Married To The Monster Groom

Clara stayed seated in front of the vanity mirror while the makeup artist prepared to do her makeup. Without warning, the door flew open, and Karen hurried inside. The moment Karen noticed Clara's messy hair and the long gray coat that made her face look even more drained, her face turned stiff.

She looked livid.

"The Ferraris are already here. Why are you still not dressed?"

Clara adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and stared at her mother in confusion.

"Mom, you really want me to marry my sister's fiancé?"

An anxious look crossed Karen's face at once, as if she had just realized how serious the situation was. The Ferraris were already waiting downstairs, and if anything went wrong, their family would be finished. Karen quickly dropped to her knees in front of Clara, and desperation covered her face.

"Clara, I'm begging you. Your sister can't marry him. Can't you help this family just this one time?"

The hopelessness in Clara's eyes deepened even more. Karen was her real mother, yet she had always treated the children from Clara's father's first marriage better than her.

Even after knowing that her sister's fiancé was unattractive and incapable, Karen still pushed Clara to take her sister's place and marry him instead.

Outside the room, the servants spoke in hushed voices.

"Madam, the Ferrari family has come upstairs."

Clara made no move to help Karen stand. Instead, she answered in a distant tone.

"Stand up. I'll go."

This time, Clara had given up everything for the sake of that family. The moment she pulled the door open, several unfamiliar bodyguards were already standing outside, waiting for her.

They had been sent by the Ferrari family to bring her over.

Today was the day she would get married. There would be no wedding ceremony, and she wouldn't even wear a wedding dress.

"Let's leave."

Without another word, Clara stepped past them and headed downstairs first.

The Ferrari family held the most power and wealth in Beerworth. More than ten years ago, their only son, Leonardo, had been kidnapped. After that incident, his face was left disfigured, and he also lost his ability to have children. From that day on, he never showed himself in public again.

Rumors about him spread everywhere. People said he was vicious and terrifying, and there were even stories claiming that no woman who entered his villa had ever made it back out alive.

Nothing hurt more than being abandoned by your own family. Clara no longer cared whether Leonardo was human or a monster. Her mother had personally pushed her toward that man, and now she had no one left to rely on.

After arriving at Leonardo's villa, the bodyguards brought Clara into a room before quietly leaving her there alone. Hours passed, and the sky outside slowly darkened. Only then did the door open once more.

Clara turned toward the entrance and saw a tall man with broad shoulders walking into the room. He shut the door behind him before turning on the light.

The sudden light forced Clara to raise her hand and cover her eyes for a moment. When she finally looked at him clearly, her entire body went still.

It wasn't because he looked frightening or hideous.

Instead... the man standing before her was unbelievably handsome.

The dark suit rested neatly against his tall and well-built figure. Step by step, he moved closer to Clara with calm confidence. His long legs carried him forward with a natural sense of authority and grace.

Every part of his face looked flawless, as though someone had carefully crafted him by hand.

Leonardo kept his eyes on Clara for several quiet seconds before his brows drew together faintly.

"You're too ugly."

He spoke in an even tone without showing the slightest emotion.

Clara looked back at him in shock. It wasn't his insult that bothered her. Instead, she lifted her chin and asked him directly, "Who are you?"

A sharp glint flashed through his dark eyes, and his low voice filled the room.

"You don't even know the man you're marrying?"

As he drew closer, the warmth of his breath brushed against her and sent a chill through her body.

The pressure from his presence nearly made Clara lose her footing for a moment, but she forced herself to stay composed.

"Of course I know. The person I'm marrying is Leonardo."

Something shifted in Leonardo's eyes after hearing her answer. Another woman who had believed every rumor people spread about him being disfigured and cruel. She was about to marry a man the world called "ugly and impotent," yet she still looked unusually calm.

For the first time, she caught his interest.

A faint smirk appeared on his face, and he spoke with complete confidence.

"So you're my future sister-in-law? I'm Douglas, Leonardo's cousin. I guess no woman would want to spend her wedding night with a useless man like him. Even you feel the same way, don't you?"

