When Hilla woke up, it was the morning of the following day. She had a shock when she turned around and saw the man lying next to her.
She was married, and now, she was Mrs. Anderson.
Hilla Holt sighed as she observed his side profile.
It was one whole night, and the man sleeping next to her did not move at all. He was truly just a comatose man who could only breathe.
As for her, she had actually slept beside a man who was basically a stranger for an entire night, and miraculously, she managed to sleep really well.
Perhaps she subconsciously knew that the man next to her was not a threat, or perhaps after the storm that raged in the Holt family, the Anderson family turned into a safe haven that could let her put her guard down.
Hilla got up from bed and changed into a new set of clothes. She went to the bathroom and freshened herself up. When she came out and saw the man on the bed, she bit her lip and went back into the bathroom to fetch a wet towel.
Being raised in a rich family for twenty years, Hilla Holt had never once taken care of others, and this would be her first time. She had assumed that she would not be marrying when the Holt family was done for. Alas, she was still satisfied being sheltered by the Andersons.
She did a simple wipe on Bruce's face and hands, and when she was done, she went downstairs.
All members of the Anderson family were already up. When she came closer, she discovered that the cousins were over visiting.
'Were they here to visit me and have a cup of tea?'
When Hilla's father was still alive and well, he loved to drink tea. Thus, Hilla Holt's tea brewing skills were sharp.
When Hilla Holt descended the stairs, Rudi Anderson's eyes were glued to her.
Naturally, Hilla pretended to not notice his stare.
After she finished brewing a pot of English breakfast tea, she went according to customs and served Master Anderson first. After him, she poured a fresh cup of tea and served Orlenna Organa. "Mother, please enjoy this cup of tea."
Orlenna smiled as grabbed Hilla's hand. She used the motion to slip the jade bangle in her hand over Hilla's wrist. She said comfortingly, "Please sit. We don't observe such traditions in the family. You do not have to purposely get up early in the future to do all this."
No matter what, Hilla Holt had married a husband with a nice mother. Perhaps Orlenna knew that her own son was unable to treat his wife well now, and so she had to treat Hilla with care to make her want to stay.
"Thank you, Mother."
Hilla looked at the valuable jade bangle that she had just accepted and thought it might be a family inheritance. Could it fetch 30,000,000 dollars?
After the family had their breakfast, Hilla finally had her own free time. Besides giving Bruce Anderson a full body wipe down, the days she spent in the Anderson family were similar to when she was living in her own family. It was comfortable and satisfying.
Hilla found a few comic books in Bruce study, and she took them down to the rose garden for a short break.
There, in the garden of roses, sunlight scattered as they broke through the thick bushes. The scattered rays struck the cover of the book that laid over her face
The weather in August was forgiving. The feeling of basking in the morning sun under the trees was comfortable. Hilla could not help but smile when she was reminded that she might end up being trapped in a life of comfort for the rest of her life in this huge house.
The Holt mansion was over now. Crying over spilled milk and feeling disgruntled over the incident would not do any good to her. It was already difficult enough that she was still alive, and now, she was even spending a life where she only needed to spend money but not work.
Her husband was basically "listening to her every wish", and her mother-in-law was caring to a fault. Most importantly, with the financial power of the Anderson family, she could buy anything she wanted. Was that not the kind of marriage all girls dreamed of?
Hilla Holt slowly dozed off as she drifted along her sea of thoughts. In her dream, she could see a large hand caressing her arms, slowly creeping down her shoulders, her collarbones, and finally, her face…
Hilla Holt was startled awake on the bamboo chair. She yanked off the book that was covering her face, and she saw Rudi Anderson. He appeared to be shocked, but there was a dark glint in his eyes.
Rudi Anderson had not expected her to wake up so abruptly. He was taken aback, but his courage returned promptly.
He smiled as he came closer, saying, "I saw you were not wearing many layers and thought that you might catch a cold, so I was thinking about warming you up?"
What was he offering to warm her with? His hands? Or his body?
...
"You're my brother-in-law… Rudi Anderson, was it? What are you doing here?"
Hilla's manner of reply was calm, but her voice was gloomy and angry. She was mad.
Rudi Anderson noticed the coldness in her eyes. His courage faltered a little. But he remembered that she was but a young lady of the Holt family. There was nothing for him to be afraid of. Furthermore, when he touched her with his fingers, the feeling was out of this world. There was still lingering warmth, and it seduced his heart into dark thoughts.
The man smiled in return, and it was one with ulterior motives. "There's nothing for you to be nervous about, Hilla. I am very easy to get along with. Perhaps we should do that by having a little chat."
Rudi Anderson shamelessly drew himself closer. As a result, Hilla Holt shot to her feet. She turned away and was going to leave.
"Hilla," Rudi called out softly. Hilla stopped. He walked over, somewhat delighted. "I know the reason why you agreed to the marriage. However, as you can see, Bruce is literally running on fumes now. It is impossible for him to be the inheritor of the Anderson family's fortune. You will be a widow if you choose to follow him. When Master Anderson dies, the whole family will answer to me. Even Aunt Organa will have to show me respect! However, if you choose to follow me now, I will grant whatever you want…"
Rudi Anderson's finger was about to touch Hilla when his hand was caught by her hand.
Rudi was caught by surprise. He smiled after and wanted to turn over his hand to hold her hand. However, his movement speed was too slow compared to Hilla's. Hilla did a spin, bent down, and pulled. With a loud "WHAM", a perfect over-the-shoulder throw was executed.
Rudi found himself flat on the ground, dazed. His legs and arms were akimbo. His head was knocked to the ground hard, and it was in so much of a daze that he could not speak.
Hilla Holt glared at the bastard on the floor and said coldly, "You should at least be on your feet if you want to be the inheritor of the Anderson family."
"You bitch! Hilla Holt! You—ARGH!"
What followed next was Rudi Anderson's cries of pain, but Hilla pretended as if she heard nothing. Her pace turned fiercer with each step she took.
"Just you wait! When this is over, you'll be crying on your knees, begging for my mercy! Just you wait! SOMEBODY! Help me! My head is bleeding! Call 911! Get me to the hospital!"
The scene behind her turned rowdy all of the sudden. Young Master Rudi was attacked. The back of his head was bleeding badly, and he appeared to be terrified.
And Hilla left in such a fierce and cold manner that it was as if there was wind stirring up behind her. The servants around her were so shocked as they watched her that they could not shut their mouths.
Back in her room, Hilla was finally able to calm her nerves. She turned to the man who was still sleeping quietly. Suddenly, a strange feeling of sadness rushed to her.
It felt worse than seeing the downfall of the Holt family. It was so hurtful that she broke down crying as she knelt to the ground.
"I… Why… Why must I have to suffer?! It's your fault!" Hilla cried and scolded the man who was sound asleep on the bed. It was as if she finally found a way to vent all of her grievances that she suffered over the past few days. All that sadness instantly gushed forward.
"Why couldn't you wake up?! Wake up, and the bullying will stop!
"Why isn't there a single good soul in the Anderson family?! Why?!
"Everyone is bullying me! Wake up! Wake up and beat them up for me!
"Those bastards who destroyed my family are all bastards! They want to take advantage of me! Next time, I'll cripple that part of theirs.
"Your brother is a useless piece of crap! Even you… You're no better…"
Perhaps she overdid herself with her yelling, because she fell asleep while crying. Crystalline tears stained the side of her cheek. Even asleep, her supple, red lips, would still move about while she mumbled.
The man on the bed was still sleeping quietly. He did not react to any of Hilla's rantings and complaints. But the fingers of the hand that were exposed outside… moved ever so slightly.