Chapter 3 The Engagement
At the Allard Mansion's hall, Lorna stood there, looking all elegant, staring at Lucas.
Lucas pulled her to sit down and said, "Lorna, Bernard's gonna be back soon. You must be wiped out from the trip, right?"
Lucas looked at Lorna, who was sitting there all calm, and couldn't help but smile.
"No worries, I just saw him. But he's in some kind of trouble tonight; he needs to be home before midnight," Lorna said softly, smiling like a little girl.
"What? You go rest in your room for a bit, I'll get him back!" Lucas got all anxious, called someone to take care of Lorna, and then headed to the study.
Lorna's room was on the second floor, right next to Bernard's.
She took a bath and changed into the pajamas the housekeeper had set out for her.
Hearing a car roar up outside, she opened the door and walked downstairs.
She bumped into Bernard just as he was coming in.
"What are you doing here?" Bernard squinted at her, checking her out while Lucas pulled him into the living room.
Lorna sat on the sofa across from Bernard.
Lucas watched them eye each other and let out an awkward laugh, "Bernard, you and Lorna have a childhood engagement, and now she's here!"
Bernard said coldly, "Are you serious, Grandpa? Who does arranged marriages these days? No way!"
Lorna didn't want to get married either, but Bernard's fate was tied to hers, beyond just money.
Looking at Bernard now, he definitely had a troubled fate. If they didn't marry, she'd be doomed sooner or later.
Lorna sighed. "We have to marry. Our marriage contract was submitted to God and can't be undone."
Lorna pulled out a roll of yellowed cloth, the marriage contract, and handed it to Bernard.
On the other end of the sofa, Bernard stared at the ridiculous marriage contract.
Meanwhile, on the way to the Moonlit Club, Clara joyfully floored the gas, letting the Ferrari zoom through the empty night streets.
Thinking about the person she was about to meet, she pressed the gas even harder.
In a moment of distraction, a semi-truck suddenly rushed out from a corner ahead, swerving quickly toward her!
The truck seemed to have lost its brakes, barreling forward uncontrollably.
Both vehicles were speeding, and in the blink of an eye, the truck was right in front of the Ferrari.
Clara, terrified, yanked the steering wheel, but it was too late.
The massive truck head crashed directly into the driver's seat of the Ferrari.
The red Ferrari burst into flames, lighting up half the sky.
Someone from a nearby bar saw it and quickly called the fire department, thinking the Ferrari's driver was surely dead.
Suddenly, the car door was pushed open, falling off completely, and Clara crawled out desperately.
Terrified by the sudden accident, she ran away from the potentially explosive car.
When the fire truck arrived and put out the fire, Clara stood nearby, still in shock. She had survived such a massive accident?
Not even a scratch. Clara checked herself all over; her arms and legs were intact.
Clara shivered, unbelievingly reaching into her inner pocket.
She looked in disbelief at the talisman that had turned to ash at her fingertips.
That little fraud? So powerful!
The safety talisman had saved her life!
Clara, both shocked and delighted, took a cab home, eager to tell Lucas.
Back at the Allard Mansion's hall, the three of them were still sitting in silence.
Bernard, with a cold voice and furrowed brows, said, "I won't marry! Don't even think about it!"
"No way! The fate contract is in place, our fates are bound together. If you die, I die too. Look at the signature on the marriage contract, isn't it your name?" Lorna said firmly, looking at Bernard.
On the coffee table, the marriage contract lay open, with the signatures clearly visible: Lorna Martin, Bernard Allard.
It even had handprints, undoubtedly Lucas's doing.
Bernard rubbed his brow and looked at Lucas.
Lucas chuckled, "Bernard, you were young and seriously ill at the time. Regular doctors couldn't help, so we had to turn to Lorna. That's where your fate lies, and that's how the marriage contract was set."
Bernard didn't want to listen anymore, using a work meeting as an excuse to go upstairs.
Lorna shrugged and looked at Lucas.
Lucas tapped the floor, looking at Lorna with a troubled expression. "Lorna, it's okay. You settle in first, and I'll handle this."
Lorna had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Back in her room, Lorna took out Ivan's wooden plaque and placed it on the table, then sat on the bed with an apple.
"Ivan, look at this marriage contract binding the two of us. Find a way out; I don't want to get married," Lorna sighed, biting the apple and resting her head on the plaque.
Ivan floated out, circling around her.
"Lorna, didn't I pick a handsome husband for you? He's good-looking and rich! It can't be undone, just like your fate of no wealth and his fate of many disasters. It's destined. How to undo it?" Ivan said, smiling lazily.
"Why do I feel like you're gloating, Ivan?" Lorna bared her teeth.
"I gotyou a lifetime guarantee!" said Ivan.
The two whispered, and suddenly the door was pushed open forcefully.
A haughty voice came through, "Are you my future sister-in-law? Fraud, how can it be you?"
Seeing Lorna in pink pajamas, with her hair down, sitting cross-legged on the bed, Clara was shocked to find it was the fortune-teller she met earlier.
Clara shivered, her steps halting.
She had just experienced a life-and-death moment and felt a bit of respect for Lorna.
Lorna looked at Clara's forehead; the ominous aura had dissipated, indicating she had passed a major disaster.
A golden light of luck emerged from Clara's forehead and entered Lorna's body.
Lorna felt the abundant natural energy in her body, squinting comfortably, not minding Clara's angry expression.
"So? Did the safety talisman work? Am I qualified to be your sister-in-law?" Lorna teased.
Clara bristled, the clarity she had just gained shattered by Lorna's provocation. "So what? My brother is so handsome, how could he be matched with a little girl like you! There are plenty of wealthy ladies lining up!" Well, that bit of respect was gone.
Clara, like an angry little tiger, didn't dare to get close to Lorna but still wanted to talk tough. "Let me tell you, don't get cocky. This time I was just lucky, it doesn't mean your safety talisman worked!" she shouted and ran off, wanting to complain to Bernard.
Lorna closed the door and lay down to sleep.
"Ivan, Bernard doesn't like me. How could he agree to this marriage?" Lorna, exhausted from a day of fortune-telling and confrontations, started to mumble. "But being with a walking ATM could help me manage some bad luck and hold onto some money."
Looking at the already sleeping Lorna, Ivan pondered for a while and then returned to the wooden plaque.