Chapter 38
“Hey, include me in your dinner plans!” Selina called out with a mischievous glint in her eyes, attempting to slide off her hospital bed despite her broken leg. “I need the scoop today!”
“What exactly do you want to know?” Leanne asked, her tone tinged with suspicion. “Did Suzan put you up to this?”
“I swear Suzan has nothing to do with this. We haven’t been in contact for ages,” Selina declared firmly.
“You were pretty much the Richardson family’s foster child. How on earth did Leanne end up marrying Curtis?” Leanne leaned against the doorframe, her coat draped over her arm, her expression cool and detached.
“So, if I satisfy your curiosity, you’ll leave me in peace?” Leanne queried with a raised eyebrow.
Selina nodded fervently, “Yes, absolutely!”
“Fine.” Leanne closed the door to the hospital room and took a seat next to Selina’s bed.
“Ask away,” she prompted.
Selina blinked her big doe eyes, suddenly the picture of innocence. “I just want to know why you married Curtis. Rumor has it you took advantage of a breakup, got him drunk, seduced him, and then blackmailed him with some compromising photos. Is that true?”
Joy rolled her eyes so hard they almost disappeared. “As if! You’re giving her way too
much credit. She’s not a mastermind.”
Leanne sighed, “Thanks, I guess, for the offense.”
“So, why then?” Selina pressed. “Was it for love?”
Of course, it wasn’t love.
The truth was that Leanne’s marriage to Curtis was like something out of a soap opera.
Leanne knew Jennifer didn’t care for her. After starting college, she made it a point to stay away, not wanting to be a thorn for Jennifer. But before she could graduate, the Richardson family faced a public relations nightmare.
Maddox, the family’s trusted lieutenant at VectorVista Bank, had been betrayed by a subordinate who sold secrets to a rival. On the eve of his arrest, the man committed
suicide. His widow made a scene with banners outside the bank and even threatened to
jump off the building’s roof.
The scandal was everywhere, fanned by social media and manipulated by those with agendas. The Richardson family was accused of driving an employee to his death, and
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even the circumstances surrounding Joseph’s passing were dredged up for public speculation,
The Richardson family could wield power to stifle the situation, but they knew better than to block the flow of public opinion. Their PR team devised a plan: marry Leanne into the family.
It would dispel rumors about Joseph’s death and showcase the family’s generosity in taking care of an employee’s orphaned daughter, thus polishing their image.
Jennifer was against it.
But then Mary, Jennifer’s mother-in-law, fell gravely ill. After several dire warnings from the hospital, a renowned spiritual advisor was consulted. He walked the grounds of the Richardson family and declared that Mary’s fate was not yet sealed. The family’s prosperity was tainted with a life taken, and now the karmic debt had come due for Mary. The solution was to marry someone with a fate that countered the Richardson family’s to break the cycle.
By some stroke of fate, Leanne was a perfect match.
Wealthy families often hold superstitions close. Though Jennifer was reluctant to trade Curtis’ marital happiness, she was faced with Mary’s tears, “Do you want to see me die?”
Unable to handle the guilt from such allegations, Jennifer gave in and agreed to the
marriage.
Soon after, a beautifully crafted love story of Curtis and his childhood sweetheart turned bride went viral, skillfully orchestrated by the Richardson family. The PR crisis was swiftly resolved.
The narrative was touching, but it was 99% fiction. Only Leanne knew that she and Curtis were anything but childhood sweethearts. They were just two strangers who happened to grow up under the same roof.
Curtis’ true childhood crush was Suzan.
Perhaps out of protection or some other scheme, Curtis kept Leanne’s identity
well-guarded throughout the ordeal.
Aside from a vague and atmospheric wedding photo that didn’t clearly show her face, Leanne’s identity remained a secret to the outside world.
Only family, close friends, and inner-circle acquaintances knew she was Curtis’ wife.
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