Chapter 14 The One Who Hooked Them Up

• That was when Jonathan realized he had made a big mistake.
• “Y-You've got to help me out here, Cyrus! I've never even dreamed of stealing Silv's woman! You know I'm not into young girls like Calliope! Silv is the one who has a thing for young girls!” he exclaimed while slapping himself on the thigh.
• Cyrus took a sip of his coffee and flashed him a mysterious smile.
• He's right. Silv used to be a cold and heartless man who showed no interest in women whatsoever, and yet... Not only has he changed his identity to Dominic Garfield, but he even fell head over heels for a young girl like Calliope...
• “Silv said he doesn't care about this marriage at all, right? To him, it's just a means of hiding his true identity!” Jonathan added.
• Cyrus rolled his eyes at him. “And you just believe him? Just wait and see. I'm pretty sure there's more to Calliope than meets the eye. Who knows, Silv might never want to return to Yeringham after this!”
• After lunch, Dominic told Calliope he would be going out for a bit and left the house.
• The village wasn't huge. Before Calliope married him, he would often go for walks along the trail leading up the mountain. The place was usually empty, and the air was fresh. Those two points combined made it very suitable for spending some alone time there.
• Dominic frequented that place whenever he needed a quiet place to clear his head and plan his next move.
• However, he found himself unable to relax that day as he kept hearing Penelope's words in his head.
• After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he was about to continue heading up the mountain when someone called out to him from behind, “Hey, Dominic!”
• Dominic frowned slightly when he turned around and saw a young man waving his arms while running toward him.
• “I thought I saw someone who looked like you when I was at the bottom of the mountain earlier. You sure walk fast! I had to jog and run just to catch up to you! Oh, by the way, your wound has already healed, right? Do you need me to bring you some medicine?”
• Dominic nodded and replied, “Yes, I'm all healed now. Thank you very much for your help back then.”
• “Please, there's no need to thank me! We're close friends, aren't we?”
• The young man gave Dominic a pat on the shoulder as the two of them continued making their way up the mountain.
• Dominic was somewhat grateful to that young man for helping him out in his time of need. That young man was Xavier Sadowski. He was from one of the few wealthy families in the village.
• Not only was he the only university graduate in the village, but he also graduated from a medical school.
• He happened to run into Dominic, who was recovering from an injury, when he came back to the village after graduating. Everyone in the village shunned Dominic because of his unpredictable temper and unapproachable attitude. Being a kind-hearted fellow, Xavier was the only one who visited Dominic often to check on his condition and bring him medicine.
• Although Dominic was touched by his act of kindness and valued their friendship, it wasn't long before Xavier became his burden.
• He didn't know how Xavier found out about the relationship between the Gingrich family and the Garfield family, but Xavier ended up spreading the word about their marriage arrangement. As a result, all of Jazona found out about it and were waiting to see what the Gingrich family would do. If the Gingrich family decided to call off the marriage because of the Garfield family's downfall, then they would be labeled as lacking integrity in the corporate world.
• With no other way out of that situation, the Gingrich family decided to have Calliope marry into the Garfield family on Penelope's behalf.
• “Oh, I almost forgot to ask you about your life after marriage!” Xavier then eyed Dominic from head to toe as he continued with a cheeky grin, “You seem to be in the pink of health lately. I'm guessing you're getting along really well with your wife, eh? Speaking of which, I'm the one who hooked you two up, aren't I? When will the three of us be able to meet up for a gathering or something?”
• Dominic simply flashed him an extremely unnatural-looking smile without saying anything.
• I only came to this village because I heard about the Garfield family's downfall. Since I happen to look very similar to Dominic Garfield in his ID card picture, I figured I would assume his identity and live a peaceful life here. It was never my intention to get married at all! Honestly, Xavier's friendliness can get really overwhelming at times...
• “I hear the Gingrich family's eldest daughter has a bad temper. Heh... Well, I suppose it's normal for a girl like her to be a little spoiled. Try your best to put up with her whenever possible, okay?” Xavier continued with a caring look on his face.
• “Yeah, I know,” Dominic replied coldly.
• Although this marriage was not a part of his plan, he was glad that it wasn't Penelope who married him.
• Otherwise, he probably would have strangled Xavier to death.
• As it had been quite some time since Xavier saw him, he decided to invite Dominic over to his place for a few drinks. Right as Dominic was struggling to decline his invitation, a few old ladies came running toward them.
• “There you are, Dominic! You need to go home right now!”
• “Your wife won't be able to handle the situation for much longer!”
• If there was one thing the elderly women in the village loved doing, it was gossiping about others. “Heh... That's what she gets for having such a pretty face! I'm surprised you can go wandering about in the mountains while men are falling for her left and right! You should head back right now before it's too late!”
• The look on Dominic's face changed the moment he heard that, and he ran back to the house as quickly as his legs could carry him.