Chapter 2

Martha Lambert wore a white cotton dress that perfectly concealed any signs of pinholes. The hem of the dress featured light purple floral patterns. She stood in front of the mirror.

“Miss Riley, the auspicious time has arrived. The master has instructed that you go straight to the bridal chamber.” It wasn’t until the servants spoke these words behind Martha Lambert that she came back to her senses. She followed the servants toward the “bridal chamber” at the end of the hallway.

After opening the door, the servant stood respectfully at the entrance, gesturing for her to enter. “Miss Lambert, this is as far as I can take you.”

The suite had no lights, so it was the light from the candles that allowed Martha Lambert to see a black-and-white photo framed and hung in the center of the room.

She felt no fear at all. The distance was too great, preventing her from seeing what the face in the black-and-white photo looked like.

As she got closer, she simply observed him calmly and gave her opinion: “He’s quite handsome, but it’s a shame.”

In that photo was a man who appeared to be around twenty-five years old.

Those peach-blossom eyes seemed to be able to captivate one’s soul. With a high nose bridge and a sly smile on their lips.

The exquisitely crafted face has perfect proportions, truly a masterpiece of God’s creation.

Martha Lambert sighed, looking at Owen Harold with regret. Even black-and-white photos couldn’t hide his energetic demeanor.

Unexpectedly, a cold male voice came from behind, “Why are you sighing?”

Martha Lambert was slightly surprised to hear that the sound wasn’t made by the maid just now.

Suppressing her surprise, Martha Lambert turned around with a cold voice and said, “How bold of you to dare to break in…”

A living Owen Harold stood before me, with a teasing smile on his face!

Compared to the black-and-white photos, Owen Harold looks even more charming now.

Martha Lambert suppressed her surprised expression, her motionless eyes meeting Owen Harold’s without flinching.

After all, two years earlier, when she was sent to a psychiatric hospital, she had already seen through the complexities and conflicts of the wealthy elite.

As Owen Harold’s face gradually grew larger in her field of vision, Martha Lambert took a half-step back. With a half-smile, she said, “The wealthy and powerful really know how to play their games. Even thinking of marriages arranged by fate is something they’d consider. What’s there to be surprised about?”

Owen Harold, however, showed no intention of stopping and continued to approach her.

Martha Lambert retreated all the way back, until there was nowhere left to go. Then, she stumbled and fell onto the soft, black bed.

Owen Harold rested one leg on the ground, with the other knee bent beside the bed. “So, Miss Lambert, who dared to kill even her own sister… what do you plan to do now?”

She tried to struggle a little, but to no avail. With no other choice, she raised her eyebrows and looked at Owen Harold, offering a similarly teasing smile to hide her inner unease.

“Miss Martha Lambert must be one year older than Miss Alice Lambert, right? If I remember correctly.” Owen Harold smiled smugly, his cold voice echoing above her head. “Someone who doesn’t even change their name, and whose name is incompatible with mine, coming here to ‘bring good luck’ to me?”

Although the Lambert family had a fairly substantial fortune, it was still nothing compared to the Harold family. After all, couldn’t any of these prominent families find someone whose compatibility with them was perfect? It’s indeed puzzling.

Caught red-handed, Martha Lambert’s eyes were filled with wariness. Images of being defecated on her in a psychiatric hospital flashed through her mind. Was she about to be sent back there?

“Don’t you know how to write the character for ‘death’?” Seeing her stunned expression, Owen Harold leaned forward, pressed his thin lips together, and lifted her chin.

“How does a ‘dead man’ kill someone?” Martha Lambert met his gaze without flinching.

“Do you dare threaten me?” Owen Harold’s pupils constricted as he released his hand from her chin.

But Martha Lambert grabbed Owen Harold’s retracted hand, tracing circles in his palm. With a somewhat suggestive smile, she said, “How dare I? Young Master Harold just wanted to experience the thrill of a ‘marriage in the afterlife’. Where did the idea of threats come from?”

Owen Harold straightened up, his cold gaze fixed intently on Martha Lambert, remaining silent.

The longer the silence lasted, the more uneasy she became.

The flame of the candle flickered, and its light illuminated Owen Harold’s face, making his already prominent nose appear even more defined.

“Nice to cooperate with you.” After a moment, Owen Harold spoke up. He stared at Martha Lambert, who remained expressionless as she got ready to get up from the bed and go to the guest room. He reached out and pulled her back, pressing her down beneath him.

