Convenient Marriage: Mr. Nelson's Love Trap novel Chapter 4

Although it was phrased as a question, Matthew sounded more commanding than anything else. Dolores nodded and, from the way he looked at her, Matthew seemed to want to talk to her about something. And coincidentally, she wanted to talk to him too.

Randolph shot Dolores a warning look. “Mind your boundaries.” He did not want Dolores to offend Matthew before they even got married.

Seeing Matthew’s apathetic look, it looked to Randolph that Matthew was dissatisfied with Dolores. Yet, the arrangement was still good for the Flores family. Marrying into such an influential family would help with the family business. Randolph would do anything he could to prevent her from messing up the marriage.

Dolores pretended she didn’t notice her father’s look of disdain and followed Matthew and Abbott outside. She knew all too well what Randolph was planning. What gave him the confidence to assume she was going to help him join the Nelson family? Did he think that she was going to stay in such a marriage just because she was his daughter? He’d never even spoke to her since he cheated on her mother. Was he assuming that Dolores would forgive and forget the life he’d condemned her family to for those eight years?

As she was lost in her thoughts, she bumped into something hard. She snapped back into the present and looked up to see the flawless face of Matthew Nelson staring down at her. As she expected, Matthew had no problem standing, meaning she now had something on him. Dolores’ scalp went numb from Matthew’s stare and she calmly met his eyes while bracing herself for his anger.

“You’re pretending to be paralyzed, aren’t you?”

Matthew narrowed his eyes and his anger and unease were clear on his face as he spoke in a hushed but fierce tone. “Why did you insist to marry me even though I’m a cripple? What do you want from me? Money? To live the life of the rich and famous?”

Dolores had to force herself to ignore the rush of cold coursing through her veins as Matthew stared at her. It was as if her heart were grasped by an invisible hand, even making her breathing difficult.

“The marriage was arranged by our mothers when I was two. Could I have possibly known anything about money and the benefit of becoming a rich lady at that age? This is purely the wish of our mothers that I wish to uphold.” Dolores paused to collect her thoughts and soften her tone. “When I was two, you were ten and eight years my elder. If anything, I should’ve despised you for being so much older than me, but I didn’t.”

Matthew sneered. Not only was Dolores good at talking, but she also had a silver tongue! She was bold enough to call him old. There was electricity in the air between them. They stared into each other’s eyes and neither of them was willing to back off. Dolores’s hands, which hung at her sides, were clenched into fists. Her reason for marrying into the Nelson family was only so Randolph would return her mother’s dowry, not to become the enemy of the man before her.

Not wanting to make things worse, she 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 glance at Matthew’s expression. Although the fluctuation of his expression was minuscule, Dolores still managed to notice it.

“Mr. Nelson, let’s make a deal,” Dolores continued.

She didn’t want to join the Nelson family, she only wanted to come back home and reclaim her and her mother’s things.

Matthew sneered, amused at the ridiculousness of Dolores’ offer. What sort of deal did she think she could make him?

Dolores swallowed and ignored the sweat drenching her back from her nerves. Matthew was tall and she had to lift her chin to look at him.

“I know the reason you’re pretending to be paralyzed is to convince the Flores family to call off the marriage. However, I too have my reservations toward the marriage.”

Dolores 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 and you can do as you wish.”

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. As it was our mothers’ wish, we have to marry each other no matter what we think about each other. We must show respect toward them, both in your mother’s memory, and acknowledge the sacrifices my mother made for me. However, it was only promised that we would marry each other, they never said that we had to stay married. It’s not counted as breaking the promise if we don’t match in terms of personality and principles and divorce each other.”