Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom

Meanwhile, Rossa was in the servant’s quarters, opening the gift box. Inside it was a bracelet with a small round pendant.

She opened the pendant to reveal the inside that was half–filled with white powder. She sighed before closing it and wearing the bracelet on her wrist. This was the substance she added to the cake this morning and now, it’s useless.

Jeslyn wasn’t given the time to mull over the matter at hand before the door was pushed open. Two maids barged into the room, and from the look on their faces, it appeared as if they would kill Jeslyn if she said the wrong word. She was already in a bad mood and wouldn’t mind taking care of these ladies to ease her heart’s troubles if they weren’t careful with her. She thought.

"You are very capable. Not only did you have the old butler wrapped around your fingers, but you’ve also seduced the Young Master into giving you gifts. Wow, just wow!" one of them said with a few claps.

"She’s not even pretty, how come this ugly duckling gets the good things, but we don’t? It’s unfair!"

Rossa attempted to get up from the bed but was pushed back down.

"Where do you think you’re going?!" the other lady thundered.

"Where else?" Jeslyn giggled, "I’m leaving the room for mad people like you."

Their eyes shot wide with rage. This fatso, who had never talked back at anyone before, is suddenly taunting them after getting a gift from the Young Master! What does she now see herself as? A Mistress of the Hwang family?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Rossa, don’t be cocky! Because the Young Master gave you a worthless gift today doesn’t mean he has affection for you! You should..."

"True. How about you meet him and also request for a ’worthless’ gift? he has lots of them..." She raised her wrist and dangled the bracelet for a moment. "You should hurry up before he throws them away." She said with feigned urgency, wrapped around her innocent–looking face.

The two girls glanced at each other, and one gave a slight nod before they looked at Rossa again, "If you dare lie to us, watch how we’ll skin you alive!"

Rossa watched with a mischievous smile as the two made their way out of the room. She fell on the bed and chuckled. Those two will surely be taught a lesson by Brian soon.

...

That evening, Jeslyn heard rumors that the two maids who went to get ’worthless’ gifts from Brian were thrown out of the mansion.

Without packing her bags, she left the Hwang residence and went to the hotel. On arrival, Ani ran up to her with a bright smile.

"Ma Jeslyn, you are back!

Jestyn would have returned the smile in the past, but today, she couldn’t find herself smiling after what she heard.

"Where is Rex?" She asked.

"He is at the bar," Ani replied. She wanted to follow Jeslyn, but Jeslyn wouldn’t allow it.

At the bar...

Jeslyn was sitting in front of Rex, sipping from a wine glass after telling him about the new development.

"That was wild. No one saw that coming... do you want to risk it all and trust her?"

"I feel there’s truth to what she claimed," Jeslyn said.

"How so?"

"Do you honestly believe that Nancy is capable of holding Mr. Hwang down?... I mean, she’s capable, but do you see Mr. Hwang as a person who would be so obedient?" Jeslyn stared at him, waiting for Rex to answer her.

Rex wiggled his index finger in an attempt to convey that he bought the idea. "That’s actually weird to begin with. Considering the fact that your mom told you he’s the leader of the Dark Age, it’s not plausible that Nancy can hold him down for so long."

"Exactly! I find this whole thing about Mr. Hwang is fishy." She tilted her head to think. "Why would he do all that? Like... I don’t understand why he would go to such lengths to make Brian hate Nancy... Or, what am I even saying? God! I’m confused as f*ck! This is stressing the shit out of me!"

"Take a deep breath, drink some," he helped her with her glass of wine. "Relax your mind... How about we meet up with Nancy and ask her about it? That’s a better idea, right?"

Jeslyn side-eyed him, "I don’t trust her enough to rely on her words... She said Ani is a spy from the Half–heart... How can that be possible?"

"In this world, nothing is impossible. Have you ever wondered why the Half–heart people haven’t come for you for so long?" he sipped his drink, leaving her to think about it.

Jeslyn frowned, "Then, I can’t let her leave if she’s one of them!"

Rex shook his head and placed his glass on the table. "People like these are dangerous– they are a ticking time bomb."

"Then, should we just let her go like that?"

Rex shook his head again, "First, we confirm the authenticity of the information you received from Nancy, then make a deal with her. She kills Ani in an ’unintentional’ attack, and you pay her in whatever you bargain. But make sure your stakes aren’t too high."

"Hmm, you want us to use someone else as a weapon to kill off our enemy?... Won’t that cause a fight between her and the Half-heart?"

"Indeed. My brother is not home, and we need to be careful who we offend. A lot of factions have their eyes on us, especially the Xu family. You wouldn’t want a situation where we would get into a fight with one faction and others attack from the rear, right?"

"Certainly not!"

"Then, that’s the only way to get rid of Ani."

"But we can hire a hitman or something. Must it be Nancy? That woman gives me goosebumps!"

"What if the assassination fails? You don’t expect Ani to be powerless if she was indeed sent by the Half–heart, do you?... Let me break it down.

"Nancy is powerful that she’s holding the Half–heart organization in a chokehold. If someone like her kills Ani ’by accident’, it might be considered a mistake, or the organization wage war, but I doubt they can afford to offend Nancy. That woman seem to have someone the Half-heart needs.

"But if Ani is attacked by a hitman and you’re fine, the half-heart would immediately suspect us. You know why? Because Ani is too ’innocent’ and ’cute’ to have enemies."