The Heir's Bride

In the living room of the Dawson family residence, the atmosphere was growing tense.

Emily sat on the sofa, staring at her adoptive parents. She felt pressured by their unreasonable demands.

The situation was tense under Mr. Harold’s pressure. Emily appeared helpless, like a small bird fallen into the water. But in contrast, Elena, Emily’s adoptive sister, remained indifferent to the commotion. She sat with a sulking expression in the corner of the room.

“Emily, you know the situation with our company. There’s no other choice; you must marry Jack Hunter,” Harold repeated.

What started as a calm conversation had now turned into a heated debate. Harold believed they had no choice but to marry Emily off to Jack Hunter as a solution to save the company from near bankruptcy.

“If you marry him, the construction project contract will be ours, and the Dawson family will not go bankrupt,” Harold urged again.

Emily wanted to retort, but she didn’t have enough courage.

Harold and Olivia always reminded her of how they had raised her since she was five years old. They never truly believed in her.

The company, which was on the brink of collapse and suddenly became her responsibility, had never once been under her control.

Emily was always used as a pawn whenever there were problems in the family.

“This isn’t just about us, dear. It’s about your future too. Jack is incredibly rich. He can give you a comfortable life,” Olivia added with a sly grin.

Emily wanted to call Olivia a wolf in sheep's clothing. Her kindness was only skin-deep.

She looked at both of them, her heart filled with disgust and disappointment.

“I can’t believe you two are doing this to me. Marriage is not a business deal! I won’t marry an old man just for money!” Emily finally exploded.

Emily knew the real reason they were forcing this marriage, and it had nothing to do with her happiness.

Growing up as the Dawson’s adopted daughter, she was always asked to sacrifice in the name of gratitude. Anything unpleasant had to be done by her.

For twenty years, she had been raised with the difference in affection between herself and Elena. Emily knew there was no warmth for her in this house.

Harold sighed in frustration. “Emily, we’re not talking about love here. We’re talking about the future of the company. We are on the verge of bankruptcy, you need to understand that.”

Harold almost yelled and slapped Emily, but he stopped himself, still trying to convince her to marry Jack Hunter voluntarily.

Olivia was starting to lose patience. “This isn’t just about your feelings. You need to think about all of us. You’re the oldest in this family; the responsibility is on your shoulders.”

When Olivia tried to touch Emily’s arm, she stood up, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

The tension grew as Harold slapped Emily across the face.

Her voice trembled, and her cheek felt swollen and sore.

“If you think marrying Jack is the only way out, then you’re wrong. I can fix the company’s situation. I have a plan. Give me time, and I’ll prove I can save us without sacrificing my life.”

Emily remembered how, as an adopted daughter of the Dawson family, she had never been free. Every decision in her life had always been made by Harold and Olivia.

She wasn’t allowed to oppose them, because according to Olivia, her life was meant to repay the Dawson family. If it weren’t for them, Emily would have ended up on the streets, a homeless person.

Olivia shook her head in disappointment. “We don’t have time, Emily. Jack is waiting for our answer.”

No… it wasn’t Jack waiting, but Harold and Olivia, impatient to get the money.

Jack Hunter promised that if he married Emily, he would provide the construction project contract worth billions and a large dowry. The dowry would be used for Elena’s studies in France.

Emily glared at her adoptive parents. “Then why don’t you marry Elena instead? She’s young, beautiful, and she’s part of this family, right?”

Her chest tightened. Harold and Olivia were willing to sell her off to an old man who already had two wives, just for money.

Emily knew Jack was no simple man. He was known for being cruel, with many mistresses aside from his two young wives.

Elena, who had been silent until now, suddenly gasped and glared at Emily. “What?! Me? It’s your duty as the eldest! Besides, I would never marry an old man like Jack. That’s disgusting!”

Emily shot back sharply. “But I have to do it, right?”

She wiped her tears. She wasn’t sure when she started crying, but the tears kept falling.

Harold raised his voice even louder. “Enough, Emily! You will marry Jack, and that is final!”

Emily shook her head firmly. “No, Father. I will not marry him. If you keep forcing me, I’d rather leave.”

She was twenty-five years old. It was time for her to make decisions for her own future. If Harold and Olivia kept pressuring her, she would leave the Dawson household.

She could go anywhere, as long as it meant not living in this hell.

Silence filled the room. Olivia and Harold exchanged glances before Harold sighed deeply, his face hardening.

“If that’s your decision, then you no longer have a place in this house. We’ve decided for the family and the company. If you refuse to help, then you are no longer part of the Dawson family.”

Harold’s voice boomed, his anger evident in the hardening of his face. His gaze fixed on Emily, but his finger pointed toward the door.

Olivia was calmer, though a storm of suppressed anger raged inside her.

“You can leave now, Emily. And don’t ever come back if you’re this stubborn.” Olivia’s soft voice was more frightening than a thunderstorm.

Emily looked at them one by one, feeling a deep ache in her heart. But she knew, nothing would change even if she begged until her tears ran dry.

Gracefully, she turned and walked toward the door, leaving the home she had lived in all her life. Before exiting, she glanced at Elena, still sitting with an angry expression.

“Goodbye. Thank you for everything you’ve given me all this time.”

Without waiting for a response, Emily closed the door quietly, leaving the family she once thought loved her unconditionally.

She didn’t know where to go. There was no place to go, no savings to spend. She had become the poorest of the homeless.

Two Months Later

Since Emily left the large home of her adoptive family, her life has become simpler, though not too bad.

In the early days after leaving the Dawson household, she experienced hunger. However, now she has a job as a waitress in a small supermarket and rents a modest apartment in the city.

Although her life has changed, Emily has never regretted her decision.

“You can see this, Ma'am. It's a lucky charm. Whatever you wish for, it will be granted.”

A young man’s voice interrupted Emily as she was serving a customer. She smiled as she watched him eagerly offer a red-wrapped package to an elderly woman.

‘What kind of fool would buy a charm like that?’ Emily thought.

“It’s three hundred dollars,” Emily said as she handed the shopping bag to the customer, her eyes flicking back to the charm seller and the old woman by the supermarket entrance.

It turns out her assumption was wrong. The elderly woman se