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.

Sebastian opened the door with a gloomy expression.

The room was filled with the smell of alcohol.

On the tea table, there were a few bottles of wine, which he had treasured for many years. Each of them was worth millions.

Now, the wine bottles were completely empty.

A woman with a flushed complexion was laying on the sofa. While cursing under her breath, she would occasionally mention Sebastian's name.

She was in a mess.

A trace of displeasure flashed across Sebastian's face.

Did she finally reveal her true colors after becoming his wife?

Hearing the sound from the door, Daphne burped and turned around.

"Who are you?"

She was so drunk that she had completely lost her bearings. When she noticed someone coming in from the door, she stood up to welcome him.

It was a handsome man. He had a high nose bridge and defined facial features.

"He's just as handsome as Jay!" Daphne thought.

"Wait, he is Jay!"

How dare he appear in front of Daphne?

Furious, Daphne pursed her lips and raised her hand. She was about to slap him, but Sebastian caught her wrist in time.

Sebastian's eyes were filled with rage as he said, "Just how much did you drink?"

Her body was weak and unstable. When he grabbed her wrist, she staggered and fell to the ground. "I didn't drink..."

Then, she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Jay, I miss you so much."

With her cheeks flushed in red, Daphne called out to Sebastian flirtatiously, "Jay, please don't think that I'm a dirty woman. I didn't do it on purpose..." She sounded like a teenager in love.

Daphne tears seeped through Sebastian's shirt. Now, his waist was wet.

Sebastian frowned.

His face dropped as he looked at Daphne, who was hugging his waist.

She looked really adorable.

Although she was looking at him with loving eyes, she was still calling out to another man.

Sebastian reached out and carried her in his arms. Then, he walked upstairs.

At the bathroom upstairs, Daphne had already prepared hot water in the bathtub for Sebastian to use when he came back.

Now, the water was extremely cold.

"Splash!"

Daphne was thrown into the bathtub.

When she got into the water, her white T-shirt adhered to her body, which revealed her slim and attractive figure.

Even though the bathtub was filled with cold water, Sebastian felt a rush of heat when he laid eyes on her body.

To be honest, he hated women to the core.

Ever since he ravished that woman five years ago, he was disgusted by the sight of women.

He wouldn't allow any woman to touch him, not even his sister.

However, when Daphne hugged him, he didn't feel disgusted at all. For some reason, he even liked the feeling.

"It's so cold..."

Daphne was trembling from head to toe in the bathtub.

Since she had drunk a lot of alcohol, the cold water didn't sober her up at all. If anything, she started spouting nonsense again.

"Jay," Daphne said.

Daphne laid in the bathtub as she called out to Jay's name coquettishly, "I'm cold."

She reached out and grabbed the hems of Sebastian's trousers. "Can you hug me?"

Right now, Daphne couldn't even see clearly. With her cheeks flushed in red, she looked at him and said,

"Can you take me outside? I feel so cold..."

The way she flirted with him was like music to his ears.

Sebastian hadn't felt this way for a long time.

He had to admit that Daphne stirred something in him.

However, she was still calling out to Jay's name.

Sebastian squatted down and raised her chin with his hand. "Who am I?"

Daphne pursed her lips. Then, she said, "You are Jay Carr."

Since she wasn't in her right mind at the moment, Jay was the only person she could see.

Sebastian frowned and pressed her head into the icy cold water.

The chilling water engulfed her head as she flailed her arms helplessly. Still, she couldn't sober up.

After a while, he let go and stared coldly into her eyes. "Now, what's my name?"

"Jay... Carr."

Once again, he pressed her head into the water.

Daphne choked on the water as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Sebastian while sobbing, "Why don't you tell me your name then?"

Sebastian raised his hand and touched her soft lips. Then, he said, "I'm your husband."

"My hubby...?" Daphne said while looking at him with puppy eyes.

When he heard that, Sebastian had the sudden urge to make a move on her. It had been so long since he felt sexually aroused by a woman.

Daphne reached out and cupped his face. With her eyes brimming with tears, she said, "I don't want to be in the tub anymore!"

"Stop bullying me, I've acknowledged you as my husband!"

Daphne was a natural beauty. Now, she looked even more gorgeous with her red cheeks and tear-stained face.

Sebastian looked at her and said in a low and hoarse voice, "You drunkard."

"Do you want to know what it means to get bullied?"

Daphne looked at him with intoxicated eyes. Then, she shook her head.

Sebastian replied in a hoarse voice, "I'll teach you."

Once he finished speaking, he climbed into the bathtub.

......

The next day.

It was early in the morning.

With curtains drawn to the side, the dazzling sunlight filtered through the windows.

Beside the French windows, a man stood with his back to Daphne. He was looking out of the windows.

The man had a tall figure. Even from his back, one could feel the intimidating aura emanated from him.

Daphne woke up with a headache.

Last night, she had a very wild dream. On her wedding night, she had an affair with a handsome man in the bathtub.

Her dream was too ridiculous. After thinking about it for a while, she opened her eyes.

The moment she woke up, she saw a man facing the windows right in front of her. Feeling shocked, she couldn't even speak properly.

"You... you!"

"Who are you!"

Why was there a man in her room?

The man was tall and straight. Judging from his figure, she knew that he was definitely not Mr. Russell.

"Who is that?" Daphne thought.

Did she really have an affair last night?

When he heard Daphne's shocked tone, Sebastian frowned and turned to look at her. "You're not allowed to drink in the future."

Last night, she finished millions of dollars worth of wine.

Even though he didn't really care about the price, he still felt a twinge of regret because those were his precious collections.

After he finished speaking, Sebastian walked out of the room indifferently.

Daphne was petrified. She sat on the bed for a while before coming back to her senses.

Last night, she remembered that she felt horrible after watching the news about Jay and Khloe.

So, she drank a little bit of alcohol.

Later on...

"No way!" Daphne shouted.

Looking at the bruises and scars on her body, Daphne felt horrified.

Last night was her first night with Mr. Russell as newlyweds. Her husband didn't return home yesterday, so she had sex with a stranger last night...

All of a sudden, she thought of the rumors about Mr. Russell being a psychopath.

Daphne knew what was going to happen to her from now on.

That man who had sex with her even stayed back to warn her about drinking alcohol in the future.

She would never drink alcohol anymore!

While she was beating up herself about the incident, someone opened the door,

Brian who was wearing a pastel yellow shirt tiptoed inside. "I'm hungry."