The study was brightly lit.

A man was sitting at the main desk. Beneath his white sleeve, he wore an exquisite watch that matched his manly demeanor.

Lowering his head while reading his documents, he had defined facial features with a pronounced jawline.

After he flipped through a page, he said, "Retract the funds I distributed to Anderson's Group tomorrow."

The butler bowed his head and said respectfully, "Yes."

After that, the butler hesitated as he tried to take back his words, "Sir, I think... Miss Anderson seems different than the previous two candidates."

During the day, it was the butler who invited Daphne into the house.

She looked very pure and innocent with her bright eyes. On first impression, she seemed like a likable woman with no ulterior motives in mind.

When Daphne first arrived at the Russell family, she didn't talk a lot. The only thing she asked was what Mr. Valentine liked and disliked.

It seemed that she didn't care about the rumors at all.

Ever since Sebastian Russell kids spread the rumors about his crazy personality and his disfigured face, it was impossible to find a woman who was bold enough to be Sebastian's wife.

The butler didn't want his master to miss the opportunity to meet a fine woman like Daphne.

However, Sebastian, who was sitting at the main desk, didn't seem fazed at all. He said, "She couldn't even pass that one simple test. She's just the same as the others."

The butler was speechless.

To the butler, that wasn't a simple test at all.

Even a 50-year-old man like him would tremble with fear every time he saw Mr. Russell's younger son, Damien's hideous costume, let alone a woman in her early twenties!

The butler sighed. If Mr. Russell continued to act like this, when would he find himself a girlfriend?

The butler was worried for Sebastian.

Right at this moment, the doorbell rang.

Trembling from head to toe, Daphne pressed on the doorbell.

To tell the truth, she really did run far away from the house just now.

Daphne was afraid of the dark in the first place. When she thought of the monster she saw in the brightly lit room, a chill went down her spine.

However, once she calmed down, she felt guilty about her actions.

From the very beginning, she knew that Sebastian was a disfigured man with a twisted personality after the fire incident.

Since she agreed to this marriage, she should keep her promise.

After thinking about it for a long time, she finally came back.

When she pressed the doorbell with a pale complexion, her heart was drumming against her chest.

She didn't have the guts to face Mr. Russell anymore.

However, Daphne knew that she must overcome her fears because she would be living with him in the future.

After the doorbell rang for a while, someone opened the door.

Unexpectedly, the person who opened the door was not Mr. Russell, nor was it the housekeepers or the butler. It was a handsome young boy, who looked around 4 to 5 years old.

There was only one villa around the area. If it wasn't because of that, Daphne would have thought that she. went to the wrong house.

The little boy glanced at Daphne. Then, he turned into the living room. He pointed at the sofa and gestured for Daphne to sit down.

Daphne pursed her lips. Although she didn't know where the little boy came from, she could sense that he didn't mean any harm.

Still shivering from the shock, Daphne sat down on the sofa. Then, the young boy poured her a glass of hot water.

"Thank you."

Holding the glass of water, she calmed down gradually.

The little boy glanced at her and walked to the small cabinet from beside. It seemed like he was looking for something.

"Wow."

At the railing of the second floor, Damien, who was the one who scared Daphne just now, widened his eyes in surprise. Looking at the scene downstairs, he said, "I can't believe she actually came back."

"Daddy, do you want me to scare her again?"

Mr. Russell hid his tall figure in the shadows as he looked at the terrified woman downstairs, who was still trembling. Then, he shifted his gaze and looked at his elder son, who was searching for the medicine box. He frowned slightly and said, "Don't scare her."

Since rumors were spreading around about the fire that happened five years ago, a lot of people were aware of Mr. Russell's change in appearance and personality. However, only a few of them knew that he was gifted with a pair of twins after the fire.

His elder son, Brian, had a cold and quiet personality. On the other hand, his younger son, Damien was a mischievous and loud child.

Brian, who was usually indifferent to his surroundings, was making sure that a stranger was comfortable in his house. He even poured water and tended to her injuries.

"Ouch!"

When the cotton, which was soaked in disinfectant touched the wound on her leg, only then did Daphne realize that she hurt her knees from running on the hallway just now.

She lowered her head and looked at the young child tending to her wounds. With the cotton balls in one hand and the disinfectant in the other, Brian actually looked quite serious about the task on hand.

