Chapter 2

2

They didn't even have time to investigate Landon or his family.

But the damage was done. Sebastian told me I was out of my mind.

I went full "warrior for love" mode. I cried, screamed, and threatened to never come home.

Eventually, my family forgave me.

They promised to treat Landon well but insisted I keep my wealth a secret.

They wanted to see if Landon could pass their test.

If he proved himself, they'd let me back into the company with a massive share of the business.

I agreed.

The first time I took Landon home was for New Year's after we eloped.

His dad's car was borrowed by an uncle, so Landon drove me on an old motorcycle for three hours.

We finally reached the estate my father carefully maintained.

In the driveway sat my brother's "beat-up" old Volkswagen.

I thought to myself, "Sebastian is really going all out to look poor just to test this guy. What a brother."

The visit went well. Landon was humble and polite.

He helped around the house without complaining once.

My father was impressed. The next day, he had one of our subsidiary companies hire Landon.

Landon was a civil engineering major, so he was put in charge of a land development project.

If he finished this project, he'd officially be welcomed into the family.

Meanwhile, I wanted to be a writer and enjoy some freedom before managing a company.

Landon's desire for a car started after that trip.

He felt bad about me riding on a motorcycle to see my parents.

Also, since he started the project, we were living in different cities.

It was hard for me to visit home without a car.

When he talked to me about it, I wanted to tell him to just ask my brother for one.

But I remembered the agreement. I had to suck it up and live like a commoner with him.

I used my writing royalties and he saved his salary for months.

We finally decided to pick a car next week.

I thought it was a big deal, so we should tell the parents to show some respect.

I never expected them to be so miserable about it.

I went down to a local food stand to grab some street tacos. The cold air cleared my head.

I remembered the first time I met Landon's parents. They were so kind.

Back then, Martha held my hand. "Selena, you're our daughter now. If Landon ever hurts you, tell me, and I'll kick his butt."

When Landon had to move for work, Martha insisted I stay with them.

"This is your home, Selena. Stay here with me where you'll be comfortable."

Everything was so harmonious!

When did it all start to rot?

Was it the wedding? That cheap, rushed wedding?

To plan it, both families sat down together for the first time.

Before my parents could speak, Martha started complaining about how broke they were.

Sebastian interrupted her. "So, what's the plan?"

Arthur Senior started talking about a dowry of only fifteen hundred dollars.

He said it symbolized "one in a million."

I saw my dad and brother share a look of disbelief.

I didn't care about the money. I believed in love.

After dinner, Arthur Senior drove my parents back.

When he returned, his face was sour.

Landon asked what was wrong. He just said, "That place is so remote. How can people live there? Ugh."

Thinking back, that was the turning point.

They started testing me, making comments about how poor my family was.

Sometimes they looked at me with pity, other times with pure arrogance.

I was raised in luxury, so I didn't even notice their passive-aggressive insults at first.