Substitute Bride: Utterly Pampered by Her Billionaire Husband-Chapter 852: I Hate You!

Serena Sterling had never doubted Zane Crawford, until this very moment when Hayden Crawford collapsed in front of her.

Serena raised her hand and forcefully slapped Zane’s handsome face.

Slap.

The crisp sound of a slap echoed as Zane’s handsome face was knocked to the side.

"Serena... Serena..." Hayden’s weak voice sounded.

Serena quickly crouched down, pressing her hand over Hayden’s chest, "Mr. Crawford, don’t speak. I’ll stop the bleeding for you..."

Hayden slowly shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, but only coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Serena felt her palm growing wet and hot as the blood gushed out uncontrollably from his chest. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Her pale eyelids began to redden, tears fell like broken strings of pearls.

She cried uncontrollably.

Hayden struggled to lift his hand, wanting to caress her face, wipe away her tears, and tell her, Serena, don’t cry.

But his hand remained motionless in mid-air, eventually falling weakly.

Hayden’s heart stopped, and he ceased to breathe.

"Mr. Crawford! No, Mr. Crawford, don’t leave me, please wake up!" Serena felt her heart being ripped in two, a pain beyond words.

Zane slowly turned his handsome face toward her, with both hands clenching into fists at his sides as he watched Serena crying uncontrollably on the ground.

Titus Ashworth was the happiest, glad that Hayden was gone as the world would be better off without him. Then no one would ever be able to wield the Sky Sword again.

"Serena Sterling, this time you have to admit defeat because the world’s only pure bloodline has vanished, and no one will be able to wield the Sky Sword anymore. Your plan to restore Alani has failed completely." Titus laughed arrogantly.

Serena’s tearful eyes blurred as she tightly held Hayden in her arms, then looked up at Zane with a pair of red eyes, "Zane Crawford, Hayden Crawford was your elder brother, you personally killed your elder brother. I will never forgive you! I hate you!"

She said, I hate you!

Zane thought, then let her hate him; if hatred is a form of remembrance, he preferred her to hate him.

Zane walked forward, coming to Serena’s side, looking down at her and using his long fingers to lift her chin, "Serena, I’ll give you time to grieve, but you need to adjust your emotions quickly and prepare to marry me!"

Serena could already smell the blood on his fingers, the blood of Hayden Crawford staining his hand.

Serena’s clear eyes grew even brighter, washed by tears as she looked at him coldly and defiantly, "Married? Zane Crawford, you still want to marry me?"

"That’s right, I’ve already discussed it with Lord Ashworth, restoring Alani is now impossible, and as the girl who trains wolves, you’ll stay in Westria forever!"

Titus nodded, kindly advising, "Yes, Serena Sterling, only those who understand the circumstances are wise. Now that my nephew Hayden is dead and nephew Zane likes you so much, you should rest assured to marry my nephew Zane. When I pass the throne to nephew Zane, you’ll naturally become queen of Westria."

Serena looked at Zane, "You want to take the ruler’s throne?"

"Why not?" Zane replied with a light smile.

Serena shook her head, looking at Zane with a face full of unfamiliarity, "Zane Crawford, I realize I don’t know you anymore. You’re not the Zane Crawford in my memory, or maybe I never knew you."

In her memory, Zane was aloof and pristine, seemingly untouchable by worldly chaos.

But now, he had slain his elder brother, coveted the ruler’s throne, and aimed to forcefully marry her, turning into someone utterly unfamiliar.

The Zane before her had completely turned dark.

Zane’s handsome face remained unruffled, "Serena, you can come to know me anew now."

Serena forcefully turned her face away, rejecting his touch, as his current touch only repelled her, "Zane Crawford, abandon this thought, I won’t marry you, I am your sister-in-law!"

"The person I want, what does it matter if she’s my sister-in-law, especially when you’re not; you divorced Hayden and never remarried."

Serena realized she and Zane could no longer communicate, and rightly so. He could harm his brother, what regard would he have for a sister-in-law’s reputation?

Serena lowered her long lashes to look at Hayden in her arms, still unbelieving that her Mr. Crawford had died like this.

Serena reached out to feel Hayden’s pulse.

But then Zane spoke, "Someone, take away Lord Ashworth."

Several guards came forward, swiftly taking Hayden from Serena’s arms.

"Serena, stay open-minded in the palace for the next few days. The marriage ceremony is being prepared quickly, so don’t resist. After all, Caden, Pip, and Stella are still in Westria. If they get hurt, it wouldn’t be good!" Zane said indifferently.

He dared to use the children to threaten her. Serena couldn’t believe Zane had stooped so low!

"Someone, take the Princess of Alani away!"

Swiftly someone approached, "Princess of Alani, please."

Serena left.

This journey to the ancestral temple ended in Titus Ashworth’s complete victory. Titus approached Zane, "Nephew Zane, you didn’t disappoint me. I know you like Serena Sterling, and I’ve ordered a grand wedding for you. After the wedding, I’ll pass the throne to you; both the kingdom and women will belong to you."

Zane curled his thin lips into a smile without a word.

Everyone had left, and Seraphina Shea, having witnessed everything from the sidelines, remained. Her maid whispered, "Miss, we were wrong about Dr. Crawford; he turned out to be such a terrifying person."

Seraphina watched Zane’s cool, disappearing figure, murmuring softly, "Others may find him terrifying, but I don’t think he’s intimidating at all."

...

Serena Sterling was locked in the castle as a grand wedding ceremony was being prepared outside, with seamstresses coming to measure her for a customized phoenix coronet and wedding gown.

Recent events had turned everything upside down; the suddenly darkened Zane had disrupted everything.

Hayden Crawford was dead; no one could wield the Sky Sword anymore, restoring Alani was futile, and now she was to wear the phoenix coronet and marry Zane. None of these things had she ever imagined would happen suddenly, catching her entirely off guard.