Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law

Ruby Bluen had hurt Glades Horne, and in her heart, Sovia Morris had already cursed her a million times over. If she didn't want to marry him, why set a wedding date? After setting the date, why run away? What did that even mean? What did she take Glades Horne for? A toy to play with? And if she was going to run, why come back? What in the world was going on at the main Horne family residence? They hadn't even passed on the news of Ruby Bluen's return. Plus, her son was with Ruby, and still no word from them!

Sovia Morris was seething with fury.

"Miss Ruby, may I ask what you are doing here? You are not welcome. Didn't you run away? Why didn't you run further?" When Sovia Morris wasn't being polite, her words were incredibly cutting. That's why people said she was formidable; even the family matriarch said she was like an 'official's wife'—one official, two mouths, meaning no one could win an argument against her.

"Mom!" Marcel Horne's face darkened. He tightly held Ruby Bluen's hand, signaling her not to be afraid.

"Marcel," Ruby Bluen called out softly, using her gaze to reassure him. She wasn't so easily defeated. After all, she had already faced the Horne family's anger and accusations; she didn't mind facing them once more. When she fled the wedding, she knew she couldn't escape their rage and blame.

"Auntie, Glades has married Julia. I am no longer his fiancée; I am just his sister-in-law," Ruby Bluen said, her tone gentle, yet her presence was not diminished.

"It's Glades who dumped you! You played with his feelings. If he still wanted you after that, he'd be a fool. You came back, saw Glades had married your sister, and so now you're latching onto my Marcel, is that it?" Sovia scoffed coldly.

Marcel's expression darkened further, a chill emanating from him. His grip on Ruby Bluen's hand tightened; his mother's accusations against Ruby greatly displeased him.

"Auntie, the person Glades truly loves has always been my sister Julia, and the one I truly love has always been Marcel. Glades and I were simply on the wrong path together for six years; it wasn't true love," Ruby Bluen explained, hoping to lessen Sovia Morris's hostility towards her.

This was the first time she'd seen an aunt defend her nephew so fiercely.

"I don't care who your true love is, just stay away from my Marcel! What kind of family do you think the Hornes are? Even for your Bluen family, marrying into ours would be considered marrying up. If you were with my Marcel, how could he show his face in public?" Sovia said coldly, her tone unyielding.

Ruby Bluen had almost become the young mistress of the Horne family—a fact known throughout T City. She had jilted Glades Horne and fled the wedding; by now, many in T City surely knew. Glades Horne was no longer suppressing the truth, so there was no reason for gossipmongers not to find out. Now that Ruby Bluen was with her son, what would people say? They'd say the Horne men couldn't stay away from Bluen women. They'd say the young masters of the Horne family were played by the Bluen ladies—jilting the older brother for the younger. She couldn't bear to hear such talk. In her heart, her son was the best. If everyone started gossiping about him, it would severely damage his image, especially since he was a soldier. No matter what, she didn't want Ruby Bluen with her son. To think she had once been rather fond of Ruby, even had a good impression of her! She never imagined Ruby would be so indiscriminate when it came to love. Now, all that previous goodwill had vanished, replaced by nothing but overwhelming anger. If it weren't for her son, she might have furiously grabbed a broom and chased Ruby out of the house!

"Mom, why is it so unacceptable for me to be with Ruby?" Marcel Horne countered coldly, his icy gaze fixed on his mother. "Ruby is unwed, and I'm unmarried. We grew up together, childhood sweethearts. Why can't I be with her? Even if she was once my brother's fiancée, hasn't he married Julia now? Everyone can see how obvious my brother's love for Julia is. Does the fact that I'm also a Horne and Ruby was once my brother's fiancée mean we can't be together? What law or rule have we broken by being together?"

Marcel Horne had never spoken to his mother in such a cold tone. He was truly furious now, so his tone was naturally harsh. He had worried about these issues before, but facing them now, he realized reality was far more severe than he had imagined, and all the negativity was directed at Ruby.

Hearing his mother speak about Ruby that way made his heart clench.

"Marcel, what kind of tone is that? That's your mother! Watch your attitude," Old Horne, sitting nearby, immediately chided sternly when he heard his son coldly rebutting his wife.

"Sisters marrying into the same family—only your Bluen family could come up with such a scheme! Yes, that way your Bluen family becomes solid in-laws with the Hornes, elevating your status in T City even further. Chris Bluen and Scarlett Taylor are truly clever, raising two such 'outstanding' daughters," Sovia Morris retorted, her tone even more sarcastic after Marcel's defiance. She even dragged Chris Bluen, his wife, and Julia into her tirade.

"Auntie," Ruby's tone also turned serious. This was a private matter between her and Marcel; it had nothing to do with their parents. She didn't want Sovia to drag her parents into this. "If you don't like me, or if you don't like me being with Marcel, you can speak ill of us. But please, don't bring my parents or Julia into this. These are my personal feelings and have nothing to do with them. The Bluen family can survive in this world perfectly fine without being in-laws with the Horne family."

"You..."

Before Sovia Morris could say more, Marcel Horne stood up, his face dark. He pulled Ruby up with him and said coldly, "Dad, Mom, this is between Ruby and me. I'm the one marrying her. Whether you agree or not, Ruby is the only one I want in this lifetime. I have to return to the base. We're leaving now." With that, he pulled Ruby towards the door and walked out.

Anger radiated from him, but he struggled to suppress it; these were his parents, and he couldn't lash out at them. Besides, his relationship with Ruby must have been too sudden for his parents to accept immediately. He could understand that. He would give his parents time to accept it. Even if they ultimately didn't, he would still marry Ruby. As long as Ruby was willing, that was all that mattered.