Book 1: She Becomes Glamorous After the Engagement Annulment

Chapter 43

Chapter 127: Forcing Her To Marry?

As soon as Nora entered the dining hall, someone came forward and asked respectfully, “Are you Ms. Smith?”

Nora nodded casually.

The man immediately said, “Please come with me.”

Nora, “?”

Did Justin need to go to such extents just to arrange a private room for them to have a chat?

The puzzled woman followed behind the service staff. After taking a couple of steps forward, she discovered that a red carpet had been laid out on the ground and there were a lot of balloons and flowers on both sides. It looked very romantic at first glance.

People around them were already gesturing at them.

Nora’s lip corners spasmed. She asked, “Is this a mistake?”

The waiter looked down at the business card in his hand. “Are you Ms. Nora Smith?”

“Yes.”

“That’s correct, then.” The waiter smiled and said, “Please come with me.”

Nora, “?”

She followed the service staff hesitantly and asked, “What’s going on?”

The service staff replied, “Someone has prepared a surprise for you, but I can’t tell you what it is yet.”

Justin had prepared a surprise?

Nora’s first reaction was to wonder if the man had gone crazy again.

Then, she suddenly realized that she was actually looking forward to the surprise somewhat.

Nora reached the other end of the hallway while her thoughts were still running wild. The moment she turned the corner, she saw someone standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

The man was dressed in a suit and looked pretty handsome.

He came right up to her, got down on one knee, and said, “Ms. Smith, please marry me!”

Question marks appeared all over Nora’s head at once: ???

What was going on?

Winston’s disreputable buddies stood on either side of him. Tina was also standing at the back of the crowd. Everyone was clapping as they shouted, “Marry him! Marry him!”

The noise made the people around them look over. Everyone stopped, gathered around them, and clamored along, “Marry him!”

Nora instantly became even more confused!

She took a step back and asked with a frown, “Did you get the wrong person?”

A smiling Winston replied, “Ms. Nora Smith, you’re so humorous… You’ve been on my mind ever since the moment I saw you dancing. Your graceful bearing has been etched deeply in my mind. Before meeting you, I’d never believed in love at first sight, but you’ve made me understand the meaning of this phrase now. Doesn’t the fact that you’re here indicative of how you feel?”

His words became mushier and mushier as he spoke, causing Nora’s brows to draw together.

She took another step back. “I’m here to meet someone.”

“Yes, I, Winston Myers, am exactly who you’re looking for!”

Winston offered her the bouquet again. “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady… What a perfect match!”

Nora, “!”

She frowned and said, “Sorry, I really don’t know who you are. I have something on, so please let me through.”

Everyone, “?”

In the midst of the audience’s puzzlement, Winston frowned and said, “Ms. Smith, surely you’re going too far? I already asked someone to go to your house to discuss our marriage yesterday, and also said that I’ll be waiting and proposing to you here.”

He grabbed Nora’s shoulder. “How can you possibly not know who I am when you’re already here?!”

Unfortunately, before he could touch Nora, her delicate and slender fingers had already tightened around his wrist. With a light pull, she threw Winston over her shoulder and he fell onto the ground!

Winston, “!”

He had never been one to take the short end of the stick from others. Upon being thrown to the ground in front of everyone, he became embarrassed and angry. He got up and snapped, “What are you doing?”

Tina also walked out from behind the crowd at this point. She frowned and chastised, “Ms. Smith, even if you don’t think Mr. Myers is good enough for you, you shouldn’t humiliate him like that!”

“I’m not good enough for her?” Winston was infuriated.

Tina always knew how to hit a raw nerve for him. He stretched out his finger and pointed at Nora in the face while saying, “I’m not good enough for you? It’s more like you’re not good enough for me! What makes you, a woman saddled with a child, think you’re too good for me?”

“Exactly…”

The people around them were all Winston’s friends, so they were all speaking up for him.

“What right does someone who grew up elsewhere have to look down on people like us who grew up in New York?”

“Mr. Myers is a native New Yorker! He has a lot of connections in New York!”

