Chapter 2
After a long series of speeches, the host, Pamela Hazlitt, took out a letter with a gold border on a black background:
“After careful consideration, the Hazlitt family has chosen the husband for our daughter Juliette to be…”
In an instant, the banquet hall became completely silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, staring at the stage with great anticipation.
Pamela Hazlitt held up the opened letter, signaling to everyone present:
“Todd—Elsie!”
In the center of the letter were these three bold characters, written in a graceful cursive style!
The old man spoke each word clearly, his voice as resonant as a bell, causing a buzzing in everyone’s ears.
After a brief silence, everyone suddenly widened their eyes, their faces changing in expression.
“Todd Elsey? Who’s that? I’ve never heard of him before!”
“I don’t remember any such person ever appearing in Mannheim…”
“With no name or surname mentioned, could it be that the Hazlitt family has already decided on a candidate in advance? Is tonight’s ceremony merely a pretense?”
In an instant, rumors spread everywhere. People talked excitedly in the banquet hall. But on the other side of the platform, Juliet Hazlitt’s eyes suddenly widened upon hearing the noises.
Others knew nothing about this mysterious person, but she knew everything about them.
Long before the selection process began, Juliet Hazlitt took great pains to thoroughly investigate the information of all the candidates.
The name “Todd Elsey” left an almost indelible impression on her:
Born an orphan, with nothing at all.
Even his educational level stopped at junior high school graduation.
No talent, no virtue, no skills whatsoever. He’s literally a person with nothing at all.
The only job I’ve ever had, from a young age until now, was working as a porter at a moving company for two years.
Apart from that, his resume is practically blank.
But it’s easy to guess: what else could such a worthless person who has no ambition do, other than just living off others and waiting for death?
In an instant, her heart became as dead as ashes, and the last glimmer of hope vanished completely.
Just then, one of the obese men among the guests seemed to suddenly remember something and couldn’t help but shout out:
“Stop guessing around. Let me tell you who Todd Elsey is!”
On such an important occasion, no one would dare to talk nonsense!
Because this meant going against almost the entire city of Mannheim. Who would dare to commit such a monstrous crime so recklessly?
“You might not believe this if I tell you…”
The obese man looked around triumphantly and said loudly:
“He’s just a lowly porter. He used to work part-time for my moving company!”
“It’s said that when this person was down and out, he even spent some time as a vagrant.”
Upon hearing this, the entire room was in an uproar, far worse than when the candidates were announced earlier:
“This… this can’t be true! How could the Hazlitt family choose such a vulgar scoundrel?”
“If that’s really the case, then it’s a complete joke!”
“How can it be? She’s the daughter of a wealthy family, yet she married a vagrant. It’s a complete disgrace to our Mannheim.”
“How ridiculous! How can he even be worthy of Miss Juliet? The Hazlitt family must be completely blind!”
Countless mocking and taunting voices were like steel needles, piercing Juliet Hazlitt’s heart until it bled.
But the facts were irrefutable, right before her eyes. She understood this better than anyone else, and there was no way to deny it.
Seeing that his father had chosen someone from his own family, Horval Hazlitt was speechless.
Standing nearby, Steven Hazlitt couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight:
“Hahaha, Second Brother, the old master has truly shown great kindness to your entire family of three!”
Curtis Hazlitt, Steven Hazlitt’s eldest son, stepped forward, patted Horval Hazlitt on the shoulder, and said jokingly:
“Beautiful times and scenery, talented men and lovely women…”
“What a wonderful match arranged by heaven! Your nephew offers his congratulations in advance, Uncle!”
Inside the magnificent banquet hall, it was now like a boiling pot— chaos. There was disdain, mockery, sympathy, and anger everywhere…
All forms of life are fully revealed at this moment.
“Cough… cough…”
Housekeeper Pamela Hazlitt cleared her throat. Her aged body stood upright as she snapped, “”
“Please remain calm, everyone!”
As soon as the host spoke, the guests immediately became quiet.
“Please welcome Mr. Todd Elsey to the stage!”
The old man waved his hand broadly, his robe swishing loudly. His tone was utterly authoritative. As he spoke, the crowd in the hall slowly parted aside to create a gap for him.
A tall figure stepped forward from the corner, coming into everyone’s sight.
