The Widow’s Fate They Chose Was My Escape Plan Chapter 03
The entire Sterling household stood in a stiff, anxious line. No one had expected Sebastian’s mother, Eleanor Quinn, to come in person.
She dismissed everyone else, saying she wanted to speak with me alone.
Adrian didn’t like it, but he didn’t dare offend a woman who held a substantial block of voting shares in Quinn Industries.
He lowered his voice to a hiss. “Eleanor worships her son. If you say one reckless word to her, she’ll make you wish you were dead.”
It was winter. The garden was a tangle of withered branches, except for the witch hazel blooming in one corner.
My mother had planted that tree the year I was born. She’d said she hoped I would be as resilient as the flower that bloomed in the cold.
“Adrian tells me you’re marrying my son of your own free will.”
I lowered my eyes. “Yes,” I answered calmly.
It was the only path I had found to leave the Sterling family.
Eleanor’s sharp gaze settled on me. She gave a faint, skeptical snort.
“Do you know the state he’s in? He’s getting worse by the day. He can barely leave his bed. If you marry him, you’ll likely be a widow before you know it.”
“The Quinn family’s shareholder agreements and confidentiality clauses are ironclad. There’s also a rumor about an old family rule—that anyone who joins this family doesn’t leave alive. Even if my son dies, there may be those who try to stop you from leaving. And after the wedding, our entire family is moving the executive office to Miami. You may never return to New York. You may never see your relatives again.”
“If this isn’t what you want, tell your brothers now. Without your consent, this marriage can be called off.”
Her tone was severe, but it held no malice. She wasn’t trying to force me.
I was surprised.
In my last life, when I had refused the marriage, Adrian had locked me in the basement for two weeks. By the time I was shoved into the wedding car, Sebastian was already bedridden and unresponsive.
Back then, Eleanor had believed I’d deliberately delayed the wedding and harmed her son. She had despised me, tormenting me in every way she could. She had never spoken to me with such civility.
“Mrs. Quinn, I’ve already signed a trust-rights waiver and a family settlement agreement. Once I marry Sebastian, I will be leaving the Sterling family for good.”
She glanced at the document, a flicker of astonishment on her face. In the end, she only gave me a long, complicated look. “As long as you don’t regret it.”
Less than half a day after Eleanor left, the Quinn family sent engagement gifts with great fanfare.
The Sterling family’s yard was piled high with beautifully wrapped clothing, jewelry, and investment portfolios. In the center sat a pair of orchids that Sebastian had personally tended for three years.
Adrian and the others had assumed the Quinns would handle the marriage quietly, a simple arrangement to placate the board and reassure creditors.
They’d expected a plain car, arriving at dawn to collect me discreetly through a service entrance.
Instead, they had delivered enough engagement gifts to fill the entire yard.
One of the men presenting the gifts said respectfully, “Mr. Quinn prepared all of this himself. He also tended those orchids for three years. They are not some expensive variety bought at the last minute, but a symbol of his sincerity.”
A warmth stirred in my chest. I thanked him softly.
Ivy’s eyes flashed with jealousy as she surveyed the jewelry. “Lena, you’re amazing. You charmed Eleanor with just a few words, and now Sebastian has sent all these gifts.”
“Where did you learn to be so persuasive?”
Adrian had been frowning ever since the gifts arrived. At Ivy’s words, he let out a cold snort.
“That slick, street-bred manner of yours—is that how a proper heiress behaves?”
“Don’t think a few honeyed words will fool the Quinns. Eleanor is shrewd. She can see right through you.”
“We only wanted you to get the license quietly so it would be easier for you to start over when the marriage ended. But no, you had to make a scene and let the whole of Manhattan society know! Who’s going to marry you after this?”
Ethan sneered. “Maybe that was her plan. Ruin her own name, let her sick husband die, and then, when no one else will have her, she can run to Hayden and play the victim until he takes her back.”
Twisting her fingers, Ivy said, “Lena, even if you hadn’t done all this, Hayden is sentimental. He would have let you stay by his side. But after you accepted all these gifts, what is he supposed to do?”
The moment she finished, Adrian’s expression darkened.
“Lena Sterling, you’re hopeless. Since you’re so capable, the Sterling family will not be giving you any premarital assets.”
My body went rigid. I stared at him in disbelief.
“Those assets were left to me by Mom and Dad. What right do you have to withhold them?”
The personal trust my parents had established for me was my only foundation for an independent life. If I went into this marriage with nothing, the Quinn family would surely look down on me.
I had no savings of my own. My future would be impossibly difficult.
“I have every right. I’m in charge of the Sterling family now. And conveniently, under the trust’s substitution clause, the share you waived transfers entirely to Ivy. We’ll use it for her wedding.”