My Sweet Voice, My Steel Grip

I was sickly as a child, constantly in and out of the hospital.

My mom always said that if I married a man with even an ounce of decency, he'd never be able to bring himself to be harsh with me.

But then came an arranged marriage, and I was practically packaged and delivered to Jaxson Hayes, the notorious hothead from the city's elite circles.

Everyone thought the marriage was ridiculous.

After all, it was common knowledge that he was in love with Skylar, his childhood best friend and personal boxing coach C a woman who couldn't stand my frail constitution.

While my friends were betting on how many days it would take for me to be sent back, my mom came clutching my leg, her makeup streaked with tears.

"Honey, that's the future head of the Hayes empire. No matter how much of an asshole he is, you just have to grit your teeth and bear it."

"Otherwise, our entire Sterling Group will go bankrupt next month, and thousands will lose their jobs!"

I comforted my mom: "Don't underestimate my sense of responsibility for the family business!"

"Mrs. Hayes? With that tiny frame?"

Skylar leaned against the doorframe, the muscles in her arms taut beneath her sports bra.

Her gaze swept over me, like she was looking at a fluffy bunny who'd strayed into a boxing gym.

"I thought we'd get someone with a little more substance. Turns out, a strong gust of wind could probably blow her away."

I stood in the grand foyer of the Hayes villa, dragging my suitcase. A blast of cold air from the central AC made me let out a tiny sneeze.

"Achoo"

The sound was soft and light, almost a kitten's whimper.

Skylar dramatically shivered. "Oh my god, that sound. Anyone who didn't know would think a kitten got lost."

I rubbed my nose, ignoring her, and continued dragging my suitcase further inside.

I'd prepared myself before coming to the Hayes family.

As an arranged bride, being unwelcome was normal.

As long as things didn't get too out of hand, there was no point getting into a spat with a boxing coach.

"Hey, I'm talking to you." Skylar snatched my suitcase from behind me, weighing it in her hand.

"I'm Skylar, Jaxson Hayes's personal boxing coach. We've also been childhood best friends."

She emphasized "childhood best friends."

"I usually run things around here. Jaxson is busy; he doesn't have time for household matters."

Daisy, my personal attendant who'd been with me since childhood, finally couldn't hold back.

"Miss Skylar, my lady is Mrs. Hayes, officially married into this family. You're just a coach..."

"Daisy." I pulled her hand, shaking my head slightly.

No need.

I was here to fulfill my six-month contract and secure my father's port development project with the Hayes Corporation.

Arguing with someone like her? Winning would be beneath me, and losing would be a complete humiliation.

Skylar raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by my silence, but quickly smiled.

"Alright, smart girl. Follow me."

She put me in the furthest annex of the villa, a room on the ground floor at the very end, facing north.

The window looked out onto a vine-covered wall, and the radiator was icy cold to the touch C broken.

Daisy's face turned livid with anger.

I looked around, sighing inwardly, but kept my expression neutral.

"It's fine, I can live here."

In the evening, I was tucked into bed, sipping the ginger tea Daisy had brewed, when the door opened.

I looked up.

Jaxson Hayes looked at me, wrapped in a blanket, the corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly.

"This is the one from the Sterling family?"

He wasn't talking to me.

He turned his head to Skylar behind him.

Skylar shrugged. "Yeah, as you can see, the kind that a breeze could knock over."

Jaxson's gaze returned, sweeping over me one last time.

"Don't cause any trouble for the family."

Five words. No greeting, no pleasantries.

He turned and left, Skylar following close behind, the two of them disappearing down the hallway.

I put down the ginger tea.

I took a deep breath, pushing down the surge of irritation.

My mom's words, whispered repeatedly as she held my hand before I left, echoed in my ears again.

"Thousands of families depend on this marriage for their livelihoods, Elara. Our entire business."

I gripped the blanket, my knuckles white from the effort.

Bear it.

I can bear it.

At six o'clock the next morning, there was a pounding on my door.

"Mr. Hayes uses the dining room at seven. You need to be finished and gone by six-thirty."

I sat at the breakfast table, my face pale from lack of sleep.

Plain broth, pickled vegetables, and nothing else.

At precisely six-thirty, with my bowl still half full, the housekeeper came to clear the table.

"Time's up."

I glanced at the broth, said nothing, put down my spoon, and left.

At ten o'clock that morning, Skylar called me to the living room.

Jaxson sat on the sofa, scrolling through his phone, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

Skylar slapped a printed document onto the coffee table.

"These are the house rules. I'll say them once, and only once."

"Wake up at six AM, no sleeping in. No medicine bottles in common areas C it's an eyesore. Jaxson's study, the gym, and the entire third floor are off-limits."

She paused.

