THE CRIPPLED BILLIONAIRE'S Wife

Cindy was in the supermarket inside a mall and reading the chat of her cousin while walking. She had just come from a bookstore and bought the supplies she needed for her project. She was already paying at the cashier when she received a chat from Lucy asking her to buy two packs of sanitary napkins with wings. So after she paid for her purchases, she immediately went to the supermarket to buy what Lucy asked her. If she forgets to buy what her cousin asked for, she will definitely hear a scary sermon not only from her cousin but also from her mother and younger sister , Luna. Cindy's life can be compared to the popular children's story of Cinderella. Just like Cinderella, she has step-cousins and an aunt who often mistreats her. Cindy was orphaned at the age of ten. Since her Uncle Lando is her only known relative that she knows, she ended up in his care. When her mother was still alive, she mentioned that her father was an only child so she had no aunt or uncle on his father's side. She never got to know her other relatives on her father's side. According to her mother's story, her father's parents didn't accept her, so they ran away together. Since then, her father has never contacted his parents. When Cindy arrived at her Uncle Lando's house, she thought that she had gained a new family. But she was mistaken because she was not fully accepted by his wife and two children. However, since there was no one else to take her in, Lando's wife, Aura, and her two cousins Lucy and Luna had no choice but to let Cindy stay in their house. Cindy did not become a burden in her uncle's house because she helped with the household chores even though they had maids. Although she was not used to doing household chores because, aside from having maids before, her parents took care of her and didn't let her do the house chores. But to avoid any complaints from her uncle's family, she pushed herself to learn various household chores despite her young age. Even though Cindy's life is similar to Cinderella's, being mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, she is not like her completely, who is always kind and just accepts the mistreatment of her. Because Cindy knows how to fight back and defend herself, even though in the end she is still the one who loses. Of course, her uncle and aunt will side with their children rather than her. But Cindy is still grateful because her uncle is sending her to school despite her wife's objections. And now she is currently in her first year of college, taking up Business Management. That's the course her uncle wants her to take so that she can help run his company after she graduates. But if given the choice, she would prefer to be a fashion designer. Since young, Cindy had a passion for drawing and her favorite thing to draw is designs of jewelry. However, because her uncle insisted on her pursuing a Business Management course, she no longer objected. It is better to finish her studies even if she doesn't like the course rather than to have no educational knowledge. It is already the last week of the first semester so she needs to submit her project. As soon as she gets home today, she will immediately work on it. Cindy searched for the brand of sanitary napkin that Lucy uses. If she didn't find it, she would definitely get into trouble. When she found the brand she was looking for, she took two packs with wings. Lucy didn't ask her to buy anything else, so she walked to the cashier to pay for the items she bought. She had only taken a few steps when her cellphone inside her shoulder bag, a gift from her close friend Remi, suddenly vibrated. She immediately took her cellphone and read the text while walking slowly. Cindy was walking without looking at her path, so she was surprised when she suddenly bumped into a hard object. She immediately lost her balance and dropped one pack of napkins she was carrying. She thought she had hit the floor, but when she opened her eyes, she saw a man's chest in front of her instead. Cindy couldn't help but stare at the chest she was seeing. The man was wearing a shirt with two open buttons at the top so his slightly hairy chest was a bit exposed. It wasn't as hairy as the chests of Mexicans and Brazilians, which resemble horse legs with dense and dark hair. What she saw was thin hair on the chest, and she couldn't tell if it was white or had a silver tint color. "What do you think you're doing, young lady?" the owner of the chest that her eyes were feasting on asked Cindy sharply. As Cindy lifted her gaze, she met the almond-colored eyes of a man whom she thought was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her entire life. He had a straight nose but with an Asian touch. His thin lips were red and slightly pouted. His skin was fair and incredibly smooth as if he had put expensive concealer on his