Chapter 3 · Marrying My Boyfriend's Sworn Enemy

To my surprise, when we met for the second time, Bruce didn't beat around the bush.

"Ms. Dorothy Glenn, will you marry me?" he asked.

I was stunned.

Seeing my stunned expression, Bruce calmly explained, "This is a marriage for business reasons. I need a wife to satisfy my family's demands and secure some business deals.

"And you need someone powerful to help you break free from your current predicament."

He paused and added, "I've done my homework on you. You're sharp and talented. Darren's company wouldn't be where it is today without you.

"Marrying me means you'll have freedom, the respect you deserve, and a stage to show what you can really do.

"Of course, this is only a contract marriage. We stay out of each other's business. In two years, you can walk away with a generous settlement, no drama."

His offer was way too tempting, and even crazy.

I only thought about it for three minutes before agreeing.

I was dying to break free from that suffocating prison.

I needed a way to finally sever all ties with my past, so Darren and my family couldn't pull me back in.

Bruce was my perfect ticket out.

*****

The car rolled to a stop in front of a big villa.

This was Bruce's home, and soon, it would be ours.

"We're here," Bruce said, shutting off the engine and leaning over to undo my seatbelt.

His fingertips accidentally brushed the side of my neck, making it tingle.

I pulled my neck back a bit, feeling awkward.

He seemed to notice my awkwardness and quickly withdrew his hand, his voice slipping back into its usual cool tone.

"I've had your things moved from Darren's place. They're all in the second bedroom upstairs. Take a look and see if anything is missing," he said.

I nodded and followed him out of the car.

The villa was huge, decorated in a minimalist style with black, white, and gray tones. It felt as aloof and impersonal as Bruce himself.

A middle-aged woman came over and greeted us respectfully, "Mr. Crawford, Ms. Glenn."

"This is Gwen," Bruce introduced her to me. "If you need anything around the house, ask her."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Glenn," Gwen said with a warm smile.

I nodded awkwardly. "Nice to meet you too, Gwen."

Being treated like the lady of the house felt so foreign to me.

Back at Darren's, I was the housekeeper myself.

Bruce led me up to the second floor.

The door to the second bedroom was open, and inside, my suitcases and a few boxes were neatly stacked.

That was everything I owned.

Seeing all these familiar things, I finally felt like this was real.

I was finally free from Darren.

"Go ahead and unpack. I've got a video meeting," Bruce said, standing at the doorway without coming in. "What do you want for dinner?"

I froze for a moment and replied automatically, "Anything's fine. I'll eat whatever's made."

Back when I lived with Darren, I never had a say. He decided what we ate, and I went along with it.

Bruce's brow furrowed, barely noticeable.

"Dorothy, here, you can tell me what you like," he said.

His gaze was so deep that it felt like he could see right through the way I'd always pleased others and kept my head down.

My nose prickled, and I almost teared up.

I lowered my head and whispered, "I want beef stew."

I hadn't tasted anything spicy in forever. Darren couldn't handle it, so I stopped eating it.

"Alright," Bruce replied, his voice gentler than usual. "Gwen will cook it for you."

After saying that, he turned and walked off to his study.

I stood in the center of the room, looking out at the unfamiliar garden, and took a long, deep breath.

Even the air felt like freedom.

But that peace didn't last long. My phone started ringing nonstop again.

This time, it was a number I didn't recognize. It looked like it was from a landline.

Almost without thinking, I picked up.

On the other end, my mom was screaming in a frenzy. "Dorothy, you ungrateful brat! How dare you block me?

"I'm telling you, if you don't give Jason the money, I'll kill myself right here. I'm outside your office building. Are you coming down or not?"

My heart dropped.

I squeezed my phone hard, and my hand went cold.

I knew my mom. When she said something like that, she meant it.

Chapter 3

To my surprise, when we met for the second time, Bruce didn't beat around the bush.

"Ms. Dorothy Glenn, will you marry me?" he asked.

I was stunned.

Seeing my stunned expression, Bruce calmly explained, "This is a marriage for business reasons. I need a wife to satisfy my family's demands and secure some business deals.

"And you need someone powerful to help you break free from your current predicament."

He paused and added, "I've done my homework on you. You're sharp and talented. Darren's company wouldn't be where it is today without you.

"Marrying me means you'll have freedom, the respect you deserve, and a stage to show what you can really do.

"Of course, this is only a contract marriage. We stay out of each other's business. In two years, you can walk away with a generous settlement, no drama."

His offer was way too tempting, and even crazy.

I only thought about it for three minutes before agreeing.

I was dying to break free from that suffocating prison.

I needed a way to finally sever all ties with my past, so Darren and my family couldn't pull me back in.

Bruce was my perfect ticket out.

*****

The car rolled to a stop in front of a big villa.

This was Bruce's home, and soon, it would be ours.

"We're here," Bruce said, shutting off the engine and leaning over to undo my seatbelt.

His fingertips accidentally brushed the side of my neck, making it tingle.

I pulled my neck back a bit, feeling awkward.

He seemed to notice my awkwardness and quickly withdrew his hand, his voice slipping back into its usual cool tone.

"I've had your things moved from Darren's place. They're all in the second bedroom upstairs. Take a look and see if anything is missing," he said.

I nodded and followed him out of the car.

The villa was huge, decorated in a minimalist style with black, white, and gray tones. It felt as aloof and impersonal as Bruce himself.

A middle-aged woman came over and greeted us respectfully, "Mr. Crawford, Ms. Glenn."

"This is Gwen," Bruce introduced her to me. "If you need anything around the house, ask her."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Glenn," Gwen said with a warm smile.

I nodded awkwardly. "Nice to meet you too, Gwen."

Being treated like the lady of the house felt so foreign to me.

Back at Darren's, I was the housekeeper myself.

Bruce led me up to the second floor.

The door to the second bedroom was open, and inside, my suitcases and a few boxes were neatly stacked.

That was everything I owned.

Seeing all these familiar things, I finally felt like this was real.

I was finally free from Darren.

"Go ahead and unpack. I've got a video meeting," Bruce said, standing at the doorway without coming in. "What do you want for dinner?"

I froze for a moment and replied automatically, "Anything's fine. I'll eat whatever's made."

Back when I lived with Darren, I never had a say. He decided what we ate, and I went along with it.

Bruce's brow furrowed, barely noticeable.

"Dorothy, here, you can tell me what you like," he said.

His gaze was so deep that it felt like he could see right through the way I'd always pleased others and kept my head down.

My nose prickled, and I almost teared up.

I lowered my head and whispered, "I want beef stew."

I hadn't tasted anything spicy in forever. Darren couldn't handle it, so I stopped eating it.

"Alright," Bruce replied, his voice gentler than usual. "Gwen will cook it for you."

After saying that, he turned and walked off to his study.

I stood in the center of the room, looking out at the unfamiliar garden, and took a long, deep breath.

Even the air felt like freedom.

But that peace didn't last long. My phone started ringing nonstop again.

This time, it was a number I didn't recognize. It looked like it was from a landline.

Almost without thinking, I picked up.

On the other end, my mom was screaming in a frenzy. "Dorothy, you ungrateful brat! How dare you block me?

"I'm telling you, if you don't give Jason the money, I'll kill myself right here. I'm outside your office building. Are you coming down or not?"

My heart dropped.

I squeezed my phone hard, and my hand went cold.

I knew my mom. When she said something like that, she meant it.