Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law

It all began one summer night six years ago.

Ruby Bluen stayed at the office until eleven o'clock that night, working overtime. She had just taken on her job and was still getting the hang of things, which meant she had to work harder than anyone else. Chris Bluen wouldn't cut her any slack just because she was his daughter. On the contrary, he was even stricter with her. If she didn't perform well, he would deduct her salary.

After leaving the company, she was driving back to Grande Court Garden when, on a quiet stretch of road, her car was suddenly blocked by several others. Several men stepped out of these vehicles, all of whom were young executives who relentlessly pursued her. Their companies were small to medium-sized, and they looked up to the Bluen consortium as a behemoth they could only dream of partnering with. Becoming Chris Bluen's son-in-law would hugely benefit their careers and family businesses. Despite their months of pursuit, they had not even touched Ruby's hand. The men didn't truly love Ruby but were tantalized by her beauty. They conspired to intercept her and force her to choose one of them. If she refused to give them an answer, they decided one man would assault her. If that man succeeded in marrying Ruby, he would have to share some benefits with the others who helped.

In the end, they were all driven by profit.

Ruby had no interest in these men and had rejected them numerous times. That night, when they stopped her mid-journey and forced her to make a choice, her stubbornness prevented her from giving in. As a result, they overpowered her, pinned her onto the hood of her car, and let one of the men begin to assault her.

Because this part of the road was usually quiet, there were barely any people or vehicles passing by after nine in the evening. Ruby, a delicate woman, was no match for several men. She struggled desperately, screaming for help, but nobody came to her rescue. The occasional passing cars, too afraid to get involved, sped by.

She thought her life would be destroyed at the hands of these men.

She was in utter despair. Just as one of the men began tearing open her white-collar suit and pushing up her skirt, Glades Horne suddenly appeared.

She didn't understand how Glades Horne happened to be passing by that area. That road was on the way to Grande Court Garden, while the Horne Family lived in Golden Kirin Garden.

Ever since Glades Horne had taken over the Valence Group, he always had two bodyguards with him. Initially, when he saw the injustice, he instructed his bodyguards to get out of the car and help. However, when the bodyguards informed him that the woman being bullied was Ruby Bluen, he was furious and personally got out of the car. He started punching the men without needing any assistance from his bodyguards. With his own strength, he beat the men until they were crying and wailing, begging for mercy on their knees.

Ruby still remembered how those men kept pleading, "Young Master Horne, please spare our lives..."

With a kick, Glades sent the man who intended to assault Ruby tumbling to the ground, his foot pressing down on the man's chest. His handsome face was as dark as a thundercloud as he coldly glared at the man. Then, he lifted the trembling Ruby from the hood of her car into his arms, protecting her. He said icily to the men, "You dare touch Glades Horne's girlfriend!"

The men were shocked to learn that Ruby was Glades Horne's girlfriend, as no one had heard about their relationship. But with Glades declaring it, who would dare to touch Ruby again?

Ruby herself was taken aback by his words.

She thought he said so to intimidate those men and thus protect her. Despite being only twenty-six and new to managing the Valence Group, Glades's assertiveness was already becoming legendary in the business world. Many people had started to fear him. Having the identity of Glades Horne's girlfriend would indeed keep anyone from daring to scheme against her.

Once the men had scrambled away to save their lives, Glades let her go. He straightened her disheveled clothes and smoothed her hair. Speaking softly, he said, "Why so late? Working overtime? Don't stay this late again. If I hadn't just been dropping Julia home, you would surely have..." Glades didn't finish his sentence.

"Thank you, Glades. I didn't expect those men to keep troubling me like this. I've clearly rejected them many times, yet they're still relentless." Ruby, still recovering from the shock, quickly thanked Glades.

Hearing Ruby's words, Glades spoke with a hint of resentment. "I really shouldn't have let them get away just now. I should have sent them all to the Police Station for some free meals. I could have sued them to death!"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly looked intently at Ruby. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Ruby, from now on, just act as my girlfriend. That way, no one will dare hurt you again, even if you return home after midnight. Plus, I can avoid the arranged marriages my family is pushing on me."

"Glades..." Ruby's face turned crimson, uncertain whether to refuse or accept.

At the time, she thought Glades was just speaking offhand and didn't take it to heart.

But afterwards, Glades began to pick her up for work every day, treating her with even more kindness than before. While she was still puzzled by his actions, Glades had already informed his family that Ruby Bluen was his girlfriend. The Horne Family and the Bluen Family were already close, and the news of their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend made both families very happy. From then on, Glades enjoyed some peace, Ruby was safe, and all of T City knew about their relationship.

Back then, Ruby hadn't yet fully understood the depth of her feelings for Marcel Horne. When Marcel heard the news, he joined the military without a word. And just like that, she found herself, bewilderingly, Glades Horne's girlfriend.

However, as she grew older and spent time with Glades, she realized that she always regarded him more as a brother. In her heart, the man who kept haunting her thoughts was Marcel. By that time, Glades seemed to have fallen in love with her (Glades himself even believed he had fallen for her). He treated her so well, was so caring, and became even kinder to her sister. She didn't know how to explain this to Glades. With each passing day, his assertiveness grew, and she feared that revealing the truth might enrage him, leading him to take revenge on the Bluen Family.

Throughout those six years, she had tried to explain to both families, but nobody believed her.