My Accidental Marriage With A Mysterious Magnate

Janet's POV:

I stood right outside the bedroom, listening intently. The creaking sound that the bed made could be heard from where I was.

"I've given you everything! How have you still not broken up with Janet?" Jocelyn's voice sounded like honey as she spoke. "What's so good about her? Janet is adopted. She's nothing to our family."

"Let's not talk about it while we're in bed, alright?" There was a sense of unhappiness and dissatisfaction in Steve's voice as he hastily tried to change the topic.

Exhausted and feeling sick, I just stood there. My feet seemed to have been glued to the floor. As I eavesdropped on their conversation in front of the bedroom door, I suddenly felt the urge to throw up.

I had just come back from the hospital. Three months ago, the woman who raised me, Hannah Stone, was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. It was discovered so late that it was now in an advanced stage. She was in dire need of a liver transplant and an incredibly ridiculous amount of money for her treatment. Everything had to be sorted out as soon as possible.

Now, my sister was sleeping with my lover. I guess it was true what people say, 'When it rains, it pours.'

"I don't give a rat's ass about it! You have to make a choice right now. Is it me or her?" Jocelyn was panting as she anxiously demanded an answer from Steve.

At that very moment, I had no idea what came over me. I kicked the door and barged in on them. Looking down at my sister and the man I loved, I coldly said, "Make a choice? He's just a man. You can have him if you like."

It may have seemed that I did not care but deep inside, I was hurting.

The pain of betrayal almost devoured me. My eyes were fixated on the two people in front of me. I had to endure the agony. The pain in my heart was too much that I was even oblivious of how deep my nails dug into the flesh of my palms as I clenched my hands ever so tightly.

Steve was my college classmate. He was ridiculously good-looking. To top it all off, he was privileged to be born in a wealthy family. For three long years, he chased after me.

When we were about to graduate, he declared his love for me once again.

I could remember it like it was only yesterday. On the playground of the campus, almost everyone in the university gathered around to witness his profession of love for me. Embraced by the crowd's relentless cheering, I said yes.

The memory of it all was so vivid in my mind. I never once forgot about it.

Now, however, I knew I had to.

As if on cue, Steve pushed Jocelyn away. There was panic in his eyes as he looked at me. Steve opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Jocelyn almost fell to the floor. Anger was evident on her face.

"What the fuck do you mean by that? He freaking dumped you! Don't you get it? Bitch!" The sheet was wrapped around her naked body as Jocelyn scornfully mocked me. Her eyes flew to Steve and said, "Steve, tell Janet what you told me just now!"

However, not a word escaped Steve's lips. Hastily, he put his trousers back on and got out of bed. With his knees on the floor, there were tears streaming down his face as Steve grabbed my wrist. "Janet, forgive me. I am begging you. I have no idea what got into me," he begged. I could hear the desperation in his voice.

Despite his heart-wrenching plea, I looked down on him, coldly. It was as if I was looking at a stray dog on the street.

"I'm sorry, Steve. The truth is, I never was in love with you. Besides, I am not a garbage bin. I'm not going to take back something that Jocelyn had already laid her hands on. Clearly, you two are perfect for each other. Let's just break up."

The look of anger and bitterness on Jocelyn's face made me feel much better.

When we were little girls, Jocelyn greatly enjoyed taking things away from me; dolls, candies and everything. Now that we were older, it was a man that she snatched. I had gotten accustomed to this wretched habit of hers.

The only thing on my mind now was Hannah's medical expenses.

I was about to leave when I heard rapid footsteps from the corridor. It was Bernie and Fiona, my adoptive parents.

"It's late at night. What is all that noise?"

Bernie was the first to walk in. Seeing Jocelyn naked as a baby, he pointed at her and screamed, "What the hell are you doing?! You are bound to get married in a couple of days. How can you do this now?"

There were tears streaming down Jocelyn's face as she pointed at Steve and said, "I'm pregnant. It's his child! I cannot possibly marry someone else now. You have to cancel the wedding!" "What?!" Steve was slack-jawed, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"What the hell are you talking about?! You are spoiled rotten!" Bernie raised his hand and slapped Jocelyn.

