Forced into Marriage by My Aunt

In my previous life, my aunt Anna, whom I once helped, destroyed my career with rumors because I refused to get married. She pressured me to commit suicide in the name of "womanly virtue."

She even scattered my ashes under the guise of "disloyalty and unfilial conduct" for not getting married.

Then she turned around and took over all my assets.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day my aunt begged me for help.

She knelt on the ground, speaking earnestly, "Isabella, please take the blame for your uncle!"

*****

After my death, I floated in the air as a spirit for some time.

I heard Anna wailing while holding my body, claiming that her adopted daughter was dead.

I saw my grandparents supporting each other as they hobbled over to my body.

The elderly couple, with their failing eyesight, clung to Anna and began to wail.

The company official rushed to the scene in a panic. However, Anna flung my body aside and grabbed the official.

She shouted, "If you don't pay a million dollars in compensation, I will tell everyone you are negligent with human lives."

The corners of my mouth twisted into a mocking smile.

I never thought that a nobody like me, coming from the countryside, would be worth so much money.

Anna left triumphantly after getting a million dollars.

I watched as my grandparents struggled to gather my remains.

My body was too heavy. Anna had taken all my money, even what little my grandparents had, leaving them penniless.

The rural village where I grew up was several miles away from here.

The elderly couple, already old and frail, couldn't take my body back to the village for burial. They had to cremate me.

Somehow, Anna got word of this.

I watched as she shoved my grandparents to the ground and snatched my ashes.

She cursed me for being disloyal and unfilial for not getting married, while she poured my ashes into a filthy trash can.

My grandparents couldn't protect my ashes. They could only kneel on the ground and silently weep.

I watched this scene unfold, with resentment and anger filling my chest.

When stray dogs came to lick my ashes, I felt a searing pain deep within my soul.

I would rather die under the wheels of a car than end up in a trash can, devoured by stray dogs!

"When do you want to go back to?" a voice suddenly echoed in my ears.

My body throbbed with intense pain. I gritted my teeth and replied, "Take me back to the moment my aunt asked for help."

My consciousness plunged into darkness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the year I had just joined the company.

The lively sound of firecrackers echoed in my ears. "Christmas' countdown..."

My aunt Anna, dressed in a red coat, knelt before me. "Isabella, please save your uncle!"

My grandfather, seated at the head of the table, frowned in disapproval. "Why are you kneeling before a younger generation during Christmas? This is bad luck for Isabella!

"Get up!"

Despite my grandfather's scolding, Anna continued to kneel at my feet. "Isabella, please save your uncle!"

I suppressed my hatred for Anna and calmly asked, "What's wrong with Uncle? I'm just a new intern. How can I help him?"

Anna first glanced cautiously at my grandfather. Then she whispered, "Your uncle was set up!

"That little brat trapped your uncle, forcing him to embezzle company funds. Now that the truth is out, prison is the only thing waiting for him!"

My grandfather angrily slammed his wine glass down. "He deserves it! How dare he do something illegal knowing the consequences!"

"Dad!" Anna cried out, fear evident in her eyes. "If Elias really goes to jail, Jayden's future will be ruined!"

Elias is my uncle. Jayden is his son.

In my previous life, Anna used Jayden's future to threaten my grandfather and me.

2

"What's all this noise?" A tall young man walked in from outside.

He was dressed in an expensive suit. When he looked at me and Grandpa, there was a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"Grandpa, Isabella."

Grandpa held back his anger, smiling warmly as he took Jayden's hand, asking how he was doing.

Anna had already stood up the moment Jayden entered.

Now she sat beside me, tears still glistening at the corners of her eyes.

Anna whispered to me, "Isabella, look how much Grandpa loves Jayden..."

I looked up at the warm scene between Grandpa and his grandson.

"You don't want Jayden to lose his bright future because of his father, do you?"

It seemed Grandpa had heard Anna's words.

I heard Grandpa suddenly change the subject. "Jayden, what field do you plan to go into?"

Jayden answered with a smile, "I want to go into politics."

Grandpa's blue eyes showed a flicker of something difficult to read.

I knew what was about to happen, so I spoke up before Anna could. "Going into politics requires a background check, right?"

I spoke sincerely, with a hint of concern. "Shouldn't you wait until I find my biological parents first? What if they're murderers..."

I guessed that politics was just a way for Anna and Jayden to control me, so I used the search for my biological parents to break the situation.

Anna pinched my arm. "How do you know about your background?"

Jayden was clearly stunned, and even Grandpa furrowed his brow.

I was a foundling Grandpa had picked up from a trash can. Anna had casually revealed this after my ashes were scattered.

She cursed me for being ungrateful, for following the trend of not getting married like people online.

She called me trash picked up from a trash can, saying that even in death, I belonged there.

"Isabella," Jayden's expression softened as he looked at me, his gaze filled with an unexpected tenderness. "But it's easier for recent graduates to pass the civil service exam..."

I smiled without responding.

Anna was anxious, her sharp nails digging into my flesh.

"Oh, right," I said, watching the strained smile on her face. I couldn't help but laugh inside. "I must have been confused."

Seeing Anna and Jayden visibly relax, I continued calmly, "I hadn't considered that you might not pass the exam on the first try."

