So I Married the Problem

Borevia City's golden-boy heir crashed his car and ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Just like that, his shot at taking over Alwyn Corp was on the line. The second the news hit the Twyford mansion, Rory—the girl my parents had raised instead of me—came to me in tears, begging me to take her place and marry Axel. I tightened my grip on my water glass and laughed. "Seriously? You used to act like I was embarrassing because I grew up in a small town. You said I wasn't classy enough for your crowd, so you handed my engagement to Rory. "Now Axel's paralyzed and might lose everything, you want me to switch back and deal with it? Yeah, no." The door flew open. Jared Pritchard—my boyfriend—walked in, pulled Rory against him, and shot me a glare. "Thea, you were supposed to marry Axel in the first place. We're just fixing it. "We're done. Rory and I are getting engaged tomorrow. Once it's official, you're marrying Axel whether you like it or not." I froze, staring at the guy I'd grown up with. "The Alwyns asked for the daughter you've always shown off in public. You barely admit I'm family. You really think they won't notice if you suddenly swap me in for Rory?" Right then, my biological parents, Richard and Diane Twyford, came downstairs with icy expressions and tossed an amended birth certificate in front of me. "Starting tomorrow, we'll tell everyone you're our biological daughter. Rory's been spoiled her whole life. She can't handle being married to a man who can't walk. "It's time you did your part. Marry Axel Alwyn and accept your new life as Mrs. Alwyn." I laughed bitterly. Any hope I still had for them died right there. "Fine. I'll marry him. Just don't come begging me to come back someday." Chapter 1 The four of them instantly perked up, even letting out a sigh of relief. I scoffed and set my glass down hard. "I'll take her place, but I have two conditions." Jared frowned. "Don't push it, Thea! Rory already stepped aside so you could take your place in the Twyford family. What else do you want?" I ignored him and looked straight at my grim-faced parents. "First, transfer the fifteen percent stake in Twyford Corp Grandpa left me. Put it in my name now. "Second, hold a press conference tomorrow morning and tell all of Borevia's elite that I'm the Twyfords' only biological daughter. Rory is the adopted daughter who was raised in my place." The living room went dead silent. Then Rory burst into sobs and collapsed into Jared's arms. "Thea... Are you trying to kill me? I know I took your place for twenty years, but I never asked for any of this. "If you want shares, I'll give you everything I have. But why do you have to humiliate me in front of all Borevia's elite...?" "Rory, don't cry. This isn't your fault!" Jared held her tight, then glared at me. "Thea, you're seriously cruel! "You know Rory's always been fragile. Are you really not gonna stop until you've driven her to her death?" Diane stormed over and pointed right at me. "You ungrateful brat! My dad only left you that fifteen percent because he wasn't thinking straight. You grew up in some small town. What do you know about running a company? You'd blow it all! "And forget the press conference! Rory grew up with us. She's my daughter. Period. "If people find out she's adopted, she'll be a joke in Borevia's social circle. You'll ruin her whole future!" Watching Diane go all out for Rory, I went numb. Then my chest started to ache. I was the daughter she'd carried for nine months. But ever since I came back, all she did was pick me apart—my cheap clothes, the fact that I couldn't play piano, even how I never knew what to say to make her happy. Rory knew how to dress, talk, and fit right in with Borevia's elite. To Diane, she was the only daughter worth being proud of. I pulled myself together, shrugged, and stepped away from Diane's finger, which was practically in my face. "You won't agree? Fine." I kept my voice casual. "Then send the fake to the Alwyns tomorrow. "Axel might be paralyzed now, but his grandfather, Walter Alwyn, is still around. "What do you think he'll do when he finds out you tried to fool him with a girl who isn't even your biological daughter? Think he'll take that as the Twyfords insulting his family? "The Alwyns could crush the Twyfords without breaking a sweat. "And when that happens, Rory's reputation will be the least of your problems. Your whole family—and Jared's Pritchard Corp—will go down too." Richard's expression changed. He knew exactly what the Alwyns were capable of. They were one of Borevia's most powerful families, with ties to both law enforcement and the criminal world. Even with Axel disabled, the Alwyns would never let anyone trick or disrespect them. Richard looked me over, clearly weighing his options. "Richard, you can't agree to this! Rory's going to marry Jared. What will the Pritchards