Chapter 2 Cancel the Engagement
The room fell silent. “Nonsense. Henry’s fiancée is…” Diana stood up suddenly. “Yes. Elvia is the one who should fulfill the marriage contract. You don’t have to marry Henry since she’s back.” Everyone knew that Henry was a good-for-nothing rich boy, though he was from the Bradshaw family, which was the No.1 family in the capital. But Wilbert Bradshaw, his grandpa, doted on him. Two years ago, to save Wilbert, Henry became a cripple. From then on, Wilbert indulged him. And he had gotten more useless and spent Wilbert’s money lavishly. However, the Bradshaw family suddenly contacted them a while ago, claiming that Henry had a marriage contract with the first daughter of Elvia’s generation and demanding they fulfill it. The Gilmore family thought they were talking about Kirsten. Diana panicked. Although the Gilmore family was no match for the Bradshaw family, she had cultivated Kirsten since she was little, hoping that she would marry a great man and help the Gilmore family. Although Henry was spoiled, he had no say in his family and had to rely on his parents and Wilbert. Eventually, he would run out of money. By then, he would depend on Kirsten. Diana meant to call it off but was afraid of offending the Bradshaw family. She had been trying to come up with a perfect excuse to reject them. She didn’t have to worry about it once Elvia was back. Diana thought, “She’s just a bumpkin. She’ll be a perfect match for that cripple. And we can be in-laws with the Bradshaw family. Two birds, one stone.” Diana hurriedly said, “OK. I’ll let Elvia back. Give her some etiquette lessons. She’s getting engaged to Henry one month late. I don’t want her to embarrass me at the engagement party.” Leonel and Jessica Wright, his wife, stared at Diana in disbelief. They were still processing Kirsten’s words. Soon, Leonel snapped his head up. “Engagement party? But Henry’s fiancée is…” “Elvia is the eldest girl in her generation. She’s the one the marriage contract talked about. Since she’s back, she needs to fulfill the contract.” Jessica frowned and looked at Elvia, feeling sorry for her. She knew what Diana was up to. Jessica thought, “No wonder she suddenly changed her tone. She’s up to no good. Everyone knows Henry is a cripple. She refuses to let Kirsten marry him. Yet, she asks Elvia to do it.” “I don’t think so,” Leonel scowled, his expression thunderous. “Kirsten is the one who should marry Henry.” “Dad, I’ll be glad to do so. But Elvia is the eldest girl. If I marry Henry and the Bradshaw family finds out we cheat them…” Kirsten said vaguely, a cunning glint in her lowered eyes. “That’s right.” Diana nodded. “We can’t afford to offend the Bradshaw family.” “How could you?” Leonel flushed in anger. Diana ignored him and looked at Elvia. “You must get engaged to Henry if you want to be a part of the family.” Elvia looked up and met eyes with Diana, her gaze cold. After a pause, she said casually, “OK. I’ll get engaged.” She must return to the Gilmore family. About the engagement… Elvia’s lips curled into a half smile. She had planned to cancel the engagement before she came back. After leaving the Gilmore’s house, Elvia followed Leonel and Jessica back to their house. Eight years ago, Diana kicked Leonel out. And they lived in Splendid Community, a remote neighborhood from downtown. The houses in the area were so old that the prints on the walls faded. Leonel’s house was a three-bedroom apartment. Elvia gave Leonel a heads-up before going to her room. She didn’t have time to unpack as she just came back. Someone knocked on her door as soon as she entered her room. She got up and opened the door. Leonel and Jessica stood outside, looking like they had something to say. “Leonel, what’s up?” Elvia stepped aside, allowing Leonel to come into the room. “We need to talk.” Leonel pursed his lips as he had trouble finding the right words. “OK. Let’s talk.” Elvia moved the chair in front of Leonel and stood on the side. “I want to cancel your engagement with Henry.” Surprised, Elvia looked at him. Jessica came over and sat Elvia on the bed, holding Elvia’s hand and sitting next to her. She explained gently, “Hear us out. Leonel believes that marriage is one of the most important choices in a person’s life. Henry is a cripple. You have to take care of him forever once you’re married. Leonel wants your future husband to be someone kind and will