He stressed the word "useless" on purpose, and mockery lingered in his voice. Then, he deliberately moved nearer to Clara. The closer he got, the heavier and colder his presence became.

Clara immediately felt uneasy. After staring at him for a short moment, she slowly started believing what he said. Leonardo's villa wasn't a place outsiders could casually enter. Only family members and selected guests like her were allowed inside.

"He's still your cousin. You shouldn't talk about him that way. Maybe Leonardo has suffered enough because of his own family already."

A trace of sympathy rose inside Clara. Even though the Ferrari family stood above everyone else in society, she still felt sorry for Leonardo. He had probably gone through years of suffering that no one else knew about.

A brief look of surprise crossed Leonardo's brown eyes. He never expected this "ugly" woman to defend him like that.

Without realizing it, he studied her again.

Her hair was messy. The black-framed glasses on her face looked old-fashioned, while the loose cotton dress hanging on her body appeared plain and untidy. Thick bangs covered most of her eyes, and faint marks could still be seen on her thin face. Nothing about her appearance was attractive.

There was only one thing he was certain about. This distant and ordinary-looking woman couldn't be the fiancée originally chosen for him.

Still, the Ferrari family had never cared whether the woman beside him was beautiful or unattractive. As long as she could give birth to an heir, that was enough for them. If she failed, they could always replace her with another woman.

A dark look appeared in his eyes. Leonardo suddenly reached out and shoved Clara onto the bed. When he spoke again, disgust and cruelty filled his voice.

"Nobody else is here right now. You can stop pretending. Just by looking at you, it's obvious you've never been with a man before. I might as well help you out and give you what you want. Think of it as me doing you a favor."

Right after saying that, he leaned closer to her. His touch felt strangely gentle, and there was something dangerously hard to resist about it.

"Stay away from me!"

Clara gathered all her strength and slapped him hard across the face.

"Don't assume everyone is as disgusting as you are. You're lucky your cousin hasn't arrived yet to see this. Leave now, and I'll act like nothing happened."

Even though Clara forced herself to stay calm, her shaking hands exposed the fear and uneasiness inside her. She had already prepared herself to meet a terrible man, but she never expected things would turn out like this.

Leonardo's face immediately darkened, and a freezing coldness surrounded him. "No woman has ever dared to hit me before."

During the struggle, Clara's glasses slipped off her face. The clear and sharp eyes hidden behind them were finally exposed. Her body still trembled slightly, and the fear in her eyes was impossible to hide.

The moment Leonardo saw that, he suddenly went silent. For a brief second, something softer passed through his eyes.

He calmly fixed his shirt before throwing her another cold look.

"Then stay here and keep waiting for that 'useless man.'"

Bang! The instant the door closed behind him, the tension Clara had been holding onto finally loosened a little.

Several bodyguards standing outside immediately noticed the red handprint on Leonardo's face. They exchanged hesitant looks before one of them carefully spoke up. "Sir... your face..."

Leonardo casually touched his cheek and answered without much thought.

"I accidentally hit the door."

Since when did doors leave finger marks on people's faces?

Even though the excuse sounded unbelievable, the bodyguard didn't dare question him any further. Instead, he respectfully passed a file over to Leonardo.

"This contains the young lady's information."

Leonardo opened the file and immediately saw the name written on the first page. Clara Jarrett.

That cold and plain-looking woman had unexpectedly caught his attention.

What interested him even more was Clara's mother. She treated the children from her husband's previous marriage like precious treasures, yet she treated her own daughter with cruelty.

As Leonardo continued reading the contents inside the file, his brows slowly tightened together.

"Is she really as stupid as the report says?" he asked the bodyguard.

The bodyguard gave a quick nod.

Leonardo's eyes instantly turned distant.

"Look into it again."

Earlier, Clara had spoken clearly and logically without any sign of confusion. Besides, Leonardo had never seen a fool who could fight back that fiercely under pressure.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. He threw the file back toward the bodyguard and spoke in a cold voice. "If the information you give me isn't accurate, then don't show your face in front of me again."

Early the next morning, Clara slowly opened her eyes while resting against the headboard. Sunlight had already filled the room. Leonardo still hadn't returned after leaving the night before, and she hadn't even met the man she had married.

