They walked through the dim pre-dawn light and soon arrived at the foot of the mountain. Mary checked the time. It was only 4:10.

Ryan also glanced at his watch, quietly counting down.

Just then, a faint rustling came from the nearby grass.

Mary’s gaze sharpened. From the shadows, several figures emerged, one after another. The green of their military uniforms stood out clearly in the darkness.

The first group… had already arrived.

Ryan looked over and nodded in satisfaction. These few weren’t bad. They even knew to arrive early. Someone without a sense of time could never be trusted with important tasks.

John stepped forward. “We’ve been waiting here since midnight.”

Ryan looked at John, William, Damien, and Harrison. “Not bad. Let me introduce someone to you. This is my wife, Mary. She’ll be training with us this time.”

“Hello,” Mary greeted them with a smile.

“Hello, sister-in-law!” the four answered in unison.

At the same time, the same thought crossed their minds. She was too beautiful. The factory deputy director was really ruthless, bringing such a delicate wife to train with them.

When the thought occurred, the four looked at Mary with undisguised sympathy.

Mary: “…?”

Was she really that fragile-looking?

Well, she was no longer as even chubby as a couple of weeks ago, either. Now, she was quite slender, but she didn’t believe she shed that many kilos for them to think she was that fragile looking. Maybe it’s because she appeared tired?

As five o’clock approached, more than half the registered participants arrived. Word spread quickly that the director’s wife would be training with them, and pity for Mary deepened.

At exactly five, Ryan lowered his watch. Almost everyone was present.

“We’ll head into the mountains shortly,” he said coolly. “Don’t fall behind.”

Ethan came running from behind, breathless. “Sorry… we’re late.”

Ryan’s gaze turned cold. He had specifically asked Ethan to inform everyone of the time, yet Ethan himself was late.

“Don’t blame him!” A dark-skinned girl ran up behind Ethan.

She bent over, panting. “I delayed him. Don’t punish him.”

Ryan frowned. “Then tell me what happened.”

The girl hesitated. “We… we…”

Ethan stepped forward, shielding her behind him. “This is my fault. I’ll accept any punishment as long as you let me continue the training.”

Mary watched quietly. This man was truly protective.

“You have no sense of time,” Ryan said coldly. “How can I trust you?”

Ethan opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words.

Mary tugged Ryan’s sleeve. “I’ll take the girl aside and talk to her. Something must have happened. Don’t be angry.”

Ryan nodded. He didn’t really want Ethan to be eliminated either.

Mary walked over to the girl with a gentle smile. “I’m the factory deputy director’s wife. My name is Mary. What’s your name?”

“Hello, Ma’am, I’m Rose,” the girl replied softly. “I’m Ethan’s fiancée.”

Mary took her hand and led her aside. “What happened? Why were you late?”

Rose twisted the corner of her clothes nervously. “My family found us. They blocked us at the door. So, we ran here.”

“Do they want to take you back?” Mary asked. “Aren’t you already engaged?”

Rose lowered her head. “We’re only engaged, Ma’am. The wedding hasn’t happened yet.”

Mary understood. “What do they want?”

“They want to take me back… or Ethan must give them a hundred pounds as dowry.”

So it was about money. Well, in this world, dowry isn’t exactly Patriarchal. In some communities, it is the bride who brings the dowry to the in-laws, just like Mary herself. And in some communities, like this girl Rose, it is the groom who brings the dowry, which is more commonly called betrothal money instead, to take the bride.

“This has to be resolved sooner or later,” Mary said calmly. “I’ll go with you and settle it.”

Rose looked up in surprise.

“Don’t worry,” Mary added, patting her shoulder. “I’m not going to fight anyone.”

She brought Rose back, exchanged a few quiet words with Ryan, then left with Rose and Ethan to handle the matter.

Ryan gathered the rest and led them into the mountains.

Mary and the others walked for nearly an hour before reaching a crowded entrance. From afar, loud cries rang out.

“You’re abducting and selling women! It’s illegal! Hand over Ethan and Rose, or I’ll smash my head against your door!”

Mary glanced at Rose. “Who are they?”