“I heard that she got herself pregnant before marriage…. If it wasn’t for that pretty face of hers, and for her reputation as a lucky star or whatnot, would anyone even approach them to ask for her hand in marriage?”

“Exactly. If you think even Mr. Myers is not good enough for you, then who do you think is good enough? Surely you’re not dreaming of Joel Smith or Justin Hunt, right? They’re way out of your league!”

“…”

Everyone started to pass comments, but what they said was very annoying and tiresome to Nora.

She looked at the people in front of her mockingly and clicked her tongue in annoyance and said dispassionately, “Did the New York Center open their doors and let all of you out?”

Her words made everyone fall silent for a moment.

But right after, a furor went through the crowd!

The New York Center’s full name was the New York Psychiatric Center. As the name indicated, it was a hospital that specialized in mental illnesses. Patients who couldn’t recover were typically kept there, which made it more or less the same as keeping them under surveillance.

In other words, Nora was mocking everyone and calling them lunatics!

“Do you really need to say such mean things, Ms. Smith?” Tina sighed and said, “Your previous engagement has already been annulled, so you should stop being so choosy. It’s your blessing to be able to marry Mr. Myers.”

Someone next to her asked curiously, “Her previous engagement was annulled? By who?”

Tina said pretentiously, “This concerns Ms. Smith’s privacy, after all, so I…”

“Just say it!”

Tina finally replied, “It’s the Gray's…”

“The Gray's? Which? Why haven’t I heard of them before? Are there any powerful Gray's in New York?”

“I don’t think so…”

Tina waved and said, “The Gray's aren’t from New York; they’re from California. As all of you know, Ms. Smith grew up outside of New York, away from the Anderson's. I heard that her father is just a small businessman… I guess the Gray's can also be considered a wealthy family over there?”

While the Gray's were considered pretty impressive in California, they were completely not up to par in New York.

Everyone suddenly burst into laughter. “It can’t get any more embarrassing to have your engagement annulled by nobodies like the Gray's.”

“Given what she’s like, who else would want someone like her?”

“…”

At the entrance.

When Justin walked in with Cherry and saw the flowers and the red carpet on the ground, his lip corners couldn’t help but spasm.

Then, he overheard the service staff members walking by him say, “… I heard that it’s a Ms. Smith who prepared all these. She’s intending to propose to someone…”

Justin suddenly froze when he heard this.

A Ms. Smith had prepared all these?

There shouldn’t be that many people with the last name Smith here today, right? Was she intending to propose to him?

His heart suddenly started to race, and he even straightened his back and neatened his clothes.Surely Ms. Smith won’t say something like ‘Since we already have children, let’s just marry and give them a complete home’ later, right?

Heh.

Suddenly, the red carpet and flowers didn’t seem so tacky anymore. They looked pretty nice.

With that in mind, he quickened his pace.

Chapter 128: Mommy Likes Little Puppies~

Even though Cherry, who was in Justin’s arms, had been forced to go through a ‘sharing session of love’ known as a Mathematical Olympiad lesson the previous night, she was nevertheless still very excited that she could openly skip class today.

Her big round eyes swiveled as she looked about. In her young and tender voice, she asked, “Did Mommy prepare these for you, Daddy?”

Justin replied, “… Yeah, I think so.”

He coughed and asked, “If Ms. Smith proposes to me later, should I accept or reject her?”

Cherry, “????”

She stared at her stinky daddy with question marks all over her head, thinking that he must have left his IQ at home today.

Why would Mommy possibly do something as pointless as this?

If she had the time to set up all these, she’d definitely rather sleep in a little longer instead!

Cherry’s lip corners spasmed as she replied, “You’re imagining things, Daddy.”

_

When the service staff who passed by them finished speaking, the other service staff corrected her and said, “Ms. Smith isn’t the one who prepared it. It’s someone else who prepared it because he’s planning to propose to her! You’ve got it the other way!”

Unfortunately, Justin The Narcissist didn’t hear that.

When he passed by a corner, he suddenly heard a commotion in front. Then, he saw the woman surrounded by a group of people.

