Chapter 3 Two Peas in a Pod

• Raven gazed at Lori steadily as she waited for Lori to speak.
• Lori gritted her teeth and said, "I'm sorry for doing something like this. It was against my better judgment. The problem is Iris is in love with someone else, which is why she refuses to marry Elias."
• A snort nearly escaped Raven. Of course, Iris would turn down the marriage, and Lori would go to great lengths to ensure Iris didn't have to.
• Raven knew the Lancasters didn't like her, but she never expected they would resort to such underhanded ways. They wanted the Mortimers' megaproject, but they didn't want Iris to marry Elias. Instead, they decided to pawn Raven for their own gain.
• While Raven was not their biological daughter, she had considered them her parents for the past twenty years of her life. If anything, their kinship lay in the fact that she was their niece. Moreover, she remembered how her mother had given the Lancasters her life savings back when she left Raven with them. Without those funds, Lancaster Incorporated could not have attained its current status.
• How can they do this to me? Raven shared everything with her cousins, and she would give them whatever they asked for as long as they liked it. Still, that didn't mean she was a pushover. Raven valued family bonds over material comforts, and her generosity stemmed from her perception of the Lancasters as her sisters. As far as she was concerned, they were the only family she had in the world, and her duty was to disregard most of what they did or said to her.
• She knew where she fit in the family, so she never complained when her cousins were given new, expensive clothes while she received their hand-me-downs.
• Alas, the same family she trusted had drugged her and used her as collateral for a megaproject. Hah! She wanted to laugh at her naivety.
• Lori looked at her with misty eyes and said, "It was all my fault, Raven, but with the way things are, an apology is pointless. I hope you'll—"
• "Oh, it won't be completely pointless if you just find a way to make it up to me," Raven cut her off coldly.
• Lori blinked at her.
• A devious smile tugged at Raven's lips as she said, "I think a hundred million would suffice!"
• Lori's blood began to boil when she heard this. She wanted to yell at Raven for her audacity to ask for so much money. However, since the megaproject and her daughter's interest were at stake, she had no choice but to smile. "Raven, it's unbecoming to go back on your word like this," she said with forced patience. "You said you'd marry the man if we agreed to the three conditions you mentioned."
• "Right, but I changed my mind," Raven said breezily. It wouldn't do her any good to be kind to these people who were ready to feed her to sharks at the drop of a hat. If there was no honor among them, then she shouldn't be expected to keep her word, either.
• At that moment, Lori hated Raven more than she ever had in her entire life. Nonetheless, she tried to reason with her, "Raven, you grew up in the Lancasters' household. You know as well as we do that our company, despite its prominence, has always struggled with cash flow."
• "Sixty million, then," Raven countered as if she was doing Lori a favor.
• "We don't have that much either," she admitted reluctantly.
• Raven sighed and said, "Actually, Aunt Lori, I think Iris should go ahead with the marriage. She would have a dowry worth at least several hundred million, wouldn't she?" She gasped as if remembering something and quickly added, "Oh, that's right. You just said Iris has eyes for someone else, which is why she refuses to marry Elias. Well, then, that's fine. I'm sure the Mortimers will understand if you explain the circumstances to them, though they may offer the megaproject collaboration to another company."
• Lori looked like she had just swallowed a fly.
• As if to exert pressure on Lori, Raven was about to dial a number on her phone as she sang, "I'll just give Elias a call."
• Even though she knew Raven was threatening her, she had no choice but to clench her jaw and say, "Fine. Sixty million it is."
• "Thank you, Aunt Lori!" Raven beamed. "Now, why don't you prepare the money while I meet with Elias? We will go to a cafe to get to know each other better before heading to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our marriage license. Aunt Lori, I hope to see the sixty million in my account by then. That, and the contract for my necklace and the bungalow, because otherwise, I could back out at any time. After all, you know I have no feelings for him; I'm in love with Asher!"
• The threat was articulated openly this time, which infuriated Lori immensely. Still, she gave a tight smile and said, "Rest assured that I will keep my word, Raven." Then, she left the room.
• Raven glanced down at her phone, which she had pulled from beneath the covers. It had been recording her entire conversation with Lori since the beginning.
• Raven didn't rule out the possibility that Lori would refuse to give her the bungalow and the money, in which case the recording would come in handy. Nevertheless, she would much prefer not to have to resort to that.
• The Lancasters had betrayed kinship for a megaproject worth over a billion. Raven would be foolish not to make it worthwhile since she was getting pawned. The price the Lancasters have to pay to get rid of me is sixty million and Iris' bungalow. From now on, I will no longer be a part of this family!
• Raven changed her clothes, descended the stairs, and went outside to find Elias standing nearby beneath the cherry tree.
• He looked regal and reserved, his towering figure clad in an impeccable suit. Just then, the breeze picked up, and the leaves from the cherry tree landed on his shoulders before scattering forlornly onto the ground.
• Raven gazed at him for a moment before she approached him. It wasn't until she stopped beside him that she realized he was astonishingly tall. She was nearly five feet seven, but he was at least half a head taller than her. Therefore, he was estimated to have been six feet two.
• "Have you made up your mind?" Elias asked impassively.
• "Come along now," Raven chirped.
• He raised an inquisitive brow at her. "Are we going to get married?"
• "Yeah," she replied.
• "In that case, I feel obligated to tell you two things before we proceed, Miss Raven."
• "Go on."
• "I'm an illegitimate son, so I'm not exactly a true heir to the Mortimers' fortune," Elias explained matter-of-factly as if he was speaking of someone else's affairs.
• The corner of Raven's lips tugged up in a lopsided, self-effacing smile. "Huh. What a coincidence. I'm an illegitimate daughter."
• He cast her a look of mild surprise when she said that.
• She smiled as if she had long since accepted this fact and replied, "Yes, you heard me right."
• The truth was, however, she was still wounded. Even though the rest of the Lancasters hadn't exactly been kind to her over the years, she still yearned for the kinship they had to offer. After all, Raven believed she had done enough to deserve it, even if it was a pittance.
• It turned out that only family members could escape punishment for the murder of another of their own. They silently drew their knives and stabbed Raven in the back before she realized what had happened.
• Elias nodded and continued, "Second, I'm in love with someone else, but I promised to be faithful to you after we get married."
• She shrugged nonchalantly. "That works for me. I'm also in love with someone else, but I won't make life difficult for you after we marry."
• When he learned that she had feelings for someone else, he began to say, "As long as the person you love doesn't mind our arrangement..."
• She put up a hand to stop him. "We split up."
• Raven had just turned twenty when her then-boyfriend, Asher Loughlin, discovered that she was only the Lancasters' niece and would not inherit anything from the family fortune; he broke up with her immediately. He had also accused her of toying with his feelings.
• paused, then said decisively, "We should get going."
• "Why don't we grab a cup of coffee before heading to the Civil Affairs Bureau?" Raven suggested. She didn't want to get the marriage license until she had received the sixty million promised by Lori.
• Elias did not object. He agreed that it would be somewhat abrupt for them to get married without first setting some ground rules. After all, some issues implicit in marriage need to be discussed beforehand.