A loud, exuberant voice echoed inside her room, waking her up from her deep slumber. She quickly covered her face when the bright light hurt her eyes. Beaming on her face was the radiant sunshine that was streaming through her window towards her bed.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Unexpectedly, she heard Marianne speak up, seemingly overly excited about something. Then, she felt the edge of the bed dip before she felt a hand shaking her shoulder.

Opening her eyes, she found Marianne’s face hovering over her with a big, wide grin covering her lips. If this were a dream, she wanted it to end. But before she could close her eyes again, her sister-in-law gently tapped on her cheeks to rouse her up.

"What do you want?" She asked, baffled and perplexed, battling between wanting to remain unconscious and her growing curiosity.

Since marrying Oliver, Marianne had been a constant presence in her life, as they were essentially staying in the same house. Nevertheless, she had always viewed her sister-in-law as a ray of sunshine, as she had a way of brightening up the room with her exuberant presence.

However, despite enjoying having her around, she could not claim that they were close. Like sisters or even friends.

Therefore, it was a big surprise to see her sister-in-law in her room this early morning, chirping like a bird and acting as if they were best buddies.

"Come on. It’s makeover time." Marianne announced as if it had been a ritual that they had done repeatedly.

Wait! What did Marianne even mean?

Did she need a makeover? What was wrong with her look?

But before she could get a word out of her mouth, Marianne had dragged her out of the bed and the mansion in record time.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting in a salon, in front of a mirror with one of the best dressers styling her hair, and another specialist was fixing her nails. On the other chair, Marianne was also getting the same pampering.

"I’m sorry, Sophia, if I basically kidnapped you, but I just want some alone time with my sister." Marianne finally glanced at her through the mirror, looking genuinely apologetic. "We’re sisters now, right?"

Although Marianne had always lived a privileged and sheltered life, she had learned that she was never like those pompous elite snobs. Even though she had indulged in luxury all through her life, she had never once looked down on other people, especially those who were beneath her status.

Somewhat, Marianne had reminded her of the old Oliver. The one that she had loved back when they were still in college. Back then, no one ever suspected that Oliver was the heir to a multibillion-dollar empire, not even her, because he had never acted like one.

"Of course, we’re sisters now." How could she say no to her? She more than welcomed her into her arms.

Growing up as an only child, she had always wanted a big family. She had always envied other kids who had siblings. A sister to bond with and a brother to wrestle with. Now that she was an orphan, she could only be grateful to belong to one big family. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"And I guess I don’t mind if you kidnap me from time to time." How could she complain when she was being spoiled like a princess?

Looking at her new vibrant blonde hair and her meticulously manicured fingertips, she could only smile at herself in front of the mirror. The new style definitely suited her new lifestyle.

"You’re the new Donna, so you should look the part," Marianne commented as she glanced her way.

Coming to think of it, she needed the change. If she wanted to be Oliver’s wife, she had to learn to blend into their circle. She should be able to prove that she belonged by his side.

Just like her, Marianne had opted to have her hair dyed a shade darker. Instead of the usual brunette, she had turned her hair a dynamic, vivacious red. It had made her more striking and a bit fierce, compared to her typical sweet and angelic features.

"You look different yourself." She meant it as a compliment, liking her sister-in-law’s transformation. "You look more mature, fiery, and dangerous. I like it."

"Great!" Marianne appeared to be pleased with herself as she studied her new look in the mirror. "That’s exactly what I’m going for."

Just when she thought that the adventure was over, she soon realized that it had barely started as Marianne dragged her from one shop to another.

Racks of various clothes with different designs lined up before her. Evening gowns, cocktail dresses, and casual wear were displayed for her to pick.

"Why don’t you try this one?" Marianne pulled a teal blue long dress with a plunging neckline and a long slit. Modeling it in front of her, her sister-in-law insisted that she try it on. "I think it will really look good on you."

