Chapter 1 Coward Like You Can't Be My Mother!

• "Babe…"
• A coarse and charming male voice sounded in Cathy Shaw's ear.
• …
• Cathy was startled awake. Her forehead was covered in a cold sweat.
• Her cheeks felt unusually warm to her touch. It has been five years. Why am I still having this dream?
• She got up and went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face. The cool water cleared her mind instantly.
• Then, she took her glass and went downstairs to get some water.
• "No, I don't want to! I will never marry that ugly old man!"
• "Everyone knows that Adrian Bolton is old and ugly. No woman in this city would ever want to marry him!"
• "I heard that his mind turned twisted after he disfigured his face in a fire about five years ago. Furthermore, it is rumored that he killed two women! I will not marry him!"
• A woman's sharp tone sounded from the living room. "Moreover, if someone has to marry him, it should be Cathy! After all, she is no longer a virgin and has even given birth! She is experienced, so it's fine to marry her off to that old pervert!"
• "Ember!"
• Dorian Shaw scolded, "Cathy is your elder sister!"
• Ember gritted her teeth and sobbed, "Dad, I'm your biological daughter. Cathy is just a girl you accidentally brought back instead of me. I lived eighteen years in poverty, in her place! Now, I have finally found my way back to the Shaw family and built my career. You can't force me to marry someone!"
• "Yes, she's right."
• Marion Staller quickly defended Ember. "Ember has made a name for herself in the business world and is the pride of our family. How can we sacrifice her?"
• "Furthermore, we have sheltered Cathy for twenty-three years. It's time for her to repay us."
• Ember, Dorian, and Marion all turned to look at Cathy who was coming down from upstairs.
• Cathy's knuckles turned pale as she gripped the glass tightly.
• She understood what was going on.
• They wanted to have a marriage alliance with the Bolton family but were unwilling to sacrifice Ember. Therefore, they planned to send her there instead.
• She took a deep breath. Once she was downstairs, she extended her hand as if to ask something from Dorian and said, "I want a contract."
• Dorian looked at her in confusion. "What contract?"
• "There should be a contract saying that my debt will be paid once I marry that man from the Bolton family. Otherwise, I won't have a guarantee that you won't later use this debt to make me commit a crime for you."
• Dorian was stunned. Behind him, Ember and Marion were stunned too.
• "Are you not going to write a contract?"
• Cathy took a pen and a piece of paper. Then, she wrote a few sentences before signing her name. "That's enough. All of you can stop acting. I will marry him."
• After that, she went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water before heading back upstairs.
• Ember rushed to get the piece of paper after Cathy left.
• Cathy had written the following words on the paper:
• Cathy Shaw shall marry on behalf of Ember and repay the Shaw family in full for their upbringing for twenty-three years.
• Ember found it hard to believe that Cathy would agree to marry so easily.
• She watched as Cathy walked up the stairs and mumbled, "Mom, has Cathy gone crazy? She agreed to marry without a protest. Does she not want her boyfriend anymore?"
• Marion quickly covered Ember's mouth and glanced toward Cathy. She feared that Cathy would change her mind.
• But Cathy had heard everything.
• She smiled bitterly. Two days ago, she did have a boyfriend whom she had been with for the past six years. She was willing to do anything for him.
• Now, not anymore.
• Therefore, she did not care who she married. It only meant a change of lifestyle.
• …
• Three days later, Cathy went to the Bolton residence.
• Strangely, they did not accept her immediately but asked her to stay in the Bolton's villa temporarily until Adrian makes a decision.
• In other words, even if no woman in the whole of Ryzan wanted to marry Adrian, he would still not simply accept anyone.
• Dorian had ordered Cathy to please Adrian so that he would marry her. They needed him to channel funds into Shaw Group.
• It was now night.
• Cathy sat in the bedroom quietly, waiting for the man to appear.
• "Clap!" A noise sounded out of nowhere. Instantly, all the lights went out in the villa, plunging it into darkness.
• Cathy could not stop herself from shivering.
• She was scared of the dark!
• Ever since that night five years ago, she could not remain in the dark alone. She needed a small lamp by her bed to fall asleep.
• She was now in an unfamiliar place. Therefore, she could not help but panic.
• She hugged her knees and shivered.
• She was too caught up in fear to notice that someone had opened the door.
• Suddenly, something touched her feet and covered her hand.
• Then, something sticky and cold rubbed her hand.
• Cathy's face instantly turned pale, and her heart stilled from fright.
• She screamed and retreated quickly until her back collided with a cold and hard wall. It hurt so much that she nearly fainted.
• However, the unknown creature continued to crawl toward her in the darkness.
• Then, it spoke with a hoarse voice. "Darling, my dear wife… It's me, your husband…"
• Suddenly, the lights came back on again and lit the whole room.
• Cathy finally had a clear look at the creature before her.
• It was a man with a terrifying face!
• Perhaps, it could not be called a man…
• His body was stooped like a dwarf. His limbs were lumps of black. It was hard to tell where the joints were.
• He was clad in a bathrobe as he lay on the side of the bed, staring at her with eyes as black as a bottomless pit.
• Furthermore, his face…
• It no longer seemed like a face. Scars criss-crossed his face, and his features were deformed. He looked like a demon from hell!
• "Ah!"
• Even though Cathy had mentally prepared herself to face him, she could stop screaming at this inhuman creature before her.
• The man chuckled and said, "Darling, why are you screaming? Are you scared of me?"
• "But you agreed to marry me…"
• Cathy was on the verge of losing her mind.
• She jumped off the bed in fright and ran out instinctively. She did not dare to look at the man again.
• While running away in terror, Cathy knocked over and shattered a vase in the corridor. She did not even notice that her leg was bleeding from a cut by the vase fragment.
• "Hahaha…"
• The man in the bathrobe watched Cathy disappearing down the corridor. Then, he took off his gloves and mask, revealing a smooth and chubby face. It turned out to be a boy. "How can she even dream of being our mom? She's a coward!"
• Then, he climbed off the bed and ran excitedly to a small study. "I did it again!, I scared off another one!"
• "Oh." answered a boy who looked just like him. He did not bother to look up from his book.
• The boy who scared Cathy was unhappy with his elder brother's reaction. He sat on a chair and scolded, "Can you show some concern for daddy? He hates women, but grandpa keeps arranging fiancées for him. That woman is the third one."
• The other boy arched his eyebrows slightly. His expression seemed much more mature than what was expected of his young age. "I see."
• The boy who scared Cathy was rendered speechless.
• My brother has a high IQ, but he always behaves coldly toward everyone. Like daddy, he is always reading. He is a bore!
• He pursed his lips and ran to the large study on the third floor. Then, he entered it and said, "Mr. Adrian Bolton, your third fiancée is a coward too!"