Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law

He'd spent last night carousing with friends at the pub until after two in the morning before finally heading home. Who would have thought he'd be dragged out of bed by his beautiful cousin now, at just past eight o'clock?

"Hey, sis, let me sleep a little longer," Othiel Evans pleaded, his youthful, handsome face etched with entreaty as he yawned while putting on his suit jacket.

"Sure, sleep for one more minute. But then don't expect me to give you a chance with Adele Horne," Orlando Evans retorted, a hint of irritation in her voice. She sat on the sofa, a cigarette in one hand, one leg casually crossed over the other. She smoked. Only when she was out of sight of the Horne family did she shed her ladylike image. With her nature, what she really loved was a life of debauchery like Othiel's—a life spent hanging out in bars and singing karaoke.

Othiel had seen Adele Horne a few times, though they hadn't interacted much. Adele was attractive, but her temper was foul. Not many capable men were willing to tolerate it, so very few fell in love with her. Yet Othiel was quite interested in her. Men who played the field loved the challenge of conquering women; the more fiery and difficult to subdue, the more it ignited their desire to triumph.

Othiel genuinely liked Adele Horne's feisty attitude. He'd long wanted to make a move on her but had always been blocked by Orlando. Orlando was determined to marry into the Horne family and become its grand mistress. Naturally, she didn't want to hurt Adele before achieving this, even though Adele was quite willful. After all, Adele was Glades Horne's only sister. Even if Glades seemed strict with Adele and appeared undemonstrative, he actually cared for her deeply.

Now that her hopes of marrying into the Horne family were dwindling, she was no longer as kind to Adele as before. Of course, she maintained a pleasant facade. Inwardly, however, she began plotting how to gain Adele's complete trust, trick her out of her bank card with no credit limit and its PIN, and then siphon off a large sum of money.

She urged Othiel to pursue Adele with two objectives. First, by having Othiel become the Hornes' son-in-law, the Evans and Horne families could still become relatives. This would allow her to freely enter and exit the Horne household again and continue pestering Glades Horne. Second, she aimed to use Othiel to control Adele. If Adele fell in love with Othiel, it would be simple. Once a woman is infatuated, she loses all sense of judgment and can be easily manipulated by a man. Then, she and her brother could defraud Adele Horne of all her money.

However, to avoid retaliation from the Horne family, they still needed to be very careful.

Otherwise, even if they managed to drain all of Adele Horne's money, they wouldn't live to spend it.

"Strike the snake at its vital spot. Sis, you really know how to hit where it hurts," Othiel said, still mid-yawn. Orlando's words, however, jolted him awake, and he didn't dare mention sleeping in anymore; it was clear just how deeply interested he was in Adele.

Orlando ignored him, continuing to smoke and blow smoke rings nonchalantly.

Once Othiel was neatly dressed, he walked over to Orlando and struck a pose. "Sis, look at me. Handsome, right?" he asked, flashing a charming smile.

Orlando glanced up. Othiel, now neatly dressed and composed, did look quite handsome. However, his mop of bleached-blond hair, reminiscent of a golden retriever's fur, made her frown. Seeing her frown, Othiel grew a little nervous. Wasn't he handsome enough? The five Horne sons were all tall and dashing; a sharp appearance was crucial if he wanted to win Adele's favor. Othiel had refined features and was good-looking; if he shed his roguish air, he'd be as charming as the heartthrobs in idol dramas, easily capturing girls' attention.

"Do you have a wig?" Orlando suddenly asked.

Although Adele Horne was fashionable and kept up with trends, she particularly disliked dyed hair. Her own hair was always black. She might straighten it, curl it, or style it in other ways, but she would never dye it.

Othiel Evans had met Adele Horne a few times. However, Adele had no particular impression of him, primarily because his dyed hair repulsed her.

"Adele doesn't like people with dyed hair."

"Then I'll go dye it back to black right now," Othiel Evans declared. Dyeing hair was easy enough, after all.

Orlando Evans stood up and impolitely poked Othiel on the nose. "Look at the time! By the time you're done dyeing your hair, it'll be time for afternoon tea."

Othiel Evans rubbed his nose and conceded, "Actually, afternoon tea sounds better. It's too early now; I doubt Adele Horne is even awake yet."

Orlando Evans stubbed out her cigarette, carelessly tossing the butt into the crystal ashtray on the coffee table. She grabbed her expensive LV bag and, with a sway of her hips, headed for the door, calling back to Othiel, who was still standing there, "Come on, let's go get your hair dyed."

Othiel Evans was right. At this hour, Adele Horne wouldn't be awake yet. If Orlando called her out now, Adele would definitely be furious. Their dynamic had always involved Adele being at Orlando's beck and call. Orlando had put up with it for so long; a little more patience wouldn't hurt. For now, it was best not to provoke Adele.

「Emperor hotel.」

The four aspiring kidnappers were growing impatient as they staked out the Emperor hotel. Rich people are so infuriating! Taking forever just for breakfast. Just as their impatience peaked, their target finally appeared, escorted from the hotel by two women and a middle-aged man.

"Grandma, Glades should be here soon. Let's wait a little longer for him," Julia Bluen said, helping the old woman down the high steps at the hotel entrance while trying to persuade her to wait.

For some reason, her heart fluttered uneasily, as if something was about to happen.

Outside the hotel, her gaze turned sharp. Having been on the job for several days, her observation skills had honed to the point where it felt as if she could spot a fly flitting through the sky. Confirming nothing was amiss around the hotel, she retracted her piercing gaze, letting it rest gently on the old woman.

Glades Horne was already on his way, but the old woman insisted the event was about to begin. The drive to the Senior Community Activity Center would take another twenty minutes, meaning they'd arrive close to nine o'clock. The old woman didn't want to be too late and have her old friends say she was putting on airs.

At the Community Activity Center, many of the seniors were ordinary people, unlike her with the aura of the Horne family matriarch. However, once inside the Activity Center, social status vanished; everyone was equal, and the staff treated them all the same. This was why many seniors, bored at home, participated. It was a chance to make friends and alleviate their boredom.