She Married A Nobody, And Nobody Dared Touch Her Again

Chapter 007

"Lein Ashre," he answered. "Your fiancé."

Sera looked at him for a moment.

"That's not what I meant." Her voice was softer now, no longer cold like before. "We've never met before. So why would you agree to marry me?"

Lein glanced at her.

"Weren't you the one who offered it to me first?"

Sera opened her mouth, then closed it again.

He was right. Technically, she was the one who'd brought up the idea first, back on the side of the road. But that wasn't what she meant, and this man knew perfectly well that it wasn't.

Lein held back a smile for two seconds before finally continuing.

"Alright, alright." He took a light breath. "My name is Lein Ashre. And my grandfather asked me to come find you and marry you."

Sera frowned. "Your grandfather?"

She tried to remember. As far as she knew, there wasn't a single name or face she could connect to some debt of gratitude, a will, or an old promise involving her. Her grandfather had mentioned plenty of names throughout his life, but none of them had ever led to something like this.

"Your grandfather," Sera repeated quietly. "Who is he?"

"Darwin Ashre." Lein looked straight at her. "He and your grandfather, Edward Caldwell, were old friends. But when your grandfather passed away two months ago, mine couldn't make it in time. Never got to say goodbye, and that became a regret he was never able to let go of." He paused for a moment. "So to make up for it, he sent me. To protect Edward's favorite granddaughter. To make sure Sera Caldwell is okay."

Silence.

Sera stared at him for a few seconds.

Then something in her chest loosened a little.

Grandpa had mentioned him before. Not often, not in detail, but he had. An old friend who lived far away, someone they hadn't been able to see for years for one reason or another.

So this man was that friend's grandson?

Naturally, it warmed Sera's heart. Grandpa had always protected her, even now that he was gone.

And with this man by her side, she had a real chance to defend the Caldwell fortune from those greedy wolves. And of course, to avenge the deaths of her grandfather, her father, her mother, and Uncle Caden. She would find out every single person involved, and destroy them all, down to the very last detail.

Sera then looked away.

"I understand," she finally said. Her voice no longer sounded like she was questioning him. "Thank you for explaining."

Lein nodded.

Sera was quiet for a moment, then looked at him again. More directly this time.

"Now, I want to ask you for something." Her voice returned to its usual tone, measured and to the point. "Help me give Uncle Caden a proper burial. I want him laid to rest in the backyard, in the same place as Dad, Mom, and Grandpa."

"You don't want to report this to the police first?" Lein asked. "It's pretty obvious who's behind tonight."

Sera looked at him.

Then she let out a long, tired breath.

"There's no point." Just a few words, but their weight filled the whole room. "The police in this city have never been on my side. The officials, the legal connections, all of it is already in the pockets of the other branches of the family and the city's elite who want the Caldwell fortune." Her eyes didn't move. "And in everyone's eyes, I'm just a young, inexperienced heiress who can be crushed and dethroned. So no one's going to believe me. Even if I showed up with proof, they'd find a way to twist it."

Lein didn't answer right away.

But something in his eyes changed. Not pity. Something colder than that, like someone who had just heard the situation and was already starting to calculate.

"Alright," he finally said.

No arguments. No follow-up questions.

They got to work.

---

An hour later, the backyard of the Caldwell estate lay silent beneath the night sky.

Under an old tree that had been there since before Sera was born, beside three headstones that had been placed just two months ago, now stood one more. Simple. Neat. Prepared by the two of them in silence, without much talking, because there was no need for much talking.

Sera stood before the new grave.

Her eyes hadn't been dry for a while now, but her crying made no sound. Not because she was holding it back, but because these tears were different from earlier. This wasn't panicked crying. This was deeper, quieter, and precisely because of that, it felt heavier.

"Uncle Caden."

Her voice was soft. Just loud enough for the night wind and the earth beneath her to hear.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." A pause. "But I promise, your death won't be for nothing. I'll make sure they don't get anything they want. Not a single cent. Not a single piece of everything Dad, Mom, and Grandpa built."

Her hands clenched at her sides.

"I'll avenge you, Dad, Mom, and Grandpa. I promise."

Behind her, Lein stood in silence.

He didn't come closer. Didn't offer any words. He just stood far enough away to give Sera her space, but close enough in case she needed him.

His eyes were fixed on the back of the woman in front of him.

The woman who, tonight, had stood up to her entire greedy, bastard family without backing down. Who hadn't cried in front of them, even after losing the only person she had left. Who had wiped away her tears, clenched her fists, and chosen to keep going.

Lein had seen plenty of remarkable people in his life.

But tonight, for the first time, this woman had something remarkable that Lein had never accounted for.

"This woman is interesting," he thought, without being able to fully explain why. "Very interesting."

And at some point, without him even noticing when, the decision had formed on its own inside him, firm and beyond question.

He would protect Sera Caldwell.

Not because his grandfather asked him to.

But because he wanted to.

And he knew this was going to be a fun ride.