Episode 2

"What are you talking about, Vale? Mr. Riu is permanently disabled, how could you even consider marrying him?" exclaimed Marisa—Vale's biological mother. She had just entered the living room and was immediately shocked upon hearing her daughter's words.

"Your mother is right. You are beautiful and smart, dear, deserving of a perfect man. Not a disabled person like Mr. Riu," Sandi chimed in. He, too, was unwilling for his only daughter to marry Riu.

"Don't be blinded by wealth, don't be dazzled by him. Your parents are not poor, Vale, more than capable of securing your future. So, marry a normal man, who can give you children. Your mom and I also want grandchildren." Marisa continued to express her disapproval as she sat in front of Vale.

However, Vale remained silent.

"You said you had a man in mind in London. So, why are you now considering marrying Mr. Riu?" Marisa continued. She was unaware of her daughter's relationship with Kelvin, as Vale had not mentioned it so far.

"It turns out he's not a good man, Mom, he has a habit of sleeping with women. So, I gave up pursuing him," Vale replied.

"If that's the case, then don't ask for anything strange. You're just disappointed, so don't make decisions about your future. Marriage is not a game, Vale," Sandi spoke firmly, and was then affirmed by Marisa.

"I'm not disappointed, Dad, I just want to get married. But, I don't have a suitor, so I became interested in Mr. Riu. Even though he's not perfect, I can accept him. As for children, it's easy, we can adopt. There are many orphans out there who need help," Vale replied earnestly. Her heart was shattered, her mind was blank, and she felt desperate.

It's no wonder, four years is not a short time to build love. Unfortunately, it ended tragically.

Finally, Vale's parents ran out of words to forbid their daughter. Whether they liked it or not, they had to approve the request, on the condition that Riu also agreed. If the young man refused, Vale couldn't force it.

Vale agreed. She thought a disabled young man couldn't possibly reject her. Relying on her beauty and master's degree, Vale was confident that Riu would be fascinated by her.

"No matter if he's disabled, the important thing is that I can get married soon. That way, Kelvin will see how valuable I am. Besides, he's also the young master of the Brox family. Even though he's paralyzed, he's still a person of name. And marrying him wouldn't be too bad for my future," Vale thought, very different from what her parents thought—hoping Riu would refuse firmly.

"Alright, I'm willing to marry Vale, your daughter."

One very sincere response came from the other side, when Sandi called Riu and offered his daughter.

Sandi and Marisa could only sigh heavily, reluctantly letting go of their daughter to marry the disabled young master.

After reaching an agreement, on that day, Riu and his father—Jason Brox, came to Vale's house. They didn't visit empty-handed, but brought a package of jewelry as proof of Riu's seriousness.

With a little reluctance, Sandi and Marisa welcomed them warmly. In contrast to Vale, who remained mostly silent as she was surprised by Riu's appearance.

In her mind, Riu was an adult man with an average appearance. Considering his disabled condition.

But as it turned out, Riu's face was very handsome, about seven times that of Kelvin. He also had a pair of charming hazel eyes, but also sharp. Every gaze contained charisma and authority that made anyone hesitant. Vale even felt small in front of Riu.

"But, he has flaws that few other women would accept. Whereas I, don't have flaws like that. So... he's still lucky to marry me," Vale thought, trying to persuade herself and affirm that she was more than worthy to marry Riu.

"You're not disappointed with me, are you?" Riu asked. Though not yelling, it sounded firm.

"No," Vale answered succinctly to appear confident, and with charisma and authority, Vale wanted to show it.

After finishing small talk, Jason and Vale's parents began to discuss their wedding day. However, it turned out that Riu himself determined the wedding day.

"Two weeks is enough to take care of the paperwork. I want to have a simple wedding, without any parties or invitations."

Marisa was shocked, "Why suddenly? And... why does it have to be simple? Vale is our only daughter. If she gets married, we would surely expect a grand celebration."

"If Mrs. Marisa is not willing, I won't force it. We can cancel this marriage," Riu replied, surprising Vale.

"Mom, it's okay for our wedding to be simple. I think it's even better," Vale said.

Although initially met with rejection from Marisa, it was eventually approved. Vale was indeed skilled in speaking and persuading.

With different thoughts in their minds, Riu and Vale were both relieved that the marriage would be official.

After two weeks of waiting, Vale and Riu finally became husband and wife. After that night, today was the first time they met again, and immediately got married. True to the initial plan, there were no guests witnessing their wedding. Only their closest family, not more than ten people.

The wedding took place at Riu's private home, and Vale would be moving in there as well. In fact, some of her clothes and belongings had already been brought there.

"Sit!" Riu commanded when they were inside the room.

Vale obeyed, sitting obediently in front of Riu without much protest, although she was still curious as to why Riu wanted to get married suddenly and without a celebration.

"I have another goal in this marriage," Riu began the conversation.

"What?"

"Ownership of assets. In the Brox family, only those who are married are entitled to receive assets. But, my two siblings played dirty. They caused a severe accident that left me paralyzed like this, so that no one would want to marry me. That way, all the assets would belong to them."

Hearing Riu's explanation, Vale was shocked. She never expected that a sibling could do such a cunning thing.

"That's why I married you in a simple way, so that not many people would know, including them, who are currently controlling all of Papa's assets overseas. I can't accept their actions back then, and I will settle the score for that," Riu continued.

Vale was still in shock.

"That's why I didn't just choose any wife, because they would definitely look for my weaknesses. If I married a simple woman, they would surely oppress her and it wouldn't be surprising if they did something fatal. Whereas I don't have much ability to fight back yet. But you... being born as the only daughter in the Rusli family, also having a master's degree from the University of London, I believe you can protect yourself when I'm not by your side."

Vale remained silent, although in her heart she agreed that she wouldn't let anyone oppress her.

"But even so, I won't make this marriage like a contractual marriage. I will treat you well, like any other husband and wife. I won't discuss divorce unless you want it."

Vale took a deep breath. Unexpectedly, a marriage born out of heartache brought her face to face with a man with a tragic fate.

"Are you angry, Vale?" Riu asked, this time with a more intense gaze.

To be continued...

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