?Chapter 1694:


    Elsa’s voice rang out, sharp andmanding. “Not so fast! While I’m here, Debby’s not going anywhere with you. She’s only seventeen—far too young for marriage, and it isn’t even legal.”


    Nigel’s left eye was blind, and three deep scars crisscrossed his face, remnants, people said, of a bear mauling during a mountain hunt in his youth. His injuries were the reason why he still hadn’t gotten married.


    No parent would ever want to let their daughter marry someone like him.


    If Corbin weren’t desperate, he’d never have considered letting Debby marry him.


    Debby wept so hard that her shoulders shook as she clung to Elsa for safety. “Mrs. Mitchell, please, I’m begging you. Don’t let them force me into marriage. I just want to keep studying, to keep learning to sing under your guidance.”


    A surge of rage twisted Nigel’s features until his face looked monstrous. The sheer force of his anger made everyone shrink back in dread.


    Straightening his back, he towered over the others. “Mrs. Mitchell, I truly admire you; you are a respected singer and a kind person. But I must ask you not to interfere in my business. I’ve already paid Debby’s family, and that gives me every right to take Debby home. I may not be handsome, but I have a good heart. She’ll be treated well. In a few years, she’ll have two sons for me, and every woman in the vige will envy her.”


    Without hesitation, he lunged forward to seize Debby’s arm.


    Elsa stepped in front of her, fury lighting her eyes. “Debby said she doesn’t want to marry you. What gives you the right to take her by force? I won’t allow it!”


    Corbin and Gwen exchanged uneasy nces. Shifting nervously, Gwen reached for Debby. “Mrs. Mitchell, please, this isn’t your concern. We’re at our wits’ end. It’s the only way we can pay for Lukas’s treatment.”


    Tears spilled down Gwen’s cheeks as she held Debby tightly.


    “I can earn the money myself. I’ll drop out of school if I have to. Just don’t make me marry him. Please, I’m begging you!” Debby fell to her knees before her parents, her voice cracking with desperation.


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    Elsa reached into her purse, drew out some cash, and mmed the bills onto the table. “Here’s thirty thousand. Use it for Lukas’s treatment. Debby ising with me.”


    Then she took Debby by the arm, ready to leave with her.


    Nigel’s temper red. His ns for marriage were ruined. “She is my wife! How dare you take her away?”


    Elsa answered Nigel with matching fury, “What? Do you want to hit me to stop me or something?”


    With a resentful snort, Nigel scooped up the money he had brought, twenty thousand dors, and stormed out.


    Relief washed over Debby as she wiped her face. “Thank you, Mrs. Mitchell. If you had not stepped in, I would have been forced to marry him today.”


    Corbin was caught off guard by Elsa’s kindness. Seeing the thirty thousand, he felt his chest tighten with emotion.


    He and his wife looked at Elsa with heartfelt gratitude. Gwen spoke softly. “Mrs. Mitchell, we can’t take your money. We’d never be able to pay you back.”


    Elsa stepped closer, her voice steady with concern. “There are not many young people left in the vige. Most have left to find work, right?”


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