As if on cue, Fiona rushed in front of Jocelyn, protecting her. Her voice was soft as she cried. "Bernie... How could you raise a hand to Jocelyn? Look, Janet is also our daughter. She can marry that man in Jocelyn's place!"

Years after Bernie and Fiona had gotten married, they were still unable to have a baby. The pressure from both their families was too much for them to bear that they decided to adopt me in order to appease them.

However, not long after my adoption, Fiona got pregnant and later gave birth to Jocelyn.

As far as I could remember, Fiona had always despised me. When Jocelyn came along, Fiona's hatred for me grew with every passing day.

As time went by, I grew up with skills and capabilities that overshadowed Jocelyn's in many aspects. As a result, I became a threat for Fiona.

I heard that Jocelyn had been promised to marry the illegitimate son of the Lester family. When he was but a child, he was kicked out, left jobless and poor.

Jocelyn had always thought highly of herself. There was no way in hell she'd let herself marry a looser like that.

It felt as if I had been struck by lightning the moment I heard Fiona's suggestion. "He is Jocelyn's fiance! Why should I marry a man that she does not want?"

"For so many years, our family kept a roof over your head. It's time for you to repay our kindness, Janet." Fiona's voice was soft but her eyes were cold as ice. "Don't you want that servant to have the surgery? We will shoulder all of the expenses as long as you marry that man."

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as the doctor's words echoed in my mind. Hannah did not have much time left.

I was fresh out of college and I did not have the money to afford Hannah's treatment.

Although Bernie and Fiona adopted me, I never once felt parental love from them. It was Hannah, a servant of the Lind family, who brought me up like real family. She was like the grandmother I'd never had. I would do anything to save her.

Fiona stood up and walked up to me. "Eventually, you would have to marry someone. Why don't you give us a hand and marry the Lester family's son? I will give you the money as soon as you tie the knot," she persuaded.

Everyone's eyes were on me. Their gazes were so heavy that I felt the weight of it all over my shoulders. I needed that money.

I looked down on the floor and with a low voice I said, "Okay. I'll do this."

Janet's POV:

A few days later, I was clad in a humble slip dress as I stood in a small chapel in the suburbs.

Today was the day of my wedding.

I had never laid my eyes on the man I was bound to tie the knot with. Not even once.

It was about time for the ceremony to start and yet, the groom still had not arrived. Only a handful of people were invited to the wedding.

"Don't worry. The traffic might be a little bad. Let's wait a little longer," Bernie comforted me.

Suddenly, my breath hitched. I had a difficult time breathing. All this waiting was torturous, to say the least.

I heard things about the man I was to be wed with. Ethan Lester was his name and he had a bad reputation.

Marrying a stranger alone already made me feel quite squeamish but this was bound to happen. There was nothing I could do about it.

"Why is there no one from the groom's family here?" Fiona had a frown on her face as her eyes scanned the crowd.

The way she was dressed was gentle and yet, it screamed luxury. Her light purple dress looked magnificent and her delicate makeup made her appear charming and composed.

It was no surprise that the Lester family couldn't care less about this marriage; not that was a problem to me anyway. All that was going through my mind was Hannah's expensive medical treatment. I wasn't worried about anything else.

My voice was quiet as I asked Fiona, "Will you give me the money as soon as the ceremony is over?"

"We are family. You shouldn't talk about money all the time. You should just enjoy your wedding. And yes, I will give you the money. Don't worry about it." There was a hint of impatience beneath all the gentleness in Fiona's voice.

At that exact same time, Jocelyn arrived.

Jocelyn's POV:

Donning a high-end evening dress, I walked into the chapel with Steve in close proximity. There was complacency in my eyes as I closed the distance between me and my parents.

Songs of praises filled the air around me as I passed by the wedding guests. It greatly satisfied my vanity.

Steve was mine while Janet was left to marry the poor, illegitimate son of the Lester family.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought of it.

Perhaps, I was a tad too complacent. When I turned to look at Steve, I caught him gawking at Janet in her white dress.

