The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes

Chapter 12: Chapter 12- Take care

Looking up at the minimalist white wall, Janet noticed the wall clock showing exactly eight o’clock. She hadn’t forgotten that today was Monday.

After taking a quick shower in the bathroom, the bluish-purple marks on her body, like red bruises blooming on her skin, refused to fade no matter how hard she scrubbed. They were the marks left by the man from last night.

Everything here felt new to her. Janet looked down at the torn clothes she had worn last night, a clear sign of the man’s urgency. Just thinking about last night made her cheeks heat up. Walking over to the wardrobe, she opened it to find it filled with beautiful women’s clothing, but there was no trace of the man who had been there...

"Mrs. Janet, you’re awake?" As Janet opened the door to step out, she found the man who had escorted her back to her room last night standing outside. She instinctively felt that the milk she had drunk last night was suspicious.

"Yes..." Janet nodded in acknowledgment, then thought of the man who had disappeared from her room this morning. Without thinking, she blurted out, "So... where is your young master?"

Although they had already consummated their marriage, she still hadn’t seen his face, nor did she even know his name.

"I’ll take you to see the lord," Robert, the butler, replied, and Janet realized that was his name.

Following Robert downstairs, Janet noticed that the main house was separate from the one she was in, with a connected courtyard. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw a luxurious vintage villa not far away. She felt a bit uneasy. The "lord" Robert had mentioned must be her father-in-law, yet she knew nothing about this place.

Her eyes casually drifted over the blooming garden as she walked along the stone path laid with grass. When she happened to look up, she saw a tall, white figure getting into a black sports car not far away, leaving her with a perfect profile view.

Her heart skipped a beat. Could that man be the one from last night?

Janet widened her eyes and quickened her steps, hoping to catch a clearer glimpse of the figure hidden inside the car. But by the time she reached the spot, the black sports car had already kicked up a cloud of dust and disappeared from her sight. Even though it was just a fleeting glimpse, Janet clearly saw a familiar and seductive smile from the half-opened window.

"Mrs. Janet, this way please!" Robert had somehow already walked up behind Janet. Hearing his voice, she placed a hand on her startled heart and, still staring at the direction the car had disappeared in, asked in confusion, "Was that your young master?"

"That was our Young Master August, Mrs. Janet," Robert replied. His voice suddenly turned cold, and the displeasure on his face was evident when Janet asked.

Janet was a little surprised to hear the complex relationships unfolding. August, wasn’t he the young master they were talking about?

Her confusion grew deeper. As Janet stepped into a magnificent, royal-style villa, she realized that compared to this place, the Louis family’s wealth was nothing. However, a bad premonition suddenly surged in her heart. If this was such a prestigious noble family, why would Anila allow her daughter to marry into it?

"Your name is Janet?" Suddenly, a low and stern voice sounded from above her head. She looked up and saw a man in his fifties, his face marked by a harsh expression. Wearing a formal suit, his eyes held a commanding and decisive authority as he looked down on Janet from a high position.

"Yes!" Janet murmured, nodding. She blinked her eyes filled with fear as she looked at the stern man. Seeing that his face showed little change, she followed his gesture and sat down behind him at the rectangular, deep red table.

At Robert’s signal, Janet softly called out a title she seldom used, "Lord Derrick..."

Derrick, with a face full of authority, nodded. It was her first time having breakfast with an unfamiliar elder, and Janet felt somewhat uncomfortable. The man in front of her exuded such a dominant aura. This was the power of a family head, the kind of influence carried by a noble family.

She wasn’t sure what Robert whispered in Derrick’s ear, but Derrick’s gaze remained fixed on Janet’s slender frame, before he subtly revealed a satisfied smile. He waved his hand, and two servants brought the breakfast.

"From today onwards, you are Philip’s wife. If there is anything you need to do, Robert will tell you. Harold must have already told you that once you marry into the Elwin family, you are no longer the young lady of the Louis family. If you serve my son well, I will not mistreat you!" Derrick spoke with an air of finality. He didn’t know about the two daughters of the Louis family due to the engagement with Zanya, and he hadn’t questioned Janet’s identity when she married into the family.

Her gentle appearance and temperament were something Derrick appreciated.

"But I have a job. Can I...?" Janet began, but was immediately interrupted by Derrick’s stern voice. "Of course not. Your task now is to take care of your husband to the best of your ability."

Take care?

As soon as Janet heard those words, a bad premonition rose in her heart. Did her husband need her to "take care" of him 24/7?

"Let her go," a clear male voice suddenly interrupted Janet’s attempt to protest. Though she swallowed her words, it didn’t mean she was weak. She turned toward the voice and saw a man in a wheelchair being pushed forward. He resembled Derrick somewhat in his features and stopped right next to her.

In that moment, Janet suddenly realized something— the man who had just helped her was Derrick’s son. Her husband?

"What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well last night?" Philip, looking at Janet in surprise, extended his long, cold hand and took hers from the glass table. But she felt no warmth from his touch.

Her face, originally pale, became even more transparent in that instant. Janet stared at the handsome, aristocratic-looking man and, as her gaze fell on his legs, she was stunned.

Philip’s ambiguous remark immediately caused Derrick’s previously tense expression to soften. The doctor had told him that his leg, injured years ago, had undergone six years of treatment, and he could now lead a normal life. It was then that Derrick remembered the engagement with Zanya from ten years ago and rushed to find a suitable wife for Philip.

This was Philip’s first time meeting Janet. The quiet and graceful girl in front of him was a bit different from what he had imagined. She didn’t have the usual arrogance or haughtiness often found in young ladies of noble families. Instead, she carried a gentle, melancholic aura.

"Dad, Janet works at Black Rock Co. Now you can rest assured, right?" Philip turned his head and flashed a charming smile. If it weren’t for the fact that he was always in a wheelchair, Janet wouldn’t have known he was actually disabled!

Now she finally understood why Anila had insisted that Elvira should not marry. But, the man she was with last night was perfectly normal. So why... was it like this now?