The story began in the Northwest, where a huge castle-like mansion stood on a vast stretch of grassland. It looked so much like a kind of Shangri-La that anybody who came here couldn’t help but sigh in wonder at its magnificence. At this moment, a young lady’s clear and melodious voice was heard from the mansion.

What? No way! No way am I going to Athesea to get engaged!” “It’s not up to you, Elise. Your engagement had been arranged by the Griffiths and me quite a few years ago. The five sons of the Griffith Family are all very fine gentlemen, and all you need to do is pick one of them to get engaged to. Don’t worry; you’ll certainly find one of them to your liking.” Elise Sinclair leaned back on the sofa, her wavy hair hanging loosely behind her neck. Her features were delicate and enchanting, and every pore in her body exuded an air that set her apart from everyone else.Having been raised by her grandfather since childhood, Elise knew the matter had been set in stone. After pondering for a moment, she replied with a meaningful smile, “Fine, but I have a few requests to make, Grandpa. The Griffith siblings mustn’t know who I am. Since you say they’re all very fine gentlemen, I should be free to leave if I don’t fall in love with any of them within a year. By then, I should get to decide on my own marriage.” Robin Sinclair, Elise’s grandfather, responded with a smile, “No problem.” …

A few days later, four men with delicate features could be faintly seen standing at the entrance to the railway station of Athesea. They were of different sorts; one was aloof, whereas another seemed bright and cheery with a sunny personality… The eyes of the passersby were glued to them. If it weren’t for the bodyguards keeping the crowd back, many would have come forward and asked for their contact information a long time ago. Danny Griffith, the fifth and youngest son of the Griffith Family, complained, “It’s so hot today, yet Grandpa insisted that the four of us come and pick up this little girl.

Does he really think we have nothing to do at all?!” Wearing a face mask and a cap, Jack Griffith, the fourth son of the Griffith Family and a big celebrity who had recently come to prominence as the Prince Charming of every female in the country, chimed in, “That’s right. To think she would come by train—that girl must be a country bumpkin!” “I thought Grandpa was joking when he told me yesterday that one of us five siblings would be chosen to be the fiancé of someone from the countryside!”

Brendan Griffith, the third son of the Griffith Family, joined the conversation. “I’m so envious of Alexander; he copped out thanks to a company meeting he had to attend.” Matthew Griffith, the second of the Griffith siblings, didn’t say a word, but one could tell from his expression that he wasn’t pleased with this either. Just then, a young lady in red with flowers embroidered on her clothes emerged from the railway station’s exit. One might as well say she was dowdily dressed. Moreover, her long bob haircut made her look dreadfully ugly. Danny patted Jack on the shoulder. “Would you look at that! I wasn’t aware that people still dress that way in this day and age!

Tsk, tsk, I’ve only seen it in the movies. Haha…” Then, to the four men’s great surprise, the young lady came out and stopped in front of them. “Hello. You guys must be the Griffith siblings, aren’t you? I’m Elise Sinclair.” All the four men looked somewhat appalled, especially Jack, who asked in disbelief, “You’re Elise Sinclair?” Is she the beautiful little fairy Grandpa talked about? he thought to himself. Not only was Elise dowdily dressed before them, but she was dark-skinned with several moles on her face.

Furthermore, the bright pink Barbie lipstick she wore was downright suffocating. Elise nodded and even replied with a look of infatuation, “So Grandpa didn’t lie to me after all. You guys really are handsome.” All of you look rather plain. No matter how handsome you guys are, none of you are good enough to be a match for me, she thought. Danny nearly broke out into curses. Even if she comes from the countryside, she shouldn’t be this ugly! he thought. “How about you go back instead, Miss Sinclair?” “Huh?” Elise blinked her eyes in confusion. At last, it was Matthew—the vice president of the Griffith Group—who said, “Let’s get in the car and go back first.”

The five of them thus left the railway station with Elise and Matthew seated in the middle row in the car. Elise glanced out of the window before saying with a sigh of admiration, “Wow! So that’s how tall the buildings in big cities are!” The lips of the four other people in the car twitched at her words. What is she, a yokel new in town? Just then, Elise inadvertently caught a glimpse of the watch on Matthew’s wrist from the corner of her eye.

She exclaimed, “Wow! This watch looks so pretty! It must cost quite a few hundred, doesn’t it?” Quite a few hundred? That watch of Matthew’s cost 30 million! All the four men were so speechless that they could only hope Elise wouldn’t take a fancy to any of them and ask them to be her fiancé. Their car drove all the way to the Griffith Residence. At the sight of the Griffith Family’s mansion, Elise gave another look of surprise.

