The Reluctant Bride

Chapter 1: Throw This Crazy Charlatan Out

In front of the Sterling villa. Shiloh, wearing a Daoist robe, reached out and pressed the doorbell.

Time ticked by, minute after minute. The villa remained silent, with no response at all.

With nothing else to do, she crouched down by the gate. Remembering how the Hartwell family had treated her, a faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips.

Just because she'd always said she could see ghosts as a little girl, the Hartwells had sent her, at only five years old, to a Daoist temple.

For fifteen years, they'd left her completely alone.

Who would have thought that the only reason they'd called her back was for an arranged marriage?

A month ago, word came from the Hartwell family that they'd found their biological daughter, Jasmine. Shiloh wasn't their real child, and they wanted her to come down from the mountain and get married.

She hadn't wanted to agree at first. But her master said it was a good chance to gain worldly experience and repay the Hartwells for their kindness, so she finally gave in.

As for marriage?

Not a chance!

She'd done her research thoroughly before coming.

The engagement was originally supposed to be between the Hartwells' legitimate daughter and the Sterlings' youngest son, Sebastian. But Jasmine didn't want to marry him. That's when the Hartwells suddenly remembered their long-forgotten other daughter.

If she married Sebastian, the Hartwells' business would be saved, without sacrificing their real daughter's marriage. It was a win-win for them.

But she was no longer the obedient five-year-old they could push around.

*Click.*

The sound of the villa's gate opening interrupted Shiloh's thoughts.

She looked up and found herself locking eyes with the man coming out of the villa. Her eyes widened in surprise.

He was dressed in a black suit, with fair skin and a high-bridged nose, and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

But he was sitting in a wheelchair.

Seeing his legs, she couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Her master and senior brothers had always told her that evil energy invading the body could have serious effects. Over time, it could even merge with the body and exist there permanently.

She never thought she'd actually encounter such a case today!

If she could feed the evil energy in his legs to her senior brother's little darling, it would definitely boost its cultivation.

The moment their eyes met, Shiloh had already taken two steps forward, wanting to get a closer look.

Sebastian was clearly displeased. He moved his wheelchair back.

Coldly, he asked, "Who are you?"

Just then, the security guard came out too, positioning himself in front of Sebastian.

She smiled and said, "My name is Shiloh. I'm here to see Old Master Sterling."

Seeing that she was still staring at Sebastian's legs, the guard grew nervous and quickly gave her a warning look.

She immediately understood and pointed at Sebastian's legs. "Your legs have been invaded by evil energy. To cure them, you need to expel the evil energy first, then treat the illness. Otherwise, you'll only be treating the symptoms, not the root cause..."

Seeing him frown, Shiloh thought he hadn't understood, so she explained further. "Evil energy can seriously affect your body. Visually, it looks like a mass of black stuff."

His face was full of wariness. "Nonsense!"

"You!" Shiloh's face darkened, but she quickly caught herself. "Oh, I forgot. You can't see it. But I can make you see..."

"Throw this crazy charlatan out." Sebastian cut her off coldly.

Shiloh was immediately annoyed. She glared at him. "I was just trying to warn you out of kindness. If you don't believe me, fine. But with that attitude, you deserve to have that evil energy stuck in your body forever!"

At these words, Sebastian's face turned completely black.

The security guard beside him started trembling.

Everyone knew that the last subordinate who dared to look too long at Sebastian's legs was gone the next day, never to be seen again in the company.

Since then, people wouldn't even dare to look up when they saw Sebastian, let alone stare. They'd rather walk around him!

This girl not only stared but also spoke rudely. She really had a death wish.

As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.

The guard quickly spoke up. "Miss, you'd better leave now."

Shiloh shot Sebastian a dirty look and turned to walk away.

If he didn't want her to see, there would be others who would.

Her master said that healing people, telling fortunes, and reading feng shui were very profitable.

She hadn't gone far when she saw a red sports car pull up and stop right beside her.

A breeze lifted the hem of her robe, and she looked over.

"In a Daoist robe, so you must be Shiloh, just back from the temple, right?" The person who got out of the car spoke immediately.

Shiloh looked her over.

She was wearing a brand-new pink dress and high heels. The bag in her hand had a big LV logo on it and also looked new.

From the way she addressed her, this must be Jasmine.

"I'm Jasmine. Dad should have told you about me already." She had an arrogant air and pointed at Shiloh's clothes. "How could you come dressed like that? Don't wear this anymore. Otherwise, people will think the Hartwells can't even afford decent clothes."

"Even someone like me, who just came down from the mountain, knows it's very rude to criticize someone's appearance the first time you meet them. Surely Miss Jasmine knows that, doesn't she?"

Shiloh frowned at her.

Trying to intimidate her on their first meeting. This person had no class.

But something else seemed off.

Jasmine's expression flickered, but she quickly smiled and tried to link her arm with Shiloh's. "I'm just concerned about you, that's all. I heard from Mom and Dad that you were often sick as a child. It wasn't until they sent you to the temple at five that you got better. Mom and Dad thought you were their real daughter, so they donated a lot of money to the temple over the years. Now that you're back, don't forget to be filial to them."

Shiloh sidestepped to avoid her, but in doing so, she caught sight of the black energy inside Jasmine's sleeve.

That's it!

A hint of malice flashed in Jasmine's eyes. Noticing a car approaching, she withdrew her hand.

"Jasmine, why aren't you going in?" Sterling asked, gallantly draping his jacket over her shoulders. "There's a breeze here. You'll catch a cold."

"Thank you, Sterling." Jasmine looked coy and shy.

Ignored, Shiloh's eyes suddenly lit up.

The black energy in Jasmine's sleeve was merging with his!

It seemed his kindness towards Jasmine wasn't just because he liked her.

But he wasn't the most urgent matter right now.

She sized up Sterling. "As the saying goes, doing one good deed a day is good for the soul. So let me remind you today. Although you're in decent health right now, your father is not in a good state. He's your only remaining direct relative, and furthermore..."

Before she could finish, Jasmine interrupted.

"What do you mean by that? Uncle is in good health, and Auntie is alive and well! How can you curse people like that?!"

Shiloh looked at her as if she were an idiot. "I'll just say this much. No need to say more, or some people might start spouting nonsense without knowing the facts. Brains are a wonderful thing. Some people could even use one to gain a few inches in height. But some people can't even manage that."

"What do you mean?!"

Jasmine was about to say something else, but Sterling pulled her back.

He frowned deeply.

In his memory, his mother had never been particularly close to him. It was also her idea to keep him out of the company, saying she wanted him to gain experience in the outside world. But she had let her nephew into the company...

Just then, they heard the sound of the villa's gate opening.

Old Master Sterling came out personally. "You must be Shiloh, right?"

He'd had her investigated, so he recognized her at once.

Shiloh turned around. "Yes."

Old Master Sterling looked her over.

She was wearing a Daoist robe, her hair in a bun, with a baby-faced, round-cheeked look. When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, which was very endearing.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I told that boy Sebastian to come out and get you, but... he's not right in the head. Don't take it personally."