On the second day after Mary had gone to the Gastons, Sofia had forced her to swear an oath.
Sofia said, “Mary, you’re not allowed to fall in love with Max or Marcus. You’re not allowed to have the intention of sleeping on their beds and marrying them when you grow up. If you like them and get together with them, Max will die a horrible death.”
The eight-year-old Mary had just lost her parents. Max had been the only one she could rely on.
When she heard Sofia’s words, she had been scared to tears.
There was an indescribable fear in her heart. Mary had sworn in a trembling voice the words Sofia had forced her to say.
Onn every death anniversary of her parents, Sofia would remind her about her vow.
She hadn’t known why Sofia had cursed Max instead of Marcus.
She found out only after she had grown up.
It was because Max was not…
___
Sandra was brought into the office building by her assistant.
“Have your assistant wait outside.”
Mary glanced at Sandra’s legs.
Then her gaze landed on the scarf around Sandra’s neck.
Sandra raised her hand and touched the scarf around her neck.
She smiled coquettishly and said deliberately, “Last night, Max was too intense. He left a lot of love bites on my neck. I need a scarf to cover the them. Mary, I’ll feel embarrassed if you stare at my neck like that.”
Sandra faked a smile and turned to instruct her assistant to wait outside.
Mary asked Priscilla, who had followed them in, to go outside as well. She wanted to talk to Sandra alone.
Priscilla was worried about Mary, but she still nodded and left the office. As she was leaving, she closed the door for them.
When they left alone in the office, Sandra untied the scarf and said to Mary, “Mary, Max and I are getting married next month. Do you know…”
Thwack! Thwack!
Before Sandra could finish speaking, Mary slapped her both sides of her face, forcing it to tilt right and left helplessly. Mary’s sudden action made Sandra’s face swell.
Sandra felt as if she could see stars, and she could taste blood in her mouth.
When Sandra processed what had happened, her voice became shrill and angry. “Mary, how dare you hit me?”
“How is it? Does it hurt?”
Mary stood in front of Sandra’s wheelchair.
She looked at Sandra disdainfully with absolute superiority, with a faint sneer of satisfaction crossed her face. She sneered, “You put in all that effort to find me. If I don’t slap you, it would be a waste of your efforts.”
She had used all her strength to slap Sandra, and her hand was starting to hurt.
Sandra’s face continued to swell.
The fingerprints were clearly imprinted on her face.
The scarf Sandra had just pulled off fell to the ground.
The love bites on her neck were exposed to Mary.
Mary looked at the marks.
She suddenly recalled the love bites on Sandra’s neck five years ago that had caused her so much upset and despair. Her body had frozen over as if she had been in a house of ice.
Now, Sandra was going to use the same trick again.
“Mary, even if you hit me, it won’t change the fact that Max loves me. These love bites were left by him last night. Not just on my neck, but here and here as well.”
She pointed at the two love bites on her chest and on her legs, enduring the pain on her face.
She laughed without any restraint. “Max loves to leave marks all over my body and would have sex with me over and over again. Mary, you have only slept with him once. I’ve been with him for five years.”
“Really?”
Mary coolly took out her phone and took a few photos of Sandra.
Sandra had not expected Mary’s actions. Her face contorted as she shouted, “Mary, stop! You’re not allowed to take my photos!”
“I’m taking them as a memento.” Mary said nonchalantly, “The next time Max forces me to marry him, I’ll show him the photos and let him know that you’re the one he should be responsible to. You had better stop pestering me.”
“Dream on! Max would never pester you or want to marry you!” Sandra panicked.
Sandra had not seen this coming.
She could not let Max see these marks.
She ad planned to move out of the Gastons’ residence for the next week.
She asked mockingly, “I remember that you’ve loved Max for many years, right? When did you start to love him?”
“I’ve loved him since the first time I met him. It’s been sixteen years.”
“You must love him deeply, right?”
“That’s right. I love Max very much. No one other than me is allowed to marry him.”
Sandra suddenly lowered her voice.
Her eyes shone with hatred.
She gritted her teeth and said, “Mary, why didn’t you die five years ago? It would have been great if you were dead.”
“You really want to know?”
Something flashed across Mary’s eyes.
However, she quickly suppressed her emotions.
Sandra stared at her and said, “I had even found several men for you. Why are you still alive?”
Mary smiled. “Of course, I’m alive to be with the man you love. I don’t like those men. I only want the man whom you love the most. Sandra, it’s payback time. I’ll make you pay for what you did to me five years ago.”
“Dream on!”
Sandra said angrily, “I won’t let you get close to Max. You’re dirty.”
She really regretted it now. She should have waited there that night to see Mary be toyed to death by the men and then explode into pieces.
“Really?”
Mary’s eyes were cold.
Her slender fingers tapped away on the phone.
A moment later, Sandra’s words came through the device. “I had already found several strong men for you…”
“How dare you…”
Sandra’s eyes widened.
She didn’t expect Mary to record her words.
Mary stopped the recording and held the phone with her fair fingers.
She looked at Sandra disdainfully. “Sandra, don’t worry. I won’t let Max know about this recording for the time being. Actually, last night, he told me that he wanted to cancel the engagement with you. It was I who put in a good word for you.”
“Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and Max?”
“Drive a wedge between the two of you?”
Mary pondered for a few seconds and suddenly laughed. “Of course not. I won’t do that, but what I will do…”
She raised an eyebrow and dialed Max’s number in front of Sandra.
She pressed the speaker button.
The call was picked up after just two rings, and a low voice sounded.
“Hello.”
Sandra’s expression turned ugly.
Mary glanced at her and asked casually, “Max, have you been living in the Gastons’ residence all these years?”
“No, why?”
The man’s voice was gentle.
It sounded very pleasant, and it even carried a hint of affection.
When Sandra compared this and Max’s attitude towards her, unconcealable hatred filled her eyes.
Mary looked at the emotions reflected in Sandra’s face.
A faint smile appeared on Mary’s beautiful face as she continued with her questions, “Doesn’t Sandra live in the Gastons’ residence? Doesn’t that mean that the two of you are living together?”
“Am I that sort of unfaithful person in your eyes?”
Max sounded annoyed.
He had not touched Sandra once in the past five years.
Now that he knew about her and Jason’s existence and said that he would be responsible for them, how could he have a relationship with Sandra?
“I’m just making sure. If you’re not living with her, you can move in with me and Jason.”
“Okay, I’ll move in tonight.” Max’s low voice could be heard after a moment of silence,
Mary could hear his mood swing.
Her voice was laced with gentleness. “However, to move in with us, I have one condition for you.”