The Princeton family was one of the top affluent families in Genovia.
The grand and luxurious wedding room.
A man with an imposing and noble aura furiously grabbed his bride, who was dressed in a magnificent wedding gown.
"You are not Emaline Reece! How dare the Reece family trick me into this marriage! They must have a death wish!" Mateo hollered with fury.
Just then, Evelyn Reece was forced to look at Mateo. Even her graceful and fair neck fell flat in evoking even the tiniest bit of fondness or sympathy from him.
"Cough... Let... Let go.” Evelyn choked out.
She wore a snow-white mask, which covered most of her face. He could only see her bright eyes that seemed to be shining like stars.
"Let... let go..."
Evelyn finally sputtered as she choked in discomfort with reddened eyes.
With a flick of his hand, Mateo Princeton threw Evelyn to the ground and looked at her contemptuously.
Evelyn noticed that one side of her mask was slipping off and hastily adjusted it back into place in a moment of panic.
"Bang!" Mateo flung the door open loudly and strode away furiously.
The servant who had witnessed the whole incident was startled for a moment before she rushed to help Evelyn up from the ground.
"Mrs. Princeton, are you okay? Let me help you up."
"Thank you."
Once Evelyn rose to her feet, she gingerly massaged her sore neck and directed her gaze towards the vacant doorway, a perplexed expression emerging in her bloodshot eyes.
"Is he Mateo?"
The servant adjusted Evelyn's wedding dress and replied, "Yes Mrs. Princeton, he is Mr. Princeton, your husband."
Wasn't Mateo rumored to be a cripple? After all, Emaline mournfully refused to marry a cripple and forced Evelyn to take her place instead.
However, reality made it abundantly clear that Mateo was far from being a cripple. He stood tall and slender, his strides exuding vitality, with no hint of any leg-related troubles whatsoever.
Evelyn couldn't help but smile. If Emaline had known that Mateo wasn't the crippled man she had heard about, but rather someone who could easily rival a supermodel in terms of looks, she would likely be overwhelmed with regret for her choices.
Pulling her hemline, Evelyn walked to the bed and sat down before asking, "Ahem, it's time for dinner, right?"
From sunrise to sunset, she hadn't taken a single bite of food and found herself ravenously hungry.
The servant was bewildered when she heard Evelyn's question. Wasn't Evelyn in tears after she was almost strangled to death by Mateo just a moment ago? Why was she acting as if nothing happened now?
The servant quickly collected her thoughts when she noticed that Evelyn was watching her and stuttered, "Mrs. Princeton, everyone already had dinner. Only... you have not yet eaten."
Evelyn was taken aback. What? Didn't they inform her to eat?
In the face of such blatant disrespect, Evelyn was acutely aware that she was not embraced by the Princeton family. Adding to her apprehension were the countless rumors surrounding the strictness of Mateo's mother, Brielle. The deliberate withholding of food upon her marriage into the Princeton family served as an unmistakable warning.
"Bring me up my meal," Evelyn commanded.
The servant had a troubled expression.
"How about this? If they make things difficult for you, just tell them that I haven't eaten for three days. If I don't eat now, I will die of hunger in the Princeton family. Tell them that I've already passed out from hunger once."
"Will this really work?"
At that, Evelyn winked at the timid servant and said, "Go ahead. Trust me."
Downstairs, Mateo sat on his leather sofa. He constantly picked up his cup, then set it down again, deep in thought.
Just then, his assistant approached, carrying a pile of files. "Mr. Princeton, we've thoroughly investigated the matter. The woman you married is not the renowned beauty of Genovia, Emaline. Instead, it is Evelyn, who is known for her disfigurement and has garnered quite an infamous reputation throughout the city. It appears that the Reece family has deceived us into a fraudulent marriage."
Mateo frowned and unconsciously dropped the cup he was holding onto the floor.
In front of him were pictures of Emaline and Evelyn that the assistant had placed.
The photographs of the two presented a stark contrast. Emaline's countenance displayed delicate and exquisite features, while Evelyn bore a grotesque scar on her right cheek, like an ugly centipede.
At that, Mateo sneered coldly, "Very well... The Reece family has gone too far by deceiving me into a fraudulent marriage. Do they really think they can get away with it?"
Beside him sat Brielle who was lavishly dressed. She picked up the two photos and became increasingly upset as she looked at them.
"How dare they! They actually thought my son was disabled, so they married an ugly woman off to him."
Although Mateo was in a car accident five years ago, he made a full recovery. However, rumors spread afterward about his legs being crippled. Brielle had wanted to clarify this, but he stopped her.
Felicia Delta, sitting next to Brielle, felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders upon hearing this news. The title of Mrs. Princeton would eventually be hers. How could an ugly woman possibly catch Mateo's eye?
"Madam Brielle, please don't get too worked up. Let me give you a massage."
The marriage between the Princeton and Reece families was not publicly announced but rather carried out in secret.
The Princeton family merely wanted Mateo to marry someone who could match the family's status. Finally, after meticulous scrutiny, Emaline was selected to be Mateo's bride.
The wedding was extremely simple, and the Princeton family only sent a car to pick up the bride from the Reece family. The Princeton family was definitely in a higher social position.
However, no one expected the Reece family to trick the Princeton family by swapping brides.
It wasn't until Mateo, having returned from work, saw the masked Evelyn that he realized the person he married was not Emaline.