Part of her finally relaxed, but the heavy feeling in her chest remained.

An uneasy feeling stayed with her the entire time, like something terrible was waiting for her ahead. After Clara walked downstairs, one of the bodyguards approached and silently led her toward the dining room.

The dining room connected directly to the kitchen. The moment Clara stepped inside, she noticed a tall man walking out of the kitchen while carrying breakfast.

The instant she recognized Douglas, she immediately turned around to leave. Before she could take another step, he deliberately called out to her.

"Good morning, sister-in-law."

His voice sounded gentle and pleasant, yet there was still a teasing tone hidden underneath it. The bodyguard standing nearby quietly shook his head to himself. Even he couldn't understand why their young master kept pretending in front of the young lady.

The moment Clara saw Douglas, disgust immediately rose inside her. She truly couldn't understand why he spent so much time inside his cousin's home without any proper reason.

"Good morning," Clara replied while adjusting her glasses.

After that, she turned toward the bodyguard behind her.

"Your young master still isn't here?"

The bodyguard secretly glanced toward Leonardo, whose face remained completely expressionless.

No matter what, he could only continue lying.

"The young master hasn't recovered yet. He's still staying in the hospital."

Clara looked simple and naïve on the surface, but that only happened because Karen had suppressed her ever since childhood and never allowed her abilities to show.

Over time, Clara learned to hide her true thoughts and strength just to protect herself.

The bodyguard's awkward excuse didn't fool her at all.

Even so, she simply nodded.

"I see. Then can I visit him at the hospital?"

"This isn't the right time," the bodyguard answered, even though the lie was obvious.

It became obvious to Clara that Leonardo truly disliked her and had no interest in seeing her at all. Leonardo calmly set the breakfast down on the dining table before looking at her.

"Are you going to eat breakfast?"

The moment Clara came downstairs earlier, she realized there wasn't a single chef anywhere inside the villa. Did he make all of this himself?

"What is it?" Leonardo asked while walking closer to her. "Are you scared I poisoned the food?"

A dark and heavy look filled his eyes, and just meeting his gaze made Clara feel uneasy.

Without thinking, Clara took a step backward.

"Thank you for making breakfast, but I'm not hungry."

After saying that, she quickly turned around and walked out of the room. Once she stepped outside, she ran into the same bodyguard who had escorted her to the hall the night before.

"Can you drive me home? I need to pick up some things."

She hadn't brought anything with her yesterday. She still needed clothes and other personal belongings from home. On the way there, Clara had already noticed that the villa sat halfway up a mountain. She could walk back if she had no other choice, but the trip would take too much time.

The bodyguard didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked behind her first.

When Clara turned around, she saw Douglas walking out as well. Both of his hands rested casually inside the pockets of his tailored pants while he slowly made his way toward her.

"So my cousin's wife wants to go back home to grab some belongings? I can take you there myself. There's no need to bother anyone else."

Before Clara could react, he casually placed an arm around her shoulder.

Clara immediately brushed his hand away, and disgust filled her face.

"No, thanks."

She truly couldn't figure him out. Just yesterday, he mocked her appearance and called her ugly. Yet today, he kept finding reasons to stay close to her.

"Miss, why don't you let our young master drive you back instead?" the bodyguard hurriedly suggested.

After going back and forth for a while, Clara eventually ended up leaving with Douglas.

During the drive, he suddenly leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice.

"You're surprisingly soft and warm."

Clara instantly grew tense. Afraid he might say or do something even worse, she stayed completely silent for the rest of the ride. Inside the quiet car, she tightened her seatbelt and kept her eyes fixed ahead. She didn't even dare turn toward Douglas once.

Leonardo quietly watched every reaction she made, and his interest in her slowly deepened. Even though Clara looked plain and ordinary, there was still something proper and restrained about her.

At first, he only wanted to joke around and provoke her for fun. However, the way she reacted made him notice more things about her, so he decided to continue pretending and see how much he could uncover.

