Fateful Vow With A Mysterious Stranger

Katherine Morgan stood outside the Civil Hall, watching the bustling crowd. Out of nowhere, a lean figure obscured her view. Lifting her gaze, she met the eyes of a notably tall man.

Her eyes fixated on the man before her, a blank expression on her face. Dressed in a sleek black suit, he possessed features so chiseled it was as if they were handcrafted by God himself. He was about 1.9 meters tall, which exuded an aura of dominance.

"Are you Katherine Morgan, the woman my grandmother has been trying to introduce to me?" he asked with a hint of impatience.

Suddenly, Katherine snapped back to reality, recalling the reason she was here at the first place.

Yesterday evening, following her parents' advice, she went to the home of her boyfriend, Darrell Clark, to discuss their upcoming wedding plans. Unexpectedly, she bumped into a situation where he was having sex with her cousin.

Feeling betrayed, she broke up with him in anger and disgust and stormed off. On her way, she encountered Lainey James, who had been kind to her back when she was in the orphanage.

After Katherine had reunited with her family, she hadn't seen Lainey again.

When Katherine met Lainey this time, she was filled with sorrow, and she poured her heart out. Lainey offered kind words of solace and revealed that she had a grandson, a fine and upstanding young man. She asked if Katherine might be interested in giving dating a go with him.

Katherine's family pressured her to marry, and in the heat of her anger over Darrell's situation, she agreed impulsively.

But now...

Katherine scrutinized the man before her. His good looks and charm were evident. He didn't fit his grandmother's description of someone struggling to find a wife.

Maybe it was because she was staring so intently that he grew impatient. He arched his eyebrows and urged, "I've got a lot on my plate. If we have to do this, let's speed it up."

Katherine trembled and meekly lowered her head, resembling a young girl who had made a mistake. "Alright."

They completed the simple marriage procedures and soon emerged with their marriage certificate.

Katherine was dazed, staring at the name on the certificate-Esteban James. She couldn't grasp how she had just hastily married a total stranger.

Esteban observed her.

His keen eyes scanned her lovely visage. She had rosy lips and wore a basic denim vest and a pair of crisp, standout white sneakers.

He chuckled silently. This woman appeared demure and timid, but who could say for sure if she was putting on an act?

It was possible that this lady hatched a plan to trick his grandmother and snatch the position of Mrs. James for herself.

He had gone through with the marriage for his grandmother's sake. He resolved to keep a close eye on Katherine; any sign of deceit would not be tolerated.

Just as he had finished this task and was about to come up with a reason to depart, Katherine's phone started ringing.

It was her grandmother. Katherine's expression tensed. She couldn't utter a word to Esteban before she ran away to answer the call.

"Katherine Morgan, what's this now? You spent the entire night outdoors and didn't come back home. Get back here immediately!"

Her grandmother abruptly disconnected after she finished her words, giving Katherine no opportunity to explain.

The click of the phone being disconnected resonated, and Katherine couldn't help but let out a sigh. She then approached Esteban and expressed regret. "I'm sorry, but I have a family matter to attend to. I need to leave now."

"Okay."

Esteban promptly gave his consent. He watched Katherine merge with the crowd and vanish before his phone started to ring.

On the other end, Lainey's voice was gentle. "Esteban, did you meet Katherine? Do you have the marriage certificate? Are you still at the Civil Hall?"

"Yes, we've met, and the marriage certificate is in hand," Esteban replied, his eyes clouding over as he recounted the events. After a moment, he added, "She had to rush home to deal with something."

"What? You brat, you've just got married, and you let her go home by herself? That's not right!" Upon hearing Esteban's heartless remarks, Lainey scolded him with fiery anger.

With Katherine's departure, Esteban felt no need to conceal his feelings any longer and openly voiced his discontent.

"You're quite open-minded. You stumbled upon a woman and let me marry her. Aren't you concerned that she might not be the right fit?"

Lainey, confident in her choice, dismissed his concerns. "I've seen her at the orphanage before. She's always been mild and sensible. Trust me, spend some time with her, and you'll come to love her."

"No chance." Esteban's good-looking face clouded over, and he spoke with determination. "I got the marriage certificate with her for your sake. I don't want to waste my time. If I don't develop any feelings for her within a year, I'll end the marriage. Grandma, there's no stopping me."

Lainey had confidence in her judgment. She didn't believe the couple would divorce later on, so she readily consented. "Sure, that's fine. But you'll need to spend this year with Katherine. After all, how else can you nurture your relationship?"

Esteban's silence was heavy, his eyes reflecting his dissatisfaction.

But Lainey appeared unaware of his feelings. "Didn't Katherine have a problem at home? As her husband, you shouldn't leave her to handle it alone. Why don't you go see what's going on?"

Esteban had a strong reluctance to do so. However, he found no other option but to heed his grandmother's advice. He began looking for the address based on the information from their marriage certificate.

