"Zariah, are you free this weekend? I want you to meet with Director Lincoln, what do you think?"
At the dining table, her stepmother, Watts Gianna, spoke gently to the girl opposite her in an almost flattering tone.
The girl sitting across from her was very young, looking only about sixteen or seventeen years old. She had big, round almond eyes that resembled a deer's.
She wasn't badly put together - she had delicate features and an attractive facial shape, and her complexion was fair with a hint of blush, not unlike a freshly peeled egg.
Upon hearing these words, the girl's expression instantly stiffened.
"Bang!"
Douglas Zariah slammed her cutleries onto the floor, speaking coldly: “Who gave you the authority to make choices for me? If you want to see him, go yourself. I'm not going."
"What kind of attitude is this!" Douglas Charles was taken aback, his anger flaring instantly.
"Isn't it time for you to settle down at your age? As your dad, would I harm you?
Although Director Lincoln Wright is divorced, he is from one of the finest families in Wright. His entire family is state-supported. If you marry into this family, you will have endless prosperity for the rest of your life."
“Yes, Zariah, don’t rush, your dad is doing all this for your good, isn’t he?”
"I heard that this Director Lincoln is famously filial; despite being a bureaucrat now, he still washes and massages his mother’s feet every day after returning home," Gianna smoothed her fringe, speaking heartfeltly."
I’ve been there, Zariah. Men like him who value affection and righteousness are far more reliable than those immature boys. Besides, you know the benefits of working at the meat factory, who wouldn’t give him some respect?”
"Oh? Is that so?" A hint of disdain flashed in Zariah's eyes, though she said, "Well, this Director Lincoln sounds nice."
Had she not had the original owner's memories in her head, she might have believed this couple's nonsense!
Yes, Zariah had just time-traveled here.
From being a young heiress to staggering wealth in Arizona, due to a series of car accidents, she suddenly became a little pitiful girl who wasn't favored in her home in the 1970s.
This body is only 19 years old this year, and aside from sharing the same name and looking exactly like her, the background is particularly similar.
They both lost their biological mothers not long ago, and their fathers couldn't control themselves and soon brought other women home.
This girl's father, Charles, hadn't even passed a full year since his wife's death when he brought another woman home.
This stepmother looked kind and generous, but in fact, she was a poisonous snake with a knife hidden behind her smile.
She changes face faster than flipping a book. She plays her tricks adeptly, playing the victim, sowing discord, flattering whoever she is talking to.
On their wedding day, the stepmother's two children moved into the Douglas family, not only getting registered in the household but also changing their surnames to Douglas.
In the second year of marriage, the stepmother, Gianna, gave the Douglas family a fat baby boy.
This made Douglas so happy that he was lost in delight. With this son, Gianna was able to cement her footing in the Douglas family.
Their family lived a sweet life, but the original daughter of the Douglas family increasingly found her position in her own home awkward.
The spacious single room was divided into three, and her father became everyone's.
As a daughter, she could understand that it wasn't easy for her father to lose his wife in middle age, but every time she saw the joyous looks of their family, there was always some sourness in her heart.
This conflicting psychology made the original girl quite depressed over the years.
This marriage was arranged by Gianna for the original girl.
To say it bluntly, it was precisely because of this marriage proposition that the original owner, gasping for air due to anger, was suffocated to death!
Just yesterday, the original body had taken an early leave to return home due to a cold and fever. In a muddled sleep, she inadvertently overheard the private conversation between the husband and wife.
Zariah didn't expect this. Gianna was crying relentlessly, murmuring to her father, Charles, about marrying her off to a director surnamed Lincoln from a meat consortium.
This Director Lincoln was over thirty! And it's his second marriage! He even has three children at home!
Originally, she had resigned herself to the fact that she had transmigrated into another person's body.
But who would have thought that she'd run into such a scum of a father and an evil stepmother!
She would rather die than accept this marriage!
Her life's major decisions were not up for other people to make!
In the 1970s, free love was advocated, and arranged marriage was against the law.
If they pushed her to the limit, one report letter would be enough to make this family unable to flee from their misfortune.
Besides, the years she spent in the modern era weren't for naught.
In addition to common activities like dancing, piano playing, and painting, she also learned how to cook, swim, mountain climb, horse ride, scuba dive, practice freestyle fighting, and boxing.
Did they want to force her to use violence? They should first ask if her fists agreed.
With things being this way, what was there for her to be afraid of?
"Isn't that the truth?"
When she heard Zariah speaking this way, Gianna was just about to feel hopeful when Zariah suddenly turned towards Douglas Sophia, saying, "Little sister, don't miss out on such a good match. Once the opportunity passes, you won't get another like it."
"Huh?" Sophia looked puzzled, "Isn't this an introduction for you? What does it have to do with me?"
Zariah smirked, "How is it not related to you? Isn't it you who our family should marry off? Look at yourself, jobless, spending all day at home freeloading, are you expecting the family to support you forever?"
Sophia was stifling resentment, but thinking of the words her mother had said to her, she had to hold back without making a sound.
Her mother had said that once this damn girl gets married, her job would be passed on to her, and then, she'd see who dares to accuse her of freeloading.
Who knew that Sophia would add another blow, "To speak frankly, you're useless, you couldn't even pass high school. Which company doesn't require a high school diploma nowadays? In your state, you won't find a job even if you spent eight hundred years looking for one.
Oh, I almost forgot, don't you also have hepatitis? That's contagious! Even if you try to buy a job with money, I estimate no company would dare to hire you."
Sophia, the little girl, immediately bristled at this, "What nonsense are you spouting? Who has hepatitis? My illness was all a charade!"
It was all just to use this trick to avoid being sent to the countryside!
Being a youth in the countryside is so hard, she would rather die than go!
"Whether it's real or fake, does it matter? You're still job hunting and already nearing old maiden status, don't you have any sense?"
Zariah purposely stung her heart, "Besides, do you dare tell people your illness was feigned?"