The black car slowly came to a stop outside the Jarrett family villa. Clara reached for her seatbelt and prepared to get out, but Leonardo suddenly leaned closer from beside her. His long fingers lightly pressed against the dark buckle before the seatbelt released with a soft click.

His face looked dangerously attractive from up close. The moment he leaned near her, Clara's thoughts completely stalled. Her mind became strangely quiet, and before she realized it, warmth spread across her face. Confusion flickered behind her glassy eyes as she looked at him.

A face like his could easily make any woman lose herself.

Still, Clara quickly remembered everything he had done yesterday, and the softness in her gaze disappeared at once. To her, he was nothing more than a childish man who kept chasing things he couldn't have.

Clara lifted her chin and adjusted her glasses. Her face returned to its usual calm expression.

"I'm getting out now."

Leonardo narrowed his eyes immediately, and a trace of irritation flashed through them.

Clara noticed the sudden change in his mood and hurried to open the car door. Before she could leave, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

His grip was firm, and his long arm wrapped around her closely enough that it almost looked like he was holding her in an embrace. Anyone looking from outside would probably misunderstand the situation completely.

Behind Clara's glasses, her clear eyes met his directly. Leonardo stared into them before speaking slowly on purpose.

"I personally brought you home. Don't I at least deserve a thank you?"

Clara lowered her head a little, and her body trembled faintly. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

Most of the time, the Jarrett family ignored her whenever she stayed quiet and withdrawn. Clara hoped Douglas would react the same way and finally leave her alone.

Instead, Leonardo's eyes slowly darkened while staring at her slightly opened lips.

"Hm. That thank you doesn't sound honest at all. Looks like I'll have to collect it myself."

The moment those words left his mouth, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

While kissing her, only one thought crossed his mind. She's my legal wife. Why should I hold myself back from kissing her?

Clara froze the instant his face moved close to hers. She quickly raised both hands to push him away, but before she could do anything, he firmly caught her wrists.

After the kiss ended, Leonardo slowly pulled away from her lips, though the desire in his eyes still hadn't faded.

That felt better than I expected. I should definitely do it again next time. Once he regained his usual calm expression, he spoke in a firm and commanding tone. "Take those glasses off. If you keep wearing them, I might end up kissing you every single time I see you."

He purposely lowered his voice while saying it. His eyes openly moved across her body without restraint, as though he had already marked her as his.

Before Clara could even answer him, a woman's voice suddenly interrupted the silence inside the car.

"Clara?"

Clara quickly turned toward the half-open car window. Outside, Karen stood frozen in place. Shock and anger filled her eyes at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" Karen asked sharply.

Clara unconsciously tightened her hands, and confusion flashed across her face.

On the very first day after her marriage, another man was openly flirting with her outside her own home, and she had no way to defend herself from the situation.

Even with everything unfolding in front of her, Karen still forced herself to remain composed.

After glancing around and spotting Clara clearly, she coldly said, "Come inside."

Clara hurriedly pushed the car door open and stepped outside. The second her feet touched the ground, Karen grabbed her arm and dragged her straight into the villa.

Unexpectedly, Leonardo leaned halfway out of the car window behind them. His fingers brushed lightly across his lips while a sly smile spread across his face.

"Sister-in-law, I'll wait for you to come back."

The moment Karen heard the words "cousin-in-law," her expression immediately turned stiff. She glared at Clara with cold and piercing eyes.

Clara pressed her lips together tightly. Was Douglas deliberately trying to destroy her?

Karen seized Clara's wrist and forcefully dragged her into the villa's foyer. The second they stopped, she threw Clara's hand aside and stared at her with a pale face filled with anger.

"That's your husband's cousin?"

Clara gave a small nod.

"Yes."

Slap!

Karen struck Clara across the face with all her strength. The sharp sound echoed through the foyer, and Clara's ears instantly rang from the impact.

"Have you completely lost your sense of shame? What were you thinking, getting involved with your husband's cousin on the first day of your marriage? Are you trying to get yourself killed? If you want to ruin your own life, then go ahead, but don't drag this family down with you!"

Karen turned her face away after shouting at her. Clara slowly lifted a hand and touched her burning cheek before looking back at Karen with cold eyes.