"AndJaxson doesn't like to be disturbed. Don't go seeking him out unnecessarily."

I listened, finding it a bit amusing.

I'm not some groupie; why would I want to be near him?

But there was no need to cause a scene over such a minor thing.

"I understand."

Skylar seemed pleased with my obedience.

I turned to Jaxson, still wanting to confirm.

"Mr. Hayes, do you agree with all of this?"

He finally lifted his eyelids.

"What she said is what I mean."

Fine.

Nothing more to say, then.

That afternoon, I was reading in the private courtyard, soaking up the sun.

Skylar suddenly appeared at the gate, holding a focus mitt in her arms.

"Elara Sterling, I heard you've been sickly since you were a child?"

I nodded.

Suddenly, she threw the focus mitt at me.

It was fast and packed a punch, heading right for my face.

My body instinctively moved to catch it, but I forced myself to swerve mid-air, stumbling a couple of steps and falling to the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough... why did you suddenly throw something..."

I coughed, clutching my chest, my voice sounding weak and wronged.

Skylar frowned, staring at me for a few seconds.

"Can't even dodge a simple toss. Pathetic."

She picked up the mitt and walked off.

I sat on the ground, slowly unclenching my fist.

That was close.

I almost caught it.

Before dinner, I was carrying the soothing herbal brew Daisy had made for my lungs, walking down the hallway.

Skylar emerged from the gym and immediately spotted the bowl in my hands.

"Who said you could use the main kitchen?"

"Daisy used my own ingredients"

"Your ingredients, maybe, but the utilities are the family's, right?" She cut me off. "Dump it."

This time, I didn't immediately comply.

I looked at her, my voice still soft, but firm.

"Skylar, this brew is for my bronchitis, it's not some exotic dish.

"I don't want to bother Mr. Hayes with such a small matter, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't make things difficult for me over it, okay?"

Skylar paused, seemingly surprised that I'd talked back.

She tilted her head towards the gym.

"Do you want Jaxson to come tell you himself?"

Jaxson was leaning against a punching bag, a towel draped over his shoulder, his gaze sweeping over casually.

He still said nothing.

But his silence was his answer.

I stood there, clutching the bowl of brew Daisy had spent two hours making.

Three thousand families.

The port project.

Six months.

I closed my eyes.

I turned and walked to the end of the hallway, pouring the broth into a nearby planter.

Skylar laughed out loud behind me.

I didn't turn back.

The ceramic bowl, however, now had a silent crack forming along its rim, courtesy of my fingers.

She called out to me again.

"Wait."

I stopped. The tension within me ratcheted up even further.

Skylar plucked a flower from a nearby potted plant, a playful smile on her face, and brought it close to me.

"I hear you have allergies? Does this bother you?"

She flicked the bloom, sending a cloud of pollen right into my face.

"AchooAchoo"

I sneezed several times, tears uncontrollably welling up.

Skylar laughed, stepping back, and called down the hallway.

"Jaxson, come look! Your wife is hilarious!"

Jaxson had appeared at the entrance to the connecting corridor at some point.

He glanced at my disheveled, sneezing state, his brow furrowed slightly.

But in the end, he just said, "Stop fooling around. It's dinner time."

Skylar pouted, slung an arm around his shoulder, and walked off with him.

"No fun."

Daisy rushed over to help me, tears immediately streaming down her face.

"Miss Elara... can we just not put up with this anymore...?"

I wiped my face with my sleeve, taking several deep breaths to suppress the sneezes.

"It's fine, Daisy." I patted her hand.

Don't underestimate my connection to the company!

On the fifth day of my stay, the Hayes family hosted a dinner party.

It was supposedly for the family elders to "meet the new daughter-in-law."

I was seated at the very end of the table.

Jaxson sat next to the head of the table, and Skylar was on his other side, even closer to him than I, his official wife, was.

The elders' gazes darted between Skylar and me, their expressions full of unspoken meaning.

As the third dish was served, Aunt Carol spoke up.

"Jaxson, your new wife looks rather delicate, but her constitution... how will she ever have children?"

"I heard she was always in and out of the hospital as a child. If that's hereditary..."

All eyes turned to me.

I put down my forks, ready to deal with it myself.

Skylar smiled and placed a bowl of herbal pear soup in front of me.

"Elara isn't feeling well, so I specially asked the kitchen to make this pear soup for her throat."

The elders praised her, "Skylar, you're so thoughtful."

I looked at the soup.

And detected a faint, unwelcome scent.

Alcohol.

I'm severely allergic to alcohol; it can cause breathing difficulties, and it's clearly noted on the first page of my medical file.

Skylar couldn't possibly not know.

Everyone was watching me.

My mom's words ran through my mind.

