Chapter 1552 - 1539: This Is the Bride Price

When Tara woke up the next day, she found that the man had already left, leaving porridge and soy milk warm on the table with hot water.

The tool bag in the corner was gone, presumably taken out for work. Since the basement had no windows, she couldn’t gauge the time. She got up, washed up, and then with bright eyes, looked at the steaming porridge and soy milk, carefully eating half a bowl of porridge, saving the remaining half for the next meal.

She had been pampered since childhood, living a life of luxury. But after a year of imprisonment, hunger, and beatings, she narrowly escaped death, experiencing a significant change in personality. Seeing the poverty of the man who saved her, she was even more reluctant to waste any food.

Gaining strength from the porridge, Tara took out the money the man had given her from under the pillow, took a red banknote, and stuffed the rest back under the pillow. Then, feeling a bit anxious, she went out the door and left the basement.

Only after leaving the basement did she realize she was in a village within the city. No wonder there were basements for rent. Due to last night’s heavy rain, the road appeared somewhat damp. This area was an old residential district, vibrant with life. The buildings varied in height and were not uniformly planned, with various small advertisements posted on walls and utility poles and banners for demolition mobilization. Compared to the surrounding high-rise buildings, it seemed rather shabby and chaotic.

Despite the harsh environment, she had gained her freedom. Tara looked at the shabbiest slippers on her feet and the old, unfashionable clothes she wore from yesterday, rubbed her reddened eyes, and laughed out loud.

Being a village within the city, the nearby grocery store unusually had a public phone. She went into the grocery store, not rushing to make a call, but instead looked at the newspapers on the stall and picked up a local newspaper. Only then did she realize she was in Fountain City, just a two-hour drive away from Seacoast.

The freshly printed newspaper had almost all its pages dedicated to reporting on the grand wedding of the century held yesterday, where Mr. Ji, a prominent figure from the Imperial City, married the famous star Chloe Winston. Many elites attended the wedding, creating quite a stir.

The pages didn’t have any wedding photos of the bride and groom, only stills from when they participated in a variety show. To Tara, the two were strangers. She suddenly felt that having been out of society for over a year, this narrow escape from death had left everything seeming unfamiliar. She couldn’t help but tremble slightly, her fingers unconsciously turning a page to see an interview inside.

The person interviewed was none other than her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Caspian Yarn. Tara felt a slight delight, but upon reading the interview content, her face suddenly turned pale.

"The rising star in Seacoast’s business world, Caspian Yarn, stated that he would soon be engaged to Miss Lana Shaw of the Imperial City’s Shaw Family, and would shift his business focus to the Imperial City after marriage."

How could this be possible? Her fingers shook violently, instantly tearing a page of the newspaper.

"Why did you tear the newspaper?" The middle-aged woman in the grocery store raised an eyebrow, taking in her outfit that looked outdated, like something from the ’90s, murmuring, "This newspaper costs 5 bucks."

Tara hurriedly, anxiously, put the newspaper back in order, then fished out the hundred-yuan note she had brought out, handing it over as she carefully said, "I’ll buy this newspaper and make a phone call."

Only then did the grocery store’s proprietress smile and said, "Calls within the province are 1 yuan per minute, outside the province is 2 yuan per minute."

The proprietress, seeing the unfamiliar face of this young lady, intentionally quoted a higher price for the public phone.

Feeling somewhat dazed, Tara dialed her father’s number, suddenly realizing that she had been missing for more than a year. Even if she returned this time, her marriage with Caspian was impossible. A young single woman disappearing for over a year—she understood what that meant, especially since he was about to get engaged to a socialite of the Imperial City.

In just a year, the childhood bond had burst like a bubble. Tara’s body shook violently as she struggled to hold back tears, dialing a familiar number only to find it continuously showing as disconnected. Undeterred, she called the landline at home, only to find it was also disconnected.

With the newspaper and the change she had gotten, she stumbled back to the basement, only to realize she didn’t have the key.

When Marcus returned, it was already drizzling outside. His work varied daily, affiliated with an agency, taking jobs as he felt like it, earning hard income with just a small commission to the agency.

The only advantage was the convenience—no need to socialize, just quietly do the work.

Concerned about Tara, he didn’t take much work in the afternoon—after two jobs he had earned 300 yuan and headed home as it started to rain.

Reaching the village within the city, he took off his raincoat, hung it outside, and then headed down to the basement, only to see the young girl squatting at the door, head down, hugging her knees. For some reason, a sigh of relief escaped him. She hadn’t left.

The man walked over, opened the door, and the sound startled Tara. She lifted her gaze to see the tall figure blocking out the light, akin to a towering mountain, imposing both visually and psychologically.

Marcus opened the door, went in, put down the tool bag, and saw the young girl’s pale face from staying outside. Fortunately, it was summer; otherwise, she would have caught a cold.

"My name is Marcus Quinn." The man spoke in a deep voice.

Tara stood up, leaning against the wall, feeling her legs slightly numb, her eyes red and somewhat swollen. In a small voice, she said, "Tara Chase, but my parents call me Tara."

This was also a form of introduction.

Marcus took out the 300 yuan he earned today from his pocket, placing it all into her soft, white hand, his voice low and heavy as he said, "This is the money I earned today."

Tara was dumbfounded for a moment. Why give all the money to her?

Seeing the young girl’s dazed look, the man lowered his gaze, looking at her ten snow-white toes, earnestly saying, "I’m thirty this year, yet to marry. If you want to go home, this money can be your travel fare. If you wish to stay, consider it as bride price."

Tara was so shocked her shoulders shook—bride price? He wanted to marry her?

She paused in silence, suddenly her eyes turned red. During the time waiting for his return, she had finished reading the newspaper. The newspaper was full of praises for Caspian, and even mentioned the Chase Family affairs. It turned out that in the more than a year she was held captive, her father had already passed away from a heart attack, the Chase Family’s assets divided, and the outside world believed she had eloped.

In the vast world, she suddenly felt homeless. She cried for an entire afternoon, and then he returned and said he wanted to marry her.

He gave her all the money he earned that day, rescuing her from that nightmarish place.

Tara rubbed her tear-red eyes, mustering the courage to look at the man’s unkempt, slightly cold face, looking at the fierce scar on his brow, and asked in a trembling voice, "Do you hit women?"

Marcus was momentarily stunned, then looked at his muscular self, and her slender little frame, and said deeply, "I don’t hit women."