Chapter 1 Wedding Out Of The Blue

• Over in the city of Zaprington in Dartan, the scorching July sun bathed the earth in its unforgiving rays. Naturally, the Guiver residence was no exception to the sun's wrath.
• “Dad! What are you saying? You're marrying me off? Are you so poor that you've no choice but to sell your daughter like this? Aren't you afraid you'll be mocked by others for years to come? Touch your heart and ask yourself if this is the right thing to do!” exclaimed Annalise Guiver.
• She had just returned home for the holidays now that her exams had ended when she caught wind of this sudden revelation. Although she had earlier dismissed it as a joke, Annalise quickly realized that it wasn't and thus began complaining to her father. Try as she might, she couldn't fathom which family was so foolish as to seek her hand in marriage.
• Fiona Lane lightly slapped Annalise's shoulder in response to her outburst. “Look at what you're saying now! We've especially called you back home to discuss this marriage with you.”
• Annalise jabbed her finger at the mountain of gifts that stood before them and asked, “Mom, you've already accepted all the betrothal gifts. How is that a sign that you want to discuss the marriage?”
• Annalise was merely an ordinary and typical student in her second year of university. She hadn't even gotten the chance to have fun at the end of the summer holidays when she had suddenly been summoned home urgently by her mother. It was only upon her arrival did she find out that someone had approached her parents for her hand in marriage.
• Who could it be? Of all the families in Bera, the Jundt family reigned supreme. The second Annalise found out that it was the Jundt family that had proposed this union, she sat up in shock from the couch and remained frozen, almost as if she had been struck by lightning. Her parents exchanged cautious glances as they watched their daughter with worry.
• “Our two families have agreed to have a meal together tomorrow. You—”
• “Give me some time to cool down, Mom.”
• With that, Annalise rose stiffly to her feet and took the stairs back to her room. She knew that if it were any other family in Dartan that had reached out for this union, she would have easily rejected them without a second thought. However, the Jundt family was the one exception. No matter how much disregard she had for the unspoken rules between families and proprieties, she knew that the Jundt family was the limit and where she had to draw the line. The Jundt family was based in Zaprington in Dartan and boasted generations of businessmen. They were a relatively well-known family in the area. In fact, they were so influential that Dartan's economy could easily be shaken by their movements or whims. It was clear to Annalise that this was the one family she couldn't afford to offend.
• Annalise cradled her head in her hands as she moaned, “What should I do? This marriage has really come out of nowhere to ruin me.”
• Should I just suffer and go along with it? Or should I fight it to the very end for the sake of my happiness? Annalise couldn't figure out what to do.
• The next day, Annalise decided to join the meet-up between the two families, albeit with a radically altered appearance. Her usually youthful visage was now plastered with several bulging red spots evenly scattered throughout her face. Whenever she opened her mouth to speak, a ghastly odor would emanate from her, and the irregularities in her teeth were obvious for all to see. Annalise had also tied an ugly yellow ribbon on her head that blatantly didn't pair well with her clothing. Her lips were painted over with barbie pink lipstick, and her fingernails were each painted with a different color, ranging from red to pink and even purple. As a whole, the Annalise that stood before the two families could no longer be described using mere words, such as ugly or fat. She was simply off-putting and painful to look at.
• Joshua Guiver gestured toward Annalise and introduced her, “Old Mr. Jundt, this is my daughter, Annalise.”
• Is that really her?
• Dominic Jundt couldn't help but be taken aback by the monstrosity that stood before him. His eyes drifted over to the photo he held in his hands, and he did a quick comparison of the lady in the photo against the one that stood in front of him. The one in the photo had a flawless and beautiful face, with a slender frame and beguiling eyes. She was nothing but sweet to look at. However, she had somehow transformed into a plump and pimpled woman that reeked of body odor. Dominic was sure that even the most open-minded of people would treat this woman with disdain.
• In hindsight, he was glad that his second son, Claudio Jundt, wasn't around for this meeting. Dominic was sure that he would never agree to move forward with the marriage if he knew what his prospective partner looked like.
• “Why is she so different from the photo?” asked Dominic.
• Annalise composed herself and put on a timid and shy attitude as she replied, “The photo has been beautified. This is what I actually look like.”
• Dominic started to waver. Annalise saw the look on his face and felt the beginnings of joy erupt within her, as she knew that there was no way the Jundt family would accept her the way she had portrayed herself. At the same time, Joshua and Fiona couldn't help but marvel inwardly at their daughter's brilliance in coming up with this ruse. Previously, the Jundt family had abruptly come forward to propose this union to them. Although it was phrased politely, the pair could tell from their envoy's demeanor that the Jundt family wouldn't take no for an answer and that they were basically forcing them into it. The pair didn't even have the chance to reject the proposal.
• Now that an opportunity had finally surfaced, Joshua led the charge and said, “It's our fault to have deceived you with that photo, Old Mr. Jundt. Why don't we drop the matter of the wedding and leave it as such? I'll have someone send the betrothal gifts back to the Jundt residence.”
• “No need for that. I'm rather fond of Annalise.”
• “What?”