CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 1: FORCEFULLY KISS A STRANGER

"You're not much to look at, but you've got a good figure. You seem like you

could bear children well," said the man sitting across from Mercy. He was short

and his beady eyes

roamed over her with a sleazy look.

This was a miscalculation.

Mercy had deliberately put fake freckles on her face today, hoping to scare away

the blind date her family had forced on her. Who would have thought guy

would be so undiscriminating?

She didn't respond, just sipped her coffee. At least the upscale restaurant

served a decent brew.

The man assumed Mercy was agreeing tothe marriage and continued, "I can pay to

have those freckles removed. Once your face is back to normal, we can consummate

the marriage. If you have a son, we'll get the marriage certificate. Otherwise,

I'll just keep you on the. side..."

Hearing his words, Mercy gripped the handle of her cup tightly, taking several

deep breaths to resist the urge to throw the coffee in his face.

Just then, a man approached from the other side of the room.

Despite being in a

wheelchair, he exuded an undeniable presence.

He was strikingly handsome and Mercy found herself momentarily entranced.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" The man across from Mercy followed her gaze.

and grew even angrier.

"Who are you looking at? That cripple isn't as handsome as me. You're so

shallow..."

Before he could continue, Mercy finally interrupted him.

"Sorry, but the arranged.

marriage is off. I've already found my true love."

The girl stood up, using her foot to stop the wheelchair that was about to pass

her by. She cupped the man's face and kissed him.

Dexter was taken aback.

He never expected a woman to be bold enough to kiss him

like that. Even more surprising was that, despite his severe allergy to women,

he felt perfectly fine this time.

The girl's kiss was brief, leaving only a sweet

freesia scent lingering in the

air as they parted.

"You, you, you! You fickle woman! You'll regret this!" The man she was supposed

to meet threw down his cup in anger and stormed off. Feeling triumphant, Mercy was in high spirits. She turned to apologize to the

innocent bystander she had just kissed, but he was already gone.

...

Mercy skipped dinner and headed straight home. When she entered.

the dining room,

she found the table in disarray, with everyone nearly finished eating.

"Hey, weren't you supposed to be on a date? Didn't he treat you to dinner?" Zara

pulled Mercy to sit at the table.

"Why didn't you say something earlier? I won third place in the piano

competition today and Mom had Sabrina make a feast to celebrate. Too bad you

missed it," Zara said, her eyes gleaming with pride.

Mercy looked closely at the table, which indeed had been laden with a lavish

spread, including Boston lobster and golden abalone. Unfortunately, all that was

left were empty shells.

She pouted. Such delicacies never appeared at home when she was around.

Just then, Callan Rivers returned from taking a phone call.

"Mercy! What on earth are you wearing?" Callan's eyes were wide with disbelief

as he yelled at her.

"Is this the face you showed up with for the date? No wonder Wilkins just called

me, saying our family isn't taking this marriage seriously at all!"

Michelle, overhearing this, became anxious too. "You two were promised to each

other since childhood. If you don't marry him and Wilkins pulls his investment,

what then? He's the biggest shareholder in the Rivers family! Mercy, you can't

be so selfish. Do you want the entire Rivers family to collapse because of you?

"If it's a childhood promise, why not let my sister go? She's enjoyed the

benefits of being the Rivers family's eldest daughter for eighteen years, but

when it comes to the downsides, she pushes them onto someone else. Why should I

accept that?" Mercy retorted sharply.

"Sister, how can you say that?" Zara looked on the verge of tears, as if she

were the one wronged.

Seeing Mercy target Zara, Michelle became even more displeased.

"Zara is so outstanding, naturally, there are many who want her. Unlike you, who

have nothing to offer. You should be grateful to marry someone wealthy, yet here

you are being picky!"

The disdain in Michelle's words was unmistakable.

Mercy's face turned pale. Of course, this was her real family.

Switched at birth with Zara, she had spent eighteen years away. Upon returning,

she received no sympathy or apologies, only endless scorn and ridicule.

What was she still hoping for?

"Ma'am, should I prepare some more food for the Second Young Lady?"

As Sabrina came over to clear the table, she noticed that Mercy hadn't eaten yet and asked about it.

"Eat, eat, eat! She still has the nerve to eat? Just heat up yesterday's

leftovers for her," Michelle snapped irritably.

"No need, Sabrina," Mercy said, standing up and heading for the door "It's so late, where do you think you're going, you ungrateful girl? If you walk

out that door today, don't bother coming back!" Callan shouted from behind her.

Ignoring Callan's angry outburst, Mercy left the house without looking back.

...

Mercy found herself back at the restaurant she visited earlier that afternoon.

Using the money she earned from her part-time job, she treated herself to a delicious meal.

"Ah, there's nothing like good food to lift the spirits," she sighed

contentedly.

After eating her fill, she went to the restroom to wash away the makeup freckles

on her face, then got into the elevator to head downstairs.

"It's you?"

She exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the man in a wheelchair inside the

elevator, not even realizing the elevator was going up instead of down.

The man looked unwell; his face was flushed, and veins stood out on his neck.

"Are you okay?"

Could he have a fever? She reached out to feel his forehead.

But before she could touch him, her wrist was caught. The man paused, then

pulled her into his arms.

Dexter recognized her as the girl who had kissed him earlier that day.

It turned out that the freckles on her face were just a disguise. Although she

was cute that way too,revealing her true face left the man stunned.

Since that was the case, she was the one.

The man cupped the back of the girl's head and kissed her directly.

"Mmm..." Mercy hadn't even processed what was happening before her breath was

completely taken away.

And he... he even used his tongue!

The girl struggled fiercely, but a hand struck the back of her neck and she went

limp.

...

Mercy slowly opened her eyes, feeling a chill across her front. Her white shirt

was hanging open on her shoulders.

Her slender waist was encircled by a large, warm hand, her body pressed against

a bare, hot chest. The heat between their skin felt like it could melt her.

Their eyes met and Mercy recognized him as the man in the wheelchair.

He looked under thirty, with delicate and handsome features, a nose like a

sculpture, and eyebrows sharp as blades. He was more attractive than any popular

star on TV. Yet, his thin lips gave off a cold, unapproachable vibe.

At that moment, she was being stared at by his dark eyes, like a prey caught in

the gaze of a leopard.

"W-what are you going to do?" Her voice trembled.

"You took my first kiss. You have to take responsibility for that."

Dexter whispered in her ear, his voice deep and alluring.

"What?" Mercy thought she misheard him and asked again, "How do you want me to

take responsibility?"

"Marry me," said Dexter.

Before Mercy could respond, her slightly parted lips were captured in a fierce

kiss and the remaining clothes on her body were torn to shreds in an instant.

Before her mind slipped into a haze, the last thing she saw was the bright

crystal chandelier on the ceiling.

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