Chapter 2 · Seven In Body, Seventeen In Mind

That really stunned me.

"Miss," he said, getting even more fired up when he saw me smile. "Are you gonna marry me or not? If you don't, I'm not letting you through."

I looked into his stubborn eyes and decided to tease him a little.

"Sure, I'll marry you," I said.

"Ms. Harper!" Della shrieked.

"But," I said, bending down to pinch his cheek, "you gotta be able to take care of me. See those trucks back there? Those are all my wedding gifts."

He turned around and saw ten trucks lined up like a parade, each covered with cloth, partly showing the black walnut furniture, antique porcelain, and jewelry boxes.

He swallowed hard.

But then he puffed out his chest even more.

"I can take care of you," he said. "My house is huge."

I opened the car door and stepped out.

"Alright, then show me your house. If it can fit me and all my wedding gifts, I'll marry you," I said.

"It's a promise," he said, sticking out his pinky.

I stifled a laugh and linked my pinky with his.

"Pinkie swear, no take-back," he said.

The convoy started moving again.

This time, our destination wasn't the Harper family. It was the Murray family.

Raymond was sitting in my wedding car, buzzing with excitement like a little sparrow, chattering nonstop.

"Miss, what's your name?" he asked.

"Emelia Harper," I replied.

"That's such a pretty name. Can I call you Emelia?" he asked eagerly.

"Sure," I said.

"Emelia, don't worry. My family's great, and I'm sure they'll adore you," Raymond chirped.

I looked at him, and something unfamiliar stirred inside me.

I believed Raymond was sent by fate to rescue me.

Otherwise, he couldn't have appeared out of nowhere, right when the Harper family was disgraced, and I'd become the joke of all Prizatburg.

The wedding car pulled up at the entrance to the Murray family's estate.

I stepped out, staring at the building before me, and couldn't help but gasp.

So, this was what Raymond called "a house."

But this was clearly a manor.

It was a sprawling foreign-style manor, easily covering acres, with ornate wrought-iron gates, immaculately trimmed lawns, and, off in the distance, a fountain and a swimming pool.

"This is your home?" I asked, still in disbelief.

"Yep." Raymond grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. "See? I told you my place is huge."

The security guard at the gate saw him and immediately bowed. "Mr. Murray."

Then he spotted me and froze. "And this is..."

"This is my bride," Raymond announced proudly.

The security guard's expression was priceless, like he'd just heard something unbelievable.

I stifled a laugh and let Raymond pull me along inside.

The main house was three stories tall, quietly lavish in its decor.

Several people were gathered in the living room.

The elderly man, Kendrick Murray, with silver hair, sat ramrod straight, radiating authority.

The middle-aged woman, Juliet Murray, sipped her coffee with elegance.

And the young man, Leland Murray, probably just past twenty, sprawled out with his legs crossed, scrolling through his phone.

"Grandpa, Mom, Uncle Leland," Raymond shouted. "I brought my bride home."

The living room fell silent.

All three of them looked up at the same time, each with a different look on their face as they saw me.

Kendrick frowned.

Juliet looked genuinely taken aback.

Leland let out a whistle. "Whoa, Raymond, did you just snatch yourself a bride?"

"That's right." Raymond pulled me closer. "Her name's Emelia Harper, and she's marrying me today."

"So, where are your wedding gifts?" Leland joked, grinning.

"Right outside." Raymond pointed at the door. "Ten trucks, all loaded up."

The three of them suddenly realized there was a convoy parked right outside.

There were ten trucks, all neatly lined up, with cloth billowing in the wind.

Kendrick's frown deepened.

"Young lady," he said, his voice deep and authoritative, "what exactly is going on here?"

I stepped forward and gave a polite nod. "Mr. Murray, I'm Emelia Harper. This whole thing is just a misunderstanding.

"Your grandson is cute, but he's way too young to get married. I just can't..."

"Who says I'm too young?" Raymond jumped up. "I'm seven years old. That means I can totally have a wife."

"Seven?" I froze, not sure if I heard him right.

"Yeah." He puffed out his chest. "Seven is old enough."

I couldn't help but laugh.

I wondered if Raymond seriously thought he could get married at seven.

"Mr. Murray," I said, "today was supposed to be my big day, but my fiancé bailed, and now the Harper family is the laughingstock of Prizatburg.

"Raymond's little stunt might've just been kid stuff, but honestly, it saved me from total embarrassment.

"So, I'm willing to marry into the Murray family, but only when Raymond grows up."

"So, you're saying," Leland said, eyeing me with a grin, "you're basically reserving yourself for my nephew?"

"That's right," I said.

"So what about those ten truckloads of wedding gifts?" Leland teased.

"They'll be returned as part of the Murray family's engagement gifts," I replied. "Every last bit, just as they came."

Kendrick finally spoke up. "Young lady, do you really know who we are?"

"No, sir," I replied.

"The Murray family of Prizatburg," Kendrick said, "we're established in both business and government. Marrying into the Murray family isn't just some game."

