Chapter 1

Married in a Flash: Embarking on the Journey to Wealth

Webfic

Chapter 1

The time was 4:27 pm. As was her usual routine, Aurelia was tidying her desk before her work hours ended.

She ignored her constantly buzzing phone beside her. The calls were probably from her boyfriend, Seth, about his failed proposal yesterday.

At 5:00 pm, Aurelia reached for her phone to clock out and one of the texts caught her attention. “Ms. Aurelia – you are indebted to the hospital for a total of 157,321.61 dollars. Please proceed to our finance counter to make your payment as soon as possible. For any inquiries, please call 87*****!!

Aurelia felt a sense of helplessness as she stared at her phone.

Depleted by the hospitalization expenses and faced with her mother’s incurable illness, Aurelia had no choice but to wait for the inevitable as her funds were exhausted.

It was her adoptive parents who had given her a new life when she was abandoned as a newborn infant. Her late father’s wish was for her to care for her mother.

How could she stand idly by in the face of her mother’s death?

With no other option available, Aurelia had tried to ask Seth for a loan. However, he declined her request, saying that he did not have that kind of money.

She didn’t want to force the matter. After all, he had only proposed to her. They weren’t officially married.

Yet, yesterday, he took to his social media to boast about his newly purchased car, which was worth over three hundred thousand dollars.

Aurelia had stared at the post in her social media feed, completely frozen for over a minute.

When she finally returned to reality, she immediately called him.

Without explaining, Seth began to talk nonstop.

“Aurelia, I bought the car intending to marry you. Consider the three hundred thousand dollars as my investment in our future. I paid one hundred thousand dollars in full, and the remaining two hundred and twenty thousand dollars are on loan. We’ll pay it off together after we get married.”

“Aurelia, once we’re married, let’s sell your parents‘ small house and buy a larger one. My

parents have lived in the code for too long. It’s time for them to enjoy city life. They’ve

raised me, and it hasn’t been easy. As a daughter–in–law, I hope you can understand.”

“Oh, and the property prices in Seacester are so high. We can use my salary to cover the mortgage, and your salary will be for our family’s living expenses. How does that sound? I’m being considerate of you. After all, you won’t have any relatives in the future. Marrying me means you become a part of the Martinez family. As a woman, you should be understanding and not dwell too much on things.

375

Aurelia was so furious that her entire body trembled.

It was within Seth’s rights to turn down her request for a loan. But then, he had the gall to target her adoptive parents‘ fortune while her mother’s life was hanging by a thread!

Even his plans for her family home were laid out so transparently that his intentions were clear as day.

It took Aurelia a full three minutes to collect herself, and with firm resolve, she turned down Seth’s seemingly charitable marriage proposal.

“Seth, let’s break up.”

It would be a lie for Aurelia to say that it didn’t hurt to break up with Seth who had been her boyfriend of three years but she was far from naive about his intentions now.

Parting amicably seemed to be the most sensible choice for her.

She was preoccupied with her mother’s medical expenses and had no time to argue with him.

Coming back from her reverie, Aurelia shook her head, attempting to dispel the unpleasant

emotions.

She noticed her colleagues giving her peculiar looks as she exited the building.

She didn’t have a clue why until she heard Seth’s voice from across the street.

“Aurelia, over here.”

Aurelia’s colleagues looked at her enviously as she turned to see Seth, looking sharp in a suit, holding a bouquet of roses, and leaning against his new car.

However, she found the new car too flashy, almost as if it were mocking her. All her emotional investment into their three–year relationship couldn’t even compare to the value of a brand-

new car.

Seth approached with a smile, presenting the flowers to Aurelia in front of everyone, prompting catcalls from the onlookers.

“Seth, you’re quite the romantic. How can us single folks endure something like this?” A colleague exclaimed.

A chorus of gasps echoed around them.

“Oh my goodness, Aurelia. You’re so lucky. Seth bought you a car. I hope my future boyfriend treats me this well.”

“It’s only natural. After all, I love Aurelia so much.”

While Seth appeared deeply affectionate, his gaze signaled for Aurelia to quickly accept the flowers and not embarrass him in public..

Aurelia remained silent.

Besides feeling angry, she was speechless.

When Seth, an outsider who had come to the city in search of opportunity, had proposed to Aurelia, her mother hadn’t requested any dowry. All she asked was for Seth to treat Aurelia

well.

Chapter 1

Yet, fully aware of her mother’s illness, Seth hadn’t inquired about her health throughout the time she was hospitalized.

Her mother was already dead to him and he was aiming for her inheritance.

Now, he even pretended to be a romantic and lied that he had spent 30,000 dollars on a car for her, leading others to believe she was fortunate.

If people learned about their breakup, they would criticize her for not appreciating his supposed kindness.

Ignoring the commotion, Aurelia sidestepped Seth.

His smile faltered and he forcefully grabbed Aurelia’s wrist.

“Aurelia, don’t play petty games. I came here to apologize in person today. Don’t push your luck. There are so many people watching. Do you want to embarrass yourself?”

His words carried the expectation that Aurelia should unconditionally embrace his apology, especially considering the effort he took to personally deliver flowers.

Gazing at Seth, Aurelia felt an unusual sense of unfamiliarity.

He was the one who had insisted on marrying her even after her mother fell ill. Initially, she thought she was fortunate to have a good man like him. Now, she regretted not seeing through his intentions sooner.

