The Abandoned Bride's Flash Marriage - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

"The marriage certificate's all sorted," Gwyneth said, carefully placing the porcelain pieces back where they belonged.
Quentin was such a "wonderful" father—eager to get rid of her. But then again, she didn't want to drag things out either. Harrison had treated her with respect. For their kind of marriage, skipping the formalities and just getting the certificate made more sense.
Quentin couldn't believe how fast she'd pulled it off. His laughter echoed through the phone, and the urgency in his voice melted away. "That's my girl. You promised, and you delivered. But Harrison—marrying you just a few hours after a meeting? He must really care.
"Even if you two haven't gotten that close yet, he'll still fall for some gentle charm. Just be sweet and get those deals with our company wrapped up quickly."
'Back to business as usual. A loving father? Come on,' she sneered to herself. And then she just gave some vague responses and let it go.
Then Melanie's sharp voice cut through. "I bet she was too busy getting married to even mention the deals! She's been hiding from Joracity for years—when did she ever act like part of us?"
Quentin's voice turned cold. "Did you bring it up or not?"
"I did," Gwyneth said, and then added, "But I pushed it too fast and ticked him off. I guess I need to be more subtle next time if I want him to actually sit down and talk business."
Her words had a ring of truth, and Quentin was somewhat persuaded. "Fine. They say Harrison can be pretty moody. If slow progress works, we can wait a bit longer."
"Alright, I've done like you asked. So, when can we finally put my mom's picture in the family memorial hall?"
Her mother had slaved away her whole life, all for Quentin and the Jenkins family to rise again. Her mother and she deserved their share in the company.
And her mom's photo should be in that memorial hall, the recognition she never got while she was alive. Now, Gwyneth was hell-bent on making it happen.
"Putting up a picture isn't something we can just rush. It affects the whole family," Quentin said, trying to delay.
But Gwyneth wasn't about to back down. "Is one little picture really that hard, Dad? Think about it. When we were at rock bottom, it was Mom's skills that brought in the money and kept us afloat. Without her, there wouldn't even be a memorial hall to argue about."
Quentin was at a loss for words.
Melanie suddenly cut in. "We're all family here. Why keep digging up the past? You married Harrison, but you're still a Jenkins at heart. You should be using their money to help your own family, not always fighting against us.
"What if Harrison leaves you just like your ex did? Without us backing you up, you'll just be pathetic."
Everyone knew about Gwyneth and Zachary's breakup. Gwyneth's rushing back to Joracity to accept the arranged marriage probably had something to do with it. Melanie's words were a deliberate jab.
But Gwyneth wasn't going to crumble over a bad relationship anymore. Love wasn't everything to her now. She had more important things to focus on—her career and getting her mother's portrait into the family memorial hall.
Gwyneth shot back, "Melanie, maybe you should take your own advice. My mom saved the Jenkins Group with her pottery skills, and I helped Zachary get his inheritance.
"I don't need you guys to succeed. But if the Jenkins Group loses the Lopez project, how are you gonna cover that huge deficit?"
There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line. The Jenkins Group had made a comeback, but the family had been spending like crazy, and Quentin's old-school management just wasn't keeping up.
Melanie had been groomed for years to take over, but she still couldn't turn things around. That was why they'd made the marriage deal with Harrison.
Melanie shouted and stomped her foot over the phone, "You don't think of us as family at all, Gwyneth! Dad raised me himself—are you saying he did a bad job?" Her voice quivered and sounded muffled, as if she were crying into Quentin's shoulder.
Quentin fumed, "How dare you say that! You've been gone too long, and now you've forgotten how to show respect. Melanie's right. We're family.
"Take some money from the Lopez family to cover our debts, and we'll all be happy. Everyone warned me about your unruliness. Looks like I'll have to remind you of who you are."
Gwyneth never thought she was a part of this "happy" family. But she just smiled, faint but steady, "Actually, Harrison already agreed to partner with the Jenkins Group."
Quentin was speechless.
Gwyneth tilted her head and faked confusion. "Oh, Dad? What were you planning to remind me again?"
"W-well, of course I wouldn't really scold you," Quentin muttered, his voice softening into a forced grin. "I just want to remind you of how important it is to be respectful. I wish you a happy life with Harrison. Gwennie, if this deal goes through, you'll be our hero."
'Hero? What a useless title,' Gwyneth thought. She leaned back into the sofa, her gaze drifting over the fancy porcelain. "Instead of being your hero, I'd rather have Mom's photo in the memorial hall."
"Yeah, but that can only happen after the project's done," Quentin said. He wasn't a fool. He wasn't about to take her word for it without seeing the real thing.
'Well, she's been out of the family for years, and look at her now, making a name for herself with Zachary. She must be something special. If I just fulfill her wish that easily, how am I supposed to keep her in line?' Quentin thought.
Then he threw out a few empty reassurances and then hung up first.
Gwyneth put down her phone, staring at the porcelain pieces. She couldn't stop remembering her mom's smile while making porcelain, and she clutched her phone tighter. "I'll get everything back for Mom." Then she stood up and headed straight downtown.
Harrison had given Gwyneth a place in the Teloria Apartment, a swanky complex just a stone's throw from the Jenkins Group. The penthouse had floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a sweeping view of most of Joracity. Unlike the secluded villa, this would be where she really lived.
She called in movers and designers to get some basic furniture and essentials. Nothing fancy—just the practical stuff. The crew worked smoothly, and she stood by the door, waiting for everything to fall into place.
Then the elevator dinged open, and another moving team stepped out, heading for the apartment across the hall. Teloria wasn't exactly new, and the chances of two people moving in at the same time were pretty slim.
Gwyneth couldn't help but smile. "What a coincidence," she muttered to herself.
Back then, her neighbor had been Zachary, and they'd both been renovating their places at the same time. Now, here she was again, with a new neighbor, a complete stranger.
But this time, she didn't feel that same sense of unease. She just thought, 'Maybe we'll run into each other someday. And who knows? Maybe we'll even become friends.'
Gwyneth's lips twitched into a small smile. Life without Zachary was starting to look a lot brighter.