think if everyone finds out she's adopted?" Diane kept protesting beside him. "Enough!" Richard snapped, making her flinch. He took a deep breath and glared at me. "Fine. I agree! "I'll have the lawyers transfer the shares first thing tomorrow, and I'll hold the press conference. But remember this, Thea!" Richard pointed at the front door, stressing every word. "Once you get the shares and marry into the Alwyn family, you're theirs for good! "Even if they make your life hell, don't come crying to us! As far as we're concerned, we won't have a daughter anymore!" Seeing how badly he wanted me gone, I smiled. "Deal." Chapter 2 The next morning, the Twyfords held a press conference. They announced that the two girls had been switched at birth and that their biological daughter would marry Axel Alwyn. The media went nuts. Everyone knew Axel was paralyzed, and the daughter the Twyfords had just found was already being shipped off to honor the engagement. No one was fooled. Rumors about the Twyfords spread fast, and even their stock took a hit. The lawyer handed me the share transfer papers. I checked every term, then signed. With that fifteen percent officially mine, I'd gotten what I wanted. As for what happened to the Twyfords? 'What did that have to do with me?' The second the press conference ended, I grabbed my suitcase and headed out. Footsteps rushed up behind me. "Thea, wait!" Jared caught up and grabbed my wrist. "Did you really have to go this far? Do you even know how long Rory cried backstage after what you did yesterday?" I yanked my hand free. "Why would I care how long she cried? Are you seriously here just to give me crap about that?" Jared took a deep breath, holding back his anger as he started lecturing me. "I know you're pissed because I chose Rory over you. "But think about it. If you take those shares and marry a cripple, you're throwing your whole life away! "Axel Alwyn already has a bad temper. Now that he's paralyzed, he'll only get worse. How long do you think you'll survive in that family? "I chose Rory because she has the Twyfords' connections. She can help Pritchard Corp. But you..." His tone softened. "If you go back now and apologize to Rory, you can still fix some of the damage from the press conference. "Then if the Alwyns treat you badly, for old times' sake, maybe I'll help you out behind the scenes." I stared at the guy I'd grown up with. He used to swear I was the only girl he'd ever marry, but the second it benefited him, he tossed me aside. Just looking at him made me sick. "Save the fake concern." I cut him off with a cold laugh. "You picked Rory because she's easy to control and the Twyfords will clear the path for her. Stop acting like you're some great guy." "As for helping me?" I looked him up and down. "Maybe worry about yourself. A freeloader who uses women to get ahead has no business lecturing me." "You!" I'd clearly hit a nerve, and Jared opened his mouth to argue. Just then, a black Maybach with repeating digits on its license plate pulled up in front of me. An Alwyn bodyguard got out, opened the door for me, and took my suitcase. I got in without hesitation. One look at Jared's conflicted face in the rearview mirror instantly put me in a better mood. The car drove into the Alwyn estate. Every servant and bodyguard we passed kept their heads down, and the whole place was dead silent. The butler, Owen Kane, led me into the main house and opened a pair of heavy wooden doors. "Ms. Twyford, Mr. Alwyn is waiting inside." Owen quickly slipped out and shut the doors behind him. Blackout curtains covered the bedroom windows. Once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I spotted a man in a wheelchair in the middle of the room. With his back to the light, half his face was hidden in shadow. "The Twyfords must have a death wish, sending some small-town nobody they just found to humiliate me." I didn't answer. I was too busy staring at his legs. Right before the door closed, I'd caught the muscles under Axel's pants twitch. I knew nerve rehab inside and out. If his nerves were completely dead, there was no way he'd have that reflex. So his legs weren't actually paralyzed—or at least, the nerves still worked. My heart jumped as an idea hit me. I smirked, grabbed the steaming cup of coffee off the table, and dumped it straight onto his thighs. Chapter 3 At the last second, Axel—the guy who was supposedly "paralyzed and couldn't feel his legs"—shot out of his wheelchair! Before I could react, he lunged forward, grabbed me by the throat, and slammed me against the wall. Axel leaned in, his dark eyes murderous. "Got a death wish?" His grip cut off my air, and my face turned red. But seeing him standing perfectly fine on both legs, I burst out laughing. "Mr. Alwyn... having fun... faking your paralysis?" I forced out, staring straight into his pitch-black eyes. Axel's pupils constricted, veins