My sister lets me to marry the heir to a wealthy family
Our father Michael Garcia gave us two choices: first, marry Waylon Bennett, the heir of the Bennett family, and solve our crisis through marriage; second, take over the family company.
In my previous life, Maya wanted to live a wealthy life, so she chose to marry Waylon. But in the end, he tortured her mercilessly, leaving her disfigured and disabled.
Meanwhile, I used my business talents to save the company from collapse. During that time, I was famous and held a high position, living a wonderful life.
Maya was extremely jealous of this. At the company's IPO launch event, she rushed into the venue with gasoline and burned me alive.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back at the moment when Michael asked us to make our choice.
This time, Maya stepped forward before me.
She said, "Dad, let Lydia marry Waylon. She's been spoiled since childhood and can't handle hardship. I want to stay with you and Mom." Lydia Garcia—that's me.
I couldn't help but laugh. Maya had no idea that staying with the company would be far worse than marrying Waylon.
*****
Maya cried, "Dad, Mom, I'm the youngest child in the family. When the company is in its most difficult time, I can't abandon you."
Her familiar voice pulled me back from the terrifying memories to reality. I opened my eyes to the familiar scene before me.
Maya was tugging at Michael's sleeve, crying heartbrokenly.
Michael and our mother Bella Garcia showed expressions of reluctance on their faces.
I realized I had been reborn.
And Maya had been reborn too.
Because in this life, her choice was completely different from the previous one.
In my past life, after Maya and I graduated from college, our family went bankrupt. It was at this time that Michael urgently called us home. When we returned, he directly gave us two choices.
The first choice was to marry Waylon, the heir of the Bennett family in Washington. When the Garcia family was still prosperous, the two families had arranged an engagement. As long as one of our daughters married Waylon, the Bennett family would agree to invest in the company and help the Garcia family out of trouble.
The second choice was to stay with the family company.
At that time, Maya didn't hesitate and immediately said she wanted to marry Waylon.
Actually, I was the one originally engaged to the Bennett family. But Michael and Bella couldn't bear to let their most beloved Maya suffer, so they deliberately said they'd let us choose freely, when in reality they were forcing me to give in.
I had always valued family bonds, and they knew this well. So Michael and Bella used moral manipulation to force me to do something I didn't want to do—to give Maya this opportunity for a comfortable life.
But after marrying Waylon, Maya refused to help us. Once, when I brought Michael and Bella to ask when Waylon would invest in the company, Maya stopped us.
Maya was dressed luxuriously then, looking at me with contempt.
She said, "Lydia, you've always had better grades and stronger abilities than me since childhood. You alone can completely revive the company. The Bennett family may look wealthy, but they're not really that rich. You wouldn't want me to be dragged down by you all, would you?"
I thought Michael and Bella would be angry, but instead they turned to look at me with troubled expressions.
Though their tone sounded pleading, their eyes carried an undeniable threat.
They said, "Lydia, Waylon isn't having it easy either. The Bennett family has already kept their promise by having Waylon marry Maya. Let's not cause them more trouble. After all, Maya is still a member of the Bennett family. If we keep making demands, the Bennett family will look down on Maya."
My heart felt like it was being cut by knives, and I felt blood stuck in my chest. Among the whole family, it seemed like I was the only villain. To prevent Maya from being looked down upon by the Bennett family, I gritted my teeth and persevered in running the company alone.
I once stayed up until midnight drinking with clients to close a deal, drinking until I had stomach bleeding. While getting an IV at the hospital, I received a call from a client and immediately pulled out the needle and rushed out.
Fortunately, my efforts weren't in vain, and the company finally got back on track.
But Maya was tortured into disability by Waylon at the Bennett mansion.
At the company's IPO launch event, Maya rushed into the venue with gasoline and burned me to death with fire.
In the flames, I saw Maya's vicious eyes.
She glared at me viciously and said, "Lydia, why do you get to be a successful woman now while I can only live as lowly as a maggot in a sewer? Come to hell with me!"
The flames devoured every inch of my skin. But I clearly saw that Michael and Bella rushed in desperately to save Maya.
My heart died completely, and I closed my eyes.
Bella said, "Maya, you need to think this through. The Garcia family isn't what it used to be. If you stay, you'll only suffer."
Her voice pulled me back from my painful memories to reality. I watched Bella reluctantly holding Maya's hand, her eyes filled with heartache.
I clearly remembered that in my previous life, when Maya chose to live comfortably, Michael and Bella's eyes were full of approval, without even a single word of comfort for me.
In their hearts, since I was a year older than Maya, it was only natural that I should give way to her in everything—I was the one who deserved to suffer.
It had always been this way since we were children.
Maya put on an angry facade.
She said, "Mom, I know you care about me. But I'm grown up now. Lydia has been pampered since childhood, while I..."
Halfway through her words, Maya suddenly choked up. She glanced at me fearfully, as if I had threatened her, and ultimately didn't finish her sentence.
I sneered inwardly. How had I never noticed in my previous life how good Maya was at playing the victim?
Sure enough, when Maya covered her face and cried, Bella's gaze toward me grew several degrees colder.
Meanwhile, Maya secretly flashed me a triumphant smile.
Michael looked at me anxiously, seemingly hoping to hear a different answer from me.
He asked, "Lydia, what do you think? Maya can't handle this kind of hardship."
They always did this—never stating their thoughts directly. Knowing I was soft-hearted and couldn't bear to let Maya suffer, I was always the one who ended up wronged.
This seemingly empowering question was actually forcing me to voluntarily step aside, so they couldn't be blamed for it.
I lowered my eyes, hiding the coldness within them.
Then I said, "I respect Maya's decision."
I deliberately pretended not to understand Michael's hint.
Michael was stunned for a moment, then could only let out a long sigh.