Martha Lambert was terrified by this sudden turn of events. Her heart, which had just settled down, rose again. “What do you want to do?”

Owen Harold curled his lips into a smile, wrapped an arm around Martha Lambert’s waist, and leaned in to whisper warm words in her ear. “Of course, it’s what husbands and wives are supposed to do.”

Martha Lambert struggled violently. She felt the arm that was holding her captive shrinking inward, causing her to cry out in pain.

After all, she’s just a little girl. How could she possibly be stronger than a man?

“Do you really want to go back to that mental hospital again?” Owen Harold’s handsome face showed no sign of panic. Instead, he became even more aggressive. He buried his head in her neck, his tongue tracing along her collarbone before moving slowly downward.

Owen Harold slipped his arm around her waist, pushing it beneath her clothes to touch her soft skin. He glanced up at Martha Lambert, whose expression was growing colder by the second. Owen Harold narrowed his eyes slightly. What an interesting woman.

After finally being able to touch the word “freedom” again, she swore that she would never go back to that hellish place again!

Martha Lambert stopped trembling violently. With a dazed look in her eyes, she met Owen Harold’s gaze. She stretched out her arms, wrapped them around his neck, pulled him closer, and kissed his moist lips.

“How could that be? Today is our wedding night. Of course we should do something exciting, honey.”

So, she imitated the way Owen Harold had treated her earlier. She wrapped her tongue around his earlobe, exhaled warm air, and pronounced the word “husband” with emphasis.

“What’s wrong, honey? Not going to keep playing anymore?” Martha Lambert teased, with a mocking smile clearly visible on her lips.

She simply wanted to get back at him. She assumed that Owen Harold was just joking around and wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.

But who would have thought that the character for “impulsive” was exactly like an arrow already drawn on the bow? How could one not shoot it? That’s exactly what happened with Owen Harold in this case.

“How can we stop playing now? Honey, please keep the volume down. The walls here aren’t very soundproof.”

The scenes of turmoil from that night played back in her mind. Martha Lambert lay on the huge white bed, with the man beside her long gone.

Sunlight filtered through the black curtains. She tried to get up, but collapsed back onto the white, soft bed, her body in agony as if it had been run over by a train.

As dusk fell, Owen Harold got up, washed up, and then went to the compartment in his mother’s suite, sitting down there.

On the table, there was a cup of milk that was still hot, along with two slices of bread.

Marian Reid came over upon hearing the noise. She sat down next to Owen Harold, resting one hand on her head. As she glanced sideways at the kiss marks on Owen Harold’s neck, she couldn’t help but smile. “How could you be with a murderer like that…”

“I promised Aunt Barry that I’d take good care of her daughter.” He deliberately tried to defuse his mother’s awkward situation.

“The Lamberts really want her dead. Didn’t you already suppress all those negative opinions and get her sent to a mental hospital?” Marian Reid reached out to tidy Owen Harold’s collar, using it to cover up the bite marks.

“Aunt Barry is kind-hearted, but her daughter might not be. After all, half of her blood is John Lambert’s. You should know, she’d even kill her own sister if she had to!”

After Marian Reid’s voice faded from the air, there was only deathly silence.

Owen Harold, who had promised to protect Aunt Barry’s two daughters, never expected that before the plan could even begin, Katherine Lambert would die—killed by Martha Lambert herself!

Recalling her eerily calm eyes last night, Owen Harold had never met her before yesterday.

“At this time, the people from the main house should have arrived by now.”

“I’ll find out the truth and give Aunt Barry an explanation.” Owen Harold suddenly spoke up, bringing the conversation back to its original topic and continuing what his mother had said earlier. “Then I’ll just ‘die’ a few more days to make them happy. After all, I won’t be able to laugh anymore in the future.”

Marian Reid, who had just stepped out of her room, and Martha Lambert, who had finished washing up and was about to go downstairs, met at the corner of the hallway.

“Good day, madam.” Martha Lambert nodded at Marian Reid, greeting her with a smile.

Last night, when I first arrived, I didn’t pay close attention to Marian Reid.

This morning, even a black dress couldn’t hide the elegant and regal demeanor inherent in Marian Reid. Martha Lambert was completely amazed by her.

“Miss Lambert, thank you for your hard work.” Marian Reid also smiled back at her.

