"Um, yes Mme Debora, Ellie will do her best!" answered Ellie fearfully.

"Good! It should be that way!" said Debora happily.

Ellie bowed her head and thought about many things. What would happen in this temporary marriage, and how would her foster sister's husband, who would be entrusted to her temporarily, treat her? Ellie did not yet know Jose, nor what kind of person he was.

'This is only temporary!' Ellie strengthened her heart.

A grip was felt on her hand. Her mute foster father only showed her a smile. That hand grip seemed to say, "You must be strong, Ellie. You can do it!"

Ellie returned the smile and hugged her foster father; they both exchanged hugs. Debora, seeing this scene, felt annoyed because she always felt competed against by her foster daughter.

"I've told you many times, don't get close to my husband!" Debora tried to break the hug by hitting Ellie's shoulder hard.

This made Ellie wince, "Ouch!" her tears flowed heavily. "Sorry, Mme Debora, with all due respect! This is just a hug of affection, nothing weird!" shouted Ellie angrily while wiping her tears.

"Who knows, you might have a heart that loves like a couple!" replied Debora.

"I have already helped Mme Debora by substituting in your beloved daughter's wedding. Now, is violence still the repayment for everything I've done?" asked Ellie, unable to understand Debora's jealous behavior towards the strength-giving hug between Ellie and her foster father.

"Hah! Just this much, and you're already causing trouble for our family. Do you think substituting Ellen to marry Jose will be the start of something good?" Aunt Vanesha, Ellie's foster aunt, spoke up.

Ellie shifted her gaze and saw the plump woman approaching her. "Unfortunately not, Ellie, poor thing, just so you know. Jose Friden is a cruel man who won't let anyone play with him, so be careful standing by his side. This is the beginning of something bad, worse than what you've experienced so far," continued Aunt Vanesha with her evil smile.

***

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies and gents... I'm Ben, Mr. Jose's secretary, here to take Miss Ellen home."

Everyone in the soundproof room immediately turned their attention to the friendly man at the door who had come to pick up Miss Ellen, also known as Ellie. Mme Debora quickly grabbed Ellie's hand and led her to Ben, Mr. Jose's trusted secretary for many years.

"Remember who you are. During this marriage, you are Ellen. Get used to that name!" whispered Mme Debora in Ellie's ear.

Ellie nodded because, as Aunt Vanesha had said, Jose was not a man to be messed with. Ellie definitely didn't want to cause any trouble. Even though her name was Ellie, she had to get used to being called Ellen during the marriage.

"I'm entrusting my precious daughter to you. Don't let anything happen to her!" Mme Debora said, pretending that Ellie was Ellen.

"Yes, Mme Debora," Ben replied, turning without taking Ellie along.

"Follow him, Ellie!" Mme Debora whispered, gently pushing Ellie's thin body.

"Ye-yes, ma'am."

Ellie followed the burly man who looked more like a bodyguard. The long white gown and high heels she was wearing made it difficult for her to move.

"Wa-wait...," Ellie whispered as she kept pulling the gown that kept sweeping the floor, afraid it would get dirty and Mme Debora would scold her.

Ben turned around, frowning at his boss's wife. 'Why is Miss Ellen acting so strange?' Ben thought. During the two months of acquaintance leading up to the engagement last week, the Ellen he knew was not this innocent and slow. Ellen was quicker and more arrogant, always making Ben annoyed whenever he saw her.

'Is the woman Mr. Jose married really the arrogant Ellen?' Ben thought, doubting. He approached Ellie. "What do you need, Miss Ellen?"

Ellie pointed to her feet. "My feet hurt a lot. This gown is also too long," Ellie said in a weak voice.

Ben was even more confused by the situation. 'Isn't this gown by Miss Ellen's own request? Why is she complaining like it's not hers?' he wondered, noticing that her face hadn't changed at all. Only, the voice was too soft and gentle.

"Mr. Ben..." Ellie said, her voice trembling.

Ben's strange daydream disappeared as he quickly said, "Miss, you can take off your shoes and... about the gown, you can change it in the car later."

Ellie removed the shoes that were honestly torturing her. They were too small, making her feet red and chafed. Everything Ellie was wearing now belonged to her stepsister, who maintained her figure meticulously. Ellen never allowed a single ounce of fat on her body and always wore small shoes to keep her feet from growing bigger. Ellie had no idea why she did this.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Mm!" Ellie nodded, showing her best smile.

This made Ben feel something strange inside him, something he hadn't felt except for someone in his past. 'No, no! I can't feel this way about Miss Ellen!' he thought. "Let's go, miss. Mr. Jose will be angry if we stay here too long."

In three minutes, they arrived at a luxurious car. Ben opened the door behind the driver's seat and said, "Please get in, miss."

"Thank you."

'This doesn't seem like the arrogant Ellen I know,' Ben thought as he closed the door.

Ellie saw the man who had taken vows with her, sitting with his legs crossed, focused on his tablet. Honestly, Ellie felt quite nervous sitting next to him.

"Read and sign."

"Huh?" Ellie turned, frowning slightly. "What is this for?" she asked, confused.

Jose handed her the tablet. "Read it carefully and sign. Ask necessary questions only. Don't get too close to me. This marriage is just a mutually beneficial arrangement. Your family's company cooperates with mine, and everything will be easier if you follow the terms stated there."

Ellie's brain hadn't fully processed what Jose was saying. But she still looked at the contents of the 'marriage agreement' that the man with the prominent nose had been reviewing.