Scarlett asked hesitantly, "Mr. Dixon, are you serious about this?" She had expected their marriage to be just a formal agreement, with each of them living their own lives without interference. So, when her newlywed husband mentioned fulfilling their marital duties, it caught her off guard. Just when she was determined to keep her distance, she found herself drawn closer to him. To her amazement, her seemingly average husband was actually the wealthiest man. It also became increasingly difficult for her to conceal that she was a disciple of a renowned designer. Life then began to sweeten in ways she never could have imagined.
With the marriage certificate clutched tightly in her hand, Scarlett Knight stepped out of the city hall.
"Thank you, Mr. Dixon!" she said to the man next to her.
Waving his hand, Ethan Dixon said, "I have to get to a client quickly. Which way are you going? If our destinations coincide, I'll drop you there."
Scarlett was surprised. Was he offering her a ride? She assumed he must be repulsed by her.
Three months ago, she had accidentally saved him and taken him to the hospital. And now, she forced him into a marriage with her because of that twist of fate.
Despite having told her that he would return the favor, he must be appalled by her for forcing him to marry a stranger.
"Thanks, but I biked here. You go ahead with your work."
Most likely, he said it out of civility and a sense of gentlemanly education. She wouldn't be so smart if she got into his car.
It was merely a contractual marriage. She was grateful he agreed to it, but she didn't expect him to act like a typical husband.
Checking his watch, Ethan acknowledged her response. "Alright, I'm off. Apologies for not being able to spend our first married day together."
"I'm good," Scarlett assured him, impressed by Ethan's gentlemanly demeanor.
Ethan nodded, then hurried off to his car parked nearby. As he opened the door, a thought struck him, and he glanced back to see Scarlett riding her electric scooter in the opposite direction with her down jacket on.
Her departure left him momentarily stunned.
He had assumed she wanted him to fulfill his promise and marry her for some ulterior motive.
Yet, here she was, leaving without asking for anything in return.
Was that her playing hard to get?
Ethan pursed his lips in thought. If she was being sensible, he would leave her be.
But since he had made a promise to marry her, he intended to fulfill his duty, while keeping his true identity hidden.
Shifting his focus, Ethan got into his cheap car and drove away.
At the next intersection, Ethan stopped his car and stepped out, approaching a black Maybach parked nearby.
When he opened the door, the driver informed him, "Sir, your grandmother seems to be aware of what happened between you and Ms. Knight."
"What happened?"
"Trey noticed your absence from the company this morning and looked into it; that's why he found out. Then, he informed your grandmother."
Ethan sneered. His half-brother, Trey Dixon, couldn't wait to let their grandmother know he had married a woman from a humble background.
"Ensure all traces related to her are erased before Grandma intervenes. I don't want anyone else to know about our marriage," he instructed.
"Understood, sir."
Ethan tapped his fingers on the car window, pondering for a moment before adding, "Keep him occupied. I don't want him getting too idle."
"Of course, sir." The driver acknowledged before suggesting, "Should we arrange for some protection for Ms. Knight?"
Ethan's demeanor turned cold as he contemplated the suggestion. "Yes, do it discreetly. Ensure she remains unaware of my identity to prevent any misguided intentions."
Meanwhile, Scarlett, unaware of the complexities, arrived at the hospital on her electric scooter.
The winter in Pradset started earlier than in other places.
The cold wind, laced with sea spray, slapped her cheeks, seeping into her bones and numbing her heart.
Wrapped in her down jacket, Scarlett paused outside the ICU of the cerebral surgery department, gazing through the thin glass at her frail grandmother lying amidst a tangle of tubes. Her eyes welled with tears.
Blinking them back, she mustered a smile.
"Grandma, I got married," she whispered, holding up the marriage certificate against the glass window for her grandmother, Nicola Knight, to see.
"He's a tall, strong, and attractive guy. And he acts in a gentlemanly manner." Even after she compelled him to marry her, he apologized to her for not being able to go with her on the day of their marriage. "So, don't worry. I'm alright. You must also get well. Even if it's for me, please hold on. You're my only family. Don't leave me alone."
Tears welled up, but Scarlett forced a smile, remembering Nicola's fondness for her smiles.
After talking to Nicola for a while, Scarlett went for an update on Nicola's condition from the doctor.
The young but seasoned physician, Cody Campbell, adjusted his glasses. "Your grandma's aged, plus the shock she endured... It's a miracle she's hanging on. Despite her situation becoming more stable, her ability to wake up still depends on her own will."
Scarlett squeezed her palm with her nails and nodded at the doctor. "Thank you for your assistance. Please do everything you can to help her. Money is not an issue if it means she can wake up. And please keep me posted."
Being an orphan taken in and raised by Nicola, Scarlett couldn't fathom life without her.
She was unaware of Nicola's circumstances on the day she passed out. She just found out from the neighbor that someone appeared at her house, and they got into a heated argument. Nicola passed out after the other person left.
