Chapter 1 A Flash Marriage With A Random Man

"I'm here looking after you and the baby, and now I have to take care of your sister too, Jason. What do you take me for? Your maid?"

"Lower your voice, or Sophie might overhear us."

"What does it matter? If I'd known I'd end up looking after your sister as well, I would've chosen to marry anyone but you."

Sophie Brooks, overhearing their argument, felt her headache worsen.

She had helped her sister-in-law, Leyla Brooks, with the laundry yesterday and had caught a cold later in the night, leaving her feeling quite miserable now.

In her frustration, she managed to get up, wash the dishes, and then she tapped on the couple's bedroom door.

Her elder brother, Jason Brooks, answered the door, a noticeable scratch on his neck catching Sophie's eye.

"What's up, Sophie?"

Feeling somewhat guilty, Sophie raised her voice, saying, "Leyla mentioned her colleague's brother was a nice guy. I'm free today, so I figured I might as well go out with him."

Lately, Leyla had been quite vocal in her displeasure, mainly because Sophie had previously turned down a blind date.

So, to avoid further conflict and to spare her brother any embarrassment, Sophie decided to go along with Leyla's suggestion.

Upon hearing Sophie's decision, Leyla's demeanor instantly brightened. "Perfect! He's available today. I've already made reservations at the Moon Cafe. Better hurry!"

Sophie nodded, and then retreated to her room to grab her backpack and made her way to the Moon Cafe.

Once there, she ordered the cheapest coffee and took a seat by the window to wait.

A taxi pulled up to the coffee shop shortly after, and a tall man stepped out.

Dressed in a sleek black suit, he looked both handsome and poised, seemingly in his late twenties.

He confidently entered the coffee shop and made a beeline towards Sophie, catching her off guard.

She couldn't help but wonder how the brother of Leyla's colleague could be so handsome.

Stopping beside her, the man gave Sophie a thorough look with his piercing eyes.

"Have you brought your ID and other certificates?" he inquired.

Taken aback by the unexpected question, Sophie stood and replied honestly, "Yes."

Recently, she had been considering finding a new apartment for herself, so she had kept her certificates in her bag.

"Then let's go. We better not waste time," he said briskly.

"What? Where are we going?"

Sophie thought that perhaps her brain was processing his words too slowly due to the cold.

"To register the marriage," the man replied matter-of-factly.

"Huh?" Sophie exclaimed, stepping back in shock and losing her balance.

She toppled backwards, but the man quickly caught her, pulling her into his arms.

Pressed against his chest, Sophie could hear his steady heartbeat and smell the soothing scent from his clothes.

Her face heated up as she stammered, "Isn't this too fast?"

The man frowned and released her, looking displeased as he said, "Yes, but I thought we were on the same page, weren't we?"

Sophie bit her lip, realizing what had happened.

Leyla had already made arrangements with him so Sophie could move out quickly.

After a moment of hesitation, Sophie made a decision. Agreeing to marry him would resolve her brother's dilemma, so she resolved to go through with it.

At the City Hall.

Throughout the entire procedure, Sophie and the man hardly spoke, their interaction as cold as if they were filing for divorce rather than getting married.

After they exited the building, the man tossed a bunch of keys to Sophie.

"Leave your contact information. I'll send you the details about the house later," he said.

Sophie quickly took out her phone, and after adding her as a contact, the man departed without another word.

In the taxi, the driver addressed the man respectfully, "Mr. Hewitt, where to now?"

"Back to the company," the man responded lightly.

"And this car?" the driver queried.

"Dispose of it," came the succinct reply.

Sophie stood there, keys in hand, her mind swirling with confusion.

It all felt surreal, like a strange dream.

After standing dazed for a moment, feeling dizzy once more, she sent the man a message inquiring about the details of his house.

Over ten minutes passed before Sophie's phone pinged with a new message. It read, "2018B, Kreles Road."

Alongside the address, there was a notification of a $10, 000 transfer to her account with a brief note. "If you need anything for the house, please feel free to use this money."

Sophie hesitated to accept the money. It took her a while to locate the house.

The residence spanned roughly one hundred square meters and included two bedrooms, a study, a living room, and an especially large balcony that offered a sweeping view. Although it wasn't situated in a highly sought-after area, a house of this size would typically sell for around one million.

She pondered whether it was fully paid off or still under mortgage.

Recalling that the man had arrived at the coffee shop by taxi, Sophie made a guess. "He must have bought it in installments," she murmured to herself.

Taking a deep breath, she considered her next steps.

If the house was indeed under a mortgage, she felt obligated to contribute towards the payments, especially since she planned to live there in the future.

The emptiness of the newly purchased house echoed around Sophie as she contemplated her immediate needs. Realizing she needed to cook dinner, she decided to venture out to purchase some basic kitchenware and groceries.

Despite feeling unwell, she managed to gather everything she needed, the physical activity surprisingly helping her shake off the remnants of her cold.

By the time she finished, dusk was settling in. After a moment's hesitation, she sent a message to the man. "When will you get off work? I am cooking dinner."

Meanwhile, in the president's office of the Horizon Group, tension was rising.

A bodyguard entered with a concerned expression, hesitating before delivering unsettling news to his boss. "Mr. Hewitt, it seems there has been a mistake with your marriage arrangement."

"What are you talking about?" Gavin Hewitt looked up sharply, his annoyance palpable.

With a lowered head, the bodyguard continued, "The person you're supposed to marry had been waiting for you in the cafe for quite a while, but didn't spot you."

Gavin's eyes turned cold as he processed the bodyguard's report.

Had he really ended up married to the wrong person? Who then, was the woman he had married?

She wasn't the one he had arranged to meet, yet she had agreed so readily to marry him. Why had she been so compliant in registering their marriage?

"Anyway, we're legally registered now. It doesn't matter who she is. I'll be filing for a divorce soon. Has Grandpa's flight been booked?" Gavin stated indifferently.

The bodyguard replied respectfully, "Yes, it's ten days from now."

Gavin waved his hand dismissively, and the bodyguard promptly departed.

Just then, a message arrived- it was from that woman.

As Gavin read the message, he narrowed his eyes in slight confusion.

Who was this woman?

How could it be such a coincidence that she happened to wear a red dress, exactly as he had instructed his date, and be seated at the designated location?

After pondering for a while, Gavin rose from his chair.

Meanwhile, Sophie remained seated on the sofa, her gaze fixed on her phone.

Work had been challenging lately; even senior executives had to tread carefully around their boss, so she didn't expect an immediate response from him.

Reflecting on her own job, Sophie couldn't help but sigh.

She worked in a small advertising firm where securing clients sometimes meant enduring humiliation and harassment.

"Surviving" was one thing, but truly "living" felt like a distant goal.

The thought of facing her lecherous client, Vernon Gibson, again tomorrow made Sophie grimace.

She fetched a cold medicine from her bag and went to pour herself a glass of water. Just then, the doorbell rang.

Sophie hurried to the door and found Gavin standing there with a serious expression.

He was back.

Suddenly, Sophie's heart began to race.