She had no idea whether Lady Harold, with her red-eyed appearance, was aware of Owen Harold’s fake death. Preferring to say as little as possible, she gave a polite greeting and then remained silent, waiting for Marian Reid to leave.

“It’s good that she’s quiet and doesn’t talk much.”

“Thank you for the compliment, madam.” Martha Lambert lowered her head. Although she was surprised by these strange words, she remained calm on the surface, her eyes as still as still water.

The simple conversation ended when Marian Reid gave Martha Lambert a few meaningful looks before telling her to go ahead and have breakfast.

After breakfast, Martha Lambert put on her prepared black dress. After waiting for a while, she got into the car with several bodyguards wearing sunglasses.

The funeral was held at 2 p.m. and wasn’t very formal. Most of those who attended were members of the Harold family.

When she described him to the servants, they all said that this man was the eldest son of the Harold family. He was also the one who chose Owen Harold’s marriage partner for the purpose of propitiating the spirits.

When Nick Harold saw Martha Lambert arrive, he stood in front of the tombstone, waved at her, then turned to the man in black standing three steps behind him and said, “Let’s begin.”

The entire funeral ceremony took less than an hour.

Martha Lambert found it quite interesting. She thought how rich Owen Harold’s life had been. In just one day, he’d gone through things that most people take years to accomplish: getting married, attending a funeral.

“Everyone, you may leave now. I want to stay and see Owen off.” Nick Harold’s voice was deep and sounded somewhat aged. With that command, no one dared to stay any longer.

In less than three minutes, everyone on the field had left.

She glanced at the expressionless Marian Reid, then turned her head away toward the window.

If Owen Harold could even deceive Old Harold, wouldn’t it be easy for him to help her uncover the truth behind her mother and sister’s deaths?

Her thoughts were still scattered when the tires screeched as the car went downhill.

A green-colored SUV approached the black SUV in which Martha Lambert and Marian Reid were sitting, clearly with a purpose. The driver hit the accelerator to the floor, and the speed increased rapidly!

In her desperation, Martha Lambert instinctively opened the car door and pushed Marian Reid out. But before she could jump out herself, there was a loud “bang”! The green-colored SUV crashed into them, and everything around them spun out of control.

Bai Zhi’s skin was cut by the shattered glass from the car window. Warm liquid flowed down her forehead and cheeks. Martha Lambert’s entire body was trapped under the car. She felt that her left leg must be broken.

“Martha! Are you okay?!”

In a blurred state of consciousness, Martha Lambert heard Marian Reid screaming in panic. That were the last words she heard.

She tried desperately to reach out for something, but her open mouth couldn’t emit any sound. Eventually, even the last trace of consciousness in her was swallowed up by darkness.

The siren of the ambulance cut through the continuous screams.

Marian Reid stood outside the emergency room, with its red lights flashing, her face pale. She frowned and paced anxiously back and forth.

“The patient’s condition isn’t very optimistic. Please be prepared for the worst. Who is the patient’s family member?” A middle-aged man in a white coat stepped out of the emergency room, followed by a young woman carrying an iron tray.

The doctor pulled the disposable mask, which covered half of his face, down to his chin. Then, he took off the blood-stained plastic gloves from his hands and placed them on the tray beside him. “Come here and sign the critical condition notice.”

“Should I inform the young master?” a man in black behind Marian Reid asked respectfully.

“No need.” Marian Reid quickly refused. The serpent had already emerged from its lair. At this critical moment, Owen Harold couldn’t be distracted under any circumstances. Otherwise, if the serpent returned to its hiding place, all their efforts up to now would be in vain.

Then, she handed the signed critical condition notice back to the doctor. With a wave of her hand, she signaled to the man in black named Xu Bo that he could leave. “Go take care of Young Master Harold. Don’t take any reckless actions. Also, send two people to keep an eye on Martha Lambert.”

“But...” Xu Bo’s gaze fixed on the swollen wounds on Marian Reid’s left arm and lower leg, where blood had clotted. He hesitated for a moment.

“It’s nothing serious. Just some minor scratches,” said Marian Reid, walking away nonchalantly, leaving Xu Bo behind who still wanted to say something. After taking care of the wounds, she called for a car.

All the way, Marian Reid couldn’t stop thinking about why Martha Lambert would risk her life to save someone she had just met. It was truly incomprehensible.

Marian Reid wasn’t willing to attribute everything to the word “kindness”.