Her Fiancé Was Given To Me, I Married Him

Chapter 2

Years ago, Chloe's biological mother had switched us at birth, allowing Chloe to live as a wealthy heiress for more than 20 years in my place. Yet my biological parents insisted that she owed me nothing.

How ridiculous.

I saw their blatant favoritism and chuckled.

"I know. Don't worry. Chloe vanished from her wedding, so the Hale family was bound to be upset. I only agreed to marry Adrian for her sake.

"I'll look after the Hale elders and explain things on her behalf. Once she comes back, Adrian and I will announce our divorce."

The relief on my parents' faces was unmistakable.

"You're a good girl, Claire. We know this is hard on you. When your sister returns, we'll find you a good match. Someone from a more modest family might suit you better. That way, you'd have an easier life."

I smiled and nodded before returning to my room.

When Chloe returned?

What a shame. By then, Adrian and I would've probably already had a child.

On the night of the reception, I wore a dark green velvet gown. My hair was swept into a loose updo, and my only jewelry was a pair of pearl studs.

When Adrian arrived to pick me up, his gaze lingered on me for 2 seconds before he looked away.

"Let's go."

Only after we reached the venue did I realize how exclusive the event was. The room was filled with celebrities and business magnates, including several regulars from the covers of financial magazines.

Adrian lowered his voice. "Nervous?"

I shook my head.

His brow lifted, as if my answer had surprised him.

I smiled without explaining and walked calmly into the crowd with a glass of champagne in hand.

Adrian didn't know that, from my first day back to the Bennett family, I had used my "allowance" to hire three tutors—one for etiquette, one for language, and one for networking.

Every night from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., I studied without fail. I kept it up for 3 full months.

Anything Chloe could do, I had to master.

Anything she couldn't do, I had to do even better.

Halfway through the reception, an interpreter for an overseas business partner had an unexpected emergency. For a moment, the organizers were thrown into a panic.

I approached with my wine glass and began discussing recent market trends with the guest in fluent French.

His eyes lit up, and he spoke with me for nearly 20 minutes.

By the time I introduced him to Adrian, the way Adrian looked at me had changed completely.

"Claire." After the guests had left, he stopped me on the terrace. The night wind turned his voice slightly hoarse. "How much else don't I know about you?"

I turned. Moonlight spilled across my shoulders, and my smile was measured to perfection.

"If you want to know, just take your time finding out."

He froze for a moment, then let out a quiet laugh.

"All right. I look forward to it."

After that night, Adrian began asking me out.

We had dinner together, went to concerts, and enjoyed weekend getaways.

He even started giving me gifts—not expensive jewelry, but a bottle of perfume I had once mentioned in passing.

Through it all, I remained calm and undemanding.

Then, during a business dinner, one of Adrian's associates got drunk and used a toast as an excuse to put his hands on me.

Adrian's face darkened. He shoved the man away and drove a fist into his face.

The man crashed to the floor, and chaos erupted around us.

Feigning panic, I caught Adrian by the arm. My voice trembled. "Adrian, are you all right? You're scaring me..."