Chapter 2

Wendy simply wanted to give up after her business failed. Now that she had a second chance at life, she would make use of it. All she needed to do was slog it out for a few more years at a good university and then get a well-paying job. As a resident of Bellmire City, Wendy would be able to utilize Bellmire's housing schemes as well. She would also take the chance to save up as much money as she could and buy up a few different properties. Once their value shot up, Wendy could then coast off her generous pension and rental gains and travel the world. That would be the life for her. She wouldn't need to marry anyone either and could remain childless. And even if she were to fall ill or die, Wendy could arrange for a third party to take care of all her affairs. Sean leveled a cold, piercing look at Wendy. He didn't think she was being truthful. When Wendy renewed her interest in him, he had thought her a fake, bossy girl. Later on, he found out about Wendy's ill-treatment of Xyla and also heard about Wendy's poor character from the villagers. She simply disgusted him. "I can help you with that transfer to a high school in Bellmire City if that is what you actually want. However…" Sean's gaze was serious. It was a warning to Wendy. "You better not have any other intentions." Victoria angrily spoke up, "What are you saying, Sean? You two are supposed to marry each other. You're a military officer too and can't just ditch this responsibility…" "Just as you said, Mom, he's from the military. I'm the one who broke Xyla's leg. Even if he were to willingly marry me, there would be a lot of obstacles." Wendy quickly pulled Victoria back, stopping her from continuing. Wendy knew how Victoria was. To Victoria, a woman didn't need any education, and marriage was the most important thing a woman could aspire to. If Sean wouldn't marry Wendy, Victoria would never let the Hortons know peace. Still, Wendy had to wonder how the original Wendy managed to escape being sentenced for her crimes. Victoria was clearly startled by this. Even Sean looked at Wendy in mild surprise. Just as Wendy had said, Sean would face a lot of challenges if he were to marry her, a civilian. He would only be able to marry her without any issues if he quit the military or transferred to a different branch. "I want to get out of Riverbend Village and go to school in Bellmire City instead. No one there will know about this event. Once I get into university, I can get a job there, too." Wendy pitched her voice lower as she continued, not wanting Victoria to interrupt her. "And once I get a good job in Bellmire, I can get a husband there, too." Victoria hadn't listened to the first half of Wendy's plans, but she did pay attention to the second half. She was sure that Wendy would be able to find an even better husband than Sean, considering her good looks. However, Sean was sharp. When he read between the lines, his dark eyes gain a hint of mockery. Just as he thought, Wendy only wanted to move to Bellmire City just to be a gold digger. A girl with only thoughts of money and a cushy life would not fit in with other honest, studious university students. "I see. I shall now return to my base and call my father to tell him about this. Tomorrow, I'll come to pick up Xyla and Wendy to take them to Bellmire with me." With that, Sean turned to leave. But it was currently dinner time, and he was also a guest at the Stowell residence. They certainly couldn't let him leave without serving him any food. That was how Sean ended up being forced to dine with the Stowells. Before they sat down to eat, Victoria locked Xyla inside the kitchen, refusing to let her eat at the dining table with the rest of them. Wendy didn't care, either. Xyla's heart raced as she peeked at Sean's handsome face through the crack in the door. A small smile bloomed on her face. Xyla's friend, Erin Watson, poked her head in through the kitchen window. She was worried about Xyla and had come to see her. "Hey, Xyla. That fiancé of yours is a real hunk. Aren't you worried that your witch of a sister will snatch him for herself? Urgh, she's so evil." Erin groaned. "No, Sean will definitely refuse to marry Wendy." Xyla's heart had leaped for joy when she heard Sean turn down Wendy. She had thought he would agree and was also worried that Wendy would push forward with the engagement. Xyla looked down to run a hand over her broken leg. If Sean had agreed to marry Wendy, then the injury would have been even more painful. "That's great news. Your sister's probably never getting married now unless she leaves the village." Erin was happy for Xyla. "Keep this a secret. Mom and Dad have forbidden us to tell anyone." All of a sudden, Xyla's eyes dimmed. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed," Erin promised before proceeding to tell her cousin, Joe Warner, anyway. Joe was Wendy's classmate from middle school. Through some family connections, he was able to get work at a logistics company. He was also the first person in the village to own a bicycle because of that. Furthermore, he was also in love with Wendy. However, she treated Joe like he was invisible due to his short stature. When Erin told him Xyla's story, Joe felt like his chance had come at last. The next day, he cycled over to the Stowell residence with his mother to ask for Wendy's hand in marriage. But they had only exchanged a few words before Victoria kicked them out. "Why don't we offer some wedding gifts? I really want to marry Wendy," Joe suggested dejectedly. "She's just used goods now. Why do we have to offer them gifts? Just sit back and wait. The Stowells will come knocking on our door instead when they can't marry off Wendy. They'll be the ones paying for the wedding reception out of their own pocket then." Joe's mother, Miriam Hadley, was famous for her money-consciousness. She would never agree to provide a single wedding gift for Wendy. When they reached the village border, Miriam saw a military jeep drive by. It was Sean, the military officer from Bellmire City. Miriam recalled Victoria telling her that Wendy was about to move to Bellmire City for high school. Immediately, she realized that things had taken a turn for the worse. Wendy definitely was not going to Bellmire City just for school. The Stowells had to have convinced Sean to take Wendy to the city so she could get a new start and get married. The gears in Miriam's head whirred. She couldn't let her prize escape now. So, Miriam quickly got off her bicycle and stopped Sean, who had just gotten out of his car. "Hello, young man. Are you Xyla's fiancé? You're here today to take Wendy and Xyla to Bellmire, right?" Sean looked at her indifferently as he closed the car door. "Yes." "I see. Frankly, I couldn't figure out why Wendy refused to marry my son when he proposed to her earlier. I see now—she wants to go to Bellmire for better prospects." Miriam pretended to wipe her tears away as she continued, "I'm sure you don't know about this, but Wendy got close to my son Joe here because we're very well-off. My son has spent a lot of money on her, but she's been ignoring him ever since she set her eyes on you. "I also heard that Wendy had gotten into an accident last night. Joe is madly in love with her, so he dragged me over to her home to propose to her. "But Wendy kicked us out before we could even say a word. She said that she was going to Bellmire City for school so she could find a better husband and that my son should know his place." Miriam did her best to drag down Wendy. She wanted Wendy's reputation to be ruined so she couldn't go to Bellmire City. The Warners would be able to save a lot of money on the wedding then. In fact, the Stowells might even end up footing the entire bill instead.