‘Valid point?
What valid point?’ Mark wondered.
Every single reaction between this duo was beyond his expectations.
Nothing about their interaction matched what he had imagined when he first learned that Damian would be forced into an arranged marriage.
This was definitely not how two people who had been forced to marry were supposed to behave.
As for the Quinns’ daughter, he had expected her to be bitter and unreconciled to marrying a man who, from an outsider’s perspective, offered her very little.
‘A crippled, visually impaired heir?’ Mark shook his head inwardly.
‘There’s no one who would willingly accept such a fate.’ Then there was his boss.
Damian had suffered an accident under mysterious circumstances.
He had spent half a year in the hospital fighting for his life, only to survive with permanent disabilities.
He was really unreconciled.
And while he had been lying on a hospital bed struggling between life and death, his stepbrother had quietly begun taking over the company, gradually claiming the achievements Damian had spent years building….
This outcome was totally unacceptable to him.
And just when he thought his family would wish him well, a family meeting was organized, and the conclusion…It was to find a wife for him.
At first, Damian had naturally assumed they would select a bride from one of the prestigious families equal to the Evercrests in status and influence.
Instead, they had chosen a family that was nowhere near the Evercrests’ standing.
It was nothing short of a slap across his face.
A reality he never wanted to believe…that him…the once-powerful Damian Evercrest, the golden bachelor of Astoria and a dream son-in-law of every family…had been reduced to an object of ridicule.
For months, he had argued with his family countless times.
Yet despite every objection he raised, they completely ignored his wishes.
And in the end, even with his absence…
The marriage rite was concluded.
‘How could he possibly accept such treatment?’ Yet now, hearing Damian calmly agree to share a room with his newly wedded wife, Mark couldn’t help swallowing hard.
As though he had read every thought running through his assistant’s mind, Damian slowly narrowed his eyes.
“What are you thinking?” His tone remained indifferent.
“Husband and wife are supposed to live together.” This time, Mark couldn’t keep his calm anymore.
“But that was not what you said earlier?” he countered.
Damian gave a small nod, his expression remaining calm although his voice carried obvious restraint.
“Yes.
That was my original intention.” He paused briefly before continuing.
“But after thinking about it carefully…
if we continue living separately, my family will never stop interfering.
Until the truth finally comes to light…” His voice trailed off before he calmly finished, “I’d rather keep her somewhere I can watch her myself.” Mark’s expression immediately became serious.
“Does that mean…
you suspect her?” Damian remained silent for several seconds as he thought the matter over in his mind.
To say he wasn’t suspicious of this Quinn’s daughter brought home as a wife would be quite an understatement and the greatest lie he could tell himself.
Besides, the choice to take the Quinns’ daughter as a wife had never been his.
It had been suggested by his uncle, supported by his stepmother, and with his father’s gullibility, he had even accepted it all.
It had been the major reason his grandfather had proceeded with the marriage, even when he insisted it wasn’t necessary.
And to think he would go out of his way to arrange the marriage to be so high-profile, inviting influential guests from every corner of the city…to others it was celebration.
But to Damian it was another trap and he had the feeling it must have been his stepmother’s suggestion.
Once the entire city acknowledged the marriage, turning it around in the future would become almost impossible.
How could he trust that the woman beside him wasn’t simply another pawn?
Another spy.
Or another enemy woven into an embroidery called wife?
Finally, he exhaled slowly.
“I don’t know.
But it’s better not to take chances.” Mark nodded in understanding.
“Then I will have it arranged.” “About the details you mentioned earlier…” Damian began but paused briefly.
“I think there’s a difference.” Mark nodded.
“I thought as much, but I wasn’t sure what changed.” “Investigate the Quinns and see what they have been up to lately, especially what transpired during that wedding,” Damian instructed.
He recalled every report he had read about Leslie Quinn.
It was said she was cold, arrogant, spoiled, and self-centered.
Though he couldn’t see her, with every intuition, he strongly believed the woman he had met today…never matched those descriptions.
If anything, she was fearless.
At least, not being scared of his presence was one thing to score her for.
Then she was quick-witted.
Knowing that the Evercrest family was only waiting to make a joke of her…
she had managed to use him as a shield.
That took a whole lot of courage…
thanks to his infamous title.
Then she was too observant…
Though she might have just been brought into the family, she was quick to read the room.
Most importantly…
her reactions didn’t seem to be rehearsed…
they came naturally.
After carefully analyzing this Leslie Quinn, Damian could draw only one conclusion.
“She doesn’t resemble the woman in the investigation report.” Mark nodded in affirmation, and just then, he thought of something else.
“Boss, there’s something else.” “What is it?” “The report says Leslie Quinn is already twenty-four.” He slowly narrowed his eyes.
“The woman I met today looks younger…
much younger than a twenty-four-year-old.” “How?” “She looks like a high school student…
though I might have seen it wrong.”Mark finished.
Damian remained silent for a while, his gaze narrowing ever so slightly, his fingers tapping thoughtfully against the armrest once more.
“You shouldn’t have seen it wrong because her voice was much younger and…” ‘Softer.’ ‘And her fragrance still has that light trace of milk…’ Yet he dared not say it out loud.
Otherwise, he wasn’t sure how to explain such discovery to his assistant…
Besides, he shouldn’t have noticed all those things.
Mark exhaled.
“Impossible.” Damian chuckled.
“It’s not entirely impossible.
Rather, I think she was really swapped.” Mark’s expression changed slightly.
“Aren’t they afraid they would offend the Evercrest family?” Damian sighed helplessly.
“Not really…
Maybe it was a tactic to save themselves from disappointing the Evercrest family after accepting their offer.” This time, it was Mark’s turn to be confused.
Even after thinking about it several times, it still didn’t make sense.
The Evercrest family had been in discussions with the Quinn family for about two months.
And it was only last month that the discussion was finalized.
In a bid not to waste time, the wedding had been scheduled for three weeks later.
If they were really unwilling to accept the proposal, they had every chance to back out of it.
‘Why go to such lengths as replacing the proposed bride with another?’ When his silence continued, Damian shook his head.
“Don’t you really get it?” “I don’t,” he answered with all honesty.
“What do you think the Quinns would do when the chosen daughter is their favorite child?” “Or what do you think the daughter would do if she was really unwilling to be bundled out of the Quinn house as a bargaining tool capital investment?” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Lilyheart Creation is hard, cheer me up!