Chapter 4
Gemma was momentarily startled but quickly recovered, smiling as she said, “Cole, do you know this Selena Johnson? Could she be your latest conquest?”
In River City, while the Mason family’s wealth surpassed the Li family’s, their connections weren’t far behind. Thus, Gemma wasn’t overly intimidated by Cole.
Cole glared at her, about to speak, when I interrupted softly, “Let’s go.”
Without waiting for a response, I gave Timothy and Sophie one last meaningful look and turned to leave the room.
I didn’t want Cole to reveal my identity. If he did so publicly now, Gemma and the others would undoubtedly kneel and beg for forgiveness.
But that alone wouldn’t be enough for me.
The humiliation I endured today wouldn’t be erased with mere apologies.
Mistakes come with consequences, and whether they could bear those consequences wasn’t my concern.
Behind me, Gemma’s mocking voice followed. “For the sake of being Cole’s latest girlfriend, I’ll let you off today!”
“But you’d better smarten up. There are plenty of people in this world you can’t afford to mess with.”
I ignored her and walked out of the private room.
Cole quickly followed me, his face pale. When he saw the red, swollen handprint on my face, his voice trembled as he said, “Miss Johnson, our family has no deep ties with the Li family.”
“When Gemma proposed to invest in this private club, I only agreed out of courtesy as fellow members of River City’s elite. We’re nothing more than casual acquaintances. I had no idea she would dare treat you like this.”
Knowing my background, Cole was clearly panicked and eager to distance himself from Gemma.
I wasn’t going to hold him accountable, of course.
Calmly, I said. “I heard Gemma’s wedding is coming up?”
Our Daughter Almost
Mistress’s Christmas
!
1
napi
Before her wedding, find out everything about the people in that private room today–their
entities, and any illegal activities they’ve been involved in. Can you manage that?”
Cole nodded hastily. “Of course! I’ll make sure you’re completely satisfied, Miss Johnson!”
I nodded, paused for a moment to gather my emotions, then pulled out my phone and dialed at number.
As soon as the call connected, I feigned being deeply wronged and sobbed into the phone, “Mom, I’ve been bullied!”
“They were so scary–they said they were going to sell me to Northern Myanmar!”
I was the little princess of Capital City, pampered and adored since birth.
In my late–blooming rebellious phase at 18, I defied my family’s wishes. Instead of attending an elite academy, I chose to enroll in an ordinary university.
It was there that I met Sophie and Timothy.
After graduation, Sophie and Timothy moved to River City, while I was dragged back home. I could only visit Timothy in River City occasionally after convincing my family to let me go.
This time, I had finally persuaded my family to let me spend New Year’s in River City, planning to bring Timothy home to meet my parents. But instead, this mess happened.
. I felt suffocated with anger, but more than that, I was confused.
Why would Timothy agree to marry Gemma?
Was it just because of her wealth?
It couldn’t be that simple.
Regardless, the humiliation I suffered at the hands of Gemma and her cronies wouldn’t be brushed off so easily.
A few days passed, and Cole had gathered plenty of dirt on Gemma and her cronies, revealing the shady things they’d done.
On the day of Gemma and Timothy’s wedding. I went to the venue with Cole.
The wedding was packed with guests, all prominent figures from River City’s business community.
Der Bauehrer Almost
His Mistreu’s Christmas
side the banquet hall, Gemma was making her rounds with Timothy, toasting influential business Tealers with the poise of a seasoned socialite.
Her cronies trailed behind her, playing supporting roles.
When Gemma and her group noticed Cole and me, their expressions turned strange.
Before Gemma could greet us with her wine glass, I spoke first.
I looked directly at Timothy and said, “Your mother’s illness can be treated. You don’t need to force yourself into marrying this woman.”
Thanks to Cole’s investigation over the past few days, I finally understood what was going on.
Timothy’s mother had fallen gravely ill, draining the family’s savings and leaving them in deep debt.
It was at this time that Gemma appeared. With Sophie acting as the intermediary, Gemma promised. to pay off the family’s debts and arrange for the best doctors in River City to treat Timothy’s mother.
The only condition was that Timothy had to marry her.