The lights of the exquisite chandelier shone on his pretty eyelashes, which formed small shadows on his face.

She didn't know that a young child like him could be caring towards adults.

Daphne felt really moved by his actions. Even her voice sounded gentle when she said, "Thank you darling, what's your name?"

"Why are you in Mr. Russell's house?"

After he had disinfected her wound, he put a band-aid on it.

"Brian Russell."

When he was done, he looked up at Daphne and said, "That's my name."

Daphne looked at his adorable face and hands. She couldn't suppress the urge to touch his head, but Brian avoided her touch quickly.

He stood up and walked towards the sofa opposite her. Then, he climbed on it and sat down.

Brian looked unusually mature for his young age. He looked at her and asked, "Why did you come back?"

Daphne wondered about that question.

Then, she smiled and replied, "That's because this is my home from now on."

"Mr. Russell will be my husband in the future. That's why I have to come back."

Brian lowered his head and fiddled with his tiny fingers. "Aren't you afraid?"

Daphne paused. How did this child know so much?

However, she still answered seriously, "I am, but I don't have a choice."

"Since I have promised to marry him, I can't go back on my words."

She was a person who kept her promises. Besides, if she screwed this up and failed to get Mr. Russell to invest in Anderson's Group, Caleb would definitely make things difficult for her in the future.

"I... It doesn't matter how bad he looks or how crazy he is. I will try my best to overcome my fears. I will definitely be a good wife to him."

Daphne didn't know why she would say all these to a kid she just met. He probably didn't know what she was talking about.

Perhaps aside from the young child in front of her, she didn't have anyone to talk to in this foreign place.

"He is not ugly."

Brian raised his head and looked into Daphne eyes seriously. Then, he added, "Don't worry."

Daphne didn't know what to say.

Was Brian serious when he said that?

She had witnessed Mr. Russell appearance with her own eyes.

However, it was possible that Mr. Russell didn't want to reveal his face in front of Brian.

She heaved in a deep breath and smiled as she said, "Are you hungry? Let me cook something delicious for you."

Daphne wasn't a talented woman, but she was really good at cooking.

Her heart warmed up when she looked at the cute child in front of her. The only thing she could think of to thank him was cooking him some delicious food.

Brian looked at his watch and said, "You have half an hour."

Daphne was stunned.

"I can't eat anything after eight o'clock. It's seven twenty now."

Daphne stormed into the kitchen in lightening speed.

The kitchen was clean and tidy. And she found enough ingredients and seasonings to be used.

Looking at Daphne, who was working in the kitchen, the two people on the second floor froze.

"Daddy, what do you think she's doing?"

Damien leaned against the staircase railing as he pouted, "Is she trying to use food to win Brian over?"

"Brian is really picky with his food. Everyone knows that."

Sebastian stared at Daphne and something struck his mind.

For some reason, she looked really familiar to him.

Daphne was busy preparing a plate of Japanese-style omelet rice in the kitchen. After spending more than

15 minutes in the kitchen, dinner was served. Aside from the omelet rice, she also prepared some delicious cheese croquettes. "Brian, dinner is ready!"

Brian glanced at the time. There were still 13 minutes left before 8 o'clock.

He jumped off the sofa and walked towards the kitchen slowly. Then, he sat down in the kitchen.

On the second floor, Damien wiped off the saliva on the corner of his lips. He snorted. "I'm sure the food doesn't taste good, though it does smell nice."

"It's delicious."

Brian praised Daphne the moment he put the food inside his mouth. It was as if he had heard Damien's comments from upstairs.

Daphne smiled, "Really? I can prepare more delicacies for you in the future."

Something struck her mind as she asked, "Brian, why are you here so late at night? Where are your parents?"

"Are you Mr. Russell guest?"

Based on the rumors flying around, she was sure that Mr. Russell didn't have children of his own.

Brian frowned and nodded, "Yes, sort of."

"Just as I expected."

Daphne nodded. "Even though he doesn't have good looks, I'm sure he has a kind heart."

Well, considering that Mr. Russell had a child playing around in his house, Daphne felt that he wasn't as crazy as she thought he would be.

"He's not ugly."

Brian took a mouthful of rice and reminded her again in a low voice.

On the second floor, Sebastian squinted his eyes at Damien, who was drooling profusely. It seemed like he was comparing the differences between his two children.

