Buying My Forever Wife novel Chapter 19

Ivy didn't bother denying the marriage.

"Cut all contact with them immediately," she instructed firmly. "If they actually show up on campus, call campus security and the police."

But knowing their parents' shameless, rabid persistence, even the cops might not be able to hold them off for long.

Their only real defense was to ghost them entirely—vanish off the grid until the monsters starved.

Hazel let out a wet, hiccuping sob of agreement before asking softly,

"But what about your husband, Ivy? Is he good to you? How old is he? What does he do? Is he going to force you to have a baby right away?"

Ivy was completely speechless.

Hearing her sister's frantic worries, Ivy actually felt a bizarre surge of gratitude for her situation.

The billionaire she had blindly married might be older, but he was undeniably gorgeous, fit, and possessed a full head of hair.

More importantly, his bank accounts were virtually bottomless.

But the absolute best part was his complete lack of interest in her. He had never once tried to cross a line.

They had been married for days, and he hadn't laid a single demanding finger on her.

Men like him were essentially unicorns in their world.

"He's ten years older, but he doesn't look it at all. He's a good man," Ivy assured her.

Hazel let out a breath of relief, though her voice still trembled with leftover panic.

"That's good. You have to take care of yourself, Ivy. If I survive this nightmare with Mom and Dad, I'm auditioning for those talent shows. When I make it big, I'll hire you as my manager, okay?"

A genuine, tender smile touched Ivy's lips.

"It's a deal. Just focus on your studies, and let me know if you run out of money."

By the time the sisters ended the call, the luxury car had smoothly pulled into The Starlight Estate.

Ivy held Stella's hand as they climbed out.

She spent the afternoon playing with the little girl and helping her practice her writing.

Yet the grim reality of Hazel's situation gnawed incessantly at the back of her mind.

Her sister was tall, strikingly beautiful, and possessed a voice meant for global stages.

If she could just finish her degree at the conservatory, she was practically guaranteed a massive career.

But if their parents succeeded in shackling her to some wealthy stranger, Hazel's life was officially over.

Ivy felt suffocatingly powerless. She had no idea how to erect a permanent barrier against their parents' relentless, parasitic greed.

At dinner,

"If you have a problem you can't handle, speak up. I never said I wouldn't assist."

"There really is nothing."

Ivy firmly shook her head in denial.

Could she really air her family's dirty laundry out here?

Patrick had dumped her the second he realized the sheer scale of her family's toxicity.

If her billionaire husband discovered the feral, money-grubbing pit she crawled out of, he would throw her out of the estate in a heartbeat.

All she wanted was a safe haven where her parents couldn't trace her while she desperately hoarded cash.

She refused to drag anyone else into her nightmare or expose the agonizing reality of her bloodline.

Alaric didn't have the energy to press the issue.

If she wanted to play the martyr, fine. He wasn't about to beg for the privilege of fixing her life.

Besides, the woman was a manipulative, treacherous little gold digger.

She was legally married, yet still blatantly threw herself at other men in public.

It was a brazen insult to him and a direct spit in the face of their legal vows.