He said, "Then it's settled. Lydia, prepare to become a member of the Bennett family. Maya will stay to help me." He paused for a moment, then added, "Lydia, don't forget to help Maya in the future. You need to pay attention to the company's funding matters."
I clearly remembered that in my previous life, when Maya chose to marry Waylon, Michael only held Maya's hand with concern.
He said earnestly, "Live your life well, and don't worry too much about the Garcia family's affairs. Our family went bankrupt and has already burdened you, making you less valued at the Bennett Villa. We'll try not to trouble you in the future."
But now, he wanted me to help them constantly.
They were truly biased to the extreme.
However, after dying in my previous life, I had long seen through these biological parents' true nature. Though my heart still ached somewhat, I felt more at peace.
I didn't respond and went upstairs to simply pack a few clothes.
Maya leaned against the doorframe, looking at me with contempt.
She said, "Lydia, the Bennett Villa isn't a place to enjoy life. You can just savor that pervert's love."
I merely glanced at her indifferently, expressionless.
This time, I would set the rules of the game.
The Bennett family's car was already waiting outside. I grabbed my luggage and turned back to look at the three people in the house.
Michael was wearily rubbing his temples, Bella was holding Maya with concern, and Maya—when they weren't looking—flashed me a triumphant smile.
I watched this charade coldly, sneering inwardly.
Fool. You think stealing my path from the last life will give you a happy ending?
This time, I'll make you experience what it truly means to wish you were dead.
The Bennett family estate was even more magnificent than I remembered.
In my past life, after Maya married Waylon, she had smugly bragged to me about the luxury here.
But back then, I was too worried about the company's financial troubles to pay attention to her boasting.
Now that I was here myself, I realized she hadn't even begun to capture its true opulence.
"Miss Garcia, we've arrived." The driver respectfully opened the car door.
I stepped out and looked up at the building that resembled a European castle.
The Bennett family was true Washington elite—a top-tier dynasty with global enterprises. Even politicians reportedly showed them respect.
If it weren't for the deep friendship between my grandfather's generation and the Bennetts, the Garcia family would never have had a chance at such an alliance.
"So you're Lydia?" A lazy male voice came from nearby.
I turned to see a well-built man leaning against a Roman column.
His white shirt was casually unbuttoned at the top two buttons, revealing an elegant collarbone, a cigarette between his fingers.
Through the swirling smoke, he squinted as he looked me up and down.
This was Waylon.
I repeated the name in my mind.
In my past life, this was the man who had tortured Maya beyond endurance.
"Hello, Mr. Bennett." I smiled.
I lowered my head slightly, deliberately letting a strand of hair fall beside my ear. Maya had mentioned in the past life that Waylon despised arrogant women.
Waylon suddenly straightened up, stubbing out his cigarette on a nearby ashtray stand.
He strode over to me and reached out to tuck that strand of hair behind my ear.
"Just call me honey. You don't need to be so formal with your fiancé."
His voice was deep and carried a barely detectable hint of amusement.
I stiffened.
This was completely different from the cold, ruthless Waylon that Maya had described.
"What? Did I scare you?" Waylon asked.
He raised an eyebrow and suddenly leaned close to my ear.
"Don't worry. I'm very gentle with women."
Waylon's warm breath brushed against my ear. I instinctively stepped back half a pace, but he caught my wrist.
"Cute fiancée, shouldn't we work on building some chemistry?" Waylon said with a smile.
I knew that beneath the surface, Waylon was definitely not as harmless as he appeared.
I pulled free from his grip and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Where will I be staying?"
Waylon gave me an unreadable smile and led me into the mansion.
"Your room is right next to mine." He pushed open an ornately carved wooden door and added, "If you need anything, just tell the butler, James Howard."
This room was more than three times larger than my bedroom at the Garcia mansion. The overall décor was understated gray-blue tones, with floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto a private balcony.
I walked to the window and discovered the balcony overlooked the rose garden in the back yard.
"Do you like it?" Waylon leaned against the doorframe. "I had it specially prepared for you."
I turned to look at him, filled with surprise.
"Mr. Bennett—no, Waylon—when is our wedding date set for?"
"What's the rush?" He smiled. "Is my fiancée that eager to marry me?"
Hearing this, I nearly missed a breath.
After saying this, he gave me a meaningful look and left.
Only after his footsteps completely faded did I exhale in relief and sit on the bed.
Something was wrong. All of this was wrong.
Waylon's attitude toward me was completely different from how he'd treated Maya in the past life.
Could my different choices have triggered some kind of chain reaction?
I opened my phone to find over a dozen missed calls. All from Maya.
I sneered and ignored them.
In my past life, when I was running around trying to save the company, she had never shown such concern for me.
Just as I put down my phone, a text message popped up.
It was from Maya: [Lydia, why aren't you answering your phone? I'm really worried about you. Is the Bennett family giving you trouble? Is Waylon scary? Do you need me to come see you?]
I replied: [Everything's fine. Waylon is quite the gentleman. Maya, you should worry more about the company. I heard creditors showed up today?]
Less than ten seconds after I sent my message, the phone rang.
I smiled and answered.
"Lydia, what are you so smug about? Waylon's treating you well? I think you're just trying to make me jealous!" Maya shouted into the phone.
I said nothing. Maya probably thought she'd hit a nerve and became even more pleased with herself.
"Stop pretending. When you're crying, don't come begging me to let the company take you back!"
I just smiled faintly: "You should deal with the creditors first."
After hanging up, I laughed silently.
Maya, enjoy the first gift of your rebirth.
Download the My Fiction app, Search 【 340802 】reads the whole book.
My Fiction
SnackShort
Booklite« Previous Post
Exposing the Fake Friend Who Framed Me