Brian was trying his best to protect Sebastian's reputation. On the other hand, Damien was trying to make the whole world think that his father was an ugly monster.

Damien pouted as he said unhappily, "I don't want a stranger to be my mother."

Sebastian frowned slightly as he turned to leave.

As Brian finished his meal downstairs, it was already 8:10 at night.

He did enjoy his meal to the fullest.

Brian used a small plate to put the remaining cheese croquettes on it, preparing to take them upstairs.

"You should rest early."

When he reached the final flight of stairs, he turned around and looked at Daphne, who was standing rooted to the ground. "Don't worry."

"I will protect you from now on."

Although Brian was a young child with a small figure, he exuded a charismatic aura. He didn't sound or look like a typical 5-year-old at all.

Daphne was stunned for a moment.

When she looked at his small figure from behind, she felt really amused.

Even though she still couldn't get used to her new environment, she wasn't desperate enough to rely on a young child like Brian.

Daphne turned to the kitchen and started cleaning up. Once she was done, she couldn't bring herself to sleep in the terrifying bedroom again.

Finally, she laid on the couch, using her jacket to cover up herself.

In the children's room.

Brian put the plate of delicious cheese croquettes at Damien's bedside.

Damien turned his back and faced the wall. "I won't eat it."

"Oh, okay."

Then, Brian took the plate and put it at the desk beside his own bed.

Damien was speechless.

He muttered unhappily, "Didn't you promise to drive those women away with me? You told me you didn't want a stepmother!"

"How dare you betray my trust! You traitor!"

Brian sat on his bed and glanced at Damien's back. "She's really good at cooking."

"I don't care! She's not our mother!"

Damien scrapped the wallpaper with his fingers unhappily. "I only want my real mother."

On the opposite bed, Brian sighed. He looked at the ceiling and said softly, "But she's dead."

Brian was a lot more mature than Damien. He knew that their mother was never coming back home.

Their father shouldn't be single for the rest of his life either.

That woman downstairs was not a bad candidate.

"She is not dead," Damien muttered.

Damien clenched his fists and shouted, "Mummy is definitely still alive! She's waiting for us to find her!"

Brian closed his eyes and ignored him.

All of a sudden, the atmosphere of the children's room quiet down, with the tantalizing scent of the cheese croquettes wafting in the air.

In the end, Damien climbed down his bed and tiptoed to Brian bedside. Then, he grabbed the plate and munched on the croquettes.

His eyes lit up with joy when the food entered his mouth.

It was really delicious!

It was 10 times better than the food cooked by the maids at home!

"Take the plate downstairs."

When Damien was munching on the second piece, a childish voice echoed from Brian's bed, "Also, I won't allow you to pull pranks on her anymore."

"I like her, so she's under my protection now."

Damien was speechless again.

The corners of his lips turned down. "Brian, you are acting very weird today."

In the past, Brian was indifferent to most of Damien's pranks. But now, why was he trying to protect that woman?

Was it really because she was good at cooking?

While Damien was preoccupied with his thoughts, he took another bite.

It was really delicious.

After he finished the croquettes, Damien took the plate downstairs.

While he was walking down the stairs, he could spot Daphne sleeping on the sofa at one glance.

Curling up into a ball, she was still shivering from head to toe.

Damien walked towards her and stared at her face.

"She's a pretty woman, and she's good at cooking too," Damien thought.

"If only she's my biological mother..."

While Daphne was sleeping, she could feel someone staring at her.

Instantly, she woke up and saw the child from before standing in front of her.

With a plate in his hand, he was staring straight at her face.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked, "Are you... still hungry?"

"Why is he looking at me with an empty plate?" Daphne thought.

Damien pursed his lips. He knew that she must've mistaken him as Brian. However, he still nodded and replied, "Yes."

He wasn't lying, he was still hungry.

Looking at the child's adorable appearance, Daphne's heart melted. She pinched his cheeks and said, "I'll go and make something for you to eat."

Once she finished speaking, she went into the kitchen as she pondered, "Didn't he say that he can't eat anything after 8 p.m.?"

Besides, she did cook a large portion for Brian just now.

Feeling confused, Daphne went into the kitchen and prepared a simple meal for Damien.

The child devoured everything.

Daphne was stunned beyond words.

"Oh wow, this child... he has a really big appetite!" Daphne thought to herself.

She felt shocked when Damien handed over the plate to her as he requested for more.

