bChapter /bb229 /b

    The words slipped out of te’s mouth before he could stop himself, and even he was taken aback.

    Every woman he’d ever been with, he’d grown bored of eventually. That was just how it went.

    Even Elissa–at first, he saw her the same way. It was just a shame he’d never had the chance to actually be with her. Still, if he did get the chance, maybe marrying her wouldn’t be out of the question. And if he ever got tired of her? Well, there was always divorce. None of it really mattered; it was all just for convenience.

    Of course, Grandma would never agree to any of this. The moment the words left his lips, Matriarch Paige Murphy looked as though she might explode, her face twisting in anger as she red at him. “Have youpletely lost your mind? Do you even know who you are? And who is she? What makes you think she’s good enough for you?”

    Other than Rowan, he was her only grandson. te was already well past the age to settle down, but his grandmother had always doted on him, insisting that no woman was ever good enough, which was why his marriage had been postponed for so long.

    And now, te was talking about marrying Elissa?

    Forget whether Elissa was worthy–there was a more important problem. iOnce /ithat man got out of prison, Elissa would be as good as dead. And then te would be stuck with the reputation of a man whose wife had brought him nothing but misfortune.

    But te, stubborn as ever, wouldn’t hear any of it. “She’s perfect for me–every bit of her. Even her toes are perfect.”

    The words were crude, almost embarrassing to hear. Matriarch Paige Murphy, a woman of her age, felt her face flush. “You’re absolutely hopeless!” she snapped. Lord only knew what kind of spell Elissa had

    cast over him.

    b16:48 /b

    If she’d known this would happen, she never would have brought Elissa into the family home; she should have left her to be raised elsewhere.

    But te was undeterred, standing his ground. “I’m not marrying anyone

    else. It’s her or no one.”

    “Don’t even think about it!”

    Matriarch Paige Murphy jabbed him hard in the forehead. “I’ll be arranging a meeting with a proper youngdy from a respectable family for you soon. In the meantime, I want you to keep your head down and stay out of trouble.”

    She truly couldn’t understand what was so special about Elissa. Any one of those well–bred young women–pick one at random–would outshine Elissa in education, character, and family background.

    But te was acting like he was under some kind of spell.

    He remained defiant. “I won’t do it! Grandma, if I can’t be with Elissa in this life, I’ll die with regret…”

    “Then why don’t you go ask Rowan if he agrees to this?”

    Matriarch Paige Murphy let out a coldugh. “If you end up dying with regret, I’m sure he’d be happy to help you on your way.”

    She paused, watching as her grandson fell silent, then softened her tone, trying once more to reason with him. “And use yourmon sense for once, will you? Rowan cared for Elissa when she was young, didn’t he? But even then, he only treated her as a sister–he never once considered marrying her.”

    “Why not?”

    “Because he has to marry someone of equal standing. That’s the only way he can take control of the entire Murphy family.”

    She pinned him with a look. “And you? What do you spend your days thinking about? One of these days, Rowan is going to toss you out of the family, and you’ll still be here, stubbornly insisting on marrying Elissa!”

    16 48 #

    “Grandma…”

    te knew exactly what kind of person he was, and he couldn’t be bothered to pretend otherwise. “If my cousin’s so capable, then let him take over. I’ve never had his brains–why should Ipete?”

    He couldn’t help but grumble, “Besides, what exactly happened between you and Rowan, anyway? Why are things so tense between the two of you?”

    His cousin had always seemed to have it out for him, and te suspected it had a lot to do with their grandmother. Otherwise, carrying the Murphy name would have let him do whatever he wanted in Vistapeak City.

    At this, Matriarch Paige Murphy fell silent for a long moment, then finally asked, “Do you know why your parents ended up in prison six years ago?” “Of course.”

    te remembered it vividly. It was the main reason he’d always been afraid of Rowan. “They were responsible for the deaths of my uncle and

    aunt.”

    Seventeen years ago, Rowan was only thirteen when his parents both died in an ident. The police never found any evidence, and in the end, it was ruled just that–an ident.

    bChapter /bb230 /b