My Deceptive Wife: The Bumpkin With Endless Mysteries

Madelynn arrived at Aldenridge International Airport two days later.

Nearly everyone from her flight had already passed through the arrivals exit. The remaining passengers continued to trickle out, but Madelynn was nowhere in sight.

Bryson Foster, her stepbrother, eventually ran out of patience. "Mom, are you sure she even got on the plane?"

"Of course she did," Martha replied firmly. "I sent someone to watch her board. She must be somewhere in this airport."

"So what's taking her so long?"

Martha could not explain it. Her irritation was rising when someone dressed in an unbelievably tacky outfit finally emerged from the arrivals exit.

"Martha! Bryson! Thank goodness I found you!"

An oversized floral pattern covered Madelynn's long dress, and her hair was pulled into a sleek, high ponytail. She wore no makeup apart from a thick coat of vivid red lipstick.

Madelynn sobbed until her nose ran and looked completely shaken. "I thought I was going to be trapped in this airport forever!"

An airport security officer turned to Martha and explained, "She can't speak Aldenrish. She spent quite some time wandering around by herself until one of our employees noticed her and realized she'd gotten lost."

Bryson eyed Madelynn with open disgust. "She really is a hick."

Martha felt exactly the same way, though she could not let the officer see it. She thanked him politely, took hold of Madelynn, and headed for the exit.

"Hold on!" Madelynn crouched down and seized a huge zippered storage bag. She heaved it over her shoulder and flashed Martha an innocent smile. "I nearly forgot my luggage."

Martha tried to hide her annoyance. "You didn't bring a suitcase?"

"Why would I waste money on one?" Madelynn waved off the suggestion. "Suitcases cost a fortune, and you can hardly fit anything inside them. This bag holds much more. I managed to pack an entire comforter and two winter coats, and I still had room left!"

Disgust tightened Martha's face. She had known Madelynn would be a naive country girl, but she had not expected her to grow into someone this foolish and crude.

The massive bag forced Madelynn to stoop as she eagerly made her way forward. People stared from every direction, but she did not appear to notice. Martha could no longer stand the humiliation, so she motioned for Bryson to take the bag.

Bryson objected at once. "You want me to carry that thing? We should toss it in the trash. Who packs a thick comforter and winter coats for somewhere as hot as Tralvale?"

His words filled him with regret almost as soon as they left his mouth.

Madelynn whirled around. "You're not throwing anything away! My grandma made this quilt herself, and I'm supposed to take it with me when I get married! Speaking of that, how much is the Phillips family paying for the wedding? You'd better understand one thing. Grandma gave me everything I'm bringing into this marriage, so every cent from the Phillips family belongs to her. Don't even think about taking it!"

Many travelers inside the international terminal understood her language. Her loud protest quickly drew everyone's attention.

Martha hurried out of the terminal in embarrassment and slipped into the luxury car waiting outside.

Madelynn still would not allow Bryson to handle the bag. She dragged it to the car on her own, shoved it into the trunk, and got into the back seat.

"Martha, this car really isn't that great. The trunk's so tiny that I could barely squeeze my bag inside! The old farm truck back home is much more useful. It has tons of space and can carry almost anything!"

Martha abandoned her polite act once the car doors shut. "Bryson, drive straight to the Phillips Estate."

Bryson gave her a puzzled look. "We're not stopping at home first?"

Martha looked over her shoulder at Madelynn, whose face was still bright with excitement. "No."

Martha wanted Eleanor to see as soon as possible how crude and humiliating Ethan's chosen bride truly was.

Perhaps the Phillips family would cancel the engagement before the wedding. If that happened, Lana could replace Madelynn. She was prettier and far more polished.

Martha did not see the smile disappear from Madelynn's face in the back seat. Her usual cold and distant look had returned.

Marrying a man she knew nothing about had never been part of Madelynn's plan.

The Phillips family ranked among the most powerful dynasties in her home country, and their businesses reached across several industries. People claimed Ethan had remained in Aldenridge to care for Eleanor during her recovery. The truth was that the main branch of the family had forced him aside.

Still, the Phillips family would never let Madelynn marry Ethan if they believed she was really that crude and unfit for their social circle.

Her goal was to push them into canceling the engagement. She could return to the Foster family afterward and finally investigate the truth about her mother's death.

The drive seemed to last forever, but the car eventually passed through the gates of an impressive estate.

Martha had informed the Phillips family of their visit in advance. She dropped Madelynn and the massive storage bag at the entrance, then drove off without so much as a backward glance.

The butler came forward with a courteous smile, though it slipped slightly when he spotted Madelynn's dirty bag. "Ms. Foster, is that supposed to be your luggage?"

"That's right!" Madelynn nodded eagerly. "Sorry, are you the guard for this gated community? Could you point me toward the Phillips family's house?"

The butler's smile became noticeably stiffer. "This isn't a gated community, Ms. Foster. Everything you see here is part of the Phillips Estate."

Madelynn drew a sharp breath and waved toward the surrounding grounds. "All of this belongs to one family?"

"That's correct."

"Good Lord! I'm about to marry into royalty!" Madelynn exclaimed. She threw the bag over her shoulder and rushed toward the house with obvious excitement.

The butler watched her leave and released a weary sigh. He had never expected Eleanor to choose someone like her as her grandson's bride. With Ethan's temper, all hell would undoubtedly break loose.

Very few household staff worked at Ethan's private residence, but Madelynn had to stay in character. She criticized everything in sight.

Her hand swept across the courtyard. "What's with all these boring gray stones? I'll fill this place with flower beds after I move in. I want red, yellow, purple, and every other bright color I can find. That'll make it feel much happier!"

The complaints continued after she entered the house. "Everything in here needs to be redone. The hotel back in my hometown looks better than this place. Their crystal chandeliers shine so brightly that you can barely look at them!"

She studied the room and made her disappointment painfully obvious. "Everything looks so cold and empty..."

Madelynn lifted her eyes and found Ethan beside the staircase. An unreadable half smile rested on his face as he watched her.

Recognition hit her immediately. He was the man she had saved in the rainforest. Shock nearly broke through the foolish look she had worked so hard to maintain.

Could this man be Ethan Phillips?

Ethan broke the silence. "You're Madelynn Foster? The woman I'm supposed to marry?"

Madelynn gave a careful nod. "That's me."

Ethan's gaze traveled from her head to her feet. A cold laugh escaped him. "I see the Fosters raised you well."

The sarcasm in his voice was impossible to miss, yet it only reassured Madelynn.

Blood loss must have left him too confused to remember her face clearly that day. Her disguise had worked, which meant she could stick to her original plan.

Her face opened into a wide grin. "So you're the man I'm going to marry?"

Ethan's brow creased. He somehow had a bad feeling about where this was going.

Madelynn kept smiling as she unzipped the storage bag. She took out bright red boxer shorts decorated with huge white hearts and offered them to Ethan. "My grandma made these just for you. You should wear them under your tux at our wedding. How romantic is that?"