Snare of Love
Chapter 4: A Marriage without Wedding Ceremony

Although it was a question, he sounded imperative. Dolores nodded and from his look, he seemed to have something to talk to her. And coincidentally, she wanted to talk to him too. Randolph shot her a warning look and said, "Mind your boundaries." He did not want her to offend him before even marrying him. Seeing Matthew's apathetic look, it looked like he was dissatisfied with Dolores. Yet it was still good towards the Flores family to become relative with the Nelson family, and also helpful towards their business. He did not want Dolores to mess up the marriage.

Dolores pretended that she did not see that and she followed Abbott to the outside. She knew what Randolph was planning in his mind too well. Where did he get the confidence that she would definitely help him after joining the Nelson family? Just because he was her father? Had he treated her as his daughter? Did he know what kind of life had she lived these eight years?

As she was drifting away with her thought, she bumped into something hard. Her mind was pulled back to reality and she immediately lifted her head. She then realized that flawless face was right in front of her just few inches away and was staring at her from above. As expected, he could stand. And that meant her prediction was correct. Her scalp went numb from his stare and she braced herself to meet his eyes calmly. "You pretended you're lame, didn't you?"

Matthew narrowed his eyes and there was a trace of unhappiness when his mind was read. He spoke with a moderate but fierce voice. "Why did you insist to marry me although I'm a cripple? What do you want from me? Money? To become a rich lady?"

Dolores could only feel a continuous rush of chill under her skin when she was stared by him. Her heart seemed to be grasped by an invisible hand and even breathing was difficult. Yet she still pretended that she was composed and replied. "The marriage was arranged when I was two. Could I possibly know anything about money and the benefit of becoming a rich lady, and force my mother to arrange the marriage when I was two?" She paused as if trying to soften her voice and continued. "When I was two, Mr. Nelson was ten, and was eight years older than me. But did I ever despise you being old?" Matthew sneered. This woman was not only good at talking, she had a silver tongue! She was bold enough to call him old. There was a smell of gunpowder in the air. They looked at each others' eyes and none of them was willing to back up. Dolores's hands which were placed at her sides were clenched into fists. The purpose of her joining the Nelson family was only to make Randolph returned her mother's dowry, not to become enemy with the man before her. She then swallowed her pride and softened her voice. "Mr. Nelson, I know you don't want to marry me, and I understand that---"

She deliberately stopped to see Matthew's expression. Although the fluctuation of his expression was miniature, she still managed to capture that. "Mr. Nelson, Let's make a deal." She spoke. She did not really want to join the Nelson family, the reason she agreed to that was just to come back from abroad and took back her and her mother's things.

Matthew sneered as if feeling amused and ridiculous. She wanted to make a deal with him? Dolores swallowed and due to nervousness, her back was drenched with sweat. Matthew was tall and she had to lift her head to look at him. "I know the reason you pretended to be lame is to let the Flores family cancel the marriage, yet I have my own difficulty regarding the marriage." That sparked Matthew's interest and he asked, "What do you want?" Since it was a deal, there must be conditions.

"One month. After one month of marriage, I'll divorce you." One month was enough. After getting back her mother's dowry, she would divorce him. Matthew frowned. "That's the deal you want to make with me?"

"Yes, we have to marry each other no matter what because it's a promise between two mothers and we couldn't break it. It's to show respect towards them. But after the marriage, it's not counted as breaking the promise when we don't match in terms of personalities and divorce each other. And you don't have to spend a lifetime with someone you don't like. It won't do you harm, only good---" Having said that, Dolores slowed down. "I suppose Mr. Nelson has someone you're fond of and that's why you've tried everything to make the Flore family break the promise?"

Matthew pulled down a long face and was slightly raged. "I didn't expect you to be that smart." It was true and he wanted to give Helen recognition. He was moved by her innocence and endurance back then. He fixed his eyes onto the face which was pretending to be composed and retorted. "Then what about you? What would benefit you from this one month of marriage?" He did not think she would only consider for him.

Dolores's heart plummeted as she could not possibly say she was coming for her mother's dowry. Yet if she did not give him a reason, he might not believe her. "My mother cares about the marriage greatly, and she has a poor health, therefore I don't want to disappoint her." Her eyes were evasive when she spoke because she had told a lie. Her mother did not want her to marry him at all.

Matthew replied with an inexplicably creepy threatening voice, as if he had read her mind. "Oh really?" Dolores felt uneasy. His eyes seemed to be able to penetrate her mind. When she was panicking and figuring what to do, the phone in his pocket rang. Matthew glimpsed at her and took out his phone. Upon seeing the name on the screen, there was a soft light in his eyes. He turned around to pick up the call, and as if remembering something, he turned back and said, "Since it would only last a month, there's no need to organize a wedding ceremony." Dolores did not have a choice but to agree to that. "Sure." At the twelfth of August, Abbott came to fetch her. There was no ceremony or a wedding banquet but a marriage certificate. Dolores did not have a great fluctuation in emotion because she was clear that it was only a deal to accommodate their needs. If the marriage was not settled when they were still children, it could be they would never cross each other's life.

The car soon stopped in front of a villa. The stone building that had occupied a large area of the land looked majestic under the sunlight. "Please go in." Abbott gestured her to enter before him. He was neither enthusiastic nor flattering towards her. He was behaving moderately and he must have known that the marriage between her and Matthew was only to fulfill the promise. She was not the real missus of the Nelson family.

Although the villa was huge, there were not many people inside and there was only one servant. Abbott did not give her much introduction and left upon leading her to the inside. Dolores found it a bit hard to adapt to the surrounding. "This is Mr. Nelson's residence. I'm the servant that takes care of his daily life, you can call me Coral." Coral led her to a room and said, "Do tell me if you have any needs." One month was not a long time and Dolores had brought her own daily necessities. Although she might not bother her, she still replied yes.

Coral opened the room door. She turned around and looked at her as if wanting to say something to her. She sighed at last. "Mr. Nelson might not come back tonight because it's Miss White's birthday today." Although they did not organize a wedding, she was still his nominal wife. No matter how, today was their first day of marriage, yet he was staying with other woman outside. Coral felt sorry for Dolores as she was given the cold shoulder by Matthew when she had just joined the family. Wouldn't her life be worse in the future?