“Wow! Your place sure is huge, isn’t it?” At the same time, though, she thought to herself, This mansion is not even one-tenth the size of my family’s estate. Just then, she heard Danny’s voice, which sounded like he had reached the limit of his patience, beside her. “That’s enough, you bumpkin. Don’t act like you’re going out in the world for the first time. I can’t stand it anymore.” None of the three men beside them spoke. After all, they couldn’t stand Elise’s behavior as well.

Elise almost burst into giggles when she saw the looks on everyone’s faces. Still, she held it in and pretended to look hurt while following the siblings into the mansion. One of the servants took her to her bedroom, specially arranged for her by Jonah Griffith, the Griffith siblings’ grandfather. It was apparent from the room’s girlish blue decor and its closet full of designer handbags, clothes, and jewelry that a lot of care had been put into it.

As the four Griffith siblings sat downstairs, they heard Elise’s exclamations again. “Wow, this room is so huge and beautiful! Are these clothes, handbags, and pieces of jewelry all mine?” …… All four of them looked devastated. Jack said, “She won’t take a fancy to me, right? I’m the most handsome among us, but it was only today that I felt it’s wrong to be handsome.” “You’re the most handsome one?

Have you no sense of shame?” When it was time for dinner, Elise and the four Griffith siblings were still the only ones present. Jonah and the siblings’ parents had been on vacation abroad, while Alexander Griffith, the eldest son of the Griffith Family, was at the company; he was the Griffith Group’s president, as well as the person calling the shots in the Griffith Family.

The siblings had their own places to stay, but they were forced to move back and stay here at Jonah’s request due to Elise’s arrival. Everyone found it hard on their eyes when they saw Elise still wearing the red embroidered clothes as she came downstairs. A world-renowned fashion designer, Brendan couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Sinclair, there are plenty of clothes upstairs. Can’t you change into one of them?”

Elise glanced at her clothes before responding in puzzlement, “But I look pretty in this. My grandma made this for me by hand.” The four men were rendered speechless. Who knew some people still make clothes by hand these days? “That’s enough, you bumpkin! Let me tell you that the four of us would never get engaged to you, nor would Alexander ever like you. Be sensible and get out of here by yourself,” said Danny, who had the sharpest tongue in the Griffith Family.

Upon hearing his words, Elise bit her lip and replied, “But I’ll have trouble explaining this to my grandpa—” “I think you’re just interested in our family’s money. I’m telling you, you’re going to be very sorry for dragging out your stay in our home.” Elise looked aggrieved as she ate dinner with her head down. It didn’t help that her face was just too ugly, so the four Griffith siblings were totally not in the mood to eat.

How can we get through to this lady? After they left, Elise had a great time eating dinner. The food at the Griffith Residence was quite to her taste. Moreover, the effect she desired had been achieved. No one in the Griffith Family liked her, so she would be through with them after a year. She retired to her bedroom after dinner. Just then, her cell phone beeped on the bed as it registered an incoming text message. It read, ‘Have you arrived in Athesea, Boss? How’s everything? Did the Griffiths bully you?’

Elise smirked while reading the text message. ‘The Griffiths have got nothing on me.’ The person quickly texted back, ‘You’re awesome, Boss! But the Griffiths aren’t to be trifled with, especially Alexander Griffith. That man’s a deep one. You should watch out for him.’ Elise was dumbfounded for a moment. Alexander? He must be the eldest son of the Griffith Family and the one who had a company meeting today!

Well, I didn’t get to see him, but who cares? I’ve never been afraid of anything since I was born. She went to sleep after turning off her cell phone. Perhaps it was because she had always had trouble sleeping in a strange bed, for her head felt muzzy throughout her sleep, and it wasn’t until about 4.00AM that she was awakened by thirst. She had removed her makeup at the time, and she went downstairs in her slippers, thinking that she wouldn’t run into somebody in the middle of the night.

After drinking some water, she went upstairs and lay down in a sleepy daze. She didn’t switch on the lights. For some reason, the bed felt different to her; it seemed to have become more comfortable to sleep on. No one knew how much time had passed when the door opened and someone seemed to lift the quilt. Elise was a light sleeper, so she woke up groggily upon sensing someone’s presence.

However, before she could come to her senses, a deep and attractive male voice asked, “Who’s there?” Elise was completely stunned. How dare one of the Griffiths break into my room in the middle of the night? She shot back, “That’s my question! Who are you?

Don’t you know it’s rude to break into someone else’s room in the middle of the night!” Since the lights were switched off, Elise didn’t get to see the man’s face clearly. Then, she heard him reply with a sneer, “You’re Elise Sinclair?”