Amidst all the mockery and ridiculing thrown at her, even though she had a lazy look on her face, her back was straight as if a lofty tree on a cliff.

Justin frowned. Just as he was about to go forward…

“Who says no one wants Ms. Smith?”

Suddenly, a gentle and sultry male voice rang throughout the place.

Nora looked behind her suddenly and saw a man dressed in a light gray suit standing a short distance away.

He had exquisite features and deep but warm eyes. His lips were thin and he had a sharp nose.

He exuded a warm and comfortable aura like that of a spring breeze. As though a prince stepping right out of a fairytale, he took step after step toward Nora until he came up to her.

He stood shoulder to shoulder with Nora and said in a clear and pleasant voice, “This is the marriage agreement between Ms. Smith and the Gray's. With this, why would anyone say that the engagement has been annulled?”

Everyone, “?”

Even Tina was dumbfounded.

“Who are you?” She asked.

The corners of the man’s lips curled upward into a small smile as he replied, “I’m Caleb Gray.”

He looked down at Nora. The man’s eyelashes were very long and he had a bit of a melancholic look in his eyes. He gave off a polite and down-to-earth air. He said, “Ms. Smith, I’m Anthony’s uncle.”

Nora became even more confused.

What did Anthony Gray’s uncle have anything to do with her?

Then, she heard Caleb say in his gentle and mellow voice, “There are only two men in the Gray's who are not married yet—Anthony and me. Originally, going by our ages, Anthony is a more suitable match for you—after all, I’m four years older than you. But since he’s blind and cannot recognize a treasure for what it’s worth, I shall fulfill the marriage agreement instead. This is the agreement; you can have a look at it.”

Caleb took out the marriage agreement that Nora’s mother had written when the two families had agreed on the children’s future marriage and showed it to her.

She had once owned a copy of the marriage agreement too.

However, she had torn it up when she returned to the States and broken off the engagement. She’d thought that Anthony would also do the same, but they had actually kept it?

She looked at the contents of the agreement next.

It was clearly stated on the Smith's end that this was Nora’s marriage agreement.

However, on the Gray's end, what it stated was indeed just ‘a man of suitable age’!

In other words, it didn’t necessarily have to be Anthony!

Nora’s brows knitted together. The sudden appearance of a fiancé really was very troublesome.

But here came the question again—why were the Gray's so insistent on fulfilling the marriage agreement with her? It wasn’t enough that Anthony left, so they were sending Caleb here now?

Moreover, Caleb was obviously much more reliable than that idiotic Anthony.

While Nora was preoccupied with these, Tina, who was standing in the distance, breathed a sigh of relief!

It was exactly because she was afraid that Nora and Justin would be entangled with each other that she had incited Winston to court Nora in the first place. However, if she had a fiancé… Wouldn’t that be great?

Wasn’t her fiancé a little too good-looking though?

Not only did he seem gentle, considerate, and elegant, but his eyes were also deep and innocent. It made one wish to care for and protect him, and also made them not have the heart to betray him.

Tina couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Gray, are you aware that she has a child?”

“I am.” Caleb said unhurriedly, “For Nora’s sake, I am willing to accept her and love her like my own. Everything is fine as long as Nora doesn’t resent us for breaking off the engagement in the beginning.”

Everyone, “!!”

Not only was the man handsome, but he was also deeply in love with Nora!

Caleb looked straight at Winston after he spoke. He said, “So, is this gentleman here still going to force my fiancée to marry him?”

The word ‘force’ made Winston look a little embarrassed.

However, Club Prism was an establishment run by the Imperial Corporation, so no one dared to make any trouble.

Winston let out a cold snort. Although he was rather displeased, he nevertheless turned, gave a wave, and left with his tail in between his legs, together with his friends.

After they left, Caleb suggested, “Why don’t we find somewhere to have a good chat, Ms. Smith?”

Nora certainly needed to have a good chat with him—about how they should call off the marriage agreement.

With that in mind, a troubled Nora nodded.

In the distance.

Justin was already pulling a long face.

