Chapter 9 Afraid Of The Paparazzi

Maggie had killed herself by jumping off a tall building, so her corpse had been slightly mutilated and disfigured.

With hands that trembled frantically, Cassie uncovered the cloth that covered the ice coffin.

The mortuary make-up artists had tried their best to restore Maggie's mangled face to make her look like she was just sleeping peacefully.

In comparison to the heartbreaking cries that came from the neighboring hall, for some reason, Cassie's silence was even more harrowing and woeful.

She slowly lowered her head while tears streamed down her face.

The thought of Maggie filled her heart with an unbearable sorrow. There was so much she wanted to say but all those words were stuck in her throat.

Noticing the tears on Cassie's face, Dylan suddenly felt even his hardened heart soften.

He quietly took out a handkerchief from the pocket of his suit and handed it to her. Then, strangely, he had reached out his arms and held her by her shoulders. "Your mother is in heaven now and she wouldn't want to look down on earth and see you like this."

Cassie took the handkerchief from his hand and wiped down her tears. It was a cold winter day. The cold wind that poured into the room through the gaps of the windows turned her nose slightly pink.

After wiping the tears off her face, Cassie turned around and said, "Please, carry on with the cremation."

With the wave of a hand, Dylan asked someone to come over and take care of the following proceedings. The cemetery was located in a nice area in the suburbs, bordered by European style black iron fences all around it. There were a variety of flowers and evergreen shrubs on both sides of the tomb to add a touch of endearment.

As Cassie stood right in front of the tomb, she couldn't help breaking down in tears. There was nothing that could prepare her for the pain of this farewell as she burned incense sticks and placed some offerings for her mother. Softly, she whispered, "Mom, why didn't you wait for me to come back... You were perfectly fine before I left you, but by that time I came back, you..."

Looking at Cassie's pale face, Dylan felt helpless as he realized that he didn't know how to comfort her properly. All he wanted to do was to make her feel better, but instead he said, "Don't forget what I told you.

You can cry, but you can't be hysterical."

After watching the incense sticks gradually turn into ashes, Cassie finally stood up and wiped her tears. With a sudden drastic change in her mood, she smiled at Dylan and said, "Let's go."

"Have you really moved on already?" asked Dylan, a little surprised by her behavior.

Cassie nodded and said, "Sometimes sadness doesn't need to be shown. It's enough to just keep it inside the heart. Besides, you're the one who told me that my mother wouldn't want me to cry so much!"

A faint smile appeared on Dylan's lips. He was relieved to hear her answer.

When he took Cassie's cold hand and walked forward, she said, "You don't have to do this, you know?"

Dylan answered, "There might be paparazzi hiding somewhere near us."

Cassie muttered in a low voice, "If you're so afraid of the paparazzi, then why do you want to get married in such a rush. Won't they be more suspicious about that?"

There was a short silence before Dylan said, "What did you just say?" He turned around and looked at her with sharp eyes.

The moment Cassie saw the look in his eyes, she responded with a silly chuckle immediately and said, "Nothing!"

Soon after, the driver drove them all the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau, where they took a few photos, signed the marriage application and brought two marriage certificates back with them. The procedures went without a hitch. The staff who went through all the formalities with them noticed the clear lack of expression on Cassie's face the whole time. One of the staff members even asked her, "Miss, are you sure you want to get married?"

Without hesitation, Cassie answered, "Of course, I am."

When she walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau that day, Cassie took out her red marriage certificate and stared at it in awe. It seemed somewhat incredulous to look at the confirmation of their marriage.

As soon as her mother's funeral ended in the cemetery, she went straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau to marry a man she had known for only a few days. Just then, a bitter smile appeared on her face.

"Cassie, it is real," Dylan said.

Cassie returned to her senses the moment she heard Dylan's voice. "I know," she said, blinking her eyes softly.

"For the time being, try not to spread the news of our marriage," said Dylan.

Cassie looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and asked, "Why?"

Dylan rolled his eyes at her condescendingly, as if he was looking at a person who was intellectually inferior to him. "Do you want everyone to think that we simply got married because of the rumors?"

Cassie then blurted out, "But, isn't that the truth ?"

Dylan looked at her with a deep set frown, causing her to shut her mouth immediately.

