Forced Marriage: Escaping Her Monster

Jonathan Erling?

Isn't Rose a relative of that vampire?

Summon? Audience? Is he a King? 

Jerlina's eyes ended up at Mikhail and he bowed his head. Judging by how he found it hard to swallow, Jerlina inferred that he is stressed.

  "Why would he want to meet me?" Jerlina asked, placing the spoon down. 

She somehow managed to finish that bowl of porridge just by thinking of Joel.

He'd have hated it!

Alexander took a deep breath. His wrinkled face looked troubled and his eyes were red with nerves popping out.

Old people shouldn't get this stressed.

Jerlina felt bad for him.

"What has your grandpa told you about your grandma?" he asked, interlocking his fingers and resting his chin on them.

Jerlina knew he should have meant her dad's father.

"Grandma died in an accident when my dad was very young. He had a picture of her and I stored it in the attic. She was a nurse and he told me that she was very reserved and kind..."

Jerlina bowed her head as she remembered something else. It was weird that she remembered it only now when she was asked to talk about her grandma. 

But once when he was drunk, he told her that she was bubbly, bratty, and spoiled... Well...

"Which grandma?" Alexander asked and Jerlina was shocked.

"Which one? My grandpa was married only once and-" She paused seeing Alexander looking at her like he knows something.

Alexander has already gotten news that Jerlina is getting searched for by Gordon Faraday. If he started searching, he will find her. 

And she will have to meet him.

Alexander didn't want Jerlina to hear about her grandpa from that scum's mouth first. He wanted to tell her the truth himself.

The truth! And not some version of the truth!s

"Your grandpa Edward, was first married to Delvina Erling, Jonathan Erling's firstborn daughter – daughter of his first and probably only love Aniko Corvin," Alexander said and Jerlina's heart skipped a beat.

My grandma was not my only grandma? Why didn't grandpa... Wait...

"Who was my dad's mom then?" she asked. 

If everything is causing trouble for her, there should be more to it.

"You look a lot like Delvina... except your eyes and nose...and your disposition, temperament... You're not her, thankfully."

Jerlina was stunned and Mikhail was stunned too. He probably hears it for the first time.

"...Ah?" Jerlina was lost for words. 

So my grandma was not the one I thought was? 

"You knew my grandmother?" she asked. She didn't know why she was a little happy to learn about her dad's real mother. 

But why is Alexander getting angry?

"We grew up together... She was...bratty and a shrewd," Alexander's face contorted with disgust.

"Her mother died giving birth to her and he was just sixteen when his daughter was born. He was a kid and he raised a kid he considered his love's reincarnation and she ended up growing up spoiled. We all advised Edward to be careful with her... But heart..." his glance turned towards Mikhail as if he was accusing him of something.

Oh? Is it because Rose is also from the Erling family?

What did Delvina Erling do?

"As you know, the Hamilton's were royalty. Jonathan who was from a fallen noble family, had wealth but no one dared to touch him with a ten-foot pole because of the bad name attached to his family's name. You don't need the details except that they chose to support the losing side of a historical war and they ended up as pariahs," Alexander coughed and Mikhail poured him a glass of warm water.

"Careful, grandpa," he helped him drink and Jerlina could see how much Mikhail loves his grandpa.

So that happened. She didn't know which historical war and she didn't care.  If the Erling family lost, then the Hamilton family won?

So was there jealousy and hate involved?

"Jonathan felt it was a good time to get back and he asked for something scandalous at that time as a betrothal gift... We all advised Hamilton but he... Patrick knows all this..." Alexander sighed. "Edward gave up all the patents registered to the Hamilton name to Erling... He stole it! That b@stard! He used his daughter and..."

Well, if grandpa willingly gave it up, then it is not stealing, is it?

Jerlina wanted to say that but seeing Alexander stressed out, didn't say it out loud.

"Love? That's not love! What about the blood and sweat of your ancestors who built up that company from nothing? Is love that great? Maybe because his ancestors cursed him for being an ingrate, his married life wasn't great either. She got pregnant soon after they got married and she... didn't want the child not to spoil her looks," Alexander gritted his teeth.

"Medicine wasn't great like these days and abortions weren't that safe then... The doctors advised her to carry the baby to term for her safety. She was not pleased... She actually tried to kill..." Alexander didn't even want to say it.

"...Somehow your dad surivived... he was born very early and they kept him wrapped up for weeks for him to survive...They didn't have incubators as developed as now and... your dad was a premie... maybe that's why his brain was underdeveloped and he let you suffer..."

Alexander didn't fail to mention her dad's stupidity in the middle.

"Delvina... She took off! Her father protected her. Edward begged her to come back but she didn't. She didn't even take one look at her baby..."

"Depression associated with pregnancy and postpartum depression-" Jerlina stopped seeing Alexander's glare.

She didn't know why she was playing devil's advocate but depression was overlooked in the past and Delvina might have been a victim.

"So why did she ask her father to kill the woman who accepted Edward? The nurse who nursed Edward's broken heart and stood by his side and helped him raise the child that was abandoned by his mother? Will depression make someone kill?" Alexander asked.

Delvina killed my grandma?

Jerlina was shocked.

NO, it was Jonathan Erling. He did so because his daughter asked him to?

Where have I seen this much love between family members before? 

"She left Edward and dated anyone and everyone... Hollywood stars, businessmen.... Everyone... She couldn't settle. Edward... he moved on. He was happy with Berta. And Delvina... she couldn't see Edward happy. And if Jonathan was someone with honor, he'd have returned everything he took from Edward the moment his daughter returned to him. That family... Disgusting pigs!"

Alexander gritted his teeth.

"Grandpa, please..." Even Mikhail has never seen his grandfather this mad before.

Jerlina saw how much Alexander is getting mad for her grandpa.

They must have been very close.

So Delvina Erling is my grandmother and Jonathan Erling is my great-grandfather?

Why would he want to meet me now after what he did to my grandpa?

And who wanted me dead? For what?