Three thousand families. Six months. Just bear it.

I took a deep breath.

Picked up the bowl, and took a sip.

Three seconds later, my face flushed, my breathing became rapid, and large red hives erupted on my neck.

"Miss Elara!" Daisy rushed in.

Skylar covered her mouth, looking innocent. "Oh my goodness, I truly didn't know Elara was allergic to alcohol! I only added a tiny bit of cooking wine for flavor..."

"Allergic to this, allergic to that," Aunt Carol shook her head. "This constitution might not be able to handle it."

The elders whispered among themselves, their disdainful looks unconcealed.

I gasped, standing up, tears streaming down my face.

Not from sadness, but from the allergic reaction irritating my tear ducts.

But to everyone else, it looked like the new wife was crying embarrassingly at the family dinner.

I walked out.

As I passed Jaxson, I glanced at him.

He hadn't even put down his forks.

Expressionless, he said nothing.

Daisy helped me to the door, where my legs suddenly felt weak.

I instinctively steadied myself against the doorframe.

The solid wooden frame silently indented under my fingertips C five clear prints.

I quickly let go, hiding my hands in my sleeves.

Deep breaths.

Bear it.

I can still bear it.

The allergic reaction bothered me for most of the night; Daisy had to give me an anti-allergy shot to stabilize me.

The next day, I woke up at six as usual, pretending nothing had happened.

At three in the afternoon, I was reading in the private courtyard.

Skylar pushed the door open, followed by two distant Hayes relatives.

The same two who had been gossiping the loudest in the corner at last night's dinner party.

"Elara Sterling, the elders were very displeased about yesterday's incident."

Skylar sat opposite me, crossing her legs.

"Aunt Carol said that if you have a weak constitution, you should know your place and not embarrass the Hayes family."

I closed my book. "I'm very sorry about yesterday."

My tone was calm.

I had no patience for Skylar anymore, but I didn't want to escalate things.

It wouldn't benefit anyone.

"What good is 'sorry'?"

Brenda, the nosy relative, chimed in.

"Your father came from nothing, a total nobody, and he actually thought he could marry you into the Hayes family?"

I put down my book and looked at her.

"I suggest you watch your mouth."

My voice was soft, but the smile was gone.

Brenda stared at me, startled, then grew indignant.

"What's with that attitude? Am I wrong? Everyone knows about your mother, how she basically threw herself at your dad back in the day."

"I said." I cut her off, enunciating each word. "Watch your mouth."

"That's twice."

The air went silent for a moment.

Skylar smiled and patted Brenda's shoulder, signaling her to back off.

Then she stood up, slowly walked over to me, and leaned down.

"Elara, don't get upset. They're just chatterboxes."

Her voice was very soft, as if soothing a child.

"But I am curious, what exactly happened with your mother when she was young?"

My body tensed.

Skylar straightened up, her expression meaningful.

"I heard Aunt Carol talking about it yesterday. Something about an unclear relationship with someone?"

"That's why everyone said your dad was practically begging your mom to marry him. After all, what respectable girl would throw herself at a man like that?"

My fingers began to tremble.

Not from fear.

But from restraint.

"Shut up."

"Oh, I'm not saying anything bad." Skylar smiled, spreading her hands. "That's just what everyone says"

"I said shut up."

I stood up.

My chair slid back sharply, nearly a meter, hitting the wall with a loud thud.

Skylar paused, but quickly recovered her smile.

She thought I was just bluffing.

After all, in her eyes, I was just a sickly girl who could be blown over by a gust of wind; what threat could I possibly pose?

The two women behind her also laughed.

"Oh, she's getting defensive."

"Why are you so upset? Guilty conscience?"

Skylar looked down at me, her eyes filled with knowing malice.

She knew I wouldn't dare to do anything.

This marriage held the Sterling Group's lifeline, and I couldn't jeopardize it.

So her next sentence was spoken exceptionally slowly, exceptionally clearly.

"Look at you, so frail, always in the ER. Exactly like your mother when she was young."

"Just like your mother, a cheap little gold digger, born to leech off men."

"Snap."

It wasn't the sound of a slap.

It was the sound of the spine of the hardcover book in my hands being crushed between my two fingers.

Splinters of wood clattered to the floor.

The living room fell silent.

Skylar looked down at the deformed book in my hand, her smile finally freezing on her face.

I looked up.

Tears still clung to my eyelashes, my voice still soft, still carrying my naturally soft, almost whiny tone.

But every word was like a razor blade.

"Skylar."

"You insult me, I can let it go."

"You bully me, I can pretend it didn't happen."

"But if you dare to say one more word to insult my mother"

I let go of the fragments in my hand, slowly taking a step towards her.

Skylar instinctively took half a step back.