"How can you call yourself her elder sister after hitting her like that?!" Lucas spat in her face. "And you still refuse to face the consequences?!"
Daphne was unfazed. "Me?" she asked incredulously. "She's the one who started this whole arranged marriage fiasco. If she really thought of me as her elder sister, she would have never forced me to take her place in this marriage!"
She then smiled and folded her arms. "Besides, if Angela had any respect for you, she would have never gotten engaged to the Yi family's heir without your permission!"
"Don't listen to her, Dad!" Angela barked. "I did that to save your company from crisis!"
Daphne scoffed and shook her head. "What a joke. Would the company even be in a crisis right now if you hadn't gone and gotten yourself into an ambiguous relationship?" She pressed her temples. "Dad came up with all sorts of ways to get you engaged to Nicholas Lou just because you liked him when you were younger.
But then when you grew up, you found someone better, and you didn't hesitate to dump Nicholas cold-heartedly. It was thanks to that that the Yi family annulled the contract we had together. And that's what left our company in a crisis, Angela." She then brought her hands to trace her jaw in a thoughtful manner. "Not only did you not apologize to Nicholas and his family, you came up with an insanely ridiculous scheme to get yourself married rich… you went behind our backs and got yourself engaged to Damian because you knew his family was desperately looking for a wife for him."
Lucas's face was filled with rage. As more words spewed from his first daughter's mouth, he clenched his fist tight in anger.
Daphne continued; oh, she had a lot to say. "But now that you found out that Vincent, the Yi family's only son, is in a coma and may never wake up, you've asked Dad to force me to get married to him instead." She tsked. "None of this would have happened had you not cheated! It shows you've got no respect for Dad at all!"
"You bitch!" Angela pushed forward, her face red with anger. "I never knew you had such a mouth on you!"
"Enough!" Lucas unexpectedly smacked Angela across the face. "Get out of here and go reflect on your actions!"
Angela fell to the ground with a thud. Her eyes widened and watered as she stared up at her father. "Dad… you hit me?" she muttered.
"Hush, Angela!" Stepney rushed to her daughter. "Don't do this while your father is furious." She then leaned in and whispered as she helped her up, "We will still have plenty of opportunities to get back at Daphne later!"
Angela stood back up with her mother's help, but before she left, she turned back to Daphne and thought, You're dead meat, Daphne. Just wait and see! I'll make you pay for this!
Unbeknownst to Angela, Daphne also had a thought of her own, with a wicked smile in place:
This is just the beginning, Angela, Stepney. I'm going to take back everything that belongs to me!
★THE NEXT DAY★
Morning sunlight poured gently over the estate, washing the sky in a soft, endless blue. Wisps of white clouds drifted lazily above, and pale flower petals floated through the air like quiet blessings. Overhead, thick green vines hung heavy with blooming white roses, their leaves glowing in the warm light.
Below stood a grand mansion, elegant and timeless, with tall windows and a red-tiled roof. A narrow tower rose on one side, giving the house a noble, almost storybook charm. The wide courtyard was paved with pale stone, neat and polished.
A sleek silver car rested at the center. Daphne's. She stepped out of the vehicle, clad in a morning-blue elegant dress and black heels that caught the sunlight.
The butler greeted her. "Please forgive us for not hosting a wedding ceremony, Ms. Daphne. Mr. Damian's situation is quite delicate."
Daphne shook her head regally with a warm smile. "It's all right."
The butler led her inside and to the backyard, where a pool was situated and elegant couches were arranged. Daphne took note of the beautiful elderly woman seated upon one of the white-gold couches.
"Ms. Daphne has arrived, Madam."
The woman was clad in a long, long-sleeved V-neck purple dress, her salt-and-pepper hair styled in a short bob.
"Hello," Daphne greeted shyly, warmly.
The woman sized Daphne up, then stood. She said, "I see your father has chosen to send you instead of his favorite daughter." She approached Daphne. "Then again, you're still a virgin, so I suppose you'll do."
She walked around Daphne, leading her to the entrance of the main house.
"Come with me," she said.
The house was decorated in a kaleidoscope of cream, gold, and white. A grand spiral staircase stood at the center of the main hall, photos and wall décor lining the walls. Daphne didn't mind that; she just followed the woman calmly.
"Now that you two are married, you're now Damian's wife," the elderly woman continued.
Daphne followed suit as they climbed up the staircase and walked along the verandah to stop before a particular walnut door.
The elderly woman pushed open the door. "This is Damian's room," she said.
Daphne roved her eyes around the room. The room was not so plain—decorative tiles, plain cream walls, a chandelier, wardrobes, and a door present. But what caught her eye the most was the bed at the center of the room and the man lying on it, clad beneath the duvet.
Daphne flushed. She thought, So he's the CEO of the Yi Group who's been in a coma for the past two years due to an accident?
As she focused her gaze on the CEO, she noticed how handsome a man he was. His hair was very black and framed his face, his lashes longer than that of a woman, and a single black mole underneath his left eye.
He's so handsome… she thought.
"You'll be taking care of his needs from now on." The woman's words pulled her out of her blissful thoughts. "A professional caretaker will teach you how to do that."
They got closer to the bed and stood by the edge.
"Damian has been like this for two years. He needs to have his muscles massaged so that his blood flow remains balanced."
That's strange… Daphne thought.
Normally, anyone who's been bedridden for two years would suffer from muscle atrophy. Yet Damian Yi looked to be in very good condition.
The elderly woman gave Daphne a couple of dollar notes. "I'll be giving you fifty thousand dollars each month as your pocket money on Damian's behalf. I hope you'll take good care of him."
Daphne stifled a gasp. Fifty thousand dollars?! That was more than her monthly salary!
Daphne smiled widely. "Don't worry! I promise I'll do my very best to be a good wife to Damian. I did agree to marry him, after all."
Of course, that's the least I should do after getting paid handsomely! Daphne thought.
The woman blinked at her excited squeal. "That's easier said than done. Only time will tell how you'll perform." She smiled. "However, do feel free to be forthcoming with your intentions about the money. It beats having to listen to all those other hypocrites.
And one more thing… I hope you'll be able to bear a child with Damian."
"A… a child?!"