Slowly, he explained, "It's going to take a while before the media stops making groundless accusations based on those photos. I believe that only then can we find the right time to tell everyone about the news so that the public will actually believe us."

"So, are we going to make a big deal about the news of our marriage?"

"Sort of."

As Dylan held her hand, he said, "Let's go home."

Cassie was still unclear about his plans, but she decided not to discuss it any further. Then, Dylan led her inside the car, hand in hand.

Dylan's villa, which he had bought three years ago, was located in the LY Villa District. There was no other reason for him to have chosen such a remote place like this, other than the fact that he simply enjoyed the serenity.

As the car drove through the mountain roads, not a single person could be seen within a five kilometer radius. Cassie turned to Dylan and asked, "Isn't it a waste to spend this much time on the road every day? Don't big bosses like you always regard time as an extremely valuable asset?"

It seemed like this was the last thing Dylan expected her to say. He glanced at her and said, "I also have a place downtown. I just come back here occasionally."

Dylan's busy work life often had him flying to different places for business related reasons. In truth, it was quite inconvenient for him to live in a place like this.

There was a momentary lapse of silence.

As such, the corners of Cassie's eyes twitched slightly. Damn! Cassie realized her mistake. She shouldn't have been so nosy about where Dylan had chosen to live.

What was she trying to insinuate with her words? Was she afraid of being alone?

Seeing her like this, Dylan slowly said, "But you don't have anything to worry about. Since we're married, I'm moving back. I'm not going to make you live there alone."

Her eyes were fixated at him, but in her mind, she shouted, 'I want to live alone! I do! Huh!'

The sound of loud waves crashing against the shoreline, however, turned Cassie's mood around for the better. The sadness she felt just a few moments ago immediately disappeared thanks to the sound of the waves from afar.

Forty minutes later, the car finally stopped in front of a European style iron fenced gate. The door opened automatically, at least as far as Cassie could tell. After being driven through the mountain path for so long, she finally saw a luxurious manor-like structure.

Cassie got off the car and looked around the villa, eyes wide from disbelief.

The beautiful garden stretched out as far as her eye could see. The manor and the fountain were magnificent specimens of European baroque architecture. The entire place was riddled with a small army of caretakers and servants who maintained the integrity of the property.

Having noticed the look of awe in Cassie's face, Dylan caught her attention and introduced her to one of the servants. "This is Carter. Just ask for him if there's anything you need."

Carter was one of the people that Pearl had asked to watch over Dylan because she was so worried about him when he moved out of the family villa.

Cassie smiled blankly, having just returned to her senses. The middle-aged man, dressed in a suit, stood straight and respectfully said, "Nice to meet you, Miss Cassie."

"Nice to meet you, Carter," said Cassie politely.

Carter looked at Cassie and smiled, politely observing her nature.

Dylan corrected Carter. "You shouldn't call her Miss Cassie anymore. She's my wife now."

Once the realization dawned upon Carter, he smiled and said, "Ah, yes! Indeed, you are correct, sir."

Taking her hand once again, Dylan tugged at her gently and said, "Let's go. The wind is very strong. Let me show you the inside of the villa."

Cassie, still in awe, gave him a hasty nod and followed him inside.

When she entered the villa, a coruscating stream of gems cascaded from a large, ornate Swarovski chandelier above, while the marble floor beneath their feet sparkled so cleanly, one could almost see their own reflection.

After passing through the front hall, they walked towards the main hall.

There was a wall of English books by the fireplace of the main hall, all of whose names were difficult for Cassie to read. The warm temperature of the room gave Cassie's body immense comfort.

The servants hadn't turned on the heat until they had heard about the news of Dylan coming back yesterday.

The living room on the first floor was decorated in urban style where the walls were painted black and white. It was just as clean and tidy as anyone's first impression of Dylan.

Carter respectfully followed behind Dylan's footsteps.

Dylan turned back to him and said, "Carter, you don't have to follow me around. Just take care of the things you have to and I will inform you if I need anything."

Carter nodded and left with a polite smile.

On the sofa inside the room sat a beautiful woman, dressed in white. The moment she saw Dylan, she stood up and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Lu."

Dylan nodded courteously, and then Cheryl Shen proceeded to reach out her hand with a welcoming smile on her face. "Hello there, Cassie."

Cassie looked at the girl with a frown and asked, "Sorry, you are... ?"