When Fate Brings Us Together

"I'm getting married soon."

Winnie Newell complacently looked at the woman at her feet and lifted her chin with the tip of her shoe. "That's thanks to your virginity."

This statement took Sheila Newell aback. She stopped wiping the shoes she was ordered to clean and looked up.

"Thanks to you, I'll marry Gerald Lamont, the richest man in Soulas. The most eligible bachelor whom many women seek after is going to be my husband. Oh, I can't wait!" Winnie added, her eyes all dreamy.

Gerald was a wealthy young man who had assets worth over a hundred million dollars under his name. He was indeed a big catch!

Not only did Sheila have no idea that Winnie was linked to such a wealthy man, but she also didn't know how she had been instrumental in this so-called engagement.

Confusion was written all over Sheila's face at this moment. When Winnie saw this, she reminded her. "Have you forgotten? That night at the hotel!"

All color instantly drained from Sheila's face. Her eyes bulged out of the sockets as the realization struck her. She remembered the night Winnie was talking about. It was only two nights ago.

To save Ivan York, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, Sheila had to strike a deal with Winnie. Although Ivan was not Sheila's biological younger brother, Sheila had been treating him like one. She was made to sleep with a strange drunk man so Ivan's medical expenses would be sorted out.

What happened that night was ingrained in Sheila's memory. The man had been all over her. His lips were as hot as a flickering flame.

His body was so strong that her body sank into the soft bed. He devoured her like a hungry lion.

The experience was so painful that Sheila shed tears and whimpered. Much to her surprise, the man wiped away her tears with his warm fingers.

It turned out that he wasn't just any man. But Gerald of the Lamont family!

Winnie flipped her hair back and continued, "As I said, this is all thanks to you. Gerald had no doubt that I was a virgin before that night. Now that he deflowered you thinking it was me, he's more than willing to make me his wife.

Isn't that great? Besides, it's a win-win situation for you. Your brother's medical bills will be covered, and you had a good time with such a successful man. You enjoyed it, didn't you? When I went into the room to replace you, I perceived the smell of his semen all over you. He must have fucked you so well, right? You should be thanking me. Such a man wouldn't look at you twice, but he fucked you. Thanks to me."

A strong sense of humiliation surged in Sheila's heart. She couldn't fathom why Winnie hated her so much. Right from the first day she stepped her foot into the Newell family's household, Winnie was mean to her. No day passed by that she didn't cry because of her maltreatment.

Winnie made it a point of duty to make her life a living hell. She derived pleasure in seeing Sheila unhappy, so she never stopped insulting and bullying her. She had all the most humiliating words in her dictionary.

It was Sheila's greatest wish to stop being oppressed daily. But there was nothing she could do. She was stuck in this household.

A frown suddenly appeared on Winnie's face as she stared into Sheila's eyes which were as sparkling bright as sapphire. Jealousy surged in her heart immediately. Sheila was just the adopted daughter of the Newell family.

However, she shared a striking resemblance to Winnie, the biological daughter. The only noticeable difference in their faces was their eyes. While Winnie's eyes were ordinary, Sheila's were so beautiful that they made her adoptive sister feel inferior right from childhood.

Out of sheer jealousy, Winnie took out a big black-framed glass from her bag and wore it for Sheila rudely. She then warned, "Don't let me see those seductive eyes of yours again. If I do, I'll make you regret it!"

A satisfied smile appeared on Winnie's face now that Sheila looked so ordinary. "Remember one thing. On no account should you take this off in Gerald's presence. If you dare seduce my man, your beloved brother will be the one to suffer the consequences! Have I made myself clear?"

Winnie's tone was so fierce and her eyes blazed with wickedness.

"Yes!" Sheila nodded obediently and stood aside. Although she wasn't afraid of Winnie, she was forced to be obedient because she didn't want any harm to come to Ivan.

Her obedience and docile behavior pleased Winnie.

"Get out of my sight. Take those plates to the kitchen and wash them!" Winnie shooed her away with disdain.

Sheila nodded obediently and walked to the basin which was filled with plates. She preferred to do house chores instead of getting beaten or insulted by her wicked adoptive sister.

Winnie made sure that Sheila swung into action before she ascended the stairs in her high heels.

Sheila had just picked up the basin and was about to go into the kitchen when the front door of the villa swung open.

Two rows of well-trained bodyguards marched into the living room. They bowed their heads as if they were waiting for a very important person to come in.

A deafening silence fell, but it was soon broken by the sound of steady footsteps.

A pair of exquisite and expensive leather shoes appeared at the door and strode on the marble floor of the living room slowly.

Sheila's eyes traveled from that feet upwards. Her eyes soon met with a pair of deep-set ones. A cold shiver ran down her spine the next second.