He looked at his daughter in his arms, hoping that she would put in a good word for him. However, he instead saw a starry-eyed Cherry staring at Caleb. With a look of infatuation all over her face, she said, “Daddy, that young mister over there is so handsome!”

Justin, “?”

He asked solemnly, “You like him?”

Cherry nodded. “Uh-huh! His eyelashes are so long! Also, Mommy likes people who are like obedient little puppies!”

“…”

He suddenly felt an urge to throw the little fellow down!

But what could he do?

Since she was his daughter, he could only pamper and dote on her.

He took a deep breath and suddenly strode forward.

Nora was about to find somewhere to ask Caleb about the marriage agreement when she turned and saw Justin walking over with Cherry in his arms.

She immediately stood still and called out, “Mr. Hunt?”

Then, she looked at her daughter in his arms and said, “Pete?”

Cherry, “…”

Justin cast his eyes down and asked, “Ms. Smith, don’t you want to know why I hate my son’s mother so much?”

Nora, “???”

Caleb looked relatively innocent. The Gray's were also not as powerful as the Hunt's. However, even as he stood in front of Justin who had let loose all of his imposing aura, he surprisingly didn’t seem outshone.

He lowered his gaze and said gently, “You can go about your matters first if you’re busy, Ms. Smith. I can go to the Anderson's and discuss the details of the marriage agreement with Mrs. Anderson instead. You’re already an adult, so it’s time that we get married soon.”

Nora, “!!!”

She looked at Justin and then at Caleb.

The bold and resolute woman quickly made a decision. “Mr. Gray, please wait a moment for me.”

Then, she looked at Justin and said, “Mr. Hunt, let’s talk first!”

The children always came first!

Chapter 129: The Truth Behind What Happened Back Then

Seeing that Nora had chosen him, Justin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at Caleb and suddenly said, “It’s going to be a long talk. How about you rest somewhere, Mr. Gray?”

Caleb glanced at Nora with his deep and slightly melancholic eyes. Then, he cast his eyes down and sat on a random chair in the hallway. “No, it’s fine. I’ll wait for her here.”

Justin, “…”

How were they supposed to calm down and have a good chat with him waiting here?

Unfortunately for him, Nora found it a good idea to make everything clear today, so she nodded and said, “Okay.”

Then, she entered the private room with Justin.

Club Prism was the best club in New York.

A lot of people chose Club Prism for their business talks, and the soundproofing in the rooms was also very good. The noise outside was shut out after they entered the private room.

Nora sat on the sofa in the private room and looked at Justin. She said, “Mr. Hunt, you—”

Before she could finish though, Justin frowned and asked, “Shouldn’t you explain the marriage agreement first, Ms. Smith?”

Nora was taken aback. “What?”

Justin lowered his gaze. His earlobes were a bit red, but he nevertheless bit the bullet and said, “Considering how invested you are in my affairs, you must be interested in me, right? In that case, I can’t just allow the woman, whom I’m giving a chance to, to two-time me.”

Nora, “????”

She was about to refute him when Justin spoke again. He said, “Ms. Smith made frequent contact with my son when we were in California. After coming to New York, you also kept trying to approach me and ask about my affairs. All of these are what I think it is, right? After all, apart from that, there shouldn’t be any other reason, right?”

Nora, “!!!!”

She had already known a long time ago that Justin was a narcissist who thought that every woman who approached him was in love with him.

However, he felt different to her today.

It was as if he was presenting facts to her and reasoning with her so that he could convince her that her actions were indeed sending the message that she was in love with him?

Nora frowned.

She thought back carefully to all the recent events. Assuming that he didn’t know that his son was also hers, her recent actions were indeed rather inappropriate.

She had paid too much attention to him.

Besides, if she denied it now, wouldn’t it seem a bit too strange?

Nora didn’t speak for a while.

Justin stared at her with his dark eyes.

He had to seal the case right at the start of the talk. Otherwise, that woman might just run off with that fiancée of hers!

The beauty mark at the corner of his eye seemed to sway a little. Justin lowered his gaze and went on. “Silence means consent, Ms. Smith. I was right, wasn’t I?”

