Chapter 12

Mrs. Sophia didn't continue to trouble her. Wasn't that a stroke of luck? But the thought of sharing a bed with a stranger tonight made her feel uneasy.

Although she now knew that he wouldn't be too old, at most around thirty. When she made up her mind to marry into the Anderson family yesterday, she had already anticipated what was bound to happen. The relationship between a man and a woman was inevitable. However, when it came to actually facing that moment, the complex emotions were hard to put into words.

She ate very little that evening, or rather, she couldn't eat anything at all. Lying in an unfamiliar bed, she felt as if she were selling her body for money. Her marriage was essentially a transaction involving money, so it wasn't unreasonable to think this way.

After some thought, she decided to turn off the light. If she had to face that man, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't back out at the last minute. Tossing and turning in bed, she found it hard to fall asleep. In fact, she wanted to fall asleep quickly, so that the inevitable could happen without her being fully aware of it. But it was difficult to get her wish.

As time passed, she grew increasingly anxious. She got up and started hitting the bed forcefully. "Why am I so useless? Even falling asleep is so hard! If only I were drunk, then I wouldn't feel anything." With this idea, she excitedly got out of bed and rushed downstairs.

She remembered there was a bar in the hall, and the liquor cabinet there had plenty of alcohol. Reaching the stairway on the first floor, she turned on a small light. In the dim light, she randomly grabbed a bottle of wine, opened it, and started drinking directly from it, not bothering with a glass.

"How strange, this wine tastes so sweet, with a faint hint of alcohol that makes you want to drink more." Just as she was about to drink more, she saw car lights flash through the window. Could it be that he had returned? With this thought, Jennifer had to put down the bottle and quickly ran back upstairs to the bedroom.

When she flopped onto the bed, she felt her heart was about to jump out of her chest. Was she scared? A little. But she didn't cry; her tears had dried up the moment her mother 'sold' her. She had no tolerance for alcohol, and having just gulped down such a large mouthful, she should have been feeling drowsy. But why didn't she feel dizzy at all? Instead, she felt even more alert.

"Jennifer, just go to sleep!" She slapped her cheeks forcefully. If she could, she really wanted to knock herself out with a stick, so she wouldn't have to face this night filled with humiliation and shame.

Because of the quiet night and her rush to get back to bed, she hadn't even closed the door properly. The footsteps from downstairs grew closer and closer. Her heart tightened with each step, her brows furrowed involuntarily, and she gripped the bedsheet tightly, as if letting go would plunge her into an abyss.

David noticed the ajar door and couldn't help but smile. Henry had told him there was a special gift prepared for him tonight, likely a beautiful woman. He never had special feelings for women; when a woman threw herself at him, he never refused. As long as she passed Henry's inspection, she wouldn't be too bad.

If she was pleasing to the eye, she could continue as his lover. If she suited his tastes, she might last more than a week. As for love, he wasn't ready to settle down yet. He had seen many women, but he had never encountered one as passionate as Amelia and Lucy. Women always looked at him with an unusual glint in their eyes, one that betrayed their greed for his wealth and power.