?Chapter 2:


    Hearing the disturbance, an elderly butler with white hair approached the master bedroom’s doorway but wisely stayed outside.


    Kaiden valued his privacy and did not take kindly to uninvited intrusions into his personal space.


    “Cayson, did you let her in?” Kaiden’s tone was sharp.


    In Moon Manor, only Cayson Buckley, who had looked after Kaiden since childhood, would dare to allow Ellie into his room without prior consent.


    Cayson replied with a sigh, “Mr. Thorpe, solitude isn’t forever. Mrs. Thorpe hoped Miss Gordon would be your wife, fulfilling her wish as your mother.”


    Kaiden, seemingly disregarding Cayson’s words, responded icily, “This is the first andst time you do this, Cayson.”


    Only a week ago, Ellie was engaged to his nephew, Erick Thorpe.


    Now, she stood outside in the rain, enduring hardship to be near him.


    Kaiden mused on the fickle nature of women’s affections.


    He didn’t desire someone already chosen by another.


    Standing by the French window, Kaiden had a clear view of Ellie. Amidst the lightning, Ellie’s figure was visible outside the borate gates.


    Her soft skin, defined eyes, elegant nose, and delicate lips made her strikingly beautiful, like a rare bloom in the night.


    She was soaked to the skin as the rain streamed down her face, tracing a path from her forehead to her eyes, cheeks, and chin, before falling to the ground.


    Yet, this did not mar her appearance; instead, it lent her a vulnerable allure.


    Suddenly, as if sensing something, the woman in the rain looked up. Through the blurred rain, Ellie’s vision was limited to the tall silhouette standing by the French window on the second floor. Aware that Kaiden was observing her, Ellie shed a subtle smile, tilting her head and lightly waving towards the second floor.


    Her demeanor appearedpliant and gentle, but on closer inspection, it was a clear challenge.


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    It was as if she was dering, “I will be Mrs. Thorpe!”


    “Send her back to the Gordons before she dies of hypothermia,” Kaidenmanded, his presence chilling as he retreated to his study. He had offered her a way out. However, if she chose to defy the odds, he wouldn’t intervene.


    Outside the main vi, the storm continued its relentless assault.


    Once Kaiden vanished from the window, Ellie withdrew her gaze, her headache intensifying under the relentless rain, her body shivering with cold and fever.


    She wouldn’t have endured this if not for the Gordons’ threats, using Cecelia Gordon, her adopted grandmother, as leverage to manipte her into continuing their service.


    The Gordons had never shown her kindness, only imposing strict demands. Even when she was admired as a top socialite, their dissatisfaction lingered.


    Ellie remembered past abuses by the Gordons, resulting in bruises and severe fevers. Only Cecelia had shown herpassion, taking her to the hospital and caring for her.


    Cecelia was the lone warmth in Ellie’s years with the Gordons.


    Suddenly, her phone rang, indicating an iing call.


    “Ellie, just plead with me, and you can stay by my side,” said a familiar man’s voice from the call, oozing condescension.


    Ellie felt a wave of revulsion at his words and huffed irritably, “Erick, you are nothing but a cheater who betrayed me even though we were engaged. Screw you, you despicable bastard! You make me sick to my stomach!”


    The Gordon and Thorpe families had arranged a long-standing engagement, with the Gordons selecting Erick’s family as allies. Theymanded Ellie to engage with Erick, someone she had no interest in. After her true identity was exposed, the Gordons switched their ns, pushing her to marry Kaiden to fulfill the engagementmitment. On the eve of her wedding, Ellie caught Erick and Demi Gordon, the newly recognized Gordon daughter, in apromising position.


    This revealed their long-standing affair, and Ellie realized the Gordons’ scheme to rece Demi with her in the marriage to Kaiden.


    “I slept with Demi because you’re too much of a prude. We were already engaged, yet you wouldn’t even let me touch you!” He failed to see the fault in his actions.


    For Erick, Ellie’s beauty was pointless if it remained untouchable.


    “Ellie, Kaiden can’t give you what you need, especially in the bedroom. If you want to live a good life, you have to stay with me.”


    “Erick, wake up! I refuse to stoop to your level! You’re nothing but trash!” Ellie hissed.


    A thought struck her, and she smirked before adding, “By the way, Erick, remember to call me Auntie Ellie in the future!”


    After hanging up, Ellie felt a surge of triumph, picturing Erick’s anger. Given that Erick’s father was Kaiden’s half-brother, Erick was technically her nephew-inw.


    That scumbag Erick bing her nephew felt like a small win for her. As time went by, Ellie’s consciousness faded, her body fluctuating between cold and heat, struggling to remain conscious.


    She was determined and would not surrender.


    What would be of Cecelia if she copsed here?


    The first light of dawn broke in the eastern sky.


    It was now morning.


    The rain, once heavy, dwindled to a drizzle before ceasing.


    As maids opened the main gate of Moon Manor, a wheelchair rolled across the cobblestones, its wheels echoing.


    Kaiden sat in the wheelchair, his demeanor rxed. He noticed Ellie still at the door, drenched and visibly weakened.


    Ellie’s soaked hair clung to her face, her skin unusually flushed, and her lips rmingly pale.


    Yet, her eyes shone with a mix of determination and… defiance.


    With a frail wave, she greeted him, “Good morning, Mr. Thorpe!”


    Her voice, though feeble and raspy, seemed to resonate within Kaiden.


    Kaiden frowned, his expression as unreadable as ever.


    He gave Ellie merely two words. “Still alive?”


    “Disappointed, Mr. Thorpe?” Ellie’s feverish state lent a hint of daring to her words. “Remember, you said if I survived the night, I’d be Mrs. Thorpe.”


    He couldn’t dismiss her now!


    Kaiden expertly navigated the wheelchair, halting inches from Ellie. Despite being seated, his towering frame allowed him to effortlessly tilt Ellie’s chin upward. Leaning on the wheelchair for support, she gazed at him, her breath hitching in surprise.


    Up close, Kaiden’s features were strikingly clear, even the fine details of his eyshes.


    He looked at her, his eyes cold and unwavering.


    “So, Ellie, you’re so eager to be my wife? Hmm?”


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