บททั้งหมดของ Mary Johnson ~ The Paid Bride: บทที่ 101 - บทที่ 110

Continuations~~~~~Before he could finish, my fist collided with his face. The crack of knuckles against bone was satisfying... handling farming tools for years taught me a lot of ways to put men like this in place.He stumbled back, cursing."How dare you?" I snapped, heat rushing through my veins.The first guy finally turned, his expression darkening as his gaze moved from his partner's bleeding nose to me."You hit me?" His voice was dangerously low, his eyes a furious shade of red.Sam just stared, mouth slightly open."Ahhh, I’m not about to let myself be talked down to by assholes who don’t even know the first thing about manners." My pulse thrummed as I stormed toward a nearby table, one decorated with expensive glassware and an overpriced bottle of wine.Without hesitation, I grabbed the bottle and—Bang!My hand slammed onto the table, sending everything crashi

~~~~After my conversation with Dad, Mom called me with her conditions for accepting the deal. Since there was no real deal to begin with, I agreed without hesitation. The only thing that mattered was getting them out of Chicago.The following weeks were spent preparing for my family’s relocation. While pretending not to know what was happening, I focused on finalizing the renovations on their new home, making sure every detail was perfect. For the first time since I left home, I could finally do things on my own without begging or struggling. The excitement of it all nearly made me forget about Diana and her damn pregnancy.Everything was ready now. But I had chosen not to tell Nora or the Blacks about my family’s move—not yet, at least. It wasn’t necessary for them to know until the time was right.I called Sam to confirm the arrangements. “Everything is set on my end,” he assured me.“Should I pick them up at the airport?” he asked.“No, I want to be the one to do that. You’ve done

~~~~~“This is just not my day,” I muttered under my breath, rubbing my temple before grabbing my phone. With a sigh, I dialed Sam’s number.The phone barely rang twice before he picked up. “Hello, ma’am. You on your way now?” he asked, straight to the point.I exhaled sharply, already exhausted. “No, Sam. As a matter of fact, there’s a change of plan,” I said in frustration.“Oh…” Sam hesitated for a moment before continuing, “but we can’t send them back… the plane is already in the air.”I rolled my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. “What? Of course, we’re not sending them back, Sam. Just—please—go to the airport and pick them up.”“Oh, okay,” he said quickly. “Should I drive them to the hostel?”“No. God, no,” I replied, exasperated. “Take them to the house, and whatever you do, don’t mention my name or say anything about meeting me. I still want it to be a surprise. When I’m done here, I’ll come to you, okay?”“Okay, Ma

~~~~Eric let out a heavy sigh, his head shifting from left to right as he scanned the room. He needed to know if he was alone. His body felt like it had been through hell—like he had been asleep for an eternity.When he first set out to uncover the truth about whether Diana had drugged him, he confronted her directly. She denied it. So he went for test after test, check-up after check-up. But every result came back the same—no trace of any drug in his system.That didn’t sit right with him.Being someone allergic to most drugs, he knew something was wrong. His body had felt different that night—off in a way he couldn’t explain.Desperate for answers, he had his blood drawn nearly twenty times across different hospitals, in different states. Still, nothing. Frustrated and exhausted, he finally took his mother’s advice and flew to France for a final attempt at finding the truth.But once again—nothing. No drugs. No toxins. No explanation.By then, he was so weak he could barely stand.

~~~~~As I sat there in silence, debating how to answer without dragging my family into this mess, Berry mistook it for hesitation—maybe even shame.After all, why would a family as powerful as the Blacks associate with a nobody? A farm girl, no less. A nobody would’ve been easier to accept, but this? This was just unbelievable to people like her.But then again, did it even matter how I answered?“Listen, Mrs. Black,” Berry continued, her tone changing into something almost sympathetic. “There’s no need to feel embarrassed. If you don’t know what to say, we—”“No, that’s not it.” I cut her off, straightening up. “I’m just wondering why that’s even a question.”She blinked. “Excuse me?”“I love farming,” I said casually. “I eat a lot of vegetables&md