"So you won't even ask what really happened first?"

Whenever something went wrong, Clara was always the first person blamed. It never mattered what actually happened or who caused the problem in the first place. Karen's sharp voice rang out again, filled with contempt.

"One man can barely take care of himself because of his condition and appearance, while the other looks completely healthy and capable. You have eyes, don't you? Anyone would know which man a woman would choose. Don't tell me you already slept with that so-called cousin last night?"

At that moment, a soft voice drifted down from upstairs.

Vicky slowly walked down the staircase, and Karen immediately hurried toward her.

"Vicky, are you feeling better now?"

"Thank you, Mom. I'm already much better."

Vicky smiled gently at Karen before shifting her attention toward Clara.

"Clara, I understand what you're feeling right now. But no matter what, you should still think about our family and control yourself."

Earlier, Vicky had seen everything from the upstairs window. She watched Clara kissing a man inside the car. What shocked her the most wasn't the fact that Clara kissed someone who wasn't her husband. Instead, she couldn't believe that her plain and quiet sister would actually kiss a man at all.

Vicky then looked back at Karen with an innocent expression on her face.

"Mom, don't you agree?"

Karen immediately smiled.

"Of course. My Vicky has always been right."

Clara quietly tightened her fists but didn't say a word.

Anyone watching them would find it hard to believe which daughter was actually Karen's biological child.

For years, Karen had done everything she could to secure her place in the Jarrett family. She constantly tried to please everyone in the household, but Clara was always the one forced to sacrifice her own happiness for it.

The smile on Karen's face slowly disappeared when she looked back at Clara again. Her expression immediately turned cold and serious.

"Clara, you're already part of the Ferrari family now. From this day forward, you need to protect their reputation properly. Don't bring shame to this family."

Clara lowered her eyes slightly, hiding the disgust burning inside her. Her face stayed calm and emotionless, worn down like someone who had already endured too much.

"Thanks for reminding me," she replied calmly. "But if you keep pushing me like this, I might really do something impulsive in front of the Ferrari family one day. I don't know whether they'll take revenge on the Jarrett family because of it, but if I were you, I wouldn't risk finding out. Understood?"

Vicky stared at Clara in disbelief. She never expected the quiet and obedient Clara to suddenly say something like that. A frown immediately appeared on her face.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying exactly what you heard."

Clara slowly lifted her head. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her expression remained as distant and indifferent as before.

Did they really believe she would continue standing there quietly while they treated her worse than a servant, just like before? That version of Clara no longer existed. Back then, she used to force herself to stay humble because she desperately wanted love and approval from everyone around her. Pleasing people had become the only way she knew how to survive.

But the moment Karen forced her to marry into the Ferrari family instead of Vicky, Clara stopped caring about disappointing her mother.

"What?"

Vicky looked completely stunned. She had spent years ordering Clara around however she pleased, so seeing her finally resist was something she never expected.

Anger instantly spread across Vicky's face. She glared at Clara viciously before turning toward Karen.

"Mom, did you hear what she just said?"

Karen had clearly understood the warning hidden behind Clara's words as well. Still, she believed Clara would eventually give in like she always did before. Holding onto her authority as a mother, Karen sharply said, "Clara, apologize to your sister right now!"

Clara looked directly into Karen's eyes without backing down. Her voice turned icy.

"Apologize for what exactly?"

In Karen's memory, Clara used to be a smart and beautiful little girl. Yet as the years passed, she seemed to grow quieter and less noticeable. But at this moment, the sharpness in Clara's eyes completely caught Karen off guard.

Karen swallowed nervously before lowering her voice and turning toward Vicky. "Vicky, let's stop this for now. If she loses control and actually does something reckless..."

Even though Vicky hated it, she had no choice except to back down.

If Clara really snapped and caused trouble in front of the Ferrari family, the Jarrett family would suffer the consequences as well. If that happened, how could they continue living comfortably inside this wealthy household?

After seeing her mother and stepsister fall silent, Clara turned around and walked upstairs to pack her things.

