Chapter 38


    “Hey, include me in your dinner ns!” Selina called out with a mischievous glint in her eyes,


    attempting to slide off her hospital bed despite her broken leg. “I need the scoop today!”


    “What exactly do you want to know?” Leanne asked, her tone tinged with suspicion. “Did Suzan put you


    up to this?”


    “I swear Suzan has nothing to do with this. We haven’t been in contact for ages,” Selina dered firmly.


    “You were pretty much the Richardson family’s foster child. How on earth did Leanne end up marrying


    Curtis?” Leanne leaned against the doorframe, her coat draped over her arm, her expression cool and


    detached.


    “So, if I satisfy your curiosity, you’ll leave me in peace?” Leanne queried with a raised eyebrow.


    Selina nodded fervently, “Yes, absolutely!”


    “Fine.” Leanne closed the door to the hospital room and took a seat next to Selina’s bed.


    “Ask away,” she prompted.


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    Selina blinked her big doe eyes, suddenly the picture of innocence. “I just want to know why you


    married Curtis. Rumor has it you took advantage of a breakup, got him drunk, seduced him, and then


    ckmailed him with somepromising photos. Is that true?”


    Joy rolled her eyes so hard they almost disappeared. “As if! You’re giving her way too


    much credit. She’s not a mastermind.”


    Leanne sighed, “Thanks, I guess, for the offense.”


    “So, why then?” Selina pressed. “Was it for love?”


    Of course, it wasn’t love.


    The truth was that Leanne’s marriage to Curtis was like something out of a soap opera.


    Leanne knew Jennifer didn’t care for her. After starting college, she made it a point to stay away, not


    wanting to be a thorn for Jennifer. But before she could graduate, the Richardson family faced a public


    rtions nightmare.


    Maddox, the family’s trusted lieutenant at VectorVista Bank, had been betrayed by a subordinate who


    sold secrets to a rival. On the eve of his arrest, the manmitted


    suicide. His widow made a scene with banners outside the bank and even threatened to


    jump off the building’s roof.


    The scandal was everywhere, fanned by social media and manipted by those with agendas. The


    Richardson family was used of driving an employee to his death, and


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    even the circumstances surrounding Joseph’s passing were dredged up for public spection,


    The Richardson family could wield power to stifle the situation, but they knew better than to block the


    flow of public opinion. Their PR team devised a n: marry Leanne into the family.


    It would dispel rumors about Joseph’s death and showcase the family’s generosity in taking care of an


    employee’s orphaned daughter, thus polishing their image.


    Jennifer was against it.


    But then Mary, Jennifer’s mother-inw, fell gravely ill. After several dire warnings from the hospital, a


    renowned spiritual advisor was consulted. He walked the grounds of the Richardson family and


    dered that Mary’s fate was not yet sealed. The family’s prosperity was tainted with a life taken, and


    now the karmic debt hade due for Mary. The solution was to marry someone with a fate that


    countered the Richardson family’s to break the cycle.


    By some stroke of fate, Leanne was a perfect match.


    Wealthy families often hold superstitions close. Though Jennifer was reluctant to trade Curtis’ marital


    happiness, she was faced with Mary’s tears, “Do you want to see me die?”


    Unable to handle the guilt from such allegations, Jennifer gave in and agreed to the


    marriage.


    Soon after, a beautifully crafted love story of Curtis and his childhood sweetheart turned bride went


    viral, skillfully orchestrated by the Richardson family. The PR crisis was swiftly resolved.


    The narrative was touching, but it was 99% fiction. Only Leanne knew that she and Curtis were


    anything but childhood sweethearts. They were just two strangers who happened to grow up under the


    same roof.


    Curtis’ true childhood crush was Suzan.


    Perhaps out of protection or some other scheme, Curtis kept Leanne’s identity


    well-guarded throughout the ordeal.


    Aside from a vague and atmospheric wedding photo that didn’t clearly show her face, Leanne’s identity


    remained a secret to the outside world.


    Only family, close friends, and inner-circle acquaintances knew she was Curtis’ wife.


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