In an old, extravagant mansion, sat a blonde woman who looked to be in her late thirties. The woman was very beautiful with her long and luscious hair, ruby red lips, hazel eyes, and sculpted face. Her body was still voluptuous despite being at her age.
The only indication to her age was her scowl that heavily accented the growing wrinkles on her face. The woman was dressed in a champagne-red cheongsam with golden lilies stitched on it. Just by one look, one could tell that the dress most likely costed enough to feed a small family.
Currently, the sitting woman stood up and paced back and forth in front of a girl. The girl was also very beautiful, similar to her mother in appearance. Donning golden hair, naturally pale skin, and red lips, the girl was beautiful enough to shake the world. The only difference from her mother was her strikingly beautiful cerulean eyes that she inherited from her father. She wore a grey, ruffled blouse and a pair of black palazzo pants. She bowed her head as her mother scolded her stubborn nature.
"Verglas, you must accept this marriage! Getting the heir of the Vanlaere fortune to be your husband is the only way to get their support so you could be heiress!"
"Mother," Verglas' averted eyes lifted and she stared at Natalia Reims, her mother, with an emotionless gaze, "I am not interested in the position of heiress. Alexander is suitable to keep it."
Natalia clenched her fists at her daughter nonchalance. Raising a hand, she slapped her daughter. "Atrocious! Absolutely atrocious! To even think of allowing that illegitimate bastard to be the heir while you, the only legitimate child, to be left in the dust! Verglas, you will not be so foolish!"
At the stinging pain, Verglas didn't even flinch, almost like she was used to it. Which by now, she was. Her mother was too pitiful after her father accepted two other women as mistresses. In Aurelia, polygamy was accepted, especially in the top families. Having more wives was encouraged because it meant more children could be born. But even with such a fact, the illegitimate children were still inferior to the legitimate children. The fact that Verglas wasn't the heiress was still a taboo topic, but everyone knew why Ren Riveria, her father, allowed Alexander to be the heir—all because of the gender preference.
Even though Aurelia was a modern country in every sense and women were allowed to hold any career, in the top families, males were still preferred over females. After all, they could carry the family name. And females, like Verglas, were forced into arranged marriages for benefit.
The only reason that her mother wasn't dethroned from the official wife position by any mistress was because of her connection to the Moneaux family, who were another top family.
Sensing the usual cold aura around Verglas growing even colder, Natalia's furrowed eyebrows softened. Wrapping her arms around her daughter, she murmured an apology. "Verglas, I'm doing this for you. I..." Natalia choked and her eyes filled with tears, "I worry that the moment that the bastard takes over the company, he'll immediately order the Riveria Underworld Syndicates to murder you! Mother knows best, I promise you. You must do as I say!"
Verglas' expressionless face didn't shift and she slowly released herself from her mother's arms. "Mother... I need more time to think about it. Marriage is a big deal."
Natalia's eyes filled with anger and she snapped, "Why!? You shouldn't worry about your marriage as you're incapable of love!" Her eyes widened when she uttered those words. Verglas' eyes narrowed and she quickly turned around, leaving without saying goodbye.
Natalia fell to the floor, shivering. She had uttered the forbidden words... And she could never take them back.