Chapter 1
288 iVouchers
“Hello, is this Mrs. Beasley?
“This is Susanne Haney, your son’s homeroom teacher. Darrell missed class again today. Could you come to the school?”
A sudden call jolted Cordelia Fernandez awake. Still groggy, she was about to hang up without responding.
Scam calls were everywhere these days, and the excuses kept getting more ridiculous.
A son? Please. She had never even been in a relationship, let alone had a child.
Whoever was on the other end of the line should have at least tried harder with their story.
Just then, the woman’s voice came through again. “Hello? Mrs. Beasley, are you still there?”
How annoying! People who interrupted others‘ sleep should all be locked up.
Without saying a word, Cordelia hung up and tossed her phone aside.
She rolled over in bed cozily, ready to go back to sleep. Yet, after fumbling for quite a few seconds, she still couldn’t feel the giant plush toy that she usually rested her legs on.
Puzzled, she opened her eyes. The giant wedding photo hanging on the wall made her sit up in disbelief. She rubbed her eyes a few times, and it was still there. But she just couldn’t believe what she saw.
She looked around, only to find she wasn’t in her room. Instead, she was in a bedroom decorated in a cold, monochro- matic scheme that was completely unfamiliar to her.
She pinched her thigh hard, trying to confirm she was still dreaming.
But the pain told her this wasn’t a dream.
How did she go from sleeping in her own bed to waking up in a totally strange place? Had she been abducted?
Utterly terrified, she scrambled out of bed. Just then, a rush of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind. Reeling, she stumbled and landed on the floor with a graceless thud.
Ignoring the pain, she pulled out her phone, only to see that the year was 2025.
She had woken up eighteen years in the future!
And that wasn’t even the scariest part.
She had actually married her sworn enemy, Declan Beasley, and had three sons with him!
So, it wasn’t a scam call?
0.0 %
09:30
Chapter 1
Her fifteen–year–old second son, Darrell Beasley, had skipped class yet again!
Cordelia curled up in a ball and wrapped her arms around herself helplessly.
It took her a long time before she finally accepted the devastating reality.
Then she picked up her phone and called Susanne back.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Haney. Something came up earlier. I’ll head to the school now.”
After hanging up, Cordelia stood in front of the mirror, looking at her eighteen–year older self.
The raw vitality of her youth was replaced by maturity and charm, but her beauty was undiminished.
1288 Vouchers
Then she squeezed her belly and was relieved to find it still flat after she gave birth to three kids. If not… She swore she’d kill that bastard Declan!
After dressing up, she picked up the car keys, ready to go out.
Downstairs, she ran into the maid.
“Mrs. Beasley, are you heading out?” the maid asked tentatively.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Would you like me to arrange a car for you?” the maid ventured.
88
“No need. I’ll drive myself.”
Upon entering the garage, Cordelia gaped at the row of luxury cars in front of her. Only then did she realize that De- clan had made it big.
But she still had no idea why she had married him.
Had he loved her so much he’d forced his way into her heart? Anyway, she must’ve agreed against her will.
On the way, she kept wondering about all kinds of possibilities. Half an hour later, she arrived at the school gate.
Next to her car was a black Rolls–Royce Cullinan. Its sleek body glistened under the sunlight, and she couldn’t help but sneak a few glances.
Suddenly, the passenger window rolled down, and the driver greeted her.
“Hello, Mrs. Beasley.”
Cordelia was dumbfounded.
In the next second, the Cullinan was parked alongside her Porsche, and then the back door opened. Finally, she saw the eighteen–year older Declan.
Like her, he had acquired an air of maturity and charm.
26.1 %
09:30
Chapter 1
On top of that, his presence was commanding. His casual glance alone was intimidating.
The moment their eyes locked, she almost bowed reflexively.
But then she remembered–she was his wife. So she held her head high.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Did Ms. Haney call you, too?”
“Yes.” His reply was a single, curt word.
Without another glance, he strode toward the gate.
In fact, Susanne had called Declan first. He didn’t pick up, so she had to ring up Cordelia.
288 iVouchers
When Declan saw the missed call from Susanne, he had been at the airport, ready to go on an overseas business trip. After returning her call, he turned back without hesitation.
Cordelia followed closely behind Declan. As she watched his towering retreating figure, she couldn’t help feeling weird.
Were they not in love?
How come he walked away after a single glance without even saying another word?
Yes, they had been sworn enemies before. Yet here they were, married–the parents of three children, even. His be- havior didn’t make sense.
Could it be he had a young mistress after becoming successful and despised her for her age?
That must be the case.
What a jerk!
She followed him into Susanne’s office, and Susanne immediately came up to them.
The following conversation lasted for half an hour, centering on Darrell’s long list of transgressions, like skipping classes, fighting, dating, and hanging out with delinquents.
Cordelia finally caught Susanne’s underlying implication. Without proper discipline, Darrell would become a menace to society.
It never occurred to her that her son would turn out to be such a disappointment.
To make things worse, Conrad Beasley, her eldest son with Declan and now a high schooler, had missed class, too.
When Conrad’s homeroom teacher called her, her mind went blank.
Fuming, she blocked Declan’s way. “Is that how you raise your kids? Letting them run wild? Some father you are!”
Declan glanced at her scowl, brushed her hand aside, and let out a cold sneer.
“Don’t you know why they turned out like this?”
50.7 %
09:30
Chapter 1
“What?” His question jolted her.
Of course she didn’t know–she had just woken up in this life.
288 iVouchers
But instead of admitting that, she snapped, “Don’t try to shift the blame! You’re their father. You have everything to do with them being like this. Now, come with me to find our sons.” Those brats! They were doomed!
Declan didn’t say no. He opened the car door, motioning for her to get in.
Since she had driven herself here, she handed the keys to the chauffeur and had him find someone to drive the Porsche back.
After she sat in the car, Declan moved to sit farther away from her.
Her temper flared instantly. “What’s this about? Am I a plague? Why are you sitting so far away?”
Declan’s gaze was filled with bewilderment.
Even the chauffeur couldn’t help but glance back, puzzled by her behavior today.
“Mrs. Beasley has actually sat in the same car with Mr. Beasley and even complained that he wasn’t close enough to her? That’s so weird!” he thought.
As the car sped along the road, Cordelia was totally at a loss. Where should they go to find Conrad and Darrell?
She ran her fingers through her hair, asking, “Do you know where they are?”
“Yes.” One–word reply again.
Declan sat upright, his tailored suit accentuating his slender frame, making him look unapproachable and elegant.
She had always known Declan was the whole package–he was handsome and brilliant.
He always knew the answers to those questions that puzzled her.
But he was also so strict. He’d once smacked her palm with a ruler, scolding her for not paying attention when he spoke.
She had been furious, swearing she’d never ask him anything again.
He was like a rigid teacher decades older than her, his every word and action boring, reminding her of a precision ma- chine.
77.2%
