Chapter 3 Even If I Rot, That Bitch Gets Nothing The entire Tate family crowded around to look at the engagement document-and sure enough, the bride's name was Mandy. "Mr. Austin, I only have one daughter, and that's Yvonne. There must be some mistake with the name!" John said. Even now, the Tate family chose to lie to themselves, convinced that the Yale family had made an error. Pathetic. And ridiculous. Austin curved his lips into a faint smile. "This was a marriage arranged by my grandfather long ago. And the woman I, Austin, am to marry... is naturally the daughter Madam Tate gave birth to later on. The Yale family doesn't make mistakes." So, the Yale family had thoroughly investigated Mandy's background-even down to her true birth. Clearly, they weren't easy to fool. John glanced at the dowry and couldn't hide his temptation. The wealth on display was staggering. Whatever the case, it was best to accept the dowry first. He could always find a way to pressure Mandy into handing the marriage over to Yvonne later. Mandy had caught every flicker of John's expression and already knew what he was thinking. "Mr. Austin, who should be in charge of keeping the dowry?" she asked. Austin raised his brows slightly. "By tradition, it should be handed to your parents." Mandy nodded-and then dropped a bomb. "I only recognize my adoptive parents. They're not here. We should go to their home and hand it to them in person." Austin was surprised. Wasn't she supposed to be spineless? Where had this clarity come from? "Alright. Let's go to your home, then." Mandy stood with him and led the way out. Behind them, Grant unceremoniously took the red booklet from Yvonne's hands. The Tate family stood frozen, stunned. "Mr. Austin... Mr. Austin...!" John stammered, unable to believe what was happening. "Please don't go, Mr. Austin!" They scrambled after him in a panic. But outside, dozens of bodyguards were already in place. Mandy and Austin got into the car without a word, leaving the Tate family behind the barricade, helpless to do anything but watch the Rolls-Royce pull away. Yvonne stared at the retreating car, eyes burning with hatred as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why does Mandy have to steal everything from me the moment she returns? I wouldn't care about anything else, but this... this was supposed to be my marriage! It's so unfair..." "Yvonne, don't cry. You still have your mother," Jade cooed, pulling Yvonne into her arms, her heart aching from the sudden turn of events. "Dear, you need to think of something fast. We can't let Mandy steal Yvonne's future like this!" John hadn't expected the Yale family to show up with a formal proposal today. Now that things had spiraled out of control, he had a pounding headache. "Yvonne, don't worry. Trust your dad. The one who marries into the Yale family will be you." ... In the backseat of the stretched Rolls-Royce, Mandy could feel the burning heat radiating from Austin. It made her uncomfortable. She instinctively shifted away from him and rolled down the window for fresh air, but it didn't help much. They reached the old part of town, where Mandy led Austin down a series of dark alleys, turning left and right until they reached her adoptive parents' home. It was a shabby two-bedroom apartment, barely fifty square meters. Her adoptive mother, Lina Jones, petite and frail, was sitting outside doing laundry. When she saw Mandy, she hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron. She wanted to hug her, but seeing Mandy dressed in expensive designer clothes, she hesitated, eyes misty with emotion. "Mandy! Why are you back so suddenly? Your dad and I are doing fine. You didn't need to make a trip just for us." "Mom..." Choking back her tears, Mandy hugged her tight. This was her real mother. The only one she recognized. Lina caught sight of the striking man behind Mandy and grew wary. "Mandy, these people are...?" "Mom, let's talk inside." In the narrow living room, Mandy brought over two chairs for Austin and Grant. Austin explained the reason for their visit and handed the engagement documents and dowry list to her adoptive parents. After seeing the amount of wealth and meeting Austin himself, the couple was stunned. But whatever he said, they just nodded along in agreement. When it was all over, Mandy personally walked them out of the alley. Oddly enough, once Austin was gone, that oppressive discomfort vanished. Maybe he's just unlucky. Because of this engagement, the Tate family had gone to great lengths to force her into breaking it off. But for some reason, Austin refused to cancel. As a result, she was pressured endlessly by the Tates. In her last life, this marriage was part of the reason she met such a miserable end. No matter what, she wasn't letting it go now. Even if she had to let it rot, she'd never hand it over to that bitch Yvonne. That night, she shared a small dinner with her adoptive parents in the cramped living room. Her adoptive father, Brandon Lewis, had bought steak just to make her something nice. "Mandy, eat more. You've lost weight again. Tomorrow I'll buy a few cases of milk. Drink three bottles a day and get your weight back up." "Okay. Thanks, Dad." "No need for thanks. A father's duty is to love his daughter." Lina had even bought a new set of sheets and bedding just for her. They did everything they could to give her the best they had. Her adoptive parents had always given her real, unconditional love. Turns out, she'd always had a family that loved her. In her last life, she foolishly obsessed over blood ties and neglected the ones who raised her. She deeply regretted it now. Mandy made up her mind to take good care of them from now on. Their home was an old building-damp, dark, and sunless. Even on good days, sunlight never reached the rooms. It was time to get them a better house. Lying in her tiny bedroom, Mandy felt completely at ease for the first time in ages. Night fell completely, but she felt more awake than ever. Unable to sleep, she went out for a walk. At the corner of a street, she spotted a car accident. A sedan had crashed into a guardrail and was smoking. Paramedics were placing someone into an ambulance. Beside the wreck, a faint, translucent figure stood in a daze, shouting at the scene in confusion. "What's going on?! Why can't you see me? Can't you hear me?!" "Hey!" ... The ambulance drove off. The man remained frozen in place, still unwilling to accept that he was dead-clearly confused and panicked. Mandy had seen plenty like him in the underworld. Some ghosts refused to report to the underworld and wandered the mortal realm. Sooner or later, the grim reaper would come to collect them by force. Mandy had an idea. She walked up and spoke to the ghost. "Hey. You're dead." The man looked up, stunned by the pretty, delicate girl standing in front of him. "You... you can see me? You can hear me?"