Chapter 3 Confronting the Mistress's Daughter

"Put these on!" Matthew handed the underwear to Amanda. Lifting her head, Amanda saw his slender fingers holding her undergarments. Surprisingly, the normally thick-skinned Amanda blushed. She lowered her head slightly and took them from him. She dared not look directly at Matthew, fearful he might remember her flirting with him at the bar. Clearly, Matthew didn't remember; in fact, he hardly remembered what his wife looked like. As Matthew turned away, Amanda spoke timidly. "Thank you, dear!" She wanted to say that she had prepared the bath water for him, and he could go wash up. Matthew turned around, his eyes catching Amanda's shy demeanor. Shy? Amanda wasn't lowering her head out of shyness. She was feeling guilty and had to act obedient; it was better to keep her head down and speak less. "Come here!" Matthew's voice deepened, his gaze fixed lightly on Amanda. Amanda looked up at Matthew and obediently walked over. Before she even reached him, he pulled her into his embrace. The smell of tobacco and alcohol from him enveloped her instantly. Amanda became tense, keeping her head down, not daring to look at him. Matthew, lost in thought while holding her, leaned in for a kiss. The intense kiss blanked Amanda's mind momentarily. Although they had already been intimate, and Matthew was skilled, gentle, and patient with her, Amanda still felt uncomfortable. She wanted to escape, but there was no way out. By choosing to marry Matthew in Violet's place, she had no way back. No matter what kind of man Matthew was, whether he treated her well or not, she had to obediently play the role of a fragile and obedient wife until he grew tired of her. "Good girl! Breathe," Matthew instructed as he let go of Amanda, noticing her face flushed red. He couldn't help but smile slightly. He didn't love the girl before him, even though he had married her. However, he would fulfill his duties as a husband. Early the next morning, Matthew was already gone. Amanda was woken up by a phone call from William. The Sullivan family was considered wealthy in Yotania. For over thirty years, William and Amanda's mother had struggled together to build Sullivan Corp, slowly establishing a bit of status in Yotania. Of course, compared to a distinguished family like the Grant family, the Sullivan family wasn't much. In Yotania, the Grant family was the leading clan, and Matthew was the current head of the Grant family. Such a figure was not to be trifled with by the Sullivan family. Therefore, when Matthew proposed marriage, William eagerly offered his daughter. However, Matthew was originally supposed to marry Violet. Convinced by rumors that a thirty-year-old man who hadn't married must have some flaws—either he was too ugly, or he had a physical disability—Violet was adamantly against marrying into the Grant family. Violet was the daughter born to William's later wife, doted on by both William and Grace. They considered Amanda, who was unloved by her father and whose mother was no longer present. They decided Amanda should go to the Grant family in place of Violet. "Amanda!" Just as Amanda entered the Sullivan family's gate, she heard Violet's angry voice. Immediately after, Violet swung a slap at her, which Amanda, quick-eyed, stepped aside to dodge. "How dare you dodge!" Violet shouted angrily upon seeing her attempt missed. Amanda looked at Violet disdainfully and raised an eyebrow. Violet was two years older than her, the product of her father's infidelity during his marriage. When Amanda was just a year old, her mother discovered William had a mistress and a daughter on the side. Her mother had already been weakened by years of labor for Sullivan Corp, and her health deteriorated further after giving birth to her. William's betrayal made her mother fall seriously ill, and she passed away not long after, leaving Amanda and Rachel behind.