Chapter 2 For Mom, Standing in for Sister's Wedding

• After that evening, Sierra had applied for a spot in the staff dorms, where she stayed temporarily.
• She was working as an intern nurse at People's Hospital. In her younger days, she had dreamed of following her mother's success as a top-notch doctor.
• However, life threw her a curveball three years ago when her mother tragically fell from a building. As a result, her father urged her to give up her admission to a prestigious school and enrol in nursing school instead.
• He believed it would allow her to start earning sooner, thus saving on expenses.
• Over the past few years, Sierra had been enduring the challenges at home to care for her seriously injured mother. Since entering the workforce, she worked diligently, throwing herself into her job with determination. Regardless of the role, her ultimate aim was to fulfil her dream of saving lives and comforting the injured.
• Just after finishing her night shift, Sierra made her way to the intensive care unit to visit her mother.
• For three years, she had been steadfast in visiting whenever she could. Each time she entered, she took a moment to massage her mother's body and talked with her, even though there was never any response. Yet, she maintained her belief that her mother could hear her.
• Thirty minutes flew by quickly, she had to leave with tears in her eyes.
• No matter how fervently she called out, she couldn't rouse a coma patient who had suffered severe brain trauma. But Sierra wouldn't give up. She believed her mother could hear her calls, just as she was tirelessly striving to carry on.
• On her way back to the dorm, Sierra was stopped by Megan.
• Megan was her half-sister, sharing the same father but different mothers, and had always been indulged and headstrong since childhood.
• She used to scorn places like hospitals and had been always insulting for Sierra's profession. So, it was quite unexpected for Sierra when she suddenly appeared there.
• "Sierra, you should marry into the Hoffman family on my behalf," said Megan.
• Megan's grandmother had arranged a childhood betrothal for Megan with the heir of the esteemed Hoffman family, the most prominent family in Baycrest.
• Sure, the Hoffman family was influential, but a few years ago, Megan had somehow heard a secret claiming that Jeremy had inherited his mother's congenital heart disease. They said he wouldn't live past thirty, and he was also deemed useless.
• Megan, always proud and headstrong, couldn't fathom marrying a man with such a short life expectancy and ending up a widow.
• She had been putting off the wedding date, and the Hoffmans weren't pushing it either, so both sides had stopped mentioning the engagement altogether.
• Recently, Rupert, in urgent need of money, wanted to "sell his daughter." Meanwhile, the old lady from the Hoffmans suddenly wanted her grandson to get married, so both sides quickly agreed to proceed with the marriage as soon as possible.
• Sierra looked at Megan with a cold gaze and couldn't help but laugh. "Why should I be the one to marry into the Hoffman family for you?"
• Megan scoffed mockingly. "With your looks, marrying into the Hoffmans would be doing you a favour, wouldn't it? It's like turning an ugly duckling into a phoenix. I'm giving you a good deal!"
• Unreasonable!
• Sierra exclaimed, "You can give that good deal to others. I refuse."
• She didn't bother engaging with Megan any further and simply moved past her.
• With a forceful shove, Megan insisted, "Sierra! This is Dad's decision. You can't just refuse!"
• Sierra, her delicate frame weakened by recent poor sleep and diet, was sent tumbling to the ground by the push.
• Dizzy from the impact, Sierra fought back tears and stood her ground. "Forget it. Neither you nor your father can dictate my life anymore!"
• With her arms crossed, Megan looked down at her. "Fine, you think you're so tough, huh? From now on, Dad won't spend a penny on your mom's medical bills!"
• Sierra's expression stiffened. "Dad said that too?"
• "Yep, he did. Want me to give him a call and confirm?"
• Sierra's lips trembled, tears streaming down her face. She was well aware of her mother's condition. Without medication, even just for a day, she could pass away at any moment.
• Still, during her internship period, Sierra couldn't afford the expensive medical bills, even if she skipped meals and drinks.
• After a long silence, her face drained of colour, she reluctantly responded, "Okay, I agree."
• Three days later.
• In a mansion resembling an estate.
• Sierra sat uneasily in the expansive living room.
• Rupert had brought her to the Hoffmans' estate to discuss the wedding arrangements.
• As soon as the servants of the Hoffmans laid eyes on her, they began whispering among themselves.
• "I don't recall ... when she was young, she didn't have this birthmark on her face," Agatha Hoffman remarked, her demeanour still gentle and calm. However, despite her kindness, she couldn't ignore the sudden flaw on the face of his grandson's future wife.
• Rupert had already prepared his response and chuckled, "Old Madam Hoffman, have you only seen one photo of Sierra at her one-month celebration? Her face was so small back then, you couldn't see clearly. Birthmarks do tend to appear as people grow up."
• Agatha and Megan's maternal grandmother, Isla Smith, had been childhood friends. Isla later married and moved far away to Sunnydale, so they rarely saw each other anymore.
• After the baby was born, Isla sent a photo of her adorable granddaughter. Seeing the little girl, with her fair skin and lovely features, Agatha was charmed and decided to arrange the engagement.
• Though she wasn't entirely satisfied with Sierra's appearance, Agatha couldn't ignore her grandson's health condition and his reluctance to have a girlfriend.
• Finally, she decided to go through with the marriage, even giving Rupert a generous sum of money on the spot.
• Rupert laughed heartily, while Agatha's expression betrayed a hint of disdain, though she kept quiet about it.
• After chatting for a while, the groom-to-be was still nowhere to be seen. Agatha gestured for a maid to go and get him.
• A maid went up to urge him.
• After a while, a tall, imposing man made his way down the stairs from the second floor with a confident stride.
• Hearing the footsteps, Sierra glanced up and couldn't help but be surprised.