Left with no other choice, Nora, who could only acquiesce to it, replied, “… I suppose so.”

She glanced at Cherry.

Cherry also cast a silent glance at her. Sigh, little did she expect that someone like Mommy, who only knew how to sleep, would also have to contribute to the family one day. How rare.

Seeing how she looked somewhat reluctant, Justin picked up his cell phone and sent Lawrence a text message: ‘Check Caleb Gray’s background.’

After sending the message, he put down the phone and spoke seriously.

“Okay. On account of how you’re in love with me and that I’m also willing to give you an opportunity, I will answer your questions truthfully and tell you everything you want to know. Go ahead, Ms. Smith.”

“…”

The corners of Nora’s lips spasmed as she stared at him with a speechless look in her eyes.

The opportunity hadn’t come easy, though, so she immediately asked, “Do you know Pete’s mother, Mr. Hunt?”

Justin looked at her calmly. His dark and bottomless eyes wavered a little before he answered, “No, I don’t.”

Nora was puzzled. “Then why do you hate her so much?”

Justin clenched his jaw.

His expression turned somewhat serious as he looked at the coffee table in front of him. To be honest, he had never brought up what happened back then to anyone—because doing that would expose the scars in his heart. However, he knew that it would probably be very difficult for them to acknowledge each other if he didn’t make things clear now.

With that in mind, he said dispassionately, “On April 7th, five years ago, I received a call. The other party claimed to be my son’s mother. She asked me to prepare 1.5 million dollars for her. If I did as she asked, she would tell me where my son was.”

1.5 million dollars…

Nora frowned and asked, “And then?”

Justin’s voice was very low. “Of course, I didn’t believe her. Apart from one night that I can’t remember anything about, I’ve never touched any woman.”

Nora’s hand subconsciously balled up into a fist. The anxiety in her heart made her repeat, “And then?”

Justin, who noticed that her voice was shaking, slowly went on.

“I hung up after that. Maybe because she realized that she wasn’t going to get any money from me, she straight-up sent me a set of GPS coordinates and said that the child was at that location. If I didn’t go and pick him up, then the child would suffocate to death.”

‘Suffocate to death’

Despite knowing full well that Pete was safe and sound, Nora still found herself having difficulties breathing.

She suddenly thought of what Henry had said when she monitored his cell phone the other time. He said that he had buried the child with his own hands.

At this point, the look in Justin’s eyes turned cold and he said, “I happened to be passing by California that time. Thinking that it felt a little weird, I made an extra trip. Sure enough, I saw Pete who had been buried in the ground shortly after he was born.”

Nora stood up abruptly. She clenched her fists tightly, and even her arms were trembling. She asked, “How was he?”

Justin looked up at her. “He wasn’t breathing anymore at that time.”

Nora’s eyes widened in horror.

Justin’s voice was still as low and somber as before. He said, “I dug him out of the ground. His mouth and nose were full of dirt. Luckily, I had brought a family doctor with me that time, so he managed to perform CPR on the baby in time. The doctor said that he had been in the ground for about twenty to thirty minutes… Had we come a few minutes later, it wouldn’t have been possible to save him anymore.”

His mood also became dreary at this point and a wave of irritability and resentment welled up in him. He said, “Pete was later diagnosed with mild autism. The psychiatrist said that it was caused by the events back then. Even though he doesn’t remember anything, he had felt too insecure during that time.”

Justin looked straight at Nora when he spoke.

Pete had been weak and frail ever since he was a baby. Every time he fell sick, Justin’s resentment toward his mother would grow a little. That woman had really disregarded her son’s life just for the sake of money.

How he wished he could kill Pete’s mother.

However, when he realized that Nora was Pete’s mother, doubts about the events back then started to form in his mind. He looked at Nora and asked, “What’s the matter, Ms. Smith?”

Nora looked at him.

After she knew the truth, while her heart ached for Pete, she also breathed a sigh of relief. She finally knew the reason why Justin hated Pete’s mother now, in which case, everything would now be open for discussion!

She looked straight at Justin and said, “His mother had her difficulties back then!”