Whenever she thought of her brother, Roxanne Peyton felt a surge of frustrated disappointnt.
Her brother was one of those types who never spoke up.
He was obviously in love with her, but he never said a word.
Back when she was ’married’ to Gavin Sinclair, it was understandable that he didn’t say anything, didn’t want to interfere.
After all, the woman was married. Confessing his feelings then would have been completely inappropriate.
But now, even after she’d told him that Claire and Gavin Sinclair were completely over, he was still hemming and hawing, refusing to say anything.
He’d said sothing about how a confession had to be done in person to be more formal.
But he was swamped with work at the company and had no choice but to wait.
And now look what happened. While he was waiting, his potential sister-in-law flew the coop.
She just didn’t understand how Ian Peyton, a grown man, could be so timid and indecisive.
It served him right that after Claire escaped that scumbag Gavin Sinclair, she was snatched away by Adrian Sutton.
The thought that their best friend had just rushed into a no-frills marriage left Roxanne Peyton and Stella Thorne looking completely distressed.
Claire rcer couldn’t get a word in edgewise; the two were too worked up to listen to her explanation.
Now that they had finally finished, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
"You’re still laughing," Roxanne Peyton said, shooting her a look.
"Do you have any idea how much my heart aches when I think about how hard your life is going to be?"
"Is it my turn to speak now?" Claire rcer asked.
"Go on. Let’s see what kind of fancy explanation you can spin."
"So, are you sure you’re done talking? Done asking questions?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Stella Thorne said with a nod.
Claire rcer smiled faintly, trying to calm her two agitated friends.
"Don’t get so worked up. It’s not what you think."
"Aside from being a little poor, Adrian Sutton is actually a great guy in every other respect."
Roxanne Peyton shot her a look, the picture of frustrated disappointnt.
"I knew it. You’re having another one of your love-addled brain monts..."
"Just let finish," Claire rcer said with a smile, linking arms with both of them as she began to explain.
"The only reason I married him so suddenly was to escape the forced marriage the rcer Family was planning."
Hearing this, Roxanne Peyton and Stella Thorne exchanged a look.
"What’s going on?"
"Who are those adoptive parents of yours trying to force you to marry now?"
Claire rcer shook her head. "I don’t know, but it wouldn’t have been anyone good."
"They were ready to marry you off to that Mr. Bower, the one whose three wives died. What kind of good match could they possibly find for you?"
"That Mr. Bower is ancient, not to ntion he’s fat-headed with big ears, looking like a winter lon."
"How could your adoptive parents be so cruel as to try and marry you off to such a greasy, sleazy pig?"
"I get mad just thinking about it."
"Don’t be angry, it didn’t happen, right?" Claire rcer said, quickly trying to placate Roxanne Peyton.
"Speaking of which, I have Adrian Sutton to thank for that whole business with Mr. Bower."
"If he hadn’t helped back then, they might have actually succeeded."
"You can’t go three sentences without ntioning Adrian Sutton now," Stella Thorne muttered under her breath.
"That’s not true. I’m just stating the facts. He really did help ."
"I figured, rather than be forced into a marriage by the rcer Family, be blackmailed by them, and be emotionally manipulated, I might as well make the first move."
"My marriage is not a tool for them to trade for benefits, and I won’t let them control my future."
"So after I got that call from Judith Caldwell, I decided to find soone and get married."
"I’m a married woman now. As long as I don’t get a divorce, they have no right to force to marry anyone else."
"Forcing a child who is already married to remarry, whether through violence or threats, is also the cri of bigamy."
"As long as they don’t want to end up in prison, and as long as I remain married, there’s nothing they can do to ."
"So you and Adrian Sutton aren’t really married? It’s just a contract marriage?"
"We didn’t sign any contract, but our marriage is pretty much just us helping each other out."
"It just so happens his grandparents have been pressuring him to get married, too. Us getting our marriage certificate so quickly was purely a case of mutual aid."
"Are you telling you chose to marry him purely to defy the rcer Family’s forced marriage?" Roxanne Peyton asked.
Claire rcer nodded. "Yeah. Why else?"
"We agreed that we’ll get a divorce if we ever et soone we actually fall in love with."
Roxanne Peyton’s face was still etched with worry. "But I still feel like marrying him was far too reckless."
"After all, you two are legally married, with a proper certificate and everything."
"Aren’t you afraid he’ll use that marriage certificate to latch onto you for the rest of his life?"
"Roxanne is right," Stella Thorne said, nodding in complete agreent.
"In today’s society, there are more n than won. A lot of guys without money can’t find a wife."
"He managed to marry you without spending a single cent. You don’t think he’ll cling to you for dear life from now on?"
"After all, most won these days are very practical. They don’t want to live a hard life with a man who has no money."
"Even if he’s handso, you can’t eat a pretty face."
"If he divorces you, he’ll be a divorcé. It’ll probably be even harder for him to find soone else."
"That’s why, just like Roxanne, I’m worried you’ll be tied to him for life."
Claire rcer hadn’t really thought that far ahead.
Now, hearing them lay it all out, she had to admit it made a lot of sense.
But when she thought about all the ways Adrian Sutton had helped her before, all the little details of their interactions...
’He doesn’t seem like the kind of person they’re describing.’
"I know you’re just looking out for and are worried I’ll get cheated again."
"But the rcer Family really pushed into a corner."
"Instead of being forced to marry so awful person they picked out for ..."
"...it’s better to pick soone I know and just get through this imdiate crisis first."
"Adrian Sutton might be a little poor, but from what I’ve seen, I think he’s a decent person."
"Even if he refuses to divorce later, it’s still better than anyone the rcer Family would find. So, don’t you worry about , okay?"
Hearing Claire rcer put it that way, Roxanne Peyton and Stella Thorne didn’t know what else to say.
"Now that I’ve officially announced that I’m married..."
"Judith Caldwell and the others have definitely seen it. I bet she’s at ho, hopping mad right now."
"I’m actually really looking forward to seeing Judith Caldwell’s reaction to my marriage.
"Given her explosive and irritable temper, she might just get angry enough to cough up blood."
Roxanne Peyton said indignantly, "It would be for the best if that vicious old hag died of anger. You can tell she’s not a good person just by looking at her."
And just as Claire rcer had said.
「anwhile, at the rcer residence.」
When Judith Caldwell saw the picture of the marriage certificate on Claire rcer’s social dia feed, she was so furious she beat her chest and stomped her feet, nearly choking on her own rage.
"That bitch... that bitch!"
"She’s trying to piss off, she’s definitely trying to piss off!"
"I had just called her, and the next thing I know, she runs off and marries so man."
"Scarlett told he’s a broke nobody. She’s doing this just to provoke us!"
"What do we do now? She’s already legally married. How are we going to explain this to Mr. Lawton?"
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