"You witch! You're still on that?"

"Bruce, Lola is our only plan. It is only when Lola marries into the Austins that our family can hold our heads up high."

To her surprise, Bruce slapped her again the moment she said that. "Must I rely on a woman to climb up the ladder? Sophie, you better pray this works out. If it fails, I'll be divorcing you."

"Don't worry. It can absolutely be done," Sophie said, patting her chest in a gesture of certainty. "Anyway, Arthur planned this entire thing himself. If he won't work with us, we'll go to Old Mr. Austin instead. There's no way Arthur won't do as you please then."

"Okay. You'll take care of this. I have to head to the office to clean up the mess."

With that said, Bruce staggered out of the mansion.

Sophie absolutely understood that he was not going to the office. He was clearly off to find a mistress.

Still, it did not matter. He could play around if he wanted to. It gave her time to talk to Wilson about the divorce.

Lola followed Sophie's instructions and tried contacting Ethan. In the end, her calls went unanswered. The phone was even switched off later on.

She stomped her feet in fury. She had planned on going to Shangri-La Bar for some fun, but she just had the baby aborted earlier that morning. She was too sickly to go anywhere but lie in bed.

Ethan refused to answer her calls, right? Fine. She would make him come to her and beg her instead.

Lola sent a photo to Ethan with a message attached to it.

Lola: Ethan, everything that happened last night was just a scheme by Freya. If you want revenge, call me.

As soon as the message was sent out, Ethan called her.

"Lola, is there no end?" he angrily said.

"Ethan, I'll be honest with you. Freya has been pretending to be simple-minded this whole time. She and Bradley are after you guys. She planned everything that happened yesterday. It was to get back at you for Bradley's sake by humiliating the family."

"What did you just say? That bitch was putting on an act?"

Ethan could not resist the urge to kill Freya whenever he thought of her.

That darned woman had bullied him so many times that he felt no mercy for her.

"Think carefully about it. How can a fool have so easily manipulated you?" Freya replied in a suggestive tone of voice. "She scammed you out of over ten million and even got you beaten up. Don't you want revenge?"

He definitely wanted revenge. He even dreamed of torturing her to death.

"How do you want to do it?" He knew Lola all too well. There was no way she would be kind enough to tell him about this unless she had an ulterior motive.

Lola let out a coquettish chuckle. "I can help you deal with Freya, but…you must let me be your woman."

"Lola, have you no shame?"

"Ethan, no need to be so harsh. You had fun during our time together, right? Anyway, that's my condition. It is up to you whether or not you agree to it."

Lola then let out a deliberate yawn. "I have blackmail on Freya. Talk to me when you've made up your mind."

"What blackmail?"

Freya chuckled. "Freya is another man's kept woman. Say, how will Bradley react when he finds out he has been cuckolded?"

Ethan did not want to be involved with Lola again, but what she just said made him instantly agree to the deal.

"Alright, Lola. You can visit me tomorrow."

…

Early the next morning, Freya was woken up by Frederick.

It was the day when they would visit the Austin Mansion. Everyone in the Royal Garden Mansion was bustling about.

Freya got up, freshened up, and dressed herself in a white dress before shuffling downstairs in a pair of cotton slippers.

Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Frederick approached her with an intricate-looking shoe box, respectfully saying, "Madam, Mr. Bradley prepared these shoes for you. Please check if the size is right."

Frederick opened the shoe box and placed a box of beige flats before her.

"Mr. Bradley said you cannot wear high heels due to your injured foot."

Freya observed the shoes. They were simple and elegant but were exquisitely made. It had clearly cost quite a lot.

Her heart was filled with warmth. She had not expected Bradley to be thoughtful enough to remember her injured foot.

The insides of the shoes had a layer of soft cotton that just so happened would not rub against her heels. It made the shoes feel very comfortable and lightweight.

"Where is Mr. Bradley?" Freya asked. She had walked two laps around the place to test the shoes, but Bradley was nowhere to be seen.

Frederick glanced at the study room. "He's in his study, but he should be coming down soon."

Just as he said that, the door to the study swung open to reveal Bradley wheeling out while dressed in a well-tailored black shirt with meticulously groomed hair. The sunglasses that had been missing for the past few days made an appearance again. It made Freya feel uncomfortable to see them, for some reason.

With a ding, the man, who had been on the second floor, was now wheeling himself out of the elevator.

"Are the shoes comfortable?" he asked in a deep voice as he glanced at her.

Freya's eyes lit up with joy. "Yes. Thank you, Mr. Bradley!"

"From now on, do not call me Mr. Bradley. Don't forget that we are now legally married."

He wheeled over to her and examined her through his sunglasses.

White was a good color for her. It made her look even fairer as her bright and lively eyes shone with crystal-like clarity while the smile on her face looked like the luminous crescent moon.

She blinked, puzzled. "What should I call you then?"

"Call me Bradley. Of course, since we're married, you can call me by a certain other name." Despite the smirk on his lips, his face remained mostly blank. Still, Freya understood what he meant.

He meant to say that she could call him "honey."

Her cheeks turned red as she looked away and said, "Bradley."

Bradley glanced down at her earlobes. As expected, they were bright red. The smile on his lips widened.

Whenever she felt shy, her ears would turn red. It was quite adorable.

He reached a hand out to her and gently pulled her onto his lap. Freya struggled and said, "It's not our wedding day. Can't I walk on my own?"

"You can, but we are heading back to the Austin Mansion. We must act like we love each other," Bradley solemnly replied.

Freya was screeching on the inside.

Act like we love each other? You're just taking advantage of me!

…

The Austin Mansion.

This is Freya's first visit, and she was immediately impressed by what she saw.

The entire mansion was built next to the mountains with a unique landscaping design. Even the artificial lake used water sourced from the mountains, with the translucent water allowing a clear view of the precious koi swimming inside.

Perhaps it was due to the mansion's amazing location, but Freya felt a strong connection to nature here. The terraced gardens were built with a focus on height with a blend of European architectural styles that made it look grand and luxurious yet refined.

The Austins were the most prestigious family in the capital city, with a strong history. The city's entire economic development relied on the Austins, and even the most elite of politicians had to show respect to them.

It was precisely because of this that Lola went through all the effort just to marry into the Austins. She wanted to become the respected Mrs. Austin that everyone would admire.