The Price of a Stolen Marriage Chapter 04
Chapter 4 The Truth Revealed
Author: Perfect Timing
“Mrs. Wellington.” He nodded, his voice calm and unhurried, the kind of composure that only came from decades of being treated with the utmost respect. “I apologize for dropping by unannounced. I’m Benjamin Ashcroft.”
“Please, Mr. Ashcroft. Have a seat.”
He sat down and looked at me. “Mrs. Wellington, I came today because of the children.”
He paused, then smiled. “Natalie is my granddaughter. She’s been spoiled since she was little, but she’s a good girl at heart. The two of them get along well. As their elders, we should support them if we can.”
He set his thermos on the table, laced his fingers together, and rested his hands on his knee.
“I know you built everything you have on your own, Mrs. Wellington. It couldn’t have been easy. No family connections. No one backing you. Making it this far by yourself is certainly impressive.
“But because it wasn’t easy, you should understand better than anyone that some opportunities only come around once in a lifetime.”
He pulled a document from his briefcase and slid it across the table.
“This is the three-year strategic partnership framework between Ashcroft Group and Wellington Group. As soon as the children’s relationship is settled, this agreement can be signed tomorrow.”
He looked at me with absolute confidence.
It was the confidence of a man who had spent his entire life being obeyed, someone who believed that the moment he spoke, people would say yes.
I did not move.
“Mrs. Wellington.” His tone remained as measured as ever.
“You’re still young. The Wellington family may be the wealthiest in Kingsport, but its foundation is not deep enough yet. With the Ashcroft family’s support, your position in the Wellington family would be much more secure.”
He was trying to enlighten me.
He was telling me that I was just a woman who had married into the Wellington family halfway through life. Without family connections or anyone to rely on, I needed the Ashcroft family’s backing if I wanted to keep my place.
What he did not know was that the woman sitting across from him was the daughter he had never met.
Forty years ago, he had personally driven my mother out of Kingsport.
Forty years later, he was sitting here, looking down on me as he asked me to give his granddaughter the chance to marry into the Wellington family.
“Mr. Ashcroft,” I said, meeting his eyes. “My son’s future is none of an outsider’s concern.”
His brow furrowed. “An outsider?”
His expression darkened. “Mrs. Wellington, you’re starting to overestimate your importance. I came here myself as a courtesy. There are not many people in Kingsport I would visit in person.”
His gaze turned cold. “But since you don’t appreciate the honor… then remember this. You’re the one who turned me down today. Whatever happens from here on out, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
After Benjamin left, the gossip spread through Kingsport’s high society like wildfire.
“Mrs. Wellington refused to let her son marry the Ashcroft family’s granddaughter. Who does she think she is?”
“I heard she’s an outsider with no family to speak of. Back in the day, she married her way to the top with nothing but her looks.”
“Benjamin went to see her in person, and she still turned him down. She really doesn’t know her place.”
I sat at home, reading the messages on my phone one after another.
Someone sent me an anonymous text. “Who do you think you are? Without the Wellington family, you’d be nothing.”
The comments on Wellington Group’s official page quickly filled up.
“Mr. Wellington, get your wife under control before she ruins the partnership between Wellington Group and Ashcroft Group.”
Others dug up old photos of me, claiming I had undergone surgery and climbed the social ladder by relying on wealthy men.
Every comment had hundreds of people agreeing.
I did not delete them. And I did not respond.
…
A week later, Kingsport’s biggest charity auction gala was underway. The Ashcroft family was one of the event’s hosts.
Inside the ballroom, Natalie walked in arm in arm with Benjamin, smiling so brightly she seemed to glow.
The moment she spotted Christopher, her smile froze.
She hurried over and grabbed his hand. “Chris, why haven’t you replied to any of my messages these past few days?”
Christopher glanced at me before gently pulling his hand away. “Natalie, until my mom approves of us being together, I think it’s best if we keep our distance.”
The color drained from Natalie’s face. She turned to me, the hatred in her eyes almost tangible. “Mrs. Wellington, are you happy now?”
I ignored her.
The gala began, and Benjamin took the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for your support over the years.” He smiled warmly at the audience. “Besides tonight’s charity auction, I also have some wonderful news to share.”
The ballroom fell silent.
“My granddaughter Natalie and Christopher, the son of the Wellington family, are deeply in love. I believe wedding bells won’t be far off. Before long, the Ashcroft and Wellington families will become one family through marriage.”
Applause erupted.
Benjamin looked at me, his eyes gleaming with the confidence of certain victory. It was as if the Wellington family was already in the palm of his hand.
I rose to my feet. “Mr. Ashcroft.”
The applause stopped. Every eye in the ballroom turned toward me.
I walked onto the stage and stopped in front of him. “Mr. Ashcroft, who told you our families were joining through marriage?”
His smile stiffened for an instant. “The kids are in love. As their elders, we should—”
“I don’t approve.”
The room exploded into an uproar.
Benjamin’s expression darkened. “Mrs. Wellington, if you have something to say, we can discuss it in private. With so many people here today—”
I turned to face the hundreds of guests.
“Benjamin, do you have any idea what you’re doing? You’re trying to marry your own granddaughter to your own grandson. Are you trying to make yourself the laughingstock of the entire world?”
