Chapter 2 Two

The wedding took place as scheduled.Since this was just a performance of a wedding, Lucy didn't invite her Uncle Evan's family, arguably the only relatives she had. Sitting alone in the dressing room, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, carefully made up by a makeup artist. Her large upward-swept phoenix eyes, long eyelashes, straight and prominent nose, and small round mouth, all features that described her as a beauty, and one that was easy on the eyes at that.Lucy smiled. What's the use of being a beauty? It was nothing more than a pretty shell.

She would rather have been born plain; then the Carter family wouldn't have targeted her. She wouldn't have had to become her sister's substitute bride, and would have lived a peaceful life. She had a feeling that things would not go smoothly today."Lucy, remember, no matter what happens, you have to stand strong!" Lucy looked at herself in the mirror, mentally psyching herself up.Things, as Lucy predicted, didn't go smoothly. The wedding was scheduled to begin at ten, and the parents had arrived as expected, as had the attending guests. However, the groom-Elias Anderson, was yet to show up. Guests started whispering among themselves, and some even laughed lightly without restraint.A wedding without a groom? How should it not be ridiculed? Lucy stood in a corner, contemplating. She watched Mr. Carter and Alison, their faces slightly awkward due to the whispers of others. Even she felt like laughing, a hidden sense of revenge surging within her.Mother-in-law, Amara, looked at her husband, whose face was as dark as the night sky, with misty eyes. Heaving a heavy sigh, he ordered the housekeeper to see off the guests, and then left the venue with Amara by his side, he passed by Mr. Carter and Alison without so much as a greeting.In the dressing room, Amara held Lucy's hand, saying, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Elias has been spoiled by me. Don't worry, when he comes back, I'll talk to him and he'll be sure to make it up to you."Lucy tweaked her lips slightly in a smile and said, "Auntie, I'm fine.""But from now on you should start calling me 'mom'." Amara patted Lucy's hand."Mom," Lucy called softly. She thought it would be hard for her to call her that, but found out it was easy, albeit void of warmth."Oh, good girl," Amara, somewhat excited, touched Lucy's face. There were even tears in her eyes. Her husband, standing behind her, tapped her shoulder, "Look at you, such a crying mess when you're already a mother-in-law."Lucy, however, was left baffled.In the evening.Lucy was driven to her new home, a villa located in the suburbs.It was late when Lucy made something to eat by herself and waited till ten o'clock. Seeing Elias Anderson not coming back, she inquired from the servants in the villa and chose a guest room on the first floor to sleep.Half-asleep, she seemed to hear someone outside and swiftly got up to quietly open the door.In the living room, a man and a woman were embracing each other. The woman seemed to be more proactive, kissing the man's neck and sliding towards his mouth. But the man dodged away.Lucy recognized them. The man was her husband in name, Elias, and the woman was a rising star named Lori Kane.Lucy wanted to retreat to her room and leave the living room to them; she had no interest in watching their intimate behavior.Hearing some noises, Elias, who was somewhat annoyed by Lori's kisses, turned his head to see a woman standing at the guest room door in a straight-pajama. He suddenly realised, this woman must be the wife his mother had forced upon him. He had to admit, this woman, Lucy, was more beautiful than he had imagined, but her eyes were devoid of lustre, giving off a cold and distant impression.He scoffed, then blew air into Lori's ear. Lori giggled and-with a triumphant-looked at Lucy.Elias turned Lori's face, "Why are you looking at her? Better serve me well."Lori smiled, standing on tiptoe, intending to kiss Elias' lips, but recalling the rumor and his earlier dodge, she aimed her kiss towards his neck instead.Lucy was about to retreat back into her room when Elias' voice suddenly rang out, "Did I say you could leave?"Lucy halted."I'm a little hungry, go make me some food," Elias said.Even though Elias wasn't looking at her, Lucy knew he was talking to her.She walked to the kitchen, concentrating on cooking.A few minutes later, Lucy came out with two bowls of noodles and placed them on the dining table, "There was nothing in the fridge, so I made some noodles."Elias was taken aback. He hadn't expected that the Miss Carter of the Carter family really knew how to cook. He pushed Lori aside, walked over to the dining table, and observed the noodles that Miss Carter served. The presentation of the noodles was appealing, with a poached egg on top, whetting his appetite instantly.He was somewhat hungry as well. Having been busy at work the whole day and continuing up until nine in the evening, he had initially wanted to dine with a friend. Suddenly recalling that it was his wedding day, he broke into a mischievous smile and called Lori, asking her to free up some time.Lori was naturally willing. She had been fascinated by Elias for a long time. Although there were rumors that he was a tyrant, she believed that if she could latch on to him, relying on the mere name 'Elias Anderson,' she could command the reins of power in the entertainment circle in the future.Thus, the two readily came into accord.That said, at the moment, Elias was more concerned about satisfying his hunger. He washed his hands, took a seat, and began eating the noodles. "The noodles taste good," Elias thought.Lori observed Elias relishing his meal and ignored her completely, shooting Lucy a scornful look.Lucy paid no heed and walked straight out of the kitchen. A quick idea struck Lori, and as Lucy passed her, she surreptitiously stuck out her foot, tripping her.There was a flower stand in front of Lucy, onto which was placed a pot of Lucky Bamboo contained in a glass bottle. As Lucy stumbled into the flower stand, the glass bottle fell and shattered into pieces on the floor. Lucy's right hand, quite uncannily, got pierced by a shard, immediately causing blood to ooze out.Lori feigned concern as she quickly crouched down, "Miss Carter, are you alright? Oh dear, you're bleeding!"All this commotion did not escape Elias' ears. He furrowed his brows in annoyance, disliking people disturbing his meal time. The villa's butler, upon hearing the noise, rushed out to see the shattered pieces on the floor and Lucy kneeling there, bleeding. He wasn't sure what to do for a moment."Mr. Cedric, remove this noisy thing for me," said Elias.Lori, who was gloating, was surprised when Mr. Cedric ordered the Security to grab her and take her away. "You've got it wrong! I didn't disturb Mr. Anderson!" she yelled and struggled.Seeing Elias' brows furrow further, Mr. Cedric wasted no time in ordering the bouncers to gag Lori and quickly carry her away.