"Steve," I uttered softly.

He did not seem to hear me as his full attention was on Janet.

I was so jealous that it was driving me insane. It had always been this way. Wherever Janet went, all eyes would be on her.

There was jealousy and utter outrage brewing in my heart. I shook off Steve's hand, oblivious of the fact that we were at an important gathering. "Steve, if you don't stop staring at that bitch, I will gouge your freaking eyeballs out! I do not understand what you see in her!" I exclaimed.

"Why hasn't the groom arrived yet? Clearly, his late attendance to his own wedding is proof that this man could not be relied on! And where is his family?! Damn, I guess being an illegitimate son really pushes his family to put him on complete disregard," I said.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Janet walking towards me as she lifted the hemline of her dress. "Please watch your mouth. Do not speak of him that way. Do you really not know how to respect a person?"

Janet's words took me aback. I had never seen her this way. She would always put up with me.

That same exact moment, the door was pushed open.

A tall, long-legged man with his wide, masculine shoulders graced the hall with his presence.

As the door of the chapel closed, the man looked up, revealing his face.

His dark eyes looked piercing as he stared ahead. His thin lips were pursed as he fastened the black buttons of his suit with his slender fingers. It looked as if he rushed to get here.

Charming was an understatement. He looked magnificent.

The powerful aura that was emanating around him took me aback. I could not take my eyes off of him. Not even for a moment.

Jocelyn's POV:

I couldn't take my eyes off the man in front of me. He was so handsome that I even forgot to blink.

I examined him very carefully, and he looked just dignified and noble. Maybe he was one of Ethan's two brothers.

The Lester family was a prominent household in terms of wealth and influence. Ethan, who was an illegitimate son, could hardly project such a powerful and aristocratic image. His two brothers, however, were the real young masters of the Lester family.

But I wasn't expecting Ethan's brother to be so attractive and have such a majestic demeanor.

And here I thought Steve was a handsome man, but he wasn't near as good as the man who was standing right before my eyes.

I walked up to him and gently asked, "Are you Ethan's brother? We're waiting on some guests. You should take a seat first. There's still some time left before the wedding starts."

I could feel my cheeks burning just by looking into the man's eyes.

It was hard not to ask for his phone number, but considering the occasion, I only ventured to speak with him and did not dare to do anything else.

But he didn't even bother to look at me. He walked straight towards Janet instead.

I awkwardly stood in my place and the smile on my face gradually turned into a frown.

With a faint huff and eye roll, I went back to where Steve was, my mood sour.

I looked in their direction once more and I eventually realized the attractive man standing next to Janet was actually Ethan, the groom for today's wedding. I was completely in shock.

Why was Ethan so handsome?

I quickly turned around and whispered in my mother's ear, "Mom, how come you never showed me any of his photos? If I had known that Ethan was this good-looking, I wouldn't have asked Janet to marry him!"

"You're still young, and one day you'll realize that it's useless for a man having only a handsome face," my mother replied, looking at me from the side. "Ethan will never amount to anything. He doesn't even have a decent job. A complete waste of space. He and Janet suit each other. They can only live at the bottom of the society all their lives."

My mother's words were quite harsh, but I didn't dare to say anything. It was unfair. Janet was so lucky to be married to such a gorgeous man.

Janet's POV:

The man in a wedding suit and black leather shoes walked straight toward me. I assumed he was Ethan, my husband-to-be.

Ethan came closer and glanced down at me. "I had to deal with some personal matters. I'm sorry for being late," he said in an indifferent tone as he scratched his temple.

"No worries." I didn't care too much about it. I thought Ethan had a handsome face at the very least.

When I was about to look away, I noticed that Ethan was wearing a Patek Philippe watch, which was very classy and luxurious.

Even though I wasn't rich, I had a wide range of knowledge about things. I could easily recognize that this Patek Philippe watch was worth at least a million dollars.

So I was very surprised to see it. Wasn't Ethan very poor? How could he afford such an expensive watch?

He was just a hooligan. Did he take the watch from someone else?