Judging from the material, the adornment, and the embroidery, she could already tell that this dress would be very costly.

It was indeed beautiful, but too provocative for her style. Moreover, it was most likely out of her price range.

Normally, she would avoid such a dress, but Marianne insisted that it looked perfect on her.

After a dozen more clothes that she believed she would never wear, she had had enough. But before she could say no, Marianne had already paid for it.

"Don’t worry. I used my brother’s card to pay for all of these." The female version of her husband pointed to the pile of paper bags of her clothes, some shoes, and bags. "And those." And what she also bought for herself.

Calculating it inside her head, she could only assume that their purchases must have cost her husband a fortune. But for a Morton, all of these probably wouldn’t even dent his wallet.

Just when she thought they were leaving, Marianne pulled her into another exclusive boutique. This time, her eyes widened at its opulence.

"Can you show me this...?" Marianne pointed at the stacks of earrings. "And this..." On another display case, she asked for the selection of diamond rings.

Once it was in full display before her, Marianne’s phone rang, clearly distracting her. "Wait a second!" She grabbed her phone from her bag and answered. "I’m sorry, but I have to take this." Then, she turned to leave.

"Why don’t you pick what you like, and I’ll be right back." Her sister-in-law said as she turned to her, visibly asking her, before she left to answer her call.

For a minute, she was frozen in her spot, completely in awe of the brilliant and obviously priceless pieces of jewelry she had ever seen.

Of course, she had worn something as spectacular and expensive as these miniature treasures, but she never actually bought or owned one.

Although her jewelry cabinet contained a selection of antique heirlooms and auctioned pieces, she had never actually claimed them as hers.

For her, it belonged to the real Mrs. Morton.

Although she had already admitted that she was still in love with Oliver, she still could not completely accept their relationship. As long as there was doubt in her mind about Oliver’s innocence regarding her parents’ and child’s death, she could never move on.

Nonetheless, she was giving him the benefit of the doubt as she opened her mind and heart to giving him a second chance.

"Well, well, well..." A slightly high-pitched voice spoke behind her. "Look what the cat dragged in here." The woman walked straight to her, but behind her, two of her minions followed closely behind.

From the moment she heard her voice, she already knew they didn’t come in peace. And where this woman went, trouble followed.

Undoubtedly, she knew the newcomer referred to her, inferring that she was the trash that didn’t belong in this establishment.

"Ms. Smith, what can I do for you?" Immediately, the sales attendants quickly gave her their full attention.

But instead of asking them to attend to her needs, Hazel turned to her with a disgusted look on her face.

"What kind of establishment is this if you’re letting this dirty rag in your store?" This time, Hazel didn’t hold back as she intended to humiliate her in front of all these noble people.

Unfortunately for these kinds of people, no matter how she presented herself, dressed in luxury brands, or covered herself with money, she would never ever measure up to them.

"What are you still standing there?" Hazel looked at the uniformed staff. "Get her out of here. I’m not sharing this room with a gold digger like her."

Hazel immediately gestured for the attendants to remove her from the premises.

"Wait! I have every right to be here." She gasped and shouted as hands forced her to move towards the door. "Let me go."

"You have no right in here because you’re nothing but a gum that stuck in Oliver’s shoe. Sooner or later, he would get tired of you. And you’ll end up in the gutter where you belong." Hazel whispered as she leaned closer to her ear.

"Don’t you know that not all that sparkles is a diamond?" She stared at her, but she didn’t keep her voice low. Instead, she wanted everyone to hear.

"Some are just cheap imitations that just keep pretending to be the real one. But we both know she’s the one who really belongs in the dumpsters." She was not about to back out without a fight.

If Hazel was going to throw insults at her, she was firing back with everything she got.

"You bitch..." This time, Hazel lost her cool as she lunged at her with everything she had.

But before Hazel could hit her, a body blocked her path, saving her from the angry woman’s wrath.

"Nobody touches my wife."