STIGMA

Married To My Ex-Fiancé's Silent Uncle

Ming Yue

Twenty minutes before the "Wedding of the Century" at The Plaza, I stood outside the Presidential Suite in a fifty-thousand-dollar Vera Wang gown. I was the girl from a West Virginia trailer park about to marry Hugh Maxwell, the golden heir to a billion-dollar defense empire. I pushed the door open only to find Hugh pinned against the bed with my own stepsister, Floy. She was wearing my bridal diamond necklace, and the sounds of their laughter scraped against my eardrums like sandpaper. I didn't scream; I listened as Hugh grunted that once the wedding was over and the trust fund unlocked, he'd dump "that hillbilly trash" on a bus back to the mountains. They weren't just cheating; they were planning to steal my family's land deeds and leave me with nothing. When I set off the sprinklers and exposed their naked bodies to the paparazzi, the Maxwell family didn't apologize. They called me a "greedy peasant" and threatened to ruin my life unless I signed a new deal to save their crashing stock. I realized then that I was never a bride to them. I was a transaction, a rounding error in a ledger to be used and discarded. They thought my poverty made me weak and my silence made me a victim. "If we don't have a marriage certificate by midnight, the bank freezes thirty percent of our liquidity," their lawyer warned. So, I gave them exactly what they wanted. I used a loophole in their hundred-year-old family covenant and married the only other direct heir available. I didn't marry Hugh. I walked into the ICU and married his uncle, Fleet Maxwell-the legendary war hero who had been in a vegetative state for months. Now, I am the matriarch of the Maxwell dynasty. I've suspended Hugh's executive powers, exiled my mother-in-law to the Swiss Alps, and taken control of the family vault. They think I'm just a gold-digger waiting for a "corpse" to die so I can collect a fifty-million-dollar widow's payout. But last night, as I lay beside my comatose husband, the man they called a vegetable gripped my hand back.

Modern Scheming Contract marriage Billionaires

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The night was decorated with beautiful lights. As neon lights flashed over the streets, everyone would look up at one of the most famous club in A City.

It was the Royal Club--the prime place to throw money around.

It was like a huge black hole, sucking out people's pockets while emitting nothing but extravagance.

"Miss, we're here."

Hearing the driver's words, Nancy Cheng woke up from her slumber.

She ignored the driver's lustful gaze as she handed out a two-dimensional code. Without another word, she got off.

"Didn't expect you to be a prostitute here."

She didn't pay attention to the driver's murmurs.

At the moment, her mind was already swimming with thoughts on how to pay her mother's medical fees.

Looking up at the huge signboard of the Royal Club, Nancy Cheng took a deep breath before stepping in with a smile.

If God was real, then she hoped that He was there for her.

"What took you so long?" The club manager raced over and pointed a finger at her nose. He scrunched up his face. "You're late...again. Do you want to quit this job? If it's not for Austin... Whatever... Just go and change before you ruin our reputation any further than you already have."

Nancy Cheng could only nod apologetically. Without another word, she weaseled her way into the clothing area while he was still complaining of her lack of 'class'.

"This club may be high-class, but his words were as similar to a street rat's."

A delicate woman squeezed into the dressing room like a butterfly.

Hearing her familiar voice, Nancy Cheng waved her over. "Queenie, come and help me."

"You're always being bullied by him. Hell, he couldn't even be this mean with the girl that came from the countryside days ago." Queenie Lu shook her head, sneering as she zipped up her friend's dress.

"What would I do without you?" Nancy Cheng sighed in relief before raising up a paper bag for her to see. "Look, it's a cake from the coffee shop I work for during the day. I bought it just for you."

Queenie Lu laughed. "I've promised Allen to look after you. You're so lucky to have met a man as good as him--so handsome and rich," she sighed. "Will he pick you up tonight?"

"He's going to work overtime tonight. He might not be able to come."

Nancy Cheng knew that Mr. Chen, the club manager, only bullied her because she was just a pianist. She'd never be able to amount to anything. However, the 'princesses', whose jobs were to entertain the guests, were different. If they were to meet an important client, he wouldn't dare to mess with them.

That included Queenie Lu, one of his brightest flowers.

"Ready? It's already late. I'm warning all of you to do your best tonight. An important guest is coming, so mistakes will not be tolerated," he shouted, stretching his neck from the curtains.

Holding her skirt by her hands, Nancy walked out of the clothing area in small steps before sitting upright at the piano. Without another word, her slender fingers flew across the white and black keys.

She played Flight of the Bumblebee first, and the entire hall was filled with the flavors of springtime.

It was only in front of the piano did she really feel calm about it all.

'Distinguished guest.'

It was hard for anyone to get into a place like the Royal Club. Cars less than one million dollars couldn't even stop right in front of the gates, except of course a taxi, so Nancy couldn't help but be curious about who the distinguished guest was.

Every time Allen Qi drove his BMW 3 Series, he had to park it far away to avoid being embarrassed by the men in the bar.

'So how distinguished can this guest be?'

Nancy saw attendants lined up on both sides of the entrance as Mr. Chen fixed his tie.

Soon, a tall and thin figure appeared at the end of the hall, wearing a haute-couture suit from Giorgio Armani.

Since he was far away from her and the lights were dim, Nancy could only see the outline of his figure.

But she did recognize what clothes he had. It might have been a long time ago, but Nancy also came from a long line of luxuries.

"Welcome, Mr. Mu!"

Mr. Chen took the lead and bowed respectfully.

All the attendants of the Royal Club bowed and shouted in unison.

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