When he finished eating, Daphne couldn't help but ask, "Brian, you... you're really hungry, huh?"

Damien froze. Then, he giggled, "Yeah, I eat a lot."

He reached out and showed her two of his fingers. "From now on, you should keep making good food for me. Double the portion, okay?"

Damien remembered that Brian might leave the leftovers he didn't like to him. So, he emphasized his point again, "I want you to double the portion, and the food must be exactly the same, okay?"

Daphne was a bit stunned. But still, she nodded and smiled while cleaning the dishes. "You are a growing child. It's natural for you to eat more."

Daphne took out a box of biscuits and gave it to Damien. "This is for you." It was actually meant as a gift for Mr. Russell.

After that, she smiled and touched the child's head. "You should eat well and grow up healthily, okay?"

Damien blushed as he ran upstairs with the box of biscuits.

Daphne heaved in a deep breath. When Damien was out of sight, she went to the sofa and continued sleeping.

Upstairs.

On the table, an expensive phone vibrated, which indicated unread messages.

Sebastian picked up the phone and clicked on it.

The messages were as follows. Brian: Approved.

On the other hand, Damien sent a voice message to his father. While munching on a box of biscuits, he said, "For now, I'll give her my approval. I still don't like her though."

"But she's so good at cooking. I'll compromise, just so I can enjoy good food every day."

Sebastian put down his mobile phone and gave an order. "Please arrange tomorrow's schedule for me. We will be registering for marriage tomorrow.

The next morning, Daphne was woken up by the butler.

The butler looked like a nice and kind gentleman. They met each other yesterday.

At this moment, the butler was standing in front of her with a set of clothes in his hand. He asked, "Mrs. Russell, why are you sleeping on the couch?"

"You should get prepared. The employees from the City Hall will be here any minute now!"

Daphne rubbed her forehead. Since she didn't sleep well last night, her head felt heavy.

She frowned and looked at the butler with a confused expression, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

The butler smiled at her as he said, "Congratulations on passing the test. Mr. Russell has decided to marry you. From now on, you are officially his wife."

Almost instantly, Daphne came back to her senses.

Everything seemed to happen too fast.

She looked at the butler in shock as she asked, "Are you sure that he wants to marry me?"

Daphne thought about yesterday. She literally ran away when she saw his terrifying appearance.

Why did Mr. Russell reach this decision?

"Yes, I am sure. Mr. Russell thought about it seriously before reaching this decision."

Daphne was speechless.

She didn't think he thought it through at all.

They only met each other for a while yesterday. His decision was unbelievably hasty!

Nonetheless, it was still good news to Daphne.

She could finally fulfill the Anderson family's request.

Although Mr. Russell was a disfigured man, she was still happy to have a place she called home.

Since Dorothy returned to the Anderson family five years ago, that place wasn't her home anymore.

After she changed into formal attire, the employees from the City Hall arrived.

They asked Daphne to stand in the living room for a photo shoot, and then let her sign the agreement for marriage. Under the guidance of the butler, she walked upstairs.

After they went back downstairs, the employees presented Daphne with a marriage certificate.

"Congratulations! You are now Mrs. Russell."

One of the female employees held Daphne's hand with an envious look. "You are so lucky to be married to such a handsome man."

Daphne twitched her lips.

"A very handsome husband...?" she thought to herself.

Out of curiosity, she flipped open the marriage certificate.

Female: Daphne Anderson.

Male: Sebastian Russell.

Only Daphne's face was attached to the photo column.

She let out a long sigh of relief. She felt grateful because Mr. Russell didn't attach his photo to the column.

If he did, Daphne wouldn't have the guts to look at that document for the rest of her life.

"Mrs. Russell, you should prepare yourself."

The butler smiled from ear to ear as he said, "You'll spend the night with Mr. Russell today. I hope you are ready to welcome him as your new husband."

"There will be only you and Mr. Russell in the house today."

Daphne didn't know what to say.

When she heard the butler's words, she felt depressed instantly.

She remembered the night she saw Mr. Russell. When his hands touched her arm, it felt slimy and disgusting.

She said with a pale complexion, "Do I really have to spend the night with him?"

It was just too sudden. She wasn't mentally prepared to face him again.

The butler nodded seriously as he said, "Yes, you don't have a choice."

"They are already a married couple. It'll be weird if she still doesn't know her husband's actual appearance," the butler thought.

