Meadow’s POV:
My brows drew together in confusion as I froze.
“What?”
The expression on Ingrid’s face was theplete opposite of what I’d seen when she was talking to me and ric. The smile had been reced with a sneer, the soft touch reced with a hard grip around my
wrist.
“You heard me… Meadow, is it?” She scoffed. “How much did my son pay you to marry him?” Her <b>gaze </b>dropped to my wrist. “And how much extra did he pay you toe here and pretend like he can feel your
touch?”
My nostrils red and I snatched my wrist out of her grip.
I suppose I read her weing attitude wrongly. She didn’t like me, and she’d been waiting to single me
out without ric present.
And clearly, she suspected that our marriage was a sham–which it was. But no one except for ric and I was supposed to know that.
“Ingrid, I don’t…”
She let out a mockingugh, her blue eyes shing with something I couldn’t understand.
“I may be oblivious to certain things, Meadow, but I am not stupid.” Then she shook her head like she was Edisappointed. “I understand that my son might be… assertive sometimes. So just tell me how much he’s paying you and I will double it <b>as </b>long as you promise to get out of his life and quit that pathetic act, trying to fool me.”
My jaw twitched but I managed a smile. “I can assure you, Ingrid. That wasn’t a pretense. ric can feel my touch.”
Her scowl deepened. “Was it that much? The money he paid you to lie to my face? Come on, Meadow. Just tell me how much he promised you and then we can work from there.”
“Why would you think he’s paying me to lie to you? He doesn’t owe you anything, does he?”
Her eyes shed and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, a dark smirk on her face. “My son owes me plenty, kleines M?dchen.” I didn’t know what it meant, but the sneer on her face was enough to tell that it was a condescending word. ‘Little girl.”
“Just <b>months </b>ago, he wanted nothing to do with women andmitment. And now, all of a sudden, he gets married secretly to a low–<b>ss </b>woman like you<b>, </b>and I’m just supposed to believe he paid <b>you </b>
nothing?” She stepped forward. “Everyone can be bought, Meadow. Why not stop wasting both our time. <b>and </b>answer my question so I can return to my guests?”
A rock settled in my throat. A low ss woman like me? Oh, I knew exactly the kind of woman ric’s mother was. The woman who gave birth to me <b>was </b>exactly like her.
Something roiled deep in my stomach. “You seem to have me all figured out and you’ve only known me for what, less than an hour?” My voice shook, and I hated it. I hated <b>that </b>I was letting this woman get to <ol><li>me. </li></ol>
Even worse–I hated that she was right.
ric did pay me. Even though it wasn’t for the reasons she thought, he made me sign a contract, and I was getting paid a hundred million dors to be his wife for a period of time that I’d been so short- sighted to even ask about.
He bought me.
Her nostrils red. “I saw my son at the office days ago because I’d heard about the… marriage. Now you don’t know my son, but I do. He would have told me about you the second he realized that he could feel you”
I swallowed. I had no idea <b>that </b>ric had seen his mother. Not that it was my business, but if they talked about me, why hadn’t he told his mother that he could feel me? Why didn’t he tell me about the kind of woman she was<b>? </b>
I shook my head. Maybe he didn’t know.
I stood my ground, my fists curling at my sides. “You saw what happened with your own eyes, Ingrid. You saw me touch ric. You saw him react. Why are you so bent on proving me
Wrong?”
Something shed in her eyes as her brows drew together. And then I saw it. The way her jaw was clenched hard, the look in her eyes. And I remembered the expression on her face when she saw her son respond to my touch
She was jealous.
My gaze narrowed as I stepped <b>forward</b>, lowering my voice. “He can’t feel you, can he?”
I had no idea how long ric had been dealing with this condition, whether he was born with it or something else triggered it. But ric couldn’t feel his mother’s touch. And somehow, the thought of someone as “low–ss” as me being able to touch him was like a blow to her ego.
But I wasn’t about to make her feel bad for it. She was just a mother who badly wanted her son to feel her
touch.
Ingrid exhaled sharply. I continued. “ric can’t feel <b>you</b>, and so, you’re projecting.” My stomach
dropped. “And I am sorry, Ingrid. Really. But I am not telling lies. ric can feel me and he didn’t pay met any money to-
SMACK!
My head jerked to the side, a gasp tearing from my throat as my mother–inw delivered a p to the side of my face. My check stung <b>and </b>tears gathered in my eyes as I sped my face.
“Why would you….” My voice cracked mid<b>–</b>sentence.
“Schei?e.” Ingrid brushed her hand down the front of her <b>dress</b>, disgust in her expression, like touching my skin had soiled her somehow. “I can’t believe I let myself do that.” She heaved an annoyed sigh.. Anyway, it is done. Now, I don’t know who you are or where the hell he picked you from, and normally… normally, I would care enough to chase you away. But on second thought, I don’t need to.”
A slow grin grew on her face. “After tonight, ric will chase you away himself.”
I froze
Ingrid let out augh, straightening to her full height. “I suppose you can enjoy the next few hours. Because it’ll be thest day that you’re pampered in luxury such as this. Enjoy your evening, Meadow.”
1 stood there, frozen as the sting on my cheek throbbed. Ingrid tossed me another smile before she spun around on her heels and walked away from me.
She pped me.
And I just stood there, not knowing whether to cry or scream.
Feeling a rock climb up my throat, I pushed my way into the bathroom, heading straight for the sink as I fought hard not to cry.
What would I have done even? She was ric’s mother. And those words she’d said before she walked <b>away</b>… they unsettled me.
After tonight, ric would chase me himself? What did that mean? What did she have nned?
Why did she hate me so much when <b>she </b>didn’t even know me yet?
I raised my head to stare at my reflection in the mirror. My cheek burned a bright red, and my eyes flooded with tears, but other than that, I still looked okay.
I didn’t know if I wanted to tell ric about this. If I was even supposed to. This was all my fault for not knowing what I was getting myself into with his family when I signed that contract and agreed to be his wife.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, my voice cracking.
“Wow.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden sound of someone else’s voice.
“That was a hard watch.”
The shock turned into dread as a familiar voice filtered through to me. I froze..
“But you know, if you told Ingrid Ashford who your father is, she wouldn’t have had the guts to hit you.
like that.”
Slowly, I turned to the figure standing by the door, taking in her tall form, long hair and brown eyes. Eyes that looked exactly like myte mother’s
“Aunt Yvonne.”
My mother’s little sister smiled at me. “Want me to go back out there and have a word with her? We’re friends, you know. Acquaintances, more of.”
My stomach twisted. “Long time no see.”