Glancing at the flowers before her, Aurelia countered, “Seth, is the car really for me?”

Seth assumed she was softening up and chuckled, “Of course. I’m your exclusive driver from. now on, no matter what happens.”

As the onlookers, especially the younger girls, were enchanted by the romantic scene, Aurelia poured cold water on the situation.

“Alright, prove it! Show everyone whose name is on the car documents.”

Silence fell.

Seth pursed his lips and remained silent.

People sensed something amiss and urged, “Seth, didn’t you buy the car for Aurelia? Show it to us. Let’s see whose name is on the documents.”

Seth’s face turned ashen instantly.

Aurelia calmly said, “Clearly, the car was bought for himself, but he insists on saying it’s for me. Well then, let’s transfer the ownership tomorrow, shall we?”

With her words, everyone understood Seth’s intentions, and their gazes toward him changed. Not wanting to embarrass himself, Seth awkwardly laughed, “She’s just kidding. We had a minor disagreement. She’s just throwing a tantrum.”

After saying that, he scowled at Aurelia.

In a hushed tone, he warned, “Aurelia, don’t go too far. Besides me, who else would dare to marry someone like you who is dragging along a burden?”

Aurelia clenched her teeth, her almond–shaped eyes veiled with coldness.

“Don’t worry, I won’t marry you or anyone like you. Since you don’t want a peaceful

ion, don’t c me to spare your feelings.”

“You…”

Before Seth could respond, Aurelia turned to her colleagues.

“Everyone, Seth and I have broken up.”

With that, Aurelia walked away towards the intersection without looking back.

With simmering anger, Seth angrily caught up with Aurelia, pulling her into the nearby parking lot.

“Aurelia! Are you ready to call it quits just because I won’t lend you a hundred grand? What about the three years we’ve spent together?”

What about it? She could only chalk it up to bad luck!

“Yes! It’s precisely that hundred thousand dollars! I won’t marry you if you don’t have the money!”

In a hurry to visit her mother in the hospital, Aurelia didn’t want to argue with him and decided to go along with his words.

As Seth was about to retort, the horn of a car sounded beside them.

The driver rolled down the window.

“Sorry, we need to go. Can you move?”

We?

Through the tinted windows, Aurelia noticed a tall figure in the back seat, but the specially tinted glass made it impossible for her to see the person’s face clearly.

The driver honked again, and she quickly stepped aside.

As the car drove away, the logo and license plate became visible.

“Maybach, 11111.”

Who could afford such an expensive car?

As Seth was captivated by the luxurious vehicle, Aurelia took advantage of his inattention to

leave.

She needed to catch the subway that was scheduled in less than ten minutes.

However, Seth caught up. He firmly gripped Aurelia’s hand and tried to persuade her.

“Aurelia, I know it was wrong not to inform you about the car purchase in time, but you can still use it in the future.”

Aurelia found his words laughable and forcefully pulled her hand

away.

“Use it? Didn’t you say it was bought for me? How quickly you changed your mind! Do you think I broke up with you just for the money? It’s because you were scheming against me! If you don’t want to lend me money, fine, that’s your money. But you don’t need to pin the car purchase on me! Don’t try to have it both ways!”

Aurelia’s words exposed the truth, leaving Seth with an even more unpleasant expression.

“It seems my mom was right. You only want the money for your mom! Aurelia, can’t you be more realistic? Your mom’s illness is a burden that will only drag you down. It’s better to let her die now. In the future, my parents will be your parents. If you take good care of them, they will treat you like their own daughter.”

Aurelia clenched her fists, suppressing her surging nausea, as she glared at Seth upon hearing his words.

“Shut up! If anyone’s going to die, it’s you! Not my mom! Seth, I never forced you to marry me. You took the initiative to propose. If you think my mom is a burden, you can break up with me, and I’ll respect you for being honest. But you don’t need to be duplicitous, saying one thing behind my back and another in front of people.”

“My mom has treated you well, providing you with good food and hospitality. I never asked for a penny in the marriage discussions. Yet, you’re guarding against me while having designs on my mom’s house! Trying to get me to abandon my mom? Your family’s intentions are truly disgusting!”

Aurelia’s words completely infuriated Seth, who couldn’t help but expose his true nature.

“Aurelia, your mom is only good to me because I am a capable man! If she doesn’t curry favor with me, where will she find a good husband for you?”

Tha

none of your concern.”

Aurelia couldn’t be bothered to look at him.

“Fine, I know you’re angry. I’ll give you time to cool off first and you can come find me when you’re ready to apologize and accept my proposal. You won’t find a better man if you miss out on me!”

Arrogantly, Seth forcefully shoved the flowers into Aurelia’s hands, turned, and left in his new

car.

A gust of cold wind woke Aurelia who had been stunned on the spot.

She tossed the flowers into the trash and hurried towards the subway station.

On the way to the hospital, she struggled to maintain her composure, contemplating how to handle her mother’s medical expenses.

Just when she felt utterly helpless, her phone rang.

It was her friend, Linda.

They met on the subway when Aurelia helped her clear her name when an elderly lady had tried to take advantage of a confusing situation to extort money from Linda.

Their friendship unexpectedly blossomed, which led to them frequently getting together for meals and shopping.

Answering the call, Aurelia was met with an urgent plea from Linda.

“Aurelia, come help me quickly.”