Chapter 2: Hillbilly

That night, William didn't suffer from his usual insomnia; instead, he slept soundly.

In his dream, he saw the scene from ten years ago again. In a small, dark room, a young girl held him with her small body and said in a tender voice, "Don't be afraid. I'm very strong. I will protect you."

William dreamed that he found her, and it felt so real.

At dawn the next morning, William's cousin sister, Abigail Fisher, was already outside her cousin's room, eager for a show.

She hoped to see the country bumpkin woman make a fool of herself and knock down her arrogance.

She leaned her ear against the door, trying hard to hear every move inside. But all she heard were soft, rustling footsteps, completely different from the angry confrontations she had hoped for.

At that moment, the door swung open, and Abigail stumbled and fell to the ground. Slowly, she looked up to find Margaret Scott standing above her, a smug smile on her lips that made Abigail grit her teeth in frustration.

Margaret said provocatively, "Good morning! As you wished, your cousin held me all night, and we got along quite well."

Abigail's eyes darkened, and the intense hostility seemed to solidify, thickening the air around them.

Inwardly, Abigail seethed, 'Country bumpkin, don't even think about marrying into the Fisher family!'

Margaret maintained her unique confidence and ease, indifferent to the hostility of the Fisher family. She had faced far more daunting challenges in her life; these petty schemes from foolish women were nothing she couldn’t handle.

Margaret had her own reasons for being here—a three-month bet with her grandfather, Xavier Scott. If she could endure life with the Fisher family for three months and still remain indifferent to William, the engagement would be called off.

Before she left, Xavier had reminded her, "A bet is a bet. Just three months, and it will fulfill my agreement with Bradley."

Margaret entered the Fisher family home with a playful attitude, but yesterday's series of events made her develop a strong aversion to this family, the wealthiest in Ravenford.

From the moment she stepped inside, Margaret had faced hostility. The Fisher family's servant, Nora Walker, blocked her path, repeatedly spraying disinfectant alcohol in her direction. "A poor girl from the countryside," Nora had sneered. "Who knows how many germs she's carrying? Maybe the germs have infected her brain, making her think she can marry Mr. Fisher!"

Margaret, unwilling to swallow her anger, had directly unscrewed the disinfectant bottle and splashed it on Nora.

"A servant is a servant, and your mouth is especially filthy. It needs a good disinfecting!"

Nora, reeking of alcohol, was caught off guard, and the scene quickly drew the attention—and displeasure—of Daisy Fisher. Nora's actions had been carried out under Daisy's orders, meant to humiliate the girl from the countryside. But Margaret’s fierce and immediate retaliation was unexpected, and it rattled Daisy.

Daisy’s sense of authority, so firmly established within the family, felt suddenly challenged by Margaret’s defiance.

"Indeed, you are from the countryside, so uncultured. We were worried you might carry viruses and bacteria that could infect the Fisher family," Daisy said.

Margaret retorted, "You probably need to disinfect the Fisher family's servant's foul mouth."

What a sharp-tongued country bumpkin!

Daisy was momentarily speechless, her eyes burning with anger.

Abigail also looked at Margaret with disdain.

Seeing Margaret's simple clothes, Abigail showed a look of contempt and continued. "Grandpa's really getting old; his judgment's slipping. Did you take the train? You should've told us; we could've gotten you a plane ticket. But I guess there's no airport out in the boonies, huh?"

Margaret couldn't help but smile. Xavier had originally planned to arrange a private jet to bring her to Ravenford. Still, Margaret didn't want to be too ostentatious and insisted on taking the high-speed train alone.

To her surprise, the entire train was empty except for her, with the crew catering solely to her needs.

It was then she realized that Xavier had booked an entire high-speed train for her!

Margaret felt speechless. Did Xavier think being low-key meant booking an entire train?

Hearing her sarcastic words, Margaret looked at Abigail as if she were an idiot.

Were all the Fisher family members this arrogant?