Married To The Disabled Groom

Chapter 1

Scarlet's POV:

It was around 9 p.m. on a Friday night. I was in my room, studying on my laptop, when I heard a knock on the door.

"Oh! Who's there?" I rose from the bed and walked over to the door to see who it was.

As I pulled the door open, I met my mother's gaze.

"Mom, what do you want?" I asked her, and she smiled.

"Scarlet, you have to come with me now. We have a guest in the living room, and your father wants to see you. He has something important to tell you," she said, sounding anxious.

"Mom, what does Dad want to say to me? I already told you I have an exam on Monday, and today is Saturday. I have to study so I can get promoted to neurologist," I muttered, and my mother smiled.

"I know. This will help you in the long run too. Come on," Mom urged me again, and I sighed.

"Fine. Give me a moment to turn off my laptop," I told her as I moved back into my bedroom.

"Can we go now?" I said to my mother after shutting my laptop, and walking out of my room. She smiled and led me downstairs to the living room to meet my father.

"What?" My eyes widened in shock when I saw the tall man in a black shirt and pants standing in the living room with my father.

I immediately recognized him as Aiden Williams, Mr. Jack Tristano's assistant.

"Dad, what's going on here?" I asked my father, who shifted his gaze away from Aiden and offered me a warm smile.

Dad was fair-skinned like me, but he was a very mischievous man.

"Scarlet," Dad said, a warm smile on his face as he walked up to me.

"You know who this man is, right?" Dad asked, and I took a deep breath before replying, "Yes, Dad. I know him. He's Mr. Jack Tristano's assistant, Aiden Williams."

"Good evening, sir," I greeted Aiden. Although he was a young man, probably not even 28 years old, he often came to pick up my younger sister, Annabelle.

Annabelle had been in a relationship with Jack Tristano. They had dated for four years before Jack had an accident two years ago that left him with a spinal cord injury.

Jack was now 30 years old. If not for his condition, he and my younger sister could have been married by now.

But guess what? Annabelle dumped him for his best friend, Henry Kingston—a billionaire CEO too. I couldn't imagine the hurt Jack had to endure.

Annabelle didn't just cheat on Jack with his best friend. She ran away with him to another city, and the news went viral after photos of them surfaced online.

Many fans were furious with Annabelle because they knew how much Jack loved her and took care of her. But she had dumped him and run off with his best friend.

It had been six months, and we hadn't seen Annabelle since. Although some fans expected Jack to sue my sister, he let it go.

Now, I had heard that his parents were looking for a bride for Jack so he wouldn't live alone. After all, he owned a multimillion-dollar company. They wanted a woman to marry him and perhaps have children for him through surrogacy. Since Jack hadn't been born crippled, they hoped he would have an heir and move on with his life.

But Jack had rejected many women, or so I heard, and the price tag attached to any family if he accepted their daughter—or if their daughter agreed to be with him despite his cold demeanor—was $10 million.

You can imagine. I had called my sister to come home, but she refused and wouldn't even discuss Jack.

Annapolis was now 24 years old, and it had been five whole years since she had known Jack, before his condition set in.

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So, back to the present: My father smiled at me and then at Aiden, before saying, "Scarlet, you have to go with Aiden here to Jack's mansion."

"What?" I gasped, nearly fainting.

"Why is that, Dad? Is Aiden here because of Annabelle?" I asked my father, who looked at me and shook his head.

"No, Scarlet. The Tristano family is looking for a wife for Jack, which I'm sure you're aware of. And they offered to pay $10 million to any family if their daughter is willing to marry Jack. Plus, after the wedding, we'll be compensated with an additional $10 million."

"What?!" I looked at my father in disbelief that he wanted me to marry Jack and accept the offer.

Dad had thought about it and decided to trade me off to my sister's ex-boyfriend.

Dad hadn't even cared to ask for my permission first, before inviting Aiden to our house and probably telling him that I had agreed to marry Jack.

"Dad, this is ridiculous! How can you just offer me to Jack Tristano because of money? I'm worth more than $10 million, and I cannot accept this contract marriage!" I told my father, my voice stern. He glared at me.

"Scarlet, I don't have a choice. You're getting old—now 26 years old—and you still don't want to consider being in a relationship. You have to go with Aiden tonight to Mr. Tristano's villa, unless you want me to take drastic steps against you."

"Mmm . . ." My fists clenched as I glared at my father, unable to say anything.

"It's okay, sir. You don't need to force Scarlet to come with me," Aiden spoke up on my behalf, but my father stopped him.

"No, Aiden. This isn't for the money alone. Scarlet is a medical doctor who specializes in spine and brain injuries. I think she is the best compensation I can give to Jack for what my younger daughter, Annabelle, did to him. That's why I called you here, because I know Jack will decline any other offer. Please . . ."

I stood there, watching my father try to trade me off to be with a disabled man—more than that, my sister's ex-boyfriend.

Aiden's shoulders slumped as he looked at me and replied, "I understand, sir. But that's only if Scarlet willingly accepts my boss. He's been difficult lately, and if she is too, then the two of them wouldn't work in a contract marriage."

My father glanced at me and said, "Scarlet, you can make your choice now. Either you go with Aiden here, or you want me to make your life difficult."

"Dad . . ." I frowned, wondering if this man was truly my father. He was being so brutal, and he had never asked me to do anything for him before—except this.

"I don't think Jack will want me," I told my father, who shook his head and replied, "You can only try your chances with him. I believe he will accept you."

"Mm." I closed my eyes tightly.

*Must Dad force me into this?*

"It's okay, honey. I think we should give Scarlet some time to process this," my mother interjected. "We cannot force her to marry Mr. Tristano, like Aiden said."

Mom spoke up on my behalf, knowing it was still uncomfortable to push me into a contract union with my sister's ex—a disabled man, no less.

"No room for Scarlet to think about it," Dad replied sternly. "She must go with Aiden tonight or face my punishment for disobeying me." My father's face was serious.

I looked at him, knowing he meant it and didn't say things he wouldn't do. He didn't hesitate to break his enemies. But I wasn't his enemy; I was his daughter.

"Fine. I'll go with Aiden, but on one condition." I raised my left hand, and they all looked at me.

"If I get there and this contract marriage doesn't work out, then I'll come back home. I have my own life to live." I looked at my parents sternly, and my father sighed with relief.

"That's alright, Scarlet. I know I can trust you to do this, and the marriage will work," Dad said, and I sighed. "Mmm."

I looked away from my father's face and said, "Just give me a moment. Let me go upstairs and pack some of my things. I wasn't aware of this arrangement; if I had been, I could have been prepared."

"It's alright. You can hurry up," my father replied. I turned and went back upstairs to my bedroom to pack a few essentials.