Chapter 1 His Death
“Tristan Duran died.
“It’s said that he died of illness. You were betrothed to him before you were born, so the Duran family insists that you should marry him.
“There’s no need for a wedding. I’ll have someone take you to the Duran’s place. You’ll be Tristan’s wife from today on.” Miranda Shulman, her stepmother, took a sip of coffee on the sofa, looked up at the rustically dressed girl, and continued lightly, “You should know that we brought you back for this marriage.”
“Yes,” Renee Fletcher, with dejected eyes, replied in a low voice.
She knew that she was back for the marriage between the Fletcher family and the Duran family. The Fletcher family couldn’t bear to see Joanna Fletcher suffer in the Duran family, so they brought Renee back from the countryside.
At the age of 15, Renee learned that she was a true member of the Fletcher family, while Joanna took her place and lived with the Fletcher family for fifteen years. Joanna was intelligent, outstanding, and beautiful, and the Fletcher family had fond feelings toward her. For her sake, the Fletcher family left Renee in the countryside for four years despite knowing the truth.
The Fletcher family finally brought Renee back today, only to let her marry a dead man on Joanna’s behalf.
Miranda checked the time and said, “The Duran family’s cars should have come. You can leave now.”
Renee pursed her lips and muttered, “My dad and my brothers…”
“They are all very busy and don’t have time to see you,” Miranda said with a frown. “Don’t you know that it’s Joanna’s graduation ceremony today?”
Before Renee could speak again, Miranda impatiently urged, “Alright. Just go.”
Several luxury cars were parked outside the Fletcher’s villa. Renee got in one of them and left the house where she stayed for less than thirty minutes.
Miranda watched as the cars drove away and sighed, “What rotten luck.”
Marla Woods, a maid of the Fletcher family, said, “Renee’s biological mother died long ago. You didn’t have to come to see her.”
Miranda sneered, “So what if her biological mother died? Everyone knows that I’m the hostess of the Fletcher family, but I don’t have any children of my own. Anyway, Renee is a legitimate daughter. If I didn’t come, others would gossip behind my back.
“Well, let’s not talk about this. After what happened to the Duran family, who knows if Renee can survive there? As her stepmother, I have to come to see her for the last time.”
***
The Duran family, boasting a history of hundreds of years, was the most prestigious in Ampleshire. Now, their mansion was permeated with a solemn atmosphere with flags hung in the hall. Servants were dressed in black, and many guests came to offer their condolences. It was truly absurd that Renee came as Tristan’s wife.
“Is that Mr. Duran’s wife? She should’ve just come back from the countryside. Look how vulgar she is,” a guest whispered.
“Mr. Duran’s grandma loved him dearly. He didn’t get married when he was alive, so she decided to marry this girl to him after his death. That’s why… This girl is unlucky.”
“I don’t think so. Since Mr. Duran is dead, she can live longer in the Duran’s place. But if Mr. Duran was alive, I bet she couldn’t live here for more than three days!”
Hyman Hayes, the butler of the Duran family, seemed to have not heard these discussions. He led Renee into the mourning hall and said expressionlessly, “Mrs. Duran, please kneel and guard the coffin here.”
Renee obediently knelt on the cushion. As she looked up, she saw a black coffin and a black-and-white portrait in its front.
