Cindy forced an awkward smile, far from the triumphant expression her stepmother had anticipated.
"So you want me to agree to marry an old man just to get a cure for my mother's sake?" Cindy asked again, her voice steady and measured, seeking confirmation.
"Yes, Cindy. You have no choice. I've already accepted the marriage offer on your behalf. You just have to endure it until the old man dies. You'll inherit his money too, and you can use it for your own benefit," Mr. Paulson said, his tone soft as his lips curled into a smile.
"Yes, Sister. You should do this for us. Dad and Mom have supported you, and with the Sullivan family's backing, our family will rise to the top of Brooklyn City's influential families," Tasha said, her tone dripping with sweetness.
Cindy smiled tightly, her gaze firm as she demanded, "Why didn't you agree to marry Mr. Sullivan, Tasha? You're young with flawless skin compared to mine. I'm sure the Sullivan family would cherish you more than me."
Tasha scowled, and before she could retort, her mother snapped at Cindy, her voice firm and rising an octave.
"Cindy, this gives you no room to argue. We need the Sullivan family's connection. You will marry Mr. Sullivan whether you accept it or not," Mabel said, rising from her seat, but Cindy rose as well.
"You cannot force me into an arranged marriage with an old man. I decline," Cindy said, bolting toward the door and darting out of the house.
"Mom, Dad, you both should get her back. I won't agree to marry an old man," Tasha cried, after seeing Cindy run out of the house.
"Don't worry. We'll surely get her. There's nowhere she can run to or hide," Mabel said, a sinister glint flashing in her eyes.
Mr. Paulson frowned and sneered. "I can't believe Cindy would deny me this opportunity. What makes her think we'll use the money for her sick mother? We're not going to. Hurry up, Babe. Send the men you hired to find Cindy and bring her back. She must marry Mr. Daniel Sullivan whether she likes him or not."
"Got it," Mabel smiled and stepped out of the house, phone in hand as she dialed the bodyguard's number.
"Hello, boys. It's time to do the work I assigned you. Ensure you capture my other daughter and bring her back to us. Do not harm her or do anything to her," she said, her tone firm and icy.
"Okay, Madam. We've got it," replied the leader of the men.
"It's fine. I'll be expecting good news. Bring her to us," Mabel said before disconnecting the call.
A wave of relief washed over her as she looked at her daughter and husband.
"Don't worry, Tasha. We'll have Cindy brought back to us," she said confidently.
"Mom, what if Cindy refuses to marry Mr. Sullivan? You know he said he needs a willing bride, not a forced one," Tasha reminded her mother of the rules for finding a wife for the old man.
Mabel's brows furrowed. "Don't worry. We'll tell him that Cindy accepted at first, only to change her mind later."
Tasha's brows relaxed, and she said, "You're the best, Mom."
"Sure." Mabel grinned. "Let's wait for the good news."
****
Meanwhile, Cindy raced back to the restaurant where she worked, knowing she couldn't afford to lose her job as a waitress.
Just as she entered the high-end restaurant, where influential men and women went on dates and dined,
three men stepped in, clad in black clothing. Their gazes sharp as they scanned everyone's faces in the restaurant.
"Hey, what do you want here? Get out!" the restaurant manager warned the men in black who had intruded.
"We'll leave. We're looking for someone," replied one of the men, the leader.
"Who is it? Stand outside and tell me the person's name," the manager requested, looking displeased at the sight of those dangerous men.
Just then, one of the men spotted Cindy as she tied an apron around her waist and prepared to serve the businessmen in the restaurant.
She matched her stepmother's description exactly.
Beautiful and alluring, like a blossoming flower.
"That's her!" one of the men pointed.
Just as Cindy approached to serve the handsome man seated there, who was on a business lunch with his friend,
Cindy's eyes widened in shock when she saw the men in black pointing at her with deadly glares on their faces. She knew her stepmother had sent them; she wasn't surprised by the woman's cruelty.
Desperate to escape the men as they strode forward to grab her,
Cindy plopped onto the man's thigh—the one she had intended to serve—and pulled him closer, pressing her lips to his.
The man froze. His friend's eyes widened in shock at her audacity as she kissed a stranger—the wealthiest bachelor in Brooklyn City.
Did she have a death wish?
The man Cindy had kissed was Nicolas Sullivan, a wealthy CEO in his early 30s, whose grandfather wanted him to marry by any means.
Nicolas had just arrived for lunch with his best friend, Aaron Kingston. He hadn't expected the bold waitress to kiss him and hold him close.
Embarrassed and trying to push her away, he paused as she clutched his neck and begged him, "Help me, sir. I don't want to go with them."
Nicolas's brows furrowed deeply as he glanced at the men in black striding toward his table. They looked menacing, and he wondered what she had done to offend them.
If she was bold enough to kiss him, what else couldn't she do?
"Help me, sir. Don't let them take me away. They want to force me to marry an old man," Cindy begged, perched on Nicolas's thighs as she hugged his neck, unaware of how her soft body affected his already aroused one.
Nicolas Sullivan had an aversion to women, but this soft woman on his thighs had a death wish for seducing him publicly.
Would she deny that she didn't know who he was?
"Get away from me!" he snarled at her after regaining his senses.
Her orange scent filled his nostrils, and his dîck throbbed rock-hard in his pants—something he hadn't felt so intensely before.
Cindy froze, realizing her plan to use the top client to chase away the men her stepmother had sent to bring her back had backfired.
Embarrassed, she rose to her feet, trembling as she recognized the man's face. He was wealthy, and he dusted off his suit with an irritated gaze.
When he looked up at her face, Cindy felt her breath catch. She couldn't believe she had just kissed the richest CEO in Brooklyn City.
Her jaw dropped, and she lowered her head to apologize, only for her manager to stride up and slap her left cheek for openly seducing Mr. Sullivan.