“My brother and sister-in-law,” Rose replied.

Mary nodded and pushed through the crowd. A thin woman in her thirties lay on the ground wailing, while a man squatted beside her, silent.

Mary spoke coldly. “Stop making a scene. If you want to settle this, come talk properly.”

The woman looked up, spotted Rose and Ethan, and suddenly rushed forward.

Ethan froze. Rose froze, too.

Just as the woman’s hand was about to strike Rose, Mary reached out and yanked her back.

“You!” the woman cursed angrily. “Who are you to meddle in our family’s business?”

Mary met her gaze, eyes icy. “This matter concerns me. If you try to hit someone again, don’t blame me for being rude.”

Mary’s icy gaze struck Penelope like a bucket of cold water. The words stuck in her throat, and she froze on the spot, suddenly daring neither to curse nor to move.

Seeing his wife shrink back, Ronald cursed inwardly. His wife was always loud and fierce when bullying others, yet the moment things turned serious, she became completely useless.

Unable to rely on her anymore, he straightened his back and stepped forward himself.

“Miss,” Ronald said, forcing a serious expression onto his face, “this is our family’s business. Please don’t interfere. I’m here today to take my sister home.”

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Rose.

Rose let out a frightened cry and hid behind Ethan, clutching his clothes tightly. Her voice trembled as she shouted, “Brother! I won’t go back with you! I heard everything. You want to exchange me for betrothal gifts with Brandon’s family!”

“Brandon? That mentally unstable person?” Ethan’s face changed instantly. “There’s no one else at all? You’re asking her to marry a fool?”

His voice rose in disbelief. “You’re pushing her into a fire pit! How can you do something so cruel?”

Penelope finally recovered from her shock and immediately began screaming again. “What’s wrong with being foolish? A fool is still better than you! They have a house and parents. If Rose marries Brandon, she won’t starve!”

She sneered, her tone sharp and ugly. “As for a house, what’s the problem? We can get a couple of hundred pounds and build one again!”

The surrounding villagers sucked in a collective breath. They stared at Penelope with expressions of disgust and disbelief. To sell one’s own sister-in-law to a fool just to build a house—what era was this? Had liberation really happened for nothing?

“Sister-in-law!” Rose cried out, tears streaming down her face. “Don’t you feel guilty saying that? Ever since you married into our family, I’ve done all the housework. I was the one who helped raise your child. Now that I’ve grown up, you want to sell me?”

Her words were full of grievance and despair.

Ronald noticed the hostile gazes around him and shot Penelope a vicious look. This stupid woman—why did she always blurt everything out in public? With the crowd already turning against him, how was he supposed to drag his sister home now?

He quickly put on a strained smile and softened his tone. “Rose, come back with me first. Our parents are old. They didn’t have it easy raising you.”

He sighed theatrically, then continued, “Since ancient times, marriages have been decided by parents. We’re doing this for your own good. If you follow Ethan, what future will you have? He’s already a laid-off worker. How much promise can he really have?”

Mary nearly laughed in anger.

Was this man truly Rose’s biological brother?

Ethan finally snapped. All the patience he had been forcing down shattered in an instant. “Mr. Ronald, even if you don’t want to let Rose marry me, you can’t push her into a fire pit!”

His eyes were red with anger. “What kind of brother and sister-in-law are you? Do you feel good spending her betrothal money to build your house?”

Penelope let out a cold laugh. “Rose hasn’t married you yet, has she? Who do you think you are? Believe it or not, I’ll call the police and accuse you of abducting women. I’ll send you straight to jail!”

Mary lifted her eyes slowly and fixed Penelope with a chilling stare. Her voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable pressure. “Rose is already eighteen years old, a major. She has the right to decide her own marriage. You have no right to interfere.”

Penelope’s heart skipped a beat. The girl in front of her was young, yet her aura was overwhelming, making Penelope feel inexplicably guilty and uneasy.

Ronald glanced around. The looks from the onlookers made it clear that the situation had turned completely against him. Gritting his teeth, he hardened his heart and spoke bluntly,

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep