The next day, Waylon left for work early in the morning, showing no intention of preparing for the wedding.
In my previous life, Waylon never threw Maya a wedding either. He simply arranged for both sets of parents to have dinner together–it didn’t even make the news.
I made thorough preparations and headed to the Garcia family company to watch the drama unfold.
By 9 AM, a crowd had already gathered outside the Garcia company building. Several debt collectors had blocked the entrance, causing a scene.
A fierce–looking man brandished a stick and threatened, “When are you going to pay back what you owe us? If you don’t pay up soon, we’ll trash this place!”
Maya cowered behind Michael. Having been the pampered princess of the family in both lives, the worst hardship she’d probably ever endured was marrying Waylon in her previous life.
To my surprise, Michael spoke in a humble tone: “Please give us a little more time.”
The moment he finished speaking, the man hurled his coffee cup at Maya, shouting, “Cut the crap! I want my money now!”
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As the cup flew through the air, Michael pulled Maya into his arms, shielding her. The scalding coffee splashed all over Michael’s back.
I stood frozen in place. In my previous life, when that coffee cup came flying, Michael had shoved me forward instead. The boiling coffee splashed across my face, and the shattered porcelain cut my cheek, drawing blood.
I had stared at Michael in disbelief.
But he had said calmly, “You’re tied to Garcia Group for life anyway. Your face doesn’t matter.”
What Michael didn’t know was that the ugly scar left on my face made a terrible first impression on every client I met. This forced me to take many detours and work several times harder than others just to get a chance at cooperation.
Afterward, Michael had said dismissively, “Business isn’t about looks, is it? See, I told you the scar wouldn’t matter.”
But now, for Maya’s sake, Michael was willing to go this far.
Even though I had already experienced their favoritism and betrayal, witnessing this scene still sent a sharp pain through my heart.
The scene was chaotic, but I had no interest in watching further
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and turned to leave.
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In my previous life, Michael had left me alone to face the angry creditors. Now, just seeing how he protected Maya, I knew he wouldn’t abandon her.
But even if he could shield Maya from these troubles, what difference would it make? They would still come begging to me
in the end.
Sure enough, just as I sat down for lunch, James came in and said, “Miss Garcia, your relatives are outside asking to see you.”
They couldn’t wait they wouldn’t even give me time to enjoy a proper meal.
Looking at the table full of exquisite dishes, I set down my unused fork and said coolly, “Let them in.”
The moment Maya entered, she stared at the lavish spread on the table. She let out a cold laugh and said, “Looks like Lydia’s living quite well at the Bennett mansion. But once you get that marriage certificate, you might not be able to enjoy this lifestyle anymore. You’d better cherish these good times while they last.”
My gaze turned cold. “Whatever you have to say, say it quickly.”
Since Michael needed something from me, his tone softened: “Lydia, you’re already at the Bennett mansion and about to get married. Ask Mr. Bennett when he can actually follow through
Chapter 4
on investing in our company.”
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I looked at Michael, who had always been so proud. For Maya’s sake, this was the first time he had ever spoken to me in such a tone. My heart still stung a little.
But Maya simply sat down at the dining table and began helping herself to the food. She sneered, “Dad, Lydia is your daughter. Why are you asking her for favors? You’re the one who gave her the chance to marry into money. Everything she does for us is only right.”
Maya glanced at me and continued, “You need to get Waylon to invest in our company right away. Otherwise, I’ll go to the media and expose you as an ungrateful person who abandoned us after marrying rich. I’ll also bring Mom and Dad to live here with you. After all, this place is huge. Our house is surrounded by debt collectors now, and it’s been trashed beyond repair.”
Michael seemed to have no intention of stopping Maya. He just stood there, as he had countless times before, silently condoning everything Maya did.
In my previous life, when I was cornered by the company’s creditors with no way out–when they beat me, cursed me with the most vicious words, and even nearly assaulted me several times–Michael and Bella had hidden at home, too scared to come out.
When I told Michael and Bella about these incidents and begged
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them to have Maya ask Waylon for company funding immediately, they had only looked at me with difficulty.
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Michael had even said, “Maya’s in a tough spot too. She can’t bring up funding after just a few days. Don’t be so selfish. Think about Maya’s position.”
It turned out Michael could choose not to be so considerate. It’s just that the person he favored was never me.
I just hadn’t expected Maya to be so useless that she couldn’t even handle the first hurdle of facing the creditors.
Michael and Maya stared at me, seemingly waiting for me to compromise as I always had before, even though they knew that helping them would put me in a difficult position.
I spoke slowly: “Dad, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. My position in the Bennett family isn’t stable yet–I haven’t even married Waylon. How could I possibly bring up funding? You should consider my situation too. Our family went bankrupt, yet I still managed to marry Waylon. Aren’t you afraid the Bennett family will look down on me?”
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