"I understand, Mr. Murray," I said.

Chapter 2

That really stunned me.

"Miss," he said, getting even more fired up when he saw me smile. "Are you gonna marry me or not? If you don't, I'm not letting you through."

I looked into his stubborn eyes and decided to tease him a little.

"Sure, I'll marry you," I said.

"Ms. Harper!" Della shrieked.

"But," I said, bending down to pinch his cheek, "you gotta be able to take care of me. See those trucks back there? Those are all my wedding gifts."

He turned around and saw ten trucks lined up like a parade, each covered with cloth, partly showing the black walnut furniture, antique porcelain, and jewelry boxes.

He swallowed hard.

But then he puffed out his chest even more.

"I can take care of you," he said. "My house is huge."

I opened the car door and stepped out.

"Alright, then show me your house. If it can fit me and all my wedding gifts, I'll marry you," I said.

"It's a promise," he said, sticking out his pinky.

I stifled a laugh and linked my pinky with his.

"Pinkie swear, no take-back," he said.

The convoy started moving again.

This time, our destination wasn't the Harper family. It was the Murray family.

Raymond was sitting in my wedding car, buzzing with excitement like a little sparrow, chattering nonstop.

"Miss, what's your name?" he asked.

"Emelia Harper," I replied.

"That's such a pretty name. Can I call you Emelia?" he asked eagerly.

"Sure," I said.

"Emelia, don't worry. My family's great, and I'm sure they'll adore you," Raymond chirped.

I looked at him, and something unfamiliar stirred inside me.

I believed Raymond was sent by fate to rescue me.

Otherwise, he couldn't have appeared out of nowhere, right when the Harper family was disgraced, and I'd become the joke of all Prizatburg.

The wedding car pulled up at the entrance to the Murray family's estate.

I stepped out, staring at the building before me, and couldn't help but gasp.

So, this was what Raymond called "a house."

But this was clearly a manor.

It was a sprawling foreign-style manor, easily covering acres, with ornate wrought-iron gates, immaculately trimmed lawns, and, off in the distance, a fountain and a swimming pool.

"This is your home?" I asked, still in disbelief.

"Yep." Raymond grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. "See? I told you my place is huge."

The security guard at the gate saw him and immediately bowed. "Mr. Murray."

Then he spotted me and froze. "And this is..."

"This is my bride," Raymond announced proudly.

The security guard's expression was priceless, like he'd just heard something unbelievable.

I stifled a laugh and let Raymond pull me along inside.

The main house was three stories tall, quietly lavish in its decor.

Several people were gathered in the living room.

The elderly man, Kendrick Murray, with silver hair, sat ramrod straight, radiating authority.

The middle-aged woman, Juliet Murray, sipped her coffee with elegance.

And the young man, Leland Murray, probably just past twenty, sprawled out with his legs crossed, scrolling through his phone.

"Grandpa, Mom, Uncle Leland," Raymond shouted. "I brought my bride home."

The living room fell silent.

All three of them looked up at the same time, each with a different look on their face as they saw me.

Kendrick frowned.

Juliet looked genuinely taken aback.

Leland let out a whistle. "Whoa, Raymond, did you just snatch yourself a bride?"

"That's right." Raymond pulled me closer. "Her name's Emelia Harper, and she's marrying me today."

"So, where are your wedding gifts?" Leland joked, grinning.

"Right outside." Raymond pointed at the door. "Ten trucks, all loaded up."

The three of them suddenly realized there was a convoy parked right outside.

There were ten trucks, all neatly lined up, with cloth billowing in the wind.

Kendrick's frown deepened.

"Young lady," he said, his voice deep and authoritative, "what exactly is going on here?"

I stepped forward and gave a polite nod. "Mr. Murray, I'm Emelia Harper. This whole thing is just a misunderstanding.

"Your grandson is cute, but he's way too young to get married. I just can't..."

"Who says I'm too young?" Raymond jumped up. "I'm seven years old. That means I can totally have a wife."

"Seven?" I froze, not sure if I heard him right.

"Yeah." He puffed out his chest. "Seven is old enough."

I couldn't help but laugh.

I wondered if Raymond seriously thought he could get married at seven.

"Mr. Murray," I said, "today was supposed to be my big day, but my fiancé bailed, and now the Harper family is the laughingstock of Prizatburg.

"Raymond's little stunt might've just been kid stuff, but honestly, it saved me from total embarrassment.

"So, I'm willing to marry into the Murray family, but only when Raymond grows up."

"So, you're saying," Leland said, eyeing me with a grin, "you're basically reserving yourself for my nephew?"

"That's right," I said.

"So what about those ten truckloads of wedding gifts?" Leland teased.

"They'll be returned as part of the Murray family's engagement gifts," I replied. "Every last bit, just as they came."

Kendrick finally spoke up. "Young lady, do you really know who we are?"

"No, sir," I replied.

"The Murray family of Prizatburg," Kendrick said, "we're established in both business and government. Marrying into the Murray family isn't just some game."

"I understand, Mr. Murray," I said.