Everyone's expressions soured.

Grandpa set his wine glass on the table and looked at me. "It's Christmas. Don't say such things."

He then looked at Anna. "We'll discuss Elias's situation after the Christmas."

Just as the argument seemed to be ending, Anna suddenly knelt before Grandpa, desperate. "Dad! If Elias really goes to jail, I'll hang myself and Jayden at the front door!"

She pointed at me, and her eyes bloodshot. "Are you really going to sacrifice your daughter and grandson for a bastard?"

My relatives were threatening death, all because of family blood.

Grandpa's face turned pale.

I could no longer maintain my outward smile. My fists clenched as a cold chill gripped my heart.

Jayden, right in front of us, smashed a porcelain plate and then picked up a shard, holding it to his neck. "Grandpa, if you insist on abandoning my parents, then I'll have to die in front of you!"

Grandma, who was supposed to be preparing a late-night snack in the kitchen, rushed in when she heard the commotion.

Panicked, she tried to snatch the shard from Jayden's hand, but it cut her arm.

Jayden held the bloody shard to his neck again. "Grandpa, we can't delay my father's situation any longer."

Cold sweat soaked my back.

Grandpa looked at me with pleading eyes, as if begging me to agree to Anna's unreasonable demands.

In my previous life, the sorrowful cries of the two elders still echoed in my ears.

But if I agreed with Anna, I would be facing the same deadly end as in my previous life.

I closed my eyes and left the room without looking back

3

In the freezing weather, I walked around the dilapidated mud house a few times, trying to find a way out of this deadly situation.

As I passed the familiar corner again, I saw a small, shadowy figure.

He was curled up under the tree.

When he saw me, he instinctively tried to hide behind the tree.

"Who is it?" I asked fearfully as I picked up the hoe Grandpa used for farming. I walked cautiously toward the shadow.

Just as I raised the hoe, the shadow suddenly lunged at me.

"Ahhh!"

We both screamed at the same time.

I heard Grandpa's anxious footsteps from inside the house. "Isabella, what's wrong?"

A group of people rushed over, shining flashlights on the shadow.

It was a boy, covered in dirt and grime.

While we were all confused, Anna suddenly rushed over and grabbed the boy's hand.

She was excited. "Jayden, call your father right away. Tell him we've found Mr. Harris's son, Dylan!"

I subtly examined Dylan in front of me, my gaze flickering.

Matthew was my uncle Elias's boss. He was a key figure in uncovering his crimes.

From my past life, I recalled that Matthew's son had gone missing in the countryside due to a mental disability.

Someone had provided information on the missing boy and ended up taking Elias's position.

If Elias managed to use this boy to make a comeback, it would be difficult for me to seek revenge in this life.

Seeing Anna's excited expression, I was sure her thoughts were the same as mine.

But I couldn't let Anna have her way.

Fortunately, I remembered why Dylan had gone missing.

Whether I could seize this opportunity depended on how much Matthew cared for his son.

Matthew arrived quickly.

Alongside him was Elias, who was hunched over, wearing a fawning expression.

Matthew walked briskly to the boy but hesitated slightly when he saw me.

I was about to greet Matthew when Anna shoved me aside.

She spoke humbly, "Mr. Harris! We found your son while we were out for a walk."

Matthew's smile remained unchanged while Elias stood by, visibly excited.

In the next second, Dylan suddenly shouted, "No! It was Isabella who found me!"

Anna's expression changed. She probably couldn't understand why this seemingly simple boy would contradict her.

Matthew was momentarily stunned but quickly embraced his son. "Isabella? Is it this young lady?"

His gaze turned to me.

I gave a humble smile.

It paid off that I had whispered in Dylan's ear all night.

After all, Matthew's son had run away simply because he found his caretaker too noisy.

Finally, after being egged on by his brother, he ran out of the villa.

Last night, I had threatened Dylan, telling him that if he didn't say what I wanted, I would repeat the threat in his ear day and night.

Dylan had been terrified by my threats and naturally obeyed.

4

After Matthew left with his son, Anna was so furious that she nearly fainted.

Elias took Anna back to their room to rest.

Only Jayden and I were left standing face to face.

"You're still as clever as ever, Isabella," Jayden said with a fake smile. "I just hope you'll still be smiling in a few days."

I smiled back. "If you want to help your father, why not just hang yourself at the company?"

Jayden had nothing to say and stormed back to his room in anger.

I stared at the closed door in front of me, my thoughts drifting back to my previous life.

In my previous life, I had agreed to Anna's request out of family loyalty, only to be tricked into taking the fall for Elias's crime.

I should have faced prison, but Matthew had seen through the lies and saved my life.

Later, after Elias was ousted, I became the new manager's secretary.

Because I was diligent and had a bright future, Anna didn't blame me for Elias's downfall.

I felt both grateful and guilty toward Anna, so I often used my position to help Jayden.

In the end, Anna reported me just because I said at a family dinner that I didn't want to get married.

My death wasn't a suicide.

It was Anna who recorded a video of me with Jayden in a compromising situation.

I tried to calm the resentment in my heart and swallow the sadness I felt.

The footsteps approached from behind.

It was Grandpa.

He was carrying a suitcase in his hand.