protect you forever…” Jessica paused before continuing. “However, the marriage contract is your mom’s idea. We think we should ask for your opinion.” Although she never lived a day with Elvia, she felt for her. Henry wasn’t husband material. Although the Bradshaw family was rich and powerful, it meant nothing. If Elvia married Henry, her life would be ruined. Elvia looked up and down at Jessica and smiled, “Well. I do plan to cancel the engagement.” Jessica was Leonel’s second wife and her stepmom. In the few hours they spent together, Elvia found her tolerable. She could tell that Leonel and Jessica had her best interests at heart. “Good.” Leonel stood up excitedly. “I’ll contact the Bradshaw family and tell them the engagement is off.” In Beryl Hill. Three men stood in front of the grave that was in the deep of the forest. The man on the left was in designer clothes and had ear studs. He tilted his head and looked at the slender man next to him. “Henry, we’ve waited here for two days. There’s no sight of that woman. I doubt she’ll come back. We should leave.” “Patience.” Henry was the man in the middle. He started at the unlettered gravestone, a glint in his dark eyes. He was wearing a set of black casual clothes. His hair fell over his eyes. An arrogant and cold expression on his handsome face. He was the good-for-nothing rich boy Henry of the Bradshaw family. And he was also the man Elvia saved. He was Henry Bradshaw. The man on the left was Arthur Lawson, the youngest man in his generation of the Lawson family, which was the No.3 family in the capital. “No more waiting. You’ll miss your engagement party with Ms. Gilmore if you stay here.” Arthur rubbed his earlobe and chuckled, “She’s a famous lady in Banya City. You two have had a marriage contract since you were little. Your grandpa warns you repeatedly not to mess up the engagement party.” Henry smiled mockingly, “I thought the Gilmore family would have called off the engagement by now.” “The Bradshaw family is the No.1 family in the capital. They would never do that. Even if you were a good-for-nothing cripple, they would fulfill the marriage contract. Anyway, you’re not a cripple.” If the Gilmore family found out the truth about Henry, there was no way that they would give him up. “OK.” The light in Henry’s eyes dimmed. He was disappointed. He was looking forward to them canceling the engagement. Looking at Henry, Arthur realized that he had wasted his breath. He changed the subject. “Since your lifesaver isn’t coming back, we should go. Gill can save Heather too. We just need to find her.” Henry blinked and gave Arthur a pointed look. “Gill? Are you sure she’s a real person?” Arthur was pissed and choked on his words. After a while, he huffed, “Of course. She’s my master’s disciple and is beautiful and kind. She’s a great doctor and can bring the dying back to life…” The man on the right cut Arthur off before he could finish. “Arthur, you don’t know her name or how she looks. And you don’t even remember the way to your master’s house. Yet, you make her sound like a superwoman. I’m guessing that she’s just someone you come up with in a dream. I think we have a bigger chance of finding Dr. Phantom than finding your Gill.” Bring the dying back to life? Even the professors in the medical schools wouldn’t claim that they could do it. Arthur shouted, “Nonsense. Gill is real. I’m sure of it. Anyway, Dr. Phantom is elusive and a weirdo. The doctor picks patients depending on their mood. We didn’t have any clues of Dr. Phantom’s whereabouts, though we’ve looked for that person for a long time. Maybe the doctor doesn’t want to treat anyone. “I doubt the doctor could be as competent as Gill.” Arthur thought, “Maverick is severely under-informed. As a common person, he’ll never understand the existence of a perfect person like Gill.” Gill never gave Arthur her real name when they studied together. And she must look different since it had been ten years. But Arthur was confident that he would recognize her as soon as they met again. “Fine. You’re right. She’s real.” Maverick thought it would be a waste of time if he kept on arguing with Arthur. Arthur was strangely persistent when it came to Gill. Henry glanced at them and bowed to the grave before turning around. “Let’s go.” “Where are we going?” Maverick asked. Henry smirked, “Banyan City. I’m going to make my fiancée call off the engagement.”
