"What? You want me to marry a man prone to violence? I'm your daughter! You should realize that you're essentially throwing me into the lion's den!"
These words of desperation echoed within a modest villa in South City.
She was the young lady of the Harvey family - Zoey Harvey.
Though on the surface she was the heiress of the Harvey family, in reality, she was treated worse than a servant.
Her mom passed away when she was young, and her dad, within a month, remarried and fathered another daughter.
Zoey endured it all - the indifference from her father, the cruelty of her stepmother, and the torment of her sister.
But now...
For the sake of securing the family's interests, her dad was trying to set her up with a guy who was rumored to have violent outbursts.
"Zoey, just think of it as helping Dad. If I had any way at all, he wouldn't let you marry that man. He's wealthy and influential. Marrying him would make you an admired lady of a prestigious family – you wouldn't be at a disadvantage," Henry Harvey said with tears streaming down his face.
He had two daughters. The elder daughter had never been favored by him since she was young, while the younger daughter had always been his cherished darling. Despite being aware of the man's violent tendencies, he had no choice but to sacrifice his older daughter for the family's sake.
Looking at her father's weathered face, Zoey thought about how hypocritical all this was. At this moment, she felt utterly defeated. After a while, she let out a slow sigh and said, "Alright, I'll marry."
...
A month later, at St. Paul Church.
It was the big day for the Elliott family's heir in South City, and all the bigwigs were invited.
Journalists were also swarming outside the church. This wedding had everyone's attention. The journalists were eager to capture every detail of that day's ceremony.
The groom's parents stood at the entrance, wearing smiles as they welcomed every guest.
After about half an hour later, a line of fancy cars slowly approached St. Paul Church from a distance.
Fireworks went off at the church, and the guests were eager to catch a glimpse of the bride.
Before long, with her bridesmaids surrounding her, the bride made her entrance into St. Paul Church.
The wedding officially kicked off right on time.
Inside the church, the bride and groom faced each other. The groom stood tall and handsome while the bride was beautiful and charming. Standing together, they seemed like a match made in heaven. However, Zoey wore no expression on her face; she appeared rather indifferent. On the other hand, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible smile on Emmett Elliott's face."
After chanting a few blessings, the minister steered towards the day's main event.
"Mr. Elliott, are you willing to take Miss Harvey as your wife, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and to cherish her till death do you part?" The minister directed his question towards Mr. Elliott first.
Encountering his bride-to-be, Elliott surprisingly didn't show any distaste. "I do."
When the groom affirmed, the minister then shifted his gaze to the bride, repeating the vow, "Miss Harvey, are you willing to take Mr. Elliott as your husband, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and to cherish him till death do you part?"
At that moment, Zoey Harvey fell silent...