It was him!

The basin in Sheila's hands shook as her body trembled uncontrollably. If care wasn't taken, it was going to drop from her hands.

Memories of what happened that night flooded her head as she stared at this man in front of her. His violent grunts echoed in her head. The pain she felt before plagued her again.

It was almost as if she was reliving that torturous night just by the sight of him.

The female housekeeper, who was keeping an eye on Sheila as she did the chores, was also shocked to see Gerald. She hid the whip in her hand and scolded Sheila. "What are you waiting for? You should welcome this distinguished guest!"

Her roar jolted Sheila back to reality. She hurriedly put down the basin filled with plates and walked up to Gerald to welcome him.

In a fit of panic, she completely forgot that the floor had just been coated with wax oil. It was just too slippery. She was only a few meters away from Gerald when she slipped and fell into his arms.

The plates Winnie had ordered her to wash were extremely dirty, so when she packed some of them into the basin, one of her hands got stained. It landed on Gerald's expensive suit now!

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't intend to do that. Please allow me to wipe it clean." Sheila apologized fearfully.

"Fuck off!" Gerald's blue eyes flashed with anger. There was a deep frown on his face as he looked at the woman who was trying to wipe off the stain on his suit.

As far as he was concerned, Sheila had intentionally fallen into his arms and stained his suit. He felt like she was trying to seduce him. After all, many women had used the same technique on him since he was just a teenager. He hated such women with every fiber of his being!

Time was precious to Gerald. He didn't have any time for frivolities, so he didn't hesitate to push this woman away.

"Ah!" Sheila screamed as she fell to the slippery floor with a thud. The force was so strong that it made her glasses fall off too.

Gerald had just bypassed her when he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes narrowed after he caught sight of her face.

He felt that she looked too similar to "Winnie" from that night.

"What's wrong with you, Sheila? Get up from there!" The housekeeper shouted at Sheila again. She then picked a handkerchief and came to Gerald. "Welcome to the Newell family's villa, Mr. Lamont. I'm so sorry that Mr. Newell's adopted daughter, Sheila did this to you. She's such a clumsy and stupid girl. Please wipe your suit clean with this handkerchief."

Sheila looked up only to find Gerald glaring at her. Goosebumps appeared on her skin and she felt so hot. The places where he had touched two nights ago were burning at this time.

With her heart beating fast, she lowered her head and began to look for her glasses to avoid his gaze. She took them and tried to leave immediately.

"Not so fast, young woman!" Gerald's commanding voice halted Sheila in her tracks. He bypassed the housekeeper, who was still holding the handkerchief, and walked to Sheila. He then ordered coldly, "Raise your head."

Sheila bit her tongue, not knowing what to do now. Winnie had told her not to look Gerald in the eye. Her body shook uncontrollably. She tightened her grip on the glasses that she just picked.

In a flash, she put them on and plastered a calm expression on her face. She then looked up at Gerald with a stiff smile.

The feigned look on her face didn't make any difference. Her trembling body gave her away. Even a blind man could see that she was panicking. Gerald squinted his eyes at her. They were filled with suspicion.

Who on earth was this woman? Why the hell did she seem so familiar to him? Have they met before?

Several unanswered questions swirled in Gerald's mind. He took a step closer to Sheila and reached out his hand, intending to take off her glasses.

A shiver ran down Sheila's spine at this moment. Her heart was in her mouth. Her eyes swept through the living room as she thought of the perfect way to escape. All of a sudden, a shy voice came from the stairway. "You are here, Gerald!"

Gerald looked in the direction that this voice came. Winnie was in a fiery red dress. She was descending the stairs, arm in arm with her mother Miranda Newell. Enoch Newell, her father was walking beside them too.

At the sight of them, Sheila held her chest and heaved a sigh of relief. She then turned around and left quietly. She feared that Winnie would tear her to pieces later on if she continued to stay here.

Enoch was the first to descend the stairs. He walked up to Gerald, gave him a handshake, and bowed. "Good day, Mr. Lamont. It's my pleasure to have you in my home. I'm sorry for not coming early enough to welcome you. You are here to..."

"I'm here to discuss mine and Winnie's engagement." Gerald interrupted him and looked at Winnie.

It was then he remembered Sheila. He turned back, intending to compare their faces on the spot.

But to his surprise, the woman who was previously on the floor had disappeared.

Huh? Where did she go? Gerald looked around the living room for her.

Winnie was going to get married to Gerald. Good fortune had finally come to their household!

Enoch had thought Winnie was only fibbing when she told him this before.

Now that he heard it from the horse's mouth, he looked at Miranda with a smile. Their hearts sang for joy at this moment.

