He Called Me Fragile, Then I Ripped the Doorframe Apart Barehanded Chapter 01

He Called Me Fragile, Then I Ripped the Doorframe Apart Barehanded Chapter 01

I had been frail and sickly since childhood, in and out of hospitals so often that even a coughing fit left tears streaming down my face.

My mother always said that if the man I married had even a shred of decency, he would never have the heart to lose his temper with me.

Instead, a business deal landed me in a contract marriage with the Mercers’ dangerously unpredictable second son, a notorious figure among New York’s old-money elite.

Everyone thought the marriage was absurd.

After all, everyone knew the woman Adrian truly loved was Victoria Hale, his childhood sweetheart and private boxing coach. She had no patience for fragile little things like me, the kind who ended up in the ER whenever the temperature dropped.

While people were busy starting group chats and placing bets on how many days it would take Adrian to send me packing, my mother clung to my leg and sobbed until her mascara ran.

“Sweetheart, that man is set to take over Mercer Holdings. No matter how awful he is, please grit your teeth and stick it out.”

“If you walk away now, Langford Group will be all over the news for mass layoffs by next month!”

Humiliated and furious, I kicked the imported marble coffee table so hard it shot across the room.

How could I ever let something like this happen?

Never underestimate my sense of responsibility toward the family business!

***

“That’s Mrs. Mercer? She looks like a stiff breeze could knock her over.”

Victoria leaned against the doorframe, the muscles in her arms taut beneath her workout tank. The way she looked me up and down made me feel like a stuffed rabbit that had wandered into a boxing gym by mistake.

“I thought they’d at least send someone who looked like she could hold her own. Instead, one strong gust and you’d be gone.”

I stood in the foyer of the Mercer estate with one hand on my suitcase. A cold draft from the central air made me sneeze.

“Achoo!”

Victoria shuddered theatrically. “Oh my God. With a sneeze like that, you’d think a kitten had gotten lost in the house.”

I rubbed my nose, ignored her, and started dragging my suitcase farther inside.

I had prepared myself before coming to the Mercer estate.

It was only natural that no one would welcome a bride foisted on the family for the sake of a business deal.

As long as Victoria did not go too far, I had no reason to waste my energy arguing with a boxing coach.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.” Victoria came up behind me, yanked the suitcase out of my hand, and lifted it as though she were weighing it.

“I’m Victoria Hale, Adrian’s private boxing coach and his childhood sweetheart. We grew up together.”

She put pointed emphasis on the words “childhood sweetheart.”

“The household staff usually come to me when something needs handling. Adrian’s busy and doesn’t want to be bothered with domestic details.”

Claire, my private caregiver and personal assistant since childhood, finally lost her patience.

“Ms. Hale, Ms. Langford is Mr. Mercer’s wife, not some outsider you can order around. You’re only his coach—”

“Claire.” I took her hand and gave a small shake of my head.

It was not worth it.

I had come to the Mercer estate to make it through the six-month contract and protect the joint port development deal between my father’s company and Mercer Holdings. Even winning an argument with someone like Victoria would be beneath me, and losing would be worse.

Victoria arched a brow, apparently surprised by my silence, but the look quickly turned into a smile.

“Fine. At least you know your place. Follow me.”

She assigned me a north-facing room at the far end of the first floor in the estate’s most remote guest wing.

The window faced a wall covered in ivy, and the baseboard heater was ice-cold and clearly broken.

Claire’s face darkened with anger.

I looked around and sighed inwardly, though I kept my face blank.

“Fine. I can make it work.”

That evening, I was curled up in bed under a blanket, drinking the hot honey-lemon tea Claire had made for me, when the door opened.

I looked up.

Adrian looked at me bundled in the blanket, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

“This is who the Langfords sent over?”

He did not address me. Instead, he turned his head toward Victoria, who stood behind him.

Victoria shrugged. “Yeah. You can see for yourself. She looks like she’d collapse in a breeze.”

Adrian looked away, then gave me one last glance.

“Don’t cause problems in this house.”

That was all he said. He did not address me by name. He did not offer even a greeting.

Then he turned and left. Victoria followed close behind, and the two of them disappeared side by side at the end of the hall.

I set down my tea, took a slow breath, and forced down the spark of anger rising in my chest.

Before I left home, my mother had held my hand and repeated the same warning over and over. Her words echoed in my mind again.

“More than three thousand families depend on Langford Group. Their livelihoods are riding on this marriage.”

I tightened my grip on the blanket until my fingertips turned white.

I had to endure it.

I could endure it.