The young man stood with his head held high and chest out, his expression calm and composed. His fair face had sharp features, as if carved by a knife or axe, making him strikingly handsome.
He was dressed in a simple black suit, without even a tie.
Dressed in this way, there’s not the slightest hint of casual sloppiness. Instead, it exudes a sense of natural elegance and ease.
Everyone unconsciously fell silent, completely stunned by the peerless beauty before them.
It wasn’t until Todd Elsey stepped onto the stage slowly and turned around that the people in the audience came back to their senses, as if waking from a dream.
“Todd Elsey is here.”
Although his voice wasn’t loud, it reached everyone’s ears with perfect clarity. Beneath his calm and gentle tone, there was an unmistakable air of authority that commanded respect without the need for anger.
Like a deity descending to earth, looking down upon all mortal beings, it makes one involuntarily feel a sense of submission.
Then, the young man couldn’t help but turn his head and smile at the graceful Juliet Hazlitt.
Pamela Hazlitt glanced back at the two of them, then announced:
“Lovelies and friends, guests from all over, I invite you all to witness this moment together.”
“Starting today, Todd Elsey becomes part of our Hazlitt family. He will formally marry my daughter Juliet on a future date!”
In this way, everything has finally been settled.
In the blink of an eye, the dinner had come to an end, and most of the guests had left.
Glancing at Todd Elsey, who stood there like a mute fool, Juliet Hazlitt felt utterly disheartened. She wanted to get as far away from that place as possible, so she stood up and left in a hurry.
Unexpectedly, just a few steps later, a carefree-looking figure blocked my path.
“My dear cousin.”
“Today is a day of great joy for you. Where are you rushing off to like that?”
Curtis Hazlitt wore a smirk on his face, clearly trying to draw attention from others.
Instantly, Juliet Hazlitt’s pretty face turned pale with anger. She said coldly, “I have no desire to argue with you right now.”
Upon hearing this, Curtis Hazlitt wasn’t annoyed at all. His smile became sly and teasing:
“Oh, you just got a husband who comes to your home, and now you ignore your own cousin?”
“I see you’re quite arrogant, aren’t you?”
By shouting like that on purpose, he immediately drew the attention of all the guests who hadn’t left yet.
Rumors and gossip abounded, constantly mixed with accusations from afar.
Realizing his sinister intentions, Juliet Hazlitt gritted her teeth and said hatefully:
"Curtis Hazlitt, I advise you not to go too far!"
“One must know what’s good and what’s bad in life!”
At that moment, Curtis Hazlitt could no longer hold back. His face turned red with anger as he said:
“Damn it! What did you call me?”
“You little brat! Let me teach your future husband a lesson first!”
He suddenly reached out, spreading his fingers wide, and swung his hand with all his might, delivering a hard slap to Juliet Hazlitt. The blow was powerful and swift through the air.
“Swish—”
Just as he was about to touch the latter’s delicate cheeks, another large hand reached out from the side and grabbed him.
In an instant, Curtis Hazlitt’s expression turned extremely dark, and he turned around abruptly.
What came into his sight was a tall and handsome figure—Todd Elsey!
A steel-like force struck him. Curtis Hazlitt felt his wrist being crushed until it made a cracking sound. He growled in pain:
“What do you worthless fool think you’re doing? If you have any sense, get away from here!”
“What? You want to rebel before you’ve even stepped through the gates of my Hazlitt family?”
However, Todd Elsey turned a blind eye to all of this, not even bothering to glance at that mad dog.
“Just now, the hand he used to hit you was this one, wasn’t it?”
Glancing at Juliet Hazlitt, he spoke calmly.
“What… what did you say?” Juliet Hazlitt was stunned by his question.
Todd Elsey nodded silently. His gentle gaze suddenly became sharp as a knife.
In an instant, a series of crackling sounds of bones breaking echoed one after another!
Along with heart-rending screams, they echoed throughout the entire hall.
“Ah—my hand!”
Curtis Hazlitt, whose face turned as pale as paper, clutched his right hand tightly. The pain was so severe that he rolled around on the ground. Severe agony overwhelmed him, and his clothes were instantly soaked with cold sweat.
Curtis Hazlitt’s face was almost contorted as he screamed hysterically:
“Todd Elsey, on the lands of my Hazlitt family… how dare you touch me?”
“Wait and see… I’ll make sure you die today!”
