"Ava Hayes, let’s break up. Turns out I’m actually the heir of the Croft family in Jing City. You, a small-time village herbalist, just aren’t good enough for me anymore."
Ava had just picked up her boyfriend—well, now Lucas Croft’s—call, thinking she’d finally tell him the bombshell: she was actually the long-lost daughter of the powerful Hayes family. But then bam, that was the first thing out of his mouth.
Not good enough? Seriously?
Was he kidding?
Her medicines were insanely expensive—rich folks fought over them! She’d sold countless batches at Jing City’s top auctions.
And he had the nerve to say she wasn’t good enough?!
"Now that I’ve got this new status, obviously I’ll need to marry someone on my level. But hey, since you dated me for two months, I can cut you a deal. You can still stick around as my girlfriend until I marry someone rich. Even after I get hitched, I don’t mind keeping you—financially, of course..."
Ava snapped. "Are you out of your mind? Fine, we’re done. Don’t ever call me again!"
And with that, she hung up.
Across from her, a man with striking features raised an eyebrow.
"What now? Isn’t the heiress of the Hayes family a bit too awesome to get dumped?"
Ava looked up and gave him a bright grin.
"Funny enough, he just told me he’s suddenly the heir of some big-name family too—and that I’m not worthy of him."
She paused, then asked suspiciously, "Hey, is this some new con thing? You so-called heirs and heiresses popping up left and right, this isn’t some scam group, is it?"
The man looked surprised at first, then chuckled.
"No scam. You really are the missing daughter of the Hayes family in Jing City."
Ava gave a nonchalant "oh," took off her herbal basket, and sat down to sort through the freshly picked herbs.
"So who are you, really? And why are you here instead of my actual parents?"
The man glanced around at the worn-down mud walls, then studied the woman casually perched on the stool.
"If everything goes as planned, I’ll be your future husband. I’m Ethan Sullivan, the Sullivan family’s eldest son in Jing City."
Ava nearly lost her balance and fell right off her stool. She stared at him wide-eyed.
"Excuse me? Future husband?"
"Yep," he said casually. "Although, as you can see, I’m in a wheelchair now—just got injured last month."
Ethan gestured to his legs and gave a half-smile.
Ava blinked and nodded. "Yeah, I noticed. But what’s all that got to do with me?"
Then it hit her. She gasped, "Wait, don’t tell me… You’re saying I’m actually the biological daughter of the Hayes family, and my dear birth parents want to take me back just to marry me off to you?"Ethan nodded, a glimmer of approval in his eyes. “You guessed it.”
Ava blinked a few times.
He went on, “Yeah, got dumped too. Blame the whole 'legs don’t work' thing.”
Ava caught on instantly.
“So the one who was supposed to marry you was the fake daughter of the Hayes family, but once you got injured, she bailed?”
Ethan nodded again. “Exactly. Nailed it.”
Ava couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “You really don’t seem too upset about it.”
Ethan replied casually, “Your boyfriend just dumped you too. You don’t look heartbroken yourself.”
“Please, he’s trash. Good riddance.” Ava shrugged like it was no big deal.
Ethan looked at her, the admiration in his eyes growing deeper.
“Seems like you’ve got a strong heart.”
Ava gave a quick scoff. “Of course. Wasting tears on someone who doesn’t deserve them? That’s just dumb.”
Honestly, she only started dating Lucas Croft because she saved his life two years ago. After that, the guy wouldn’t leave her alone, always coming around all sweet and grateful. He kept saying she was the one for him. He wasn’t bad-looking either, and since he helped out around the herb garden and kept other guys from bothering her, she figured she might as well.
Who knew as soon as he became some elite heir, he’d completely switch faces?
Ethan chuckled. “Same here. Just some shallow ex. Honestly, not marrying her feels like a win.”
He and Isabelle Hayes never had feelings for each other. Their engagement? Just another arranged deal his grandpa cooked up for business reasons.
But after he lost the use of his legs, Isabelle’s parents clearly didn’t want their daughter stuck with a disabled husband. Still, they couldn’t afford to cut ties with the Sullivans, the top family in Jing City. So instead, they tried to rope in Ava—the real daughter—to fill the spot.
Ava didn’t beat around the bush. “Funny timing though. Right after your accident, my supposed birth parents show up, offering me as your bride instead of their precious fake daughter.”
She gave a cold laugh. “So they’ve probably known I was their kid all along, just thought I wasn’t worth anything and left me rotting outside the family.”
Ethan didn’t try to sugarcoat it. “That’s very likely.”
Ava let out another bitter chuckle. If that was true, her birth parents were seriously heartless.
Still, one thing didn’t add up.
“If you already see through the Hayes family’s little game, why not just call the whole thing off? Why go along with it at all?”"I looked into your background. You're a village doctor selling herbs or whatever, apparently pretty famous in your area. Heard you’ve got some unique treatments and helped cure a bunch of stuff the big hospitals gave up on. My legs are done for. I’ve had top doctors from all over the country check me out for a whole month—nothing worked. That’s why I came here myself, to figure out if this marriage deal is a total bust or maybe my lucky break."
Ethan Sullivan didn’t beat around the bush—he came straight to the point.
Ava Hayes raised an eyebrow, finding his honesty kind of refreshing.
"So now you've seen for yourself—I’m just a countryside nobody. And those so-called birth parents? Don’t even try to hide how much they don’t want me. Still, you’re fine with marrying someone who’s just a backup bride from the real family?"
Ethan looked her dead in the eye.
At first glance, she didn’t exactly scream ‘rich girl’.
Her skin wasn’t that pale, soft kind most heiresses had—it leaned more tan, like she actually spent time outdoors. But it gave her an extra kind of energy.
If you looked closely, you'd see her features were actually quite delicate—especially her eyes. Bright and clear, with a spark to them, like weeds growing stubborn in harsh ground.
Ethan’s gaze held a kind of respect as he said plainly, "Yeah, after meeting you, I’m sure I want to marry you. Just not sure if you’re willing to give me that chance."
Ava glanced at his face—it was absurd, how good-looking he was. One of those faces you’d recognize instantly even in a crowd.
His features were sharp, bone structure on point, and his expression calm yet firm.
Most impressive though, was that even after something as tough as losing the ability to walk, his eyes were still so clear—no bitterness, no fear.
Her eyes dropped to his legs. "What happened to them?"
"Got attacked last month. Someone beat them up with a stick. Specialists checked them out and said there’s no fixing them—I’ll never stand again."
"Roll up your pants. Let me take a look." Ava didn’t hesitate at all.
"Alright."
Ethan did as told, pulling up his pant leg to reveal bruised and battered knees and calves.
Ava frowned, set aside the herbs in her hand, and got up. She walked over, knelt down, and pressed lightly around his knees.
The pain made him clench his brows, but he didn’t make a sound.
"They can be healed."
That was her verdict.
As soon as Ethan heard it, his eyes lit up like somebody flipped a switch inside him.
Thinking of how her birth parents couldn’t care less about her, Ava decided she was done playing nice. She’d go back to the Hayes family and deal with things properly. She clapped the dust from her hands and sat back down.
"I'll marry you."
Ethan raised a brow. "What’s the catch?"
Ava tilted her head, grinned so big it lit up her whole face.
"Come on, marrying you doesn’t need a catch. You’re this ridiculously handsome guy. If I fix your legs, wouldn’t that be hitting the jackpot?"
Ethan blinked, clearly not expecting compliments that blunt. His brow arched even higher, and he let out a low laugh.
"Okay then, it’s a deal. I’ll wait for you to go back to the Hayes family."
