Snare of Love

After changing, Dolores got out of the changing room and once again looked towards the changing room at the left. The door was already tightly closed. "It matches your temperament." The salesperson had a good judgment and taste in fashion; she could pick the clothes that fit her customers by just looking at them. The long pale blue dress Dolores wore made her skin look even paler. The ribbon around her waist had highlighted her slim waist. She looked a bit underweight but her looks was already delicate.

Feeling satisfied of the dress choice, Randolph went to pay for the dress. He then only realized the dress cost more than thirty thousand yuan. But having thought that it was the Nelson family she was going to meet, he gritted his teeth and paid the money. He then spoke with a cold voice. "Let's go." Dolores had long felt his cruelty, yet the indifference still made her slightly uncomfortable and heartache. She lowered her head and followed after him to the car.

The car soon stopped at the main entrance of the Flores villa. The chauffeur opened the car door for Randolph. Randolph stooped and got out of the car followed by Dolores. Standing in front of the villa, Dolores was in a trance for a few seconds. When she and her mother had been living a hell-like life due to her brother's illness, her father was happily living in such a stylish villa enjoying life with the other woman. She could not help but clench her fists.

"Why are you still standing there?" Having sensed that she was not following him, Randolph turned and saw her stupefied at the entrance. Dolores quickly went after him. Being told that the Nelson family still had not arrived by the maidens, Randolph made her wait at the living room.

A piano was placed near the French window of the living room. It was from Seidel and was made in Germany. The price was exorbitant. It was bought by her mother for her during her fifth birthday. She liked it since young and started learning piano when she was four and a half years old. After being sent away, she had not touched piano ever since. She could not help but extend her hand towards it, feeling familiar and excited at the same time. She slightly exerted force on her forefinger which was placed on a piano key and a melodious crispy sound was heard. Because she had not played it for a long time, her fingers had been very stiff.

"Who's allowed you to touch my thing?" A loud and clear voice with anger was heard behind her. Her thing? Dolores turned and saw Annabelle Flores standing behind her with aggression. She remembered she was one year younger than her and had turned seventeen this year. She had inherited Beulah Shawn's good looks. It was just that her contorted face had made her looked quite ferocious at the moment.

"Yours?" They had destroyed her mother's marriage and spent the money that was supposed to be theirs. And now even her mother's gift to her had become hers now? She slowly clenched her fists and secretly kept on telling herself not to act on impulse because she still had no capability to seize the things belonged to her now. She had to endure it! She was no longer the little girl that only knew how to cry after being abandoned by her father eight years ago, she had now grown up!

"You're...Dolores Flores?" Annabelle only then remembered that today was the day the Nelson family came and her father had brought Dolores and her mother back here. She could still remember Dolores's pitiful look when Randolph wanted to send them abroad. She was kneeling on the ground while putting her arms around Randolph's leg, pleading him not to send her away.

"Are you extremely happy now when dad finally brings you back?" Annabelle crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at her with contempt. "You shouldn't be happy though, as the reason dad brings you back is to let you marry the son of the Nelson family, and it's said that the son---” As she spoke, she covered her mouth and jeered. She could not help but gloat over her misfortune when she had to marry a disabled man. Marriage is a big lifetime event, having married such a man would mean the rest of her life was ruined.

Dolores frowned, and it was at this time, a maiden walked in. "The Nelson family is here." Randolph specially welcomed them in by himself. Dolores turned and saw a man who was sitting on a wheelchair being pushed inside. He had a clear-cut facial feature and a charming look. Even though he was wheelchair-bound, nobody dared to show contempt towards him.

Seeing his face, Dolores realized he was actually the man who was flirting with a woman at the changing room. Was he actually the eldest son of the Nelson family? Yet back at the changing room, she had witnessed with her own eyes that he could actually stand up when he put her arms around the woman, and his legs seemed perfectly fine. What was going on?

When she was still figuring why the man pretended he was lame, Randolph called her. "Dolores, come here. This is the eldest son of the Nelson family." He then lowered his shoulder to show deference and smiled flatteringly while stooping. "Mr. Nelson, this is Lola." He actually felt sorry that a dignified man with charming looks like him had actually become disabled.

Matthew's eyes fell onto Dolores and gauged she was still at a young age. Seeing her being too skinny as if suffered from malnutrition, he wrinkled his eyebrows. It was a marriage arranged by his mother, and in addition to that, his mother had passed away. As a son, he could not break the promise. And it was because of that, he spread the word that he was not detoxified and had gone lame after being accidentally bitten by a poisonous snake abroad, just to make the Flores family changed their mind. However, the Flores family did not do so.

Matthew fell into silence and his look went even gloomier. Randolph thought he was dissatisfied and he quickly explained. "She's still young and has just turned eighteen. After being raised well, she must be a beauty." Matthew secretly sneered. He could not tell whether she was a beauty or not, but he did sense Randolph's aberrant behavior that he wanted to marry his daughter to him so much without even caring that he was a "cripple". With an icy look, he lifted one of his eyebrows. "I'm injured during my business trip abroad, and I'm afraid I can no longer walk, and can't fulfill a husband's duty---"

"I don't mind that." Dolores replied instantly. Randolph had promised her that as long as she succumbed to the marriage, he would return her mother's dowry. Even if it meant marrying and getting divorced the next day, she would agree to that. With some moment of digestion, she had understood everything behind these. The man could obviously stand, yet he chose to sit on a wheelchair, and she guessed it was because of that woman. He did not want to keep his promise and wanted the Flores family to cancel the marriage. Yet he had not expected that Randolph was willing to sacrifice his one unloved daughter to fulfill the promise.

Matthew narrowed his eyes and gazed at her. Dolores felt a chill down her spine by his gaze and felt bitter. Why would she want to marry him? If she did not agree to that, how would she be able to return to her home country and seize back everything that was taken away? She dragged the corner of her lips and forced out a smile. Only she knew the bitterness and grievance behind that smile. "We're destined to marry each other since child, therefore no matter what you become, I should marry you."

Matthew's eyes grew more brooding at once. That woman was good at talking. Randolph did not sense any abnormality and he asked carefully, "So, regarding the wedding date---" Matthew's expression changed in a split second and went back to normal. "According to the promise, it was already fixed between two families, how could we break the promise?" Dolores lowered her eyes and did not dare to look a him. He was clearly dissatisfied with the marriage. His consent was just because a promise was a promise.

"That's great." Randolph was delighted. To connect to the Nelson family via an insignificant daughter was certainly a good thing. Although the Flores family was rich too, it was way no match against the Nelson's. He stooped and said with a low voice, "I've asked the people to prepare dinner, please have the meal here before leaving." Matthew frowned and was disgusted by his going-after-the-wealth-and- power flattering behavior.

"No thanks, I still have something to deal with." He rejected the offer and was pushed by Abbott Baron to the outside on the wheelchair. Upon passing by Dolores, he raised his hand gesturing Abbott to stop and lifted his eyes. "Is Miss Flores free afterwards?"☐☐☐