Chapter 1 After the Funeral Comes a Wedding

• "Miss Hartwell, the hospital has given you three days to settle your payment. With things as they are, we can only give you the latest by the end of the day. If you can't pay your brother's medical bills before midnight today, we would have to stop his medication."
• Where am I going to find the money by midnight? Natalie Hartwell left the hospital with her face as pale as a sheet. She had tried calling her boyfriend on her phone but to no avail. Without any other options available to her, she took a taxi and went straight to his place. As her boyfriend placed importance on his privacy, she would not usually drop by his place without his invitation.
• The lights were on in the bedroom upstairs. As Natalie went upstairs, she heard Britney Hartwell's moans coming from the bedroom, the door of which was ajar. "Justin, harder… Ah, I love you so much… Justin, you're so good. No, don't stop! I want more… Ah!"
• On top of the bed that was decorated with fresh rose petals, Justin Lewis hugged Britney with so much love as he said, "You little fox, do you want more, or do you want to stop? Oh, Britney, I love you so much."
• "Justin, I love you too. But, the Langston Family has chosen me as their bride for that cripple. Although Daddy has contacted my sister, she hasn't been home so far. If she doesn't agree…" Britney started crying at this point.
• His heart ached. "It won't come to that. I've already got that foolish girl wrapped around my finger. That girl thinks that I've fallen in love with her. When the time comes, I will trick her into the wedding by telling her that it's our marriage. By that time, the Langstons wouldn't ruin their own reputation by admitting that it was the wrong bride. They definitely would never allow her to go back on it as well."
• Natalie stood frozen in place. She could not believe her ears.
• As the Langstons' heir, Casper Langston was disabled in an accident. Because of this, his childhood sweetheart broke off their marriage and left abroad. This incident had made Casper the laughing stock throughout the city. With the Langston Family unable to bear becoming the butt of the joke, Old Mrs. Langston, Ethel, had decided that the wedding would still proceed, albeit with a different bride as she wished to retain the family's dignity.
• It was at this time that the Hartwell Family took the initiative to offer their daughter's hand. After all, they couldn't even reach the top in the city a long time ago. To the Hartwells, it was an excellent deal, as all they needed was to sacrifice one of their daughters.
• Originally, this was Britney's dream marriage, as the Langston Family was a wealthy family, albeit with a crippled heir. However, she wouldn't need to lift a finger in the man's care, as there were many caretakers in the family. With that said, the only problem was that Casper could not perform in bed. She immediately became reluctant in the marriage and immediately went through great efforts in seducing her sister's boyfriend.
• To her, although the Lewis Family wasn't one of the wealthiest families in the city, it was still much better than the Hartwell Family. Should she succeed in conceiving the next heir of the Lewis Family, she could still be the young Madam of the Lewis Family even if she wasn't the Madam of the Langston Family.
• With the voices in the bedroom becoming much more flirtatious, Natalie clenched her hands into fists, her face as pale as a sheet. Britney… Justin… I will never forget this. I will make your lives a living hell! However, she knew that she would not be able to go against the Hartwell Family by herself, let alone the Lewis Family. At this moment, her phone suddenly rang.
• "What? W-Who's there?! Justin, what's going on? Was there someone else in your house?" Britney screamed in fear.
• Unsettled by the abrupt call, Natalie immediately answered her phone.
• "Miss Hartwell, I'm sorry to inform you that Mr. Hartwell had a sudden attack. We have tried our best in resuscitating him, but unfortunately, he has passed away."
• Natalie's phone immediately fell to the ground and shattered with a loud sound.
• …
• Two days later.
• The funeral for Natalie's brother was a simple one. Besides her, no one else from the Hartwell Family was present. However, she found the situation laughable; as soon as the funeral ended, her family arranged for a makeup artist to do her makeup and threw her in a wedding dress before they immediately sent her off to the wedding.
• Without making any fuss, Natalie obediently followed her family's arrangement. With how wealthy the Langston Family was, she would have no need to fear both the Hartwell Family and the Lewis Family with the Langston Family behind her. After calmly thinking about the situation, she would be able to make both Britney's and Justin's life difficult after being married into the Langston Family. Naturally, she would play her role of Casper's wife well, in return.
• The Langstons' wedding of the century was being held as scheduled in the Langston Residence. The people, who were waiting to see the end of the joke of the wedding, were all dumbfounded when they saw Natalie's appearance. Instantly, the audience began speculating the identity of the new bride amongst themselves.
• Among the crowd, Justin was dressed to the nines. He was slightly startled when Natalie made her appearance. With that pure white wedding dress, the white tiara on her head, and her red sultry lips under the spotlight, she was unmistakably beautiful and charming at this very moment. Natalie? When did she become so beautiful? He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
• …
• At the end of the ceremony.
• The Langston Family's driver drove Natalie to the Langstons' Moperville Villa, which was located halfway up the hill. Mrs. Jenkins, the caretaker, gave Natalie a brief tour around the mansion and left Natalie in Casper's room after that.
• In the room, Natalie immediately noticed Casper lying on the bed.
• Natalie's husband, Casper Langston, once stood at the very top of the city. He was a powerful man as he had single-handedly made a huge business empire. However, just when his business reached its peak, a car accident had taken away his glory.
• Although the man's face was slightly pale, it did not diminish the man's attractiveness. With his sharp chiseled face and dreamy eyes, he still looked magnificent even in sickness.
• After observing the man for a long time, Natalie started to notice that something was off. She tried shouting to wake the man but to no avail, as the man gave no reaction and stayed motionless like a corpse even after she tried poking the man's face several times. No wonder they say that he can't perform in bed. He's basically a comatose patient!