The moment Katherine entered the Morgan family's living room, a cup flew towards her. She flinched and quickly stepped back to dodge it.

A loud sound echoed as the cup shattered, followed by a thunderous roar.

"Get on your knees!"

Seated on the living room couch, Myla Morgan, Katherine's grandmother, glared at her with a furious expression.

Beside Myla was a tall man with gold-framed glasses. It was Darrell, Katherine's ex-boyfriend, the one who cheated on her with her cousin.

Spotting Darrell, Katherine had a better grasp of why Myla was filled with such anger.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I have to kneel?" She strolled into the living room at her own pace and glanced at them, striking a balance between humility and assertiveness.

"Katherine, how could you speak back to your grandma like that?" Darrell chimed in, feigning grievance while glancing at Myla. "Mrs. Morgan, she needs to be taught a lesson. Yesterday, I accidentally caught Katherine cheating on me. She's only just returned; who knows what other disgraceful things she's done?"

Myla, already displeased with Katherine's behavior, was incited further by Darrell's words and pointed at Katherine.

"Indeed, you were raised in an orphanage. Your education seems lacking, and you even cheated on Darrell. How did someone as bold as you end up in the Morgan family? I should never have brought you back."

"Cheating on Darrell? Shameless?" Katherine repeated their accusations, her tone filled with disdain. "Darrell Clark, do you even know who's being shameless here? I tried to spare you embarrassment, but you've thrown it back in my face. Unfortunately, you've lost the right to be respected."

Suppressing her anger, Katherine revealed the video she had captured of Darrell and her cousin in an intimate encounter.

Gasps echoed continuously throughout the video. Even if someone didn't watch it, they could easily picture how passionate their loving-making was.

Darrell's complexion went pale instantly. "Katherine! What are you doing? How could you show this to your grandma?"

Myla, in her sixties, with a lifetime of traditional thinking, couldn't tolerate such a sight. Without hesitation, she seized a nearby cushion and hurled it towards Katherine.

"You have no shame! How can you display it before me? Is this how your father raised you? Indeed, you're ill-bred. Your mother passed away a long time ago, and your unhelpful stepmother gave birth to another girl. Worse yet, she's sick and needs treatment in another city. All of you are utterly disgusting!"

The cushion had a gentle impact, causing no physical harm to Katherine. However, what inflicted pain upon her was the profound disappointment and shame in her grandmother's eyes.

Myla was always partial to her eldest son's family, and all his kids were the apple of her eye.

As granddaughters, Katherine and her sister received entirely distinct treatment from their grandmother.

She had grown accustomed to this disparity. But now, as her cousin had an affair with her boyfriend, it was Katherine who was labeled the disgrace, and even her parents were dragged through the mud.

Why should this be?

Katherine refused to endure it any longer. She pointed at Darrell and declared, "This issue has nothing to do with my parents. Furthermore, the one who's being shameless here isn't me. It was Darrell and Isabel who sneaked behind my back and did something so disgraceful in bed."

Upon hearing this, Myla was taken aback. She identified the individuals in the video as Darrell and her eldest granddaughter, Isabel Morgan. Frowning, she turned her gaze to Darrell and inquired, "What's going on?"

Darrell grew flustered and averted his gaze, uncertain how to counter Katherine's accusation.

Isabel, who had been eavesdropping and watching from upstairs for entertainment, sensed something was amiss. She rushed downstairs and snatched Katherine's phone. When she spotted herself in the video, her face paled.

She mustered her courage and stated, "Grandma, the video is a fake. Katherine used AI technique to alter her appearance and falsely incriminate me and Darrell. I've always followed your advice, believing girls should have self-esteem and self-respect. I would never steal someone else's boyfriend. But Katherine tarnished not only my reputation but also the Morgan family's reputation in this manner."

Following this statement, Isabel conjured up a few tears, feigning the role of a victim.

As she dried her tears, she gave a wink to Darrell and added, "Furthermore, Darrell and I shared a deep love for each other. Katherine was the one who stole him from me. But she still wasn't satisfied. She even cheated on him. Grandma, please help me."

Darrell comprehended Isabel's intentions and chimed in, "Exactly. Katherine was the one who cheated on me first!"

Myla now felt an increased distaste for Katherine. "How can you be so malicious? I can't believe my own grandchild would be so heartless!"

"Heartless?" Katherine felt a profound sense of disappointment with her family. "Then I'll post this video online. Whether it's real or fabricated, experts will undoubtedly be able to verify it. After all, you're innocent. I don't believe you'd back down from that."

"No way!" Isabel became anxious. She grasped Myla's hand and pleaded, "Grandma, it's not that we're afraid of having experts verify it. If we share the video with others, it will become real in their eyes. Ultimately, it will still bring shame to the Morgan family, won't it?"

These words struck a chord with Myla, hitting precisely the right note in her mind. Throughout her life, the most significant concern for her had been the honor of the Morgan family. Naturally, she wouldn't allow the family's disgrace to become public knowledge.

