..." Corinne humbly asked for advice. "Miss Francine, my memory isn't very good. Could you come to the room with me and tell me everything slowly? I'd like to write down your instructions word for word." "Ugh, so troublesome!" Francine was a little peeved, but she was not about to give up on an opportunity to set the rules. Therefore, she reluctantly followed Corinne into the room. To her surprise, the door slammed shut as soon as she walked in, and Corinne locked it right away. The maids did not manage to follow them in and ended up getting locked outside. Following a brief moment of bewilderment, they heard Francine's screams from within the room and knocked anxiously on the door. "Miss Francine? Miss Francine?! Is everything alright?" Once Francine entered the room, Corinne grabbed her hair and dragged her into the bathroom. Francine screamed in horror, "Ah! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Corinne grasped Francine's hair with one hand and clamped her wrists with the other hand. She pinned down Francine's flailing arms. "Tell me, what did you just splash on me?" Corinne asked. She looked like a demon at that moment, and Francine finally realized that Corinne's obedient-looking demeanor earlier was nothing more than a facade. Francine could not help but feel scared. "It's... It's water left behind in the kitchen after some fish were gutted!" "Oh, is that right?" Corinne pursed her lips and smiled. The next second, she dunked Francine's head into the toilet bowl. Francine tried shouting, but her shouts turned into mere gurgles after her face was submerged underwater. 30 seconds later, Corinne pulled her head out and asked, "How does that feel, Miss Francine?" Pale-faced and disheveled, Francine said, "H—How... How d—dare you do this to me! You..." Corinne looked composed as she said, "You started it, and I'm just getting even. Since you poured fish-gut water all over me, it's only fair that I let you have a taste of toilet water." 'This woman is insane!' Francine thought to herself. She then frantically shrieked, "Gah! I'm the Holdens' young miss! My brother loves me dearly! How dare you treat me like this?!" Corinne ignored her and said, "I couldn't care less that you're the Holdens' young miss. Your brother married me so I could become the Holdens' young madam, not your punching bag. Remember what happened today, and don't ever mess with me anymore!" She then pressed her head into the toilet bowl again. Then, she withdrew her hands coldly. Francine raised her head abruptly and gasped for breath. She felt so disgusted that she nearly burst into tears. That was the first time Francine ever experienced such humiliation. She propped herself on the toilet bowl and retched several times before gritting her teeth and threatening Corinne, "Just you wait, Corinne! I swear I'll get my brother to divorce you!" Corinne smiled. "Is that so? That's wonderful news! Thanks in advance for your help, Miss Francine!" Seeing Corinne's nonchalance, Francine felt as if her threats had fallen on deaf ears and were practically useless. After dragging Francine away and shoving her out of the room, Corinne took off the smelly clothes and went to take a shower. There were no other clothes available for her to wear, and she was forced to step out of the bathroom wrapped only in a bath towel. At that moment, she happened to see her screen on the bedside table flickering. It was a call from Corinne's colleague, Joanna Johnston. As soon as Corinne answered it, she was greeted by Joanna's anxious voice. "Bad news, Corinne! Something big happened at the company! You need to come here, quickly!"