The Bride Who Said No: Escaping the Shadows of Yesterday

Johanna barely had the time to glance at the contract before she hastily scribbled her signature on it.

Within moments, a substantial amount of money popped up in Johanna's bank account, only to be swept away by the loan sharks' company in the next second. The entire process was so swift, it almost seemed orchestrated. Yet, in this moment of panic, Johanna failed to notice anything amiss.

"You've got money after all! Dragging your feet with us for so long, now bring down all those fancy trinkets you've been hoarding!"

Hearing the debt collector's command, Johanna practically sprinted upstairs to gather all her cherished possessions.

All of these were luxurious items and jewelry her father had bought for her when he was still alive. Johanna had never really wanted to wear these items, except for once at Leland's birthday gala.

"Is this enough?" Johanna asked, her hands full of jewelry extended towards the debt collector.

The lead collector barely glanced at the offerings before grabbing Johanna by her collar, furious. "You think you can hide stuff from me? There's gotta be more! Bring out all your jewelry, what's this going to cover?" Terrified by the man in front of her, Johanna did recall hiding some items, but she was too frightened to think about how the debt collector could possibly know.

Eventually, Johanna steeled herself and brought down all her jewelry, including luxury brand handbags and clothes.

"And your son's stuff too! Bring them all down."

Leland was always extravagant, never looking at price tags when shopping. His collection of limited edition cars, out-of-production sneakers, and even celebrity-signed apparel could fetch a hefty sum. Hearing this, Leland couldn't hold back any longer. "Why should I give you my stuff?"

"Debts of the father fall to the son! Besides, it's you. Your folks owed us money, why shouldn't you pay us back? Or else, I could start by

scratching up your mom's pretty face, then move on to breaking your legs!" novelbin

reand

Leland had never faced such threats before young and naive, was quickly subdued by the debt

ver

collector's words. Cont

belongs

In the end, all of Leland's vehicles and other valuable possessions were handed over to the debt collectors.

Satisfied, the debt collector nodded approvingly before leaving the Dawson residence with his crew.

Johanna collapsed to the floor,

devastated that a single

high-interest loan had wiped net

out

swnl

everything she and her son owned.

Meanwhile...

Freya was in the Dawson Group office when she received a call from the debt collector.

"Ms. Dawson, everything's been taken care of. We're just waiting to liquidate everything and transfer the funds."

"Understood, thanks for your efforts today."

"It's no trouble at all, all at Mr. Tyler's request."

Freya smiled slightly. Indeed, this was all thanks to Preston.

If not for Preston, she wouldn't have been able to so easily claim all of Johanna and Leland's assets.

Assets that rightfully belonged to her father.

After hanging up, Freya looked up at Alison and said, "It's done. Let's proceed."

"Yes, Miss Dawson."