popping on the back of his hand. "You saw something you shouldn't have." His voice went ice-cold as his grip tightened. "I could strangle you right now and tell everyone you killed yourself because you couldn't handle the humiliation. The Twyfords wouldn't dare say a word." "Really?" I could barely breathe, but my smile only grew. I managed to lift a hand and lightly patted his tense arm. "Killing me... would be easy. But if I'm dead, who's gonna... fix your legs?" Axel's hand froze. I sucked in a breath and kept going. "Your legs aren't completely paralyzed, but the nerve damage is bad. Every time you force yourself to stand, they go numb and stiff, right? "If you don't get the right nerve treatment soon, you'll actually lose the use of your legs within six months." Axel stared at me, surprise flashing in his eyes. "There's more." I caught my breath and looked him straight in the eye. "Let's make a deal. I'll treat your legs and keep your secret. "In return, you help me take down the Twyfords and the Pritchards. "So, deal?" Axel loosened his grip, amusement flashing in his eyes. He didn't let me go. Instead, he leaned closer, his warm breath brushing my ear with the clean scent of cedar cologne. "So the Twyfords' daughter isn't just gutsy. You also know how to perform a specialized nerve treatment that most doctors can't. You're full of surprises." His low voice filled the huge bedroom, way too confident for my liking. "If I'm right, you're also 'X,' the top trader in the hacking world—the one who recently shorted one of Alwyn Corp's rivals overseas." My eyes widened, and my whole body went stiff. Being "X" was my biggest secret. Not even the Twyfords knew that while I was growing up in a small town, I'd trained under a retired expert and picked up skills that went way beyond investing. But Axel had figured it all out. 'Borevia's most powerful heir definitely lived up to the hype. Even while faking paralysis, his intel network was scary good.' Now that my secret was out, I dropped the act and met his gaze with a calm smile. "Since you already know everything about me, are we making this deal or not?" Axel chuckled, his chest rumbling softly. He finally let me go, then casually smoothed my wrinkled collar with his long fingers. "Deal." His dark eyes locked on mine, a dangerous smile tugging at his lips. "Mrs. Alwyn, I look forward to working with you." Chapter 4 For the next month, I lived in Axel's bedroom. Even through the door, the servants could hear loud crashes and my muffled cries. But inside, it was a totally different story. I sat calmly on the couch, adjusting the slim electrode probes placed along the nerves in Axel's legs. The crashes? Axel was just smashing cheap vases to sell the act. Axel hissed as I adjusted the last probe, sweat beading on his forehead. "You can feel pain now?" I raised a brow and handed him a towel. Axel wiped his forehead, his dark eyes lighting up. "Yeah. Feels like a thousand ants gnawing at my bones. Still beats feeling nothing." "That's good. Your nerves are reconnecting." I removed the probes. "Give it two more weeks, and you'll be walking normally." Axel watched me work with a knowing smile. "If people knew what you could do, every old guy in Borevia's elite circle would be lining up outside my door." I scoffed and packed up the equipment. "Flattery won't work on me. We had a deal. Your legs are almost fixed. What's happening outside?" The second I mentioned business, Axel's relaxed look disappeared. A lot had changed in the past month. Nolan Alwyn, Axel's half-brother who'd always lived in his shadow, jumped at the chance after Axel's "paralysis and personality change." He started winning over Alwyn Corp's board and making a play for control. The Twyfords and Jared switched sides just as fast, ditching Axel and cozying up to Nolan. "My assistant has all the evidence of Nolan's embezzlement and falsified financial records." Axel leaned back in his wheelchair, his eyes cold. "As for Twyford Corp and Pritchard Corp, they've dumped most of their cash into Nolan's so-called 'overseas new energy project' to prove their loyalty." I laughed coldly. That overseas new energy project was nothing but a shell-company scam Axel and I had set up using my identity as "X." The money the Twyfords and Jared invested was already in Axel's hands. Gone without a trace. Just then, my phone lit up. Rory had sent me a flashy gold-colored digital invite. [Thea, tomorrow night we're celebrating Nolan taking over Alwyn Corp—and Jared and I are getting engaged.] [I know Axel's bedridden and needs you around the clock, but since you used to be a Twyford, you should still come see us. After all, once tomorrow's over, there won't be a place left in Borevia's elite circle for you or your husband.] Every word was dripping with smugness. Axel glanced at the message and raised a brow. "Babe, wanna crash their party?"