Chapter 3 - THE BRIDE WHO HAD BEEN SELECTED.
Claire admitted she knew Ethan’s family before their first public meeting.
His mother, Margaret, had introduced them privately after Anna became ill.
“She wanted stability for you,” Claire said. “A respectable wife. A better influence for Lily.”
Ethan stared at her.
“You were interviewed for my marriage?”
Claire’s voice became colder.
“This family does not leave succession to romance.”
The ballroom guests had begun entering the foyer. None defended Lily. Their silence made the humiliation heavier.
Margaret appeared near the chandelier and addressed Ethan like a disobedient employee.
“Do not destroy a strategic marriage because a child misunderstood a boundary.”
Lily looked at her grandmother.
“She called my mom’s family cheap.”
Margaret replied, “Your mother came from people who worked in houses like this. Gratitude would have suited her better than suspicion.”
Ethan opened the second page of Anna’s letter.
The mansion had never belonged solely to his family.
May you like
Anna’s grandmother had financed its rescue from foreclosure.
And Lily owned the controlling share.
