He really agreed, agreed to marry her? She hadn’t reacted yet when Eleanor Hollis slapped her hand away. Her chest was heaving with anger—what kind of nonsense was this? Utterly ridiculous! "Gloria Galloway! A marriage that’s forced won’t bring happiness; you know Yvette Jacobs’ character. Even if you marry, she’ll continue to cling to Julian Sterling, and he likes her. This marriage is doomed to be in name only. Don’t be foolish; listen to me and make Yvette confess to those things." Gloria’s face remained steadfast; this was her only chance to hold onto Julian, even if he loved another woman. "Eleanor, I’ve already decided." She reached out, full of admiration, and held Julian’s hand, her lips curling slightly. Eleanor pressed her lips together, saying no more, and angrily stood up, heading upstairs without acknowledging anyone. Samantha Sullivan also sighed and followed upstairs to her sleeping place. She and Gloria had been resting in this villa for the past few days because the online backlash was terrifying. Their original apartment door had been filled with wreaths, and if they hadn’t escaped quickly, they might have been beaten to death. But now, Gloria had decided to take all of this on herself for the sake of marrying Julian, seemingly mad. By the latter half of the night, everyone had already left. Yvette sighed in relief, seeing Julian tightly holding Gloria’s hand, feeling somewhat uneasy. "Julian, can you take me back? My things are still at your place." During this time, they had been living together, and all her things were at Julian’s place. She thought Julian would still be tender, but instead, he just looked at her coldly before pulling Gloria into the car. "Miss Jacobs, move your things out by tomorrow. I don’t want to see anything of yours in the villa. Gloria and I will arrange our marriage soon, so please don’t disturb me in the future." Yvette’s pupils slowly widened, unable to believe Julian had said that. He never spoke harshly to her before. "But I have nowhere else to go; Serenford’s property prices are high. Julian, can’t you....." She hadn’t finished speaking when she noticed Julian looking at her with a mocking smile, as if he’d heard the biggest joke. "Who do you think you are? From the moment I agreed to marry Gloria, you became irrelevant." Yvette was truly panicked now—without Julian, how would the Jacobs Family deal with their debts? But Julian didn’t listen, quickly driving off from there. The car felt stiflingly silent; Gloria sat in the passenger seat without saying a word. She clutched the safety belt tightly out of fear, feeling the car picking up speed, making her dizzy. She even wondered if Julian was too angry, planning to die with her in a crash. She was a villain for stealing his happiness. Thinking this, she slowly lowered her gaze. Suddenly, Julian stopped the car, glaring at her fiercely. Gloria jumped in fright, but the next moment, Julian pounced on her, reclined the car seat, and pinned her beneath him. "What do you like about me? You’re willing to bear a murder charge just to be with me? Gloria Galloway, do you know I hate it when people use their malicious thoughts on me!" Gloria bit her lip tightly, not daring to speak. She knew he’d be angry—they had teamed up to betray him, treating him like a commodity. But she loved him; this was their only chance to be together. The fabric quickly tore as Julian’s eyes reddened; he offered no comfort, bulldozing through her. Gloria’s face turned pale from the pain, yet amidst the suffering, she felt a sliver of happiness—she was finally his woman. "Is this what you like? You’re willing to endure grievances just to be with me. Gloria, do you call yourself cheap?" Julian spoke without restraint, rudely and violently. Gloria’s tears flowed into her hair as she held him, not daring to speak. Julian’s harsh words felt like knives stabbing into her heart, but she didn’t regret it—at least she’d won the chance to marry him. Two hours later, everything concluded. Julian didn’t spare her another glance, driving towards an apartment. This wasn’t the one he lived in with Yvette, but somewhere else he’d bought. He got out first, without a care for Gloria. Gloria stared at the gloomy car ceiling, and tears flowed freely. She knew all too well that what he just did was meant to humiliate her, to show that even if they married, she’d never have his heart. Slowly, Gloria got up, tidied herself, and opened the car door to step out. As she reached the door, she noticed Julian hadn’t closed it, seemingly waiting for her to enter. She breathed a sigh of relief—at least he didn’t shut her out entirely. In the living room, Julian sat on the sofa, elegantly smoking a cigarette. Gloria rarely saw him smoke; he always appeared gentle and refined, not the rough man she’d seen tonight. Julian said nothing, and neither did she. She took a few steps forward, sat beside him, and reached out to hold his hand, refusing to let go. Julian glanced at his hand she was holding, cursed softly, and threw the cigarette into the trash in a rage, grabbing her throat. "Do you really think I won’t do anything to you?" Gloria’s cheeks were still flushed, and she stared straight at him with undisguised affection in her eyes. Julian slowly narrowed his eyes, sneering, stripping her bare, and continuing from before. "I get it. You’re probably thinking about this, aren’t you? Gloria, I never realized how desperate you were." Each word he uttered was a stabbing knife piercing Gloria’s heart. Gloria didn’t resist or retort but instead wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head against him. Julian’s movements instantly froze, his eyes flickering. This woman was a fool—a total fool. Even treated so harshly by him, she still hoped to melt his harshness with gentleness. Unintentionally, Julian slowed down, holding her tightly. He said plainly, not stopping. Gloria’s heart quivered—it was good that they’d marry. "But except for the marriage certificate, you shouldn’t hope to get anything from me, Gloria. From the moment you proposed that condition, you completely lost the chance of being loved by me."