She had spent more than 20 years living inside this villa, but the number of belongings she actually owned was pitifully small. Sometimes, the place didn't even feel like her home. It felt more like she was only staying there temporarily as an outsider.

By the time Clara came back downstairs with her suitcase, nobody remained in the foyer anymore.

She paused briefly before quietly heading toward the back entrance and leaving the villa through there.

Clara didn't understand why Leonardo's cousin suddenly seemed interested in her, but she was certain about one thing. She needed to stay far away from him.

Leonardo had already been waiting outside the villa for quite some time, yet Clara still hadn't come out. Little by little, his patience started running out. As he remembered the information written inside yesterday's report, his brows slowly drew together. Could that plain-looking woman really have been treated badly by her own family all this time?

The second that thought crossed his mind, Leonardo unconsciously touched the cheek Clara had slapped earlier before letting out a cold scoff. She didn't look like someone willing to quietly endure mistreatment.

"Sir, would you like to come inside?"

Hearing the soft voice, Leonardo turned toward the window. Standing beside the car was a delicate-looking woman carrying herself with quiet elegance.

The moment Vicky saw his face clearly, she completely froze.

Earlier, she had already witnessed Clara kissing a man inside the car, but she never imagined that man would look this handsome and polished. A man like him stood out too much from ordinary people. How could someone so exceptional possibly take interest in Clara, that plain and foolish country girl? At that moment, Vicky became even more certain that coming outside had been the right decision.

Leonardo noticed her thoughts immediately through the look in her eyes.

A mocking sneer appeared on his face.

"And you are?"

"I'm Clara's older sister. You can just call me Vicky."

Even though Leonardo treated her coldly, Vicky didn't seem bothered by it at all.

Vicky?

The name quickly reminded Leonardo about the information he had seen before. The Jarrett family had two daughters. One was Clara, while the other was the woman originally meant to marry into the Ferrari family before being replaced.

Most people would probably call Vicky beautiful, but she wasn't the kind of woman he liked.

Strangely enough, he found Clara's plain appearance much more pleasing to look at.

Leonardo completely lost interest in continuing the conversation with Vicky. His tone turned flat as he asked, "Where's Clara?"

"She... well... She's probably still upstairs packing her things. Before I came down, she asked me to invite you inside first."

Vicky had no intention of wasting this chance. Every person connected to the Ferrari family possessed money, power, and influence. On top of that, this man was unbelievably handsome.

Leonardo saw straight through her thoughts, and a mocking smile appeared on his face. Clara invited him inside? More likely, she had already slipped away by now.

Without bothering to look at Vicky again, he raised the car window and drove off immediately.

No man had ever ignored Vicky so coldly before. Her face instantly turned pale with anger.

Meanwhile, Clara returned directly to the apartment she rented for herself.

Back when she first entered university, she stayed in the dormitory on campus. Later, after graduation and during her internship, she moved into this apartment alone. The only reason she went back to the Jarrett family villa recently was because Karen insisted she stay there and marry into the Ferrari family. If Karen hadn't forced her into it, Clara would've never returned to that house again.

Since Leonardo wasn't staying at the villa and clearly wanted nothing to do with her, she saw no reason not to remain here instead.

By the time Clara finished unpacking and cleaning up the apartment, the afternoon had already arrived. She quickly changed clothes before heading outside to buy a few daily necessities.

The neighborhood where she lived sat in one of the busiest parts of Beerworth. Transportation there was inconvenient, and the people living nearby came from all kinds of backgrounds.

As Clara turned into a narrow alley, a sudden loud sound shocked her.

Was that a gunshot?

She instinctively looked up and saw a white van speeding wildly toward her like a mad animal that had lost control. Clara quickly dodged to the side. Right as the van rushed past her, the door suddenly swung open, and a tall man jumped out.

He rolled across the ground before landing right near her feet.

Clara immediately tried stepping away, but before she could react, the man abruptly stood up and pressed something cold against her temple.

His voice sounded low and smooth, and strangely enough, it also sounded familiar.

"Take me out of here. Right now."

The moment Clara lifted her head and saw his face clearly, her heart dropped heavily.

"Douglas!"