face. He didn't even have a single pore. She suddenly felt embarrassed and wished she could hide her own pores on her face. "Huh?" Cindy replied to the man as if she was not herself. She seemed enchanted by his dashing looks. "Where do you think your hands are pressing?" the man asked Cindy sharply again. Cindy lowered her gaze, searching to see where her hands were indeed pressing. She saw that one of her hands was holding her cellphone and the other hand was holding a napkin, both firmly pressed against his crotch. Cindy's eyes widened suddenly and her cheeks blushed. She gasped loudly and moved away from the man. Then she realized that he was sitting in a wheelchair. That's why she didn't fall and hit the floor because she fell onto him. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to press your e—" Cindy stopped speaking and gasped again when she realized what she was referring to. The man standing near the man sitting in the wheelchair couldn't help but laugh when he heard the words that Cindy just said. But he suddenly stopped laughing when he received a warning look from the man in the wheelchair. "Sorry about my boss, Miss. He just has a hot temper," the man, who was probably the one pushing the wheelchair, apologized to her. "Let's go, Crispin," said the handsome but grumpy man in a firm voice. He effortlessly rolled the wheelchair. It seems that he can easily maneuver the wheelchair because there was a sort of gear shift on the right side of the armrest. Cindy was left standing and motionless. After a while, she suddenly remembered the sanitary napkin she was holding earlier. She realized that she left it on the man's lap because she unintentionally left it on his lap. "Wait! I left something—" Cindy didn't finish her sentence because she saw the sanitary napkin flying towards her, thrown by the grumpy man in a wheelchair from behind. She couldn't avoid it, so it hit her face before falling to the ground. "You are so ungentlemanly," she said to the man after picking up the two packs of napkins on the floor. When she looked at where the two men were, they were already gone. Maybe they already turned the corner. Cindy continued walking towards the cashier. However, she couldn't help but think about the handsome man earlier. Suddenly, she feels pity thinking that he is disabled. But she also frowned at the thought that he was rude and not a gentleman. Not only was he disabled, but he also had a bad manner. Surely, no woman would want to marry him no matter how handsome he is. After Cindy paid for the sanitary napkin, she immediately went back home. She was still outside the door when she heard Lucy's loud voice talking to her parents. "I won't marry that crippled man, Mom. Dad. Even if he's wealthy, he's still useless if he's just sitting in a wheelchair," Lucy said loudly. "But we don't have a choice, Lucy. Only Adam can save our company," Cindy heard her Uncle Lando respond. "Your father is right, Lucy. We also don't want you to marry that useless man, but he is our last hope to prevent your father's company from going bankrupt," Lucy's mother convinced her. When Cindy entered the house, the three briefly stopped talking. "I'm back, Uncle, Aunt," Cindy greeted Lucy's parents. Lucy's mother gave her a disapproving look, but she ignored it. "Go straight to your room and do what you need to do, and stop gossiping around here," Aura ordered Cindy with stern eyes. "Yes, Aunt" Cindy replied shortly before turning around and walking up the stairs. "Lucy, Adam will be going to another country next week to have an operation on his feet. Who knows, maybe when he comes back, he will already be able to walk?" Cindy can still hear what Lando said to Lucy because she was still in the middle of the stairs. "Dad. Adam has been in a wheelchair for two years. If there is still hope for him to walk again, he should have walked by now. What if he doesn't get better and can't walk again after his surgery? Am I supposed to take care of a disabled husband? No way!" Cindy heard Lucy's response to her father. "And you know that Adam easily gets angry and hot-headed. What if he suddenly hurts me?" Cindy could no longer hear what Lucy's father answered because she had already climbed the stairs. She couldn't help but think about Lucy's situation. She understands why her cousin is so strongly against marrying a man named Adam who is actually crippled. Cindy will definitely not allow herself to marry such a man, especially since she already has a boyfriend. Suddenly, the image of the man sitting in a wheelchair she talked to earlier came into her mind, and then she shook her head. Her thoughts earlier were correct, that no woman would want to marry a man whose feet are tied to a wheelchair. Even she would never agree to marry such a man, especially if that person is like the grumpy and seemingly unpleasant man from earlier.