Cody was going to tell her that the patient was elderly and that there was a possibility she wouldn't wake up. Regardless of how much money was spent on medicine, it would most likely be in vain.
However, he swallowed the words as he looked at the weak, adaptable, and determined girl standing in front of him.
"Sure thing. I'll keep you updated."
As she stepped out of the hospital, a blast of icy wind hit her face, making her shiver.
The sky above looked heavy and ready to burst at any moment.
Brushing the chill off her cheeks, Scarlett made her way to her electric scooter. It seemed it was going to snow heavily.
Just as she was about to start the scooter, her phone rang, breaking the silence.
Scarlett removed her gloves and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She was taken aback at seeing the person who had messaged her.
The moniker "E" was unknown to her, and the profile photo was of the black night sky. There was nothing else to know about it.
It took her a moment to realize it was Ethan, her newlywed husband!
Back when she had saved him, he had given her a business card and promised to do one thing for her without any conditions.
After Nicola had passed out, Scarlett had been prepared for the worst as the doctor had advised.
She thought that if Nicola was dying, she wanted to fulfill Nicola's last wish-to see her get married.
She had asked several guys before Ethan, but all of them had turned her down upon hearing about Nicola's condition.
After many failed attempts, she was left with no alternative but to go to Ethan.
Ethan was different. After a simple exchange on a social app, he had agreed readily, leading to their unexpected marriage.
Ethan's message read, "My address is Room 1601, Building 6, Horizon Apartments, Oak Road. If you're free today, you can move in now."
Then came another message. "Get whatever you need. I've got a busy day ahead and might be late."
The message was followed by a notification of a two-thousand-dollar transfer.
The messages left Scarlett puzzled.
Was he suggesting they live together like any normal couple would?
When they met again, Jason cast aside his paranoia and pride, warmly embracing Chelsey. "Please, come back to me?" For three years, she had been his secretary by day and his companion by night. Chelsey had always complied with his requests, like an obedient pet. However, when Jason declared his plans to marry another, she chose to stop loving him and to let go. But life took unexpected turns. His unyielding pursuit, her pregnancy, and her mother's greed gradually pushed her to the brink. Eventually, she endured tremendous suffering. Five years later, when she returned, she was no longer the woman she once was. Yet he had spiraled into five years of chaos.
Billionaire Bennett Graham urgently needed a wife to close a business deal but his fiancée wasn't ready to tie the knots yet. So his grandmother picked the most unassuming maid for him. Everything was supposed to go incredibly well, and all he had to do was wait until he divorced her a year later. But after seeing Maliyah's ocean eyes.it wasn't looking simple anymore. *** Before I could get her up, it was as if she felt the light and an uncomfortable sound came out of her mouth. "Uh-huh..." She raised her hand to cover her eyes. But I didn't have time to wait for her to wake up, so I told her to "Get Up." My voice seemed to scare her, and her light-fearing eyes suddenly widened and she kept moving to the corner. The only voice in the quiet art room was her fear-filled voice, "No...please...go away...don't come close to me." She was afraid of me? I hadn't even spoken to her before, what was she afraid of? This was definitely not going to work, I couldn't talk to her if she couldn't calm down. Then I moved closer to her, my hand on her trembling shoulder, and I whispered soothingly "Calm down.I'm not going to hurt you.I'm not going to hurt you."I assured and then she moved her hair away from her face as if to stare at me properly. Our eyes met.It was that moment. It felt as if I was enchanted for a moment. Those ocean eyes were the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
Renea was trying the wedding dress, when suddenly the man rushed in the dressing room and held her neck tightly... “Bitch! Are you still trying to pretend innocent!” Jasper said as he tightened his grip on her neck and choked her harder. Then he used his other hand and took out the phone from his suit pocket and played the video of two people having sex in front of Renea… However, what was even more shocking, was that the woman in the video was, Renea Morris, however, the man in the video was not Jasper. Renea struggled to take a phone away from Jasper’s hand and tried to explain, “Jasper, it was not what you think… I… I can…” Jasper looked at Renea with his eyes full of disgust, as he said, “Let’s call of the wedding. I can’t marry a woman like you.” After saying that Jasper walked out of the shop Renea chase after Jasper... But then she sees Jasper passionately kissing her sister Kailey. And she hears everything, that her sleeping with strange men was all a plan of the vipers of the last two days, and that their goal was to get out of this stupid marriage. Even her adopted parents were also involved in this matter... They all do this with her because of the inheritance left by her grandfather... Renea heart was filled with anger and she wanted to expose their true colors to the public... However before she could do anything, Kailey had pushed her in front of the car and she got killed... However, when Renea open her eyes, she found herself sitting in the car with Kailey... She realized that she was reborn and went at the time when everything started... Renea looked at the people who had hurt her in her previous life and her lips curled up in a cold smile... She was back... However, this time... she was back for revenge...