Ellen May was the stepmother of Winifred Sharp. In her days, she was the queen in the entertainment industry. Although having two daughters, she was still well maintained and beautiful and charming as ever.

Starting as the mistress of a married man, Ellen May was particularly skillful at getting what she wanted. Not only did she manage to bury her not so glamorous history, she also moved and mingled freely and successfully in the circle of wealthy wives.

Today, she had done a particularly good job about the wedding. Even Winifred Sharp's wedding dress was customized from Milan. Praise flowed from every mouth.

Pretenting not knowing anything,Windfred Sharp appeared shy and coy as was expected of her she looked at the door expectantly, "It's the time, why, hasn't the bridegroom come to pick me up?"

Ellen's expression changed abruptly.

So did everyone else. What was going on? Didn't the bride know it was a sick man on the verge of dying she was going to marry?

The only purpose of the marriage was so that the poor man's life could be saved by the cheerful occasion.

Albert stepped forward, looking a bit guilty and said without looking at his daughter's eyes, "Winnie, the groom.... is not feeling well, so he can't come. You can go straight to him."

After the briefest pause, Winifred smiled and said obediently, "Okay, I will go now..

Winifred Sharp got into the luxury car that came to pick her up alone.

Looking at her delicate figure from behind, the guests all wondered, wasn't she supposed to be an ignorant bumpkin from the country? How could she look so graceful and beautiful?

Adding to her soft obedience, people began to sympathize with her and fingers were pointed at Ellen May and voices of judging sounded.

"So that was why she worked painstakingly on the wedding-she wanted us to praise her and forget about the fact she was nothing but a stepmother! It should have been one of her daughters! Now she made the poor girl go!"

Ellen May's face became ugly, Things were getting out of her control; she was sure it would unfold just as she had planned. But Winifred Sharp easily turned the situation around and embarrassed her. It seemed that she had underestimated the girl.

Never mind, the future was long, and she had tons of ways to "cure her!"

...

Arriving at Orchid Grove, Winifred entered her wedding room.

No light was on and she felt a bit chilly.

Nearing the bed she made out a figure lying on the big bed.

Her husband.

Reaching out for him, she tried to feel his pulse.

Instantly, her wrist was gripped and the world turned upside down before her eyes.

Winifred was shocked. "Isn't the groom dying? But...the strength, the quickness suggests someone young and fit. What's going on?"

Quickly folding up her knees she tried to attack the man's lower body.

Faster, he easily dodged her attack and pressed her down with his bent knees. She couldn't move an inch.

"Who are you? Let go of me!"

Winifred struggled hard, and the two bodies bumped against each other with only the thin fabric of their clothes between them.

Then a deep. magnetic voice rang in her ears, "You're passionate aren't you?

"..."

Nasty man!

The only man who could be in this room must be her husband, thought Winifred, but instead of being sick, he was strong, even muscular...

The man's slender fingers had reached to the buttons of her clothes, undoing them one by one.

Winifred quickly grabbed his hand.
"What are you doing!? Let me go!"

"Make some noise!"

Huh?

At this moment, Winifred heard a rustling sound outside the room,then a murmuring voice,"Old lady, this is not good, Please let's go back..."

"Hush, I didn't look! I will only listen for a bit, and there is no harm in that, no?"

Old Mrs. Law pressed her ear to door and eavesdropped.

Winifred wanted to get up to see what was going on, but Vincent Law pressed her down by the shoulder, "Go on make the sound."

By now Winifred got his meaning-he was asking her to pretend fulfilling the conjugal duty for the benefit of the old lady outside, but...

"I... don't know how."

With eyes keen and sharp like a falcon, Vincent Law scrutinized the woman under him. Bashful & indignant at the same time, the woman of twenty had slightly knitted brow on her young face.

Then, Vincent Law tore the front of her clothes off.

"Ah!"

Taken aback, Winifred let out an involuntary cry of alarm, her slender arms darted to cover her chest.

Vincent's lips curled up, "Now you do."

"..."

Winifred Sharp stared at the man, disgust in her eyes.

Vincent Law, however, put his hands on her sides to support himself and began to imitate certain movement, making the bed groan and creak in the dark room.

Winifred's face was red as a ripe apple; even her snow-white earlobes went crimson.

"Go on make the sound, or I'll have to do it for real," threated the man in a low voice.

Eyelashes fluttering, Winifred didn't doubt the seriousness of the man. So, she closed her eyes and made appropriate noise to the tune of the man's move.

Outside, Mrs. Law puts her hands together in a praying position, "Amitabha! My grandson is not gay, nor is he impotent! He is finally having a woman! My ancestors, bless me! I will soon have a great grandson!"

The old lady cut a little caper, then went to the ancestral hall to offer the ancestors a stick of incense.

Winifred quickly reached out to push the man away. This time, Vincent Law was cooperative and let go of her.

With a snap, he turned on the wall lamp.

Instantly, everything in the room was covered with a warm, dim light.

Winifred Sharp sat up and quickly did her buttons, covering her slender shoulders of alabaster skin.

She looked up at the man.

The man had gotten out of his bed, his handsome face shown. He was very handsome indeed with chisled features as if done by the hand of God. And his easy move and gestures showed an aloof, indifferent nobleness.

But Winifred Sharp had no time to admire it. She narrowed her eyes... Because this man...

"It's You!"

The man on the train!

He was her new husband?!

Knowing she would be marrying a sick man, Winifred had made a lot of preparations accordingly, but she never thought it would be him.

She recalled on the train that day when she yelled at him, claiming that she was the bride-to-be of the young master of Orchid Grove; he must be secretly laughing at her at that time.

Vincent Law's thin lips curled up, "Recognize me? I said we shall meet very soon."

There was a playfulness in his eyes as he remembered the butler told him that the Sharp family would give him a girl from the countryside as a bride.

He didn't mind so long as his grandma was happy.

Besides the country girl turned out to be her.

But was that what a country girl looked like ?

He still remembered vividly how she made the scar man fell on the train.

Word Count : 1222

~BTS A.R.M.Y