The Lamont family was a powerful one. In contrast, the Newell family was only a little rich and they didn't have that much power. It would be a total upgrade for them if they were connected by marriage to the Lamonts.

"Aww! You are the best, baby!"

Winnie was so happy that she opened her arms and moved to Gerald. However, he dodged her hug, leaving her arms hanging.

He had no idea why he didn't want Winnie to touch him.

Winnie's arms froze in the air. A hint of sadness gleamed in her eyes as she looked at him, who didn't even look at her. Sensing the awkwardness, Enoch stepped forward and comforted, "Cheer up, Winnie. It will take a while for Mr. Lamont to be used to your show of affection. After all, you both just started dating. There's no rush."

"Yeah, your father is right," Miranda chipped in, nodding her head. Winnie had no choice but to beat a hasty retreat.

A few minutes later, they all sat in the living room and talked over coffee. Enoch said that he was going to inform the media about the engagement. He looked so elated when Gerald agreed without hesitation. Dropping his cup of coffee, Gerald pointed in the direction of the dining table and said, "I saw a young lady who looks so much like Winnie a few minutes ago..."

"Oh, that must have been Sheila," Enoch said immediately.

Gerald nodded in agreement.

"Well, she's a shy and quiet girl. She must be in her room, enjoying her own company." Enoch explained.

"She's such a weird and unrefined girl. She belongs to..." Miranda was about to run down Sheila in her absence, but she suddenly stopped when she saw that Gerald was giving her a cold glare. She swallowed her words and adjusted on the sofa uneasily.

Meanwhile, Winnie's blood boiled when Gerald changed the topic by asking about Sheila. She clenched her fists and cursed in her mind. Did that little bitch try to seduce her man? She was going to scratch her face after this!

In no time, Winnie put out the ball of fury in her heart. She put on a sweet smile and said to Gerald, "Let's not talk about her. She always keeps to herself. We should pick a date for the engagement now."

"Ahem! I..." Gerald was about to speak when he was cut short by the sudden ring of his phone. He answered it immediately.

His assistant, Ryan Hanson, said as soon as the line connected, "Hello, Mr. Lamont. There's something that needs your urgent attention at the company. Please come back immediately."

"Okay, I'm on my way!" Gerald said and hung up the phone. He stood up and looked at Winnie's parents with a frown. "I'm sorry. I have to rush down to my company now. Let's discuss plans for the engagement at a later date. Goodbye!"

"Ermm..." Winnie sprang to her feet. She was about to say something, but she decided against it. With an understanding smile, she said, "It's fine, Gerald. Go and attend to your work. Bye!"

Once Gerald left with his group of bodyguards, Winnie's shoulders slouched. She lied to her parents that she had a banging headache and needed to take a nap. But when she got upstairs, she went to Sheila's room instead.

"That bitch spoiled my day with her bad luck!" Winnie had steam coming out of her ears at this moment. She wanted to deal with Sheila for showing up in front of Gerald today.

----

Two days later, the news that Gerald was engaged to Winnie broke out. All the media organizations including blogs reported the news with screaming headlines.

Pictures of Winnie were everywhere. Blogs wrote about the lucky woman who had managed to capture the heart of the city's most eligible bachelor. Winnie was feeling over the moon at this time.

On the other hand, the past two days were hell for Sheila. Winnie had beaten her up and given her horrible injuries. She had to cover the scars with several layers of concealer before going out.

She was going to work as a stand-in actress today. Acting was what she loved to do the most. She wanted to be a successful actress, so she grabbed this opportunity as soon as she got it.

Winnie was also an actress. But she was way above Sheila. Her father's influence and money had opened many doors for her in the entertainment industry. Out of the wickedness of Winnie's heart, she made sure that Sheila didn't get any roles. She always convinced the production teams that she was a better actress and prettier than Sheila.

This role that Sheila finally got was only given to her because she had agreed to sleep with Gerald that night. In Winnie's words, it was the icing on the cake.

Sheila arrived at the set early and began to shoot immediately. It wasn't until noon that she was finally allowed to take a break from shooting. When she took out her phone, she was shocked to see tons of missed calls from Enoch.

"Oh my! Did something bad happen?" Sheila's heart skipped a beat as she muttered to herself. She was about to dial Enoch's number when his call came through.

"Sheila! Why didn't you answer your phone all this while?" Enoch's apprehensive voice wafted into her ear from the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I was busy on set and my phone was on silent mode. What's wrong?" Sheila apologized and asked.

"Just come back home immediately. I have something very important to tell you." Enoch hung up the phone before Sheila could say anything.

After she heard the disconnect tone, she looked at her phone screen in confusion.

Why did Enoch suddenly call her to come home? Was she in trouble? Or did something bad happen at home?