I bent down, pretending to be moved, and helped her up.
"Jade, are you sure about marrying Quinn? I heard when he's drunk, he goes after people with a knife…"
She stiffened, but the thought of that gold mine straightened her spine right up.
"I'm not afraid! If it means my sister gets to live well, I'd marry the devil himself!"
Such sisterly devotion.
I turned to our parents—biased as ever.
"Dad, Mom, since Jade's thought this through, I won't refuse. I'll get the paperwork reissued and leave for the city tomorrow."
They still looked like they thought it was a waste, but Jade had made her choice—marrying a lame man. All they could do was curse under their breath and agree.
Jade let out a breath of relief, that smug little smile tugging at her lips.
She thought she'd just stolen heaven-sent fortune.
She had no idea she'd just signed her own death warrant.
That afternoon, I grabbed the household registration booklet and headed to the township office.
But I wasn't there to get my paperwork reissued.
I made a detour to Village Chief Abbott's house instead.
His precious son Derek Lambert was a good-for-nothing who dreamed of becoming a city factory worker.
"Five hundred dollars. The slot's yours."