Don's Vengeance: I Am the Urban Legend!

CHAPTER 2

Luxury Owen Hotel, first-floor banquet hall. The light from crystal chandeliers shimmered on the glossy floor, laughter and chatter echoed everywhere, yet not a single person truly cared about the bride-to-be. Everyone wore a mask of social politeness, raising glasses while their eyes were fixed on Elena Marshall, who stood silently at the center.

A middle-aged woman adjusted a lock of her hair, glanced at Elena, then whispered to her companion, "She’s known as the most beautiful woman in the city. Everyone thought marrying a wealthy man meant climbing to the top, but who would have thought she would still end up like this..."

Her friend replied with a scornful tone: “Wealthy? Not at all. Married the wrong man, now she’s struck by disaster, her family went bankrupt, her child is sick, and her husband’s in prison… What’s the point of beauty after all?”

Laughter and cruel words rang out around Elena, each word like a dagger stabbing her heart. Elena tried to keep her back straight, but under the white gown, her hands trembled again and again.

Brandon Thomas walked over, politely nodding to the guests, but his eyes only glanced at Elena with a half-mocking, half-pitying look.

A silver-haired gentleman deliberately raised his voice: “Mr. Marshall is truly fortunate, finally marrying his daughter into the Thomas family. It’s just a pity, the former son-in-law… I heard he’s in prison, isn’t he?”

Immediately after, more careless gossip followed:

“I heard he tried to r**e his sister-in-law but failed.”

“What kind of man is that, even wanting his wife’s own sister, utterly immoral!”

Charles Marshall, Elena’s father, forced a smile and raised his glass in reply: “Let’s not mention that shameless scoundrel anymore. Now that my daughter is marrying into the Thomas family, she’ll be happy for sure, unlike that man.”

Margaret Marshall, Elena’s mother, stood close to her husband, speaking softly but loud enough for many to hear: “That’s right, today is a happy day for our family. Don’t bring up that bastard’s name anymore.”

“But hasn’t Miss Marshall not divorced yet?” a middle-aged man asked: “How can she marry into the Thomas family?”

“Yes, how is that even legal?”

Margaret and Charles showed no shame, answering: “We’ll send the divorce papers straight to the prison for him to sign. Anyway, Elena is engaged now, he has no choice but to sign. And does he have the right to refuse?”

“True. That useless man can’t possibly refuse a divorce now.” the guest replied.

A fat lady in a fur hat butted in: “Whatever is said, she’s still better off than many. Now she gets to be the young lady of the Thomas family. Truly a step up, who wouldn’t want that?”

Sophie Marshall, Elena’s younger sister, stood not far away, lips curled in mockery as she adjusted her bracelet, saying: “That’s right, my sister is truly ‘blessed’ to become the wife of Young Master Thomas.”

All the guests and the Marshall family knew that Brandon Thomas was infamous for his wild lifestyle. Though they called it an engagement, it wasn’t clear if he actually wanted to marry Elena or just wanted the status of engagement to play around and discard her later.

But now, only a wealthy family like the Thomases could give Elena money for her daughter’s treatment, a daughter from a previous marriage. A woman with a child from another man, at least someone was willing to take her in, and everyone thought Elena was just a product displayed for sale, but in reality, she wasn’t worth much at all.

A friend beside Sophie clicked her tongue: “That’s pitiful for your sister, after all, she’s known as the most beautiful woman in the city.”

“Yeah, really pitiful.”

Sophie spoke with biting sarcasm. She’d always resented her sister. Elena was always beautiful, talented, and loved by their grandfather, left her 10% of the company’s shares, while Sophie got nothing. How could she not hate her?

Elena caught snatches of conversation, each word another cut. Her eyes were dry, and from being someone who had everything, she now felt like merchandise sold off, as if she were falling into an abyss. All the pain and falsehoods in the world seemed to converge on her.

At that moment, Brandon came close, standing right beside her, arm around her waist despite her attempts to evade. He spoke in a low voice, just for the two of them: “Don’t make things difficult for me later, when we go up on stage. Remember, only the Thomas family can give you money to treat your bastard daughter, and no one else would dare help you except us.”

Elena didn’t answer, only stared off into the distance, her gaze seemingly piercing through everyone, leaving only a boundless emptiness. Now, only her daughter mattered to her. Who she married, whose plaything she became, none of it concerned her anymore.

Even when a server accidentally bumped into Elena and walked away, mumbling without even apologizing, she no longer cared. She was now just a product, a worthless toy, for anyone to trample on.

At that moment, music sounded, signaling the engagement ceremony was about to begin. Charles stepped onto the stage, his voice full of pride: “Thank you all for coming to celebrate the engagement of my daughter, Elena Marshall, to Young Master Brandon Thomas, as well as the signing of a contract between the Marshall and Thomas families. We hope for your blessings.”

Below, a few mocking laughs could be heard. A man whispered to his wife: “He talks of pride, but he’s just selling his daughter to climb higher. This so-called contract is just a way to use his daughter to latch onto the Thomases.”

“At least he’s got somewhere to climb, unlike marrying someone without any status.” the wife scoffed.

“What did you say?”

Guests kept gossiping throughout the party about the Marshalls selling their daughter, though none dared to say it loudly. Now that the Marshalls were linked with the Thomases, no one wanted to offend them.

Margaret glanced at Elena, muttering: “Don’t do anything to ruin the wedding. It took a lot to get Young Master Thomas interested, and Rosa still needs her treatment.”

Sophie approached Elena and whispered: “You should be grateful. If Mom and I hadn’t accepted the proposal on your behalf, you’d still be struggling for every penny, nowhere near enough to treat Rosa.”

Elena nodded lightly to brush it off. She knew full well they weren’t helping her, just themselves, using her to climb higher. Saying they helped her was just pretty words.

Her gaze swept across the hotel hall, Marshall relatives celebrating their newfound status, guests talking about how the Marshalls were now untouchable. The whole room felt like a stifling cage; no one truly cared what Elena thought. There was only scrutiny, disdain, and calculation.

The music played again, this time a symphony opening the engagement ceremony. Charles took the microphone, trying to contain his excitement: “Please welcome Elena Marshall and Brandon Thomas to the front, to receive the blessings of both families.”

Elena walked step by step to the center stage, each step crushing a little more of her remaining pride.

Right then, Brandon’s phone rang. He frowned for a moment, it was his father, Auden Thomas, calling. Normally, his father wouldn’t care about things like this, since for him, an engagement was just for fun, not real marriage. His father always insisted that marriage should be for benefit, so he never interfered with Brandon’s playful engagements. But why was he calling now?

“I’m listening, Dad.”

“Stop the engagement immediately.” Auden’s voice was clear through the phone, and because Brandon was right by the microphone, all the guests could hear it. He continued, his tone firm: “Stop it right now.”