“I’ll give you five million for your mother, Clara,” Julian offered with a smile, sipping his wine. “But on one condition. You’ll marry a man I’ll choose for you tomorrow. A beggar I picked up off the street. And we’ll do it in a grand church, with all the media and our billionaire friends invited. I want the whole world to see how pathetic you are and how low Clara Valderama has sunk!”
For my mother’s sake, I closed my eyes and accepted it. I sold my soul and my dignity to a monster.
The Wedding of Shame
The wedding day arrived. It took place in a grand cathedral filled with socialites, politicians, and journalists whom Julian had paid to cover “The Marriage of the Beggar and the Princess.” Julian stood at the front, delighted with his masterpiece.