Strangers In Matrimony

In the bustling city of New Omicron, men, women, and young adults flooded the streets to go about their businesses.

However, somewhere downtown, Ava Waverly's landlord banged at the door to her house.

Bang! bang!! bang!!!

His husky voice blared loudly, "Miss Ava, I know you're in there!

"Come out now, and face me! I know what time you go to work now, and I know you go over to your best friend's house during the weekends so I don't run into you!"

The landlord's fist pounding on the door continued; each pound threatening to pull down the door of her cozy well maintained home.

Ava, who had her purse and keys in hand, recoiled with a startled yelp as she took two steps away from the door.

She was just about to head out now.

Before Ava's bakery business went downhill, Ava opened her shop by 8:30am every morning.

She only started going to the shop this early when the landlord began asking for his money and sending her threat text messages. She owed six months rent.

Luckily, the landlord did not know where her shop was or else he would've looked for her at the shop too.

Ava whipped out her phone to call Piper. She hid her inability to pay her rent for six months now from her best friend, Piper Reyes.

Her house rent was $1,500 every month, and now that she owed for six months, it summed up to $9,000!

When Ava Bakies was still in its prime, Ava's monthly income was around $15-20,000, so she never owed rent.

To make matters worse, she declined the landlord's calls and texts, and turned a blind eye to all of them.

She was a bad tenant, and she sure should be kicked out, but she had no money for rent in this place or any other place.

Her father and only true family passed on seven months ago in January.

He was in and out of the hospital for almost two years, and his treatment and welfare fell on her feeble shoulders.

Being an only child who was abandoned by her mother, Ava Waverly had nowhere to run to, to seek for financial help.

Her father's sickness sucked up all the profit from Ava Bakies, and even swallowed up her savings as well.

Coupled with her father's illness, death, and her unavailability for her business, Ava Bakies fell drastically to the point of bankruptcy.

She lost all her clients just within one year of being inactive, and her only surviving client was Liam Flynn.

"Ava, come out now or these men would pull down this door!" The landlord snarled from outside.

'These men?' Ava thought to herself. The landlord was not alone.

Beep sound.

"Piper..." Ava spoke in a hushed tone.

"Yes, Ava, it's unlike you to call me so early in the morning. Are you okay? I'm just getting my breakfast now." Piper Reyes said as her teeth crushed the crunchy fries she was having for breakfast.

Piper lived three blocks away from Ava. They also worked in the same area, so they were practically always together. Piper owned a bookstore, and her shop was next to Ava Bakies.

"Piper, I need your help, I..."

The sound of multiple fists aggressively hitting the door resounded again, causing Ava to instantly zip her lips.

Bang! bang!! bang!!!

"Speak up, Ava, I can hardly hear you. What's with the noise I'm hearing? Can you call me back when you're in a much quieter place? Jeez, I can barely hear you."

Ava quickly disconnected the line when the banging intensified. She couldn't even ask her best friend for help yet.

Faced with no other option, Ava yelled from inside, "Coming!"

The men outside were more than ready to pull down the door.

Ava ruffled her hair, and changed her shoes into some flip flops so that the men outside would think that she just woke up.

She quickly slipped into a bathrobe too.

She took quick unsteady steps towards the door as her legs wobbled.

She rubbed her sweaty palms on the bathrobe to make them dry, as she exhaled sharply.

Yawning extraordinarily, Ava unlocked, and opened up her door, "Good morning gentlemen," She plastered a fake outstretched grin on her cheeks.

The landlord glared at her with red eyes.

"What's good about the morning, Miss Ava? I've been out here banging at your door for over twenty minutes! How dare you act like you're just finding out that I was out here?!"

The large veins that popped up on the landlord's forehead sent shivers down her spine.

There were three able bodied men standing behind the landlord. They also glared at Ava. She wondered who they were. His sons? Or the men he had hired to give her a good beating.

"What do you mean? I literally...just woke up," Ava yawned and stretched as she spoke.

"Well I guess you slept off with a lipstick, huh? Quit playing games. You owe me rent. How are you paying? Transfer or cash?" The landlord asked, obviously not fooled by her act.

Embarrassed by her own ignorance, Ava replied, "Uhm...oh yeah...the rent I owe you."

"Mmhmm, $9,000. You're lucky I'm not summing it up to ten thousand." The landlord's throaty voice forced goosebumps out of her skin.

Staring at the faces of the four men glaring at her, Ava cleared her throat and asked instead, "Who are they? Are they your sons?"

"They're the men who would throw you out of here right now if you don't give me my money! And yeah, they're my sons." The landlord snarled.

"Throw me out? It hasn't gotten to that extent, has it?" Ava chuckled nervously.

"Try me. Do you have my money or not?"

Ava had no money to give to the landlord, but she had Piper to call and ask for some money even though she didn't want to.

Piper had been by her side, and even supported her dying father financially. Ava didn't want to be a burden to Piper, so she hid her inability to pay her rent from her.

She always went to Piper's house on weekends to run away from the landlord, but she told Piper that she was used to spending the weekends with her father, and that she was lonely now that he passed on.

Ava's mother came to mind, but that woman despised her, and would not spare her a dime even if she were dying.

Ava settled on calling her mother since she did not feel comfortable asking Piper for rent money.

"Uh, Mr. Landlord, can you hold on for a moment while I place a few calls to get your money sorted out?" Ava asked politely. She hoped that the infuriated landlord would give her the opportunity to call for help.

The landlord's scowl deepened, "That'll be an extra $200 for wasting our time."

Afterwards, he and his sons pushed past Ava, and made themselves comfortable in her living room.

Ava left the door unlocked for safety reasons.

She hastily dialed her mother's phone number.

Ring, ring, ring.

No answer.

The silence in the room spoke volumes.

"No answer? Girl, do you think we're here to play around with you?!" One of the landlord's son barked at Ava.

"No, not at all...it's just...I'll try again." With jittery fingers, Ava dialed her mom's phone number again.

Mrs Charlotte Waverly snapped the moment she picked up the phone, "What's wrong