Chapter 8

*JANELLE* Even if Gary didn’t want his precious stepdaughter to marry Donovan, he obviously still wanted to enjoy the benefits that came from being in-laws with the O’Connells. The O’Connells family were very wealthy, they always have been. The Moore family were also wealthy from the start but I think bad management of the family’s business had led to a significant decline in their net worth. Presently, the Moore family couldn’t be compared to the O’Connells. The O’Connells were ten times richer. Maybe Gary feels being in-laws with the O’Connells would improve the Moore family’s business. I watched Gary bend over before Donovan and said in a low voice, "Have dinner with us before leaving" Donovan eyed him. I could tell he didn’t like Gary at all. Well, we had that in common. “No, thanks. I have something to attend to.”Donovan refused and the man behind him started to push him away. When he passed by me, he raised his hand to tell the man to stop. He looked up and asked, "Miss Moore, we need to talk.” I sighed. I also wanted to talk to him. Gary gave me a warning look. "Behave, watch your mouth and don’t talk back. Do not offend him.” I rolled my eyes and followed Donovan and his bodyguard out. I knew exactly what Gary was planning. I wondered what made him so confident that I would help him after I married into the O’Connell family? Just because he was my father? Did he regard me as his daughter? Does he have any idea how miserable and hectic my life has been since he kicked us out? And worse, we had to lose Danica. Still, he feels so regret but he seriously think I’d help him after all that? I need to make him feel miserable as well! I was so absent-minded that I hit a hard "wall", and when I regained myself. I looked up to find him staring down at me. He was standing! My suspicions were true. We were in a secluded part of the house and he was standing properly on two feet. I scoffed.”So you really can walk? Why are you pretending to be crippled? Was it to get out of this marriage. Donovan narrowed his eyes slightly. He said in a plain tone, frightening me a bit.”Why did you still want to marry me even if I was crippled? What do you want from me? Money? Do you want to be a rich wife so bad?” I only felt chills when he was looking at me. It seemed that my heart was held tightly by invisible hands. I felt it was hard to breathe, but I pretended to be calm and relaxed. I couldn’t let him scare me. “I was engaged to you when I was a child. Did I already know about money and the benefits of being a wife of a rich and powerful family at that time? Did I force our two families to make the arrangement?" I paused for a moment, trying to calm down. "I’m just twenty-one but you look way older than me. Maybe in your early thirties? You have more power to stop this marriage and so if you can’t stop it from happening, what makes you think I can?” He eyed her.”You’re sharp-tongued. And did you just indirectly call me old?” The air around us was tensed. We stared at each other.No one wanted to give in. My hand was clenched into a fist. The purpose of me marrying into the O’Connell family was just because Gary promised that he would return what belongs to my mom. I knew he couldn’t return everything. But at the very least, half of it would be okay. Also, I didn’t want to be on this man’s bad side. There was an unsettling feeling about him and I really didn’t want to get entangled with him. So I softened my tone. "Mr. O’Connell, I know that you don't want to marry me, but in fact, you can..." I deliberately stopped to see the expression on his face. His facial expression changed slightly, but I still caught it. "Mr. O’Connell, let's make a deal," I suggested. I didn't want to marry into the O’Connell family. If I could get back some of what my mother owned, I believe that I could start from there, make a name for myself, make something good out of my life. Donovan chuckled. He seemed to think it was ridiculous and absurd. I swallowed and my back was full of cold sweat because of nervousness. Donovan was very tall. So I looked up at him and said, "I know you wanted the Moore family to break this agreement, so you pretended to be crippled. I want this agreement to be broken too but I need to do something first.” That seemed to arouse his interest. "What do you want?" Since it was a deal, there must be a condition. "One month. I'll divorce you after we get married for a month." One month was enough for me. As soon as I got my mother's property, I would divorce him. Donovan frowned. "Is this the deal you want to negotiate with me?" “Yes, we must get married. This is an agreement between our two families. We can't break the promise, which comes with great penalties. After we get married, we can say we tried but we were not compatible with each other, so it is natural to divorce. In this way, we won’t need to answer to anyone or pay any price for ending our marriage. They only said we must get married, they didn’t say we could never get divorced. This is what you want too, right?” I then added. “I believe you love someone else, that’s why you’ve been trying your best to make the Moore family break the promise, right? Now, you just have to wait for one more month, you’ll have your life back and I’ll have mine.” Donovan suddenly looked less angry. He said, "You’re quite smart.” He then cocked an eyebrow."What about you? I mean, your father will lose his shit if you get divorced after a month so what exactly will be your gain?”