It took him a lot of effort to convince Sebastian to let Daphne see his true face.

Daphne felt hopeless and despair.

After breakfast, she hid in her room. Then, she texted her best friend, Gracie Ryan, "Can you recommend some horror movies to me? I want to build my courage before facing that man. Thanks!"

Gracie replied, "You do know you sound ridiculous, right?"

After that, Gracie flooded her mailbox with all sorts of horror movies.

Daphne wrapped herself in her blankets as she binged on the horror movies for the entire day. As a result, she went to the bathroom and puked because of the jump scares.

When night fell, Daphne thought she was already immune to all the scary things in the world.

Even if Mr. Russell appeared in front of her right now, she wouldn't feel afraid anymore!

She decided to go downstairs to drink some water. She switched on the television to see today's news, hoping that it would lighten up her mood.

After watching horror movies for the entire day, Daphne felt exhausted.

"Just a while ago, Jay Carr and Charlotte Robinson were spotted entering and leaving a hotel. The media has confirmed with their respective managers that they are indeed in a relationship. They also promised to announce their engagement at a later date."

Looking at the couple on the screen, she felt annoyed.

Pressing on the remote control, she changed to another channel.

"Having won the Golden Bull Award, Jay Carr and Madeleine Robinson are currently the hot topics in the entertainment industry. Ever since they announced their relationship in public, the lovely couple..."

Daphne changed the channel again.

It was still the same news.

In the end, Daphne turned off the TV and put the remote control aside. Feeling tired, she laid on the couch and closed her eyes.

Jay Carr and Khloe Robinson.

The former being her boyfriend for six years.

And the latter was her best friend of eight years.

Five days ago, Daphne went to visit Jay at his workplace. She wanted to give him a surprise.

When she was about to open the door leading to the resting lounge with her spare key, she heard uneven breathing echoing from the room.

"Jay, when will you break up with Daphne? I can't wait any longer."

"It's gonna happen sooner or later. Don't be anxious."

"Daphne is a beautiful woman. I'm worried that you might fall for her again!"

"Baby, why would I fall for her? She gave birth to children around five years ago. I'll never get married to a dirty b*tch like her!"

Jay and Chloe's words were like knives stabbing into Daphne heart.

Five years ago, Jay's career was at its lowest point because he was framed by others for something he didn't do.

As Daphne looked for evidence to prove Jay's innocence, she tried her best to earn money for the lawsuits filed against him.

That was when Dorothy was reunited with the Anderson family. Since then, Daphne's parents didn't treat her as their own anymore. She didn't feel comfortable asking them for money, so she turned to Khloe instead.

Khloe told Daphne that she could earn buckets by being a surrogate mother.

However, the man who agreed to go through the process professionally went against his words.

After ingesting the ovulation stimulator, Daphne was locked up in a dark room.

That stranger tortured her for the entire night.

In the end...

Daphne got the money and she managed to win the lawsuit filed against Jay. Jay earned his reputation and he was given another chance to advance his career.

Five years passed. When Jay led a successful career in the entertainment industry, he betrayed Daphne and went for Khloe instead.

Jay was disgusted by Daphne's past.

He hated the fact that she had given birth to another man's children.

However, she had sacrificed everything for Jay.

Lying on the couch, Daphne's tears rolled down her cheeks.

She was in love with Jay for 6 years.

She wasted 6 years of her life for a worthless man.

While thinking about her sad past, she bawled her eyes out for 2 hours straight.

Finally, Daphne looked at the time. It was already past 9 at night.

Mr. Russell had yet to arrive.

"I guess he won't come, will he?" Daphne thought.

Daphne heaved in a deep breath as she looked at the wine cabinet in the living room.

There were all kinds of wines in it.

Though she didn't have good alcohol tolerance, she couldn't suppress the urge to have a sip.

She wanted the alcohol to numb her pain.

Daphne grabbed the wine bottle on impulse. She opened it and took a swig.

While she was drinking, she could feel the burning sensation trickling down her throat.

"Jay, you b*stard!" She shouted at the top of her lungs while weeping profusely.

"I hope your career goes down the hill! You filthy assh*le!"

"It doesn't matter if you have good looks! You are rotten inside! You're even uglier than Mr. Russell!"

Outside the door, Sebastian was about to enter the house. He froze when he heard that.