She fixed Katherine with a stern look, her voice icy. "Seems you've forgotten you're a Morgan, too. Suggesting such a thing, as if your shame wasn't enough, you want to drag the whole family through the mud? What's your aim?"

"I-"

Katherine's response was cut short by Myla. "That's enough! We're done discussing this. Let it go."

It was clear Myla was siding with Isabel, trying to quash the issue before it blew up. Katherine's expression turned gloomy.

Suddenly, a tall and robust man appeared at the front door.

"Did I choose the wrong time to show up?"

Eyes piercingly sharp, Esteban glanced around the room, finally fixing his eyes on Katherine.

Katherine was stunned. "What're you doing here?"

Before Esteban could answer, Darrell leaped up from the sofa and shouted angrily, "You said you didn't cheat on me, but you brought a man home!"

Myla and Isabel were also confused by Esteban's sudden appearance, eyeing him vigilantly.

Esteban frowned and said impatiently, "I'm Katherine's husband. I came here to meet her family. What's wrong with that?"

Myla's jaw went slack. "What? Husband?"

Then she looked down at Esteban's empty hands. Seeing that he didn't bring any gifts, her shock was quickly replaced with disdain.

"Katherine, getting married is no trivial matter. Why didn't you tell us about this? And how could you marry such a poor man with no manners?"

Myla shook her head in disgust as she spoke. She had thought that she could make a fortune if Katherine married a rich man. Now, however, it seemed that she could get nothing out of her.

"Katherine, you got married out of the blue. Did you find someone to play husband to get back at me?" Darrell sneered.

He refused to believe that the conservative and reserved Katherine would actually cheat on him. In a sarcastic tone, he added, "But you didn't think this performance through, did you? If he really came here to meet your family, why didn't he bring any gifts?"

Isabel sneered in disdain, "Maybe he's too poor to buy gifts."

Seeing that Esteban pulled a long face, Katherine pulled him behind her to protect him, ready to face these unreasonable people alone.

"My husband just wanted to drop by. It's not a formal visit. Besides, Darrell never brought any gifts whenever he came here, so why should my husband bring gifts?"

Being defended like this, Esteban was stunned for a while. When he came to his senses, he realized just how unreasonable his new wife's family was.

Darrell was rendered speechless. He could only look to Isabel for help.

"Grandma, Katherine's so audacious. Plus, we have no idea who this man is. What if he's a liar? A con artist?" Isabel continued to fan the flames, whispering provocations into Myla's ears.

Myla's expression darkened. Glaring at Esteban, she continued to interrogate her new grandson-in-law.

"What's your name, young man? Where are you from? What do your parents do for a living? More importantly, what do you do for a living?"

Katherine wanted to defend him, but the man behind her stopped her.

Esteban stepped out from behind her and answered impatiently, "I'm Esteban James. I was born and raised in Ebeunhull. I don't have parents. I run a company."

"Oh? Turns out he's just an orphan. And, nowadays, anyone can run a company. And what kind of business could he have started at this age without the help of his parents? Darrell's the design director of a huge company. He earns over a million dollars a year. But at the end of the day, I guess an orphan and a girl who grew up in an orphanage are a match made in heaven."

Isabel sneered in contempt, insulting Esteban without scruples.

Being praised in the same breath, Darrell was in a good mood. "Katherine, it looks like you could only settle for a loser after breaking up with me."

"Watch your mouth." Katherine's anger flared when they started mocking Esteban being an orphan.

"Darrell, have you forgotten how you became the director? You relied on my designs to get that promotion. Who gave you the balls to look down on people who start a business with their own blood, sweat, and tears?"

"Bullshit! What the hell are you talking about? You shut your mouth, or I'll-"

Darrell was shamed into anger, and in a fit of rage, he raised his hand to hit Katherine.

Esteban's eyes flashed.

He reached out and caught Darrell by the wrist. Then he exerted some force on his grip.

"There is a limit to my patience."

Esteban didn't raise his voice, but his words sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Pain shot up from Darrell's wrist, and he felt that if Esteban exerted any more force, he'd break a bone. He couldn't help but cry out in pain, screaming, "Help me!"

"What are you doing? You're hurting him!" Myla pounded the table and stood up. Shifting her hostile glare from Esteban to Katherine, she barked, "You show me no respect. Since that's the case, you're not welcome in this house."

Then, without waiting for a response, she retreated to her room in a huff.

Katherine watched her hobble away, feeling both pathetic and ridiculous. She was the victim, yet she was treated as the bully.

On their first day as a married couple, her husband witnessed firsthand just how unreasonable her family was. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed about it.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that. Please don't take their words seriously. They didn't mean it," Katherine said to Esteban awkwardly, rubbing her arms.

Seeing how upset she was, Esteban frowned. And judging from what just happened, it was clear that Katherine wasn't treated well in this family.

He didn't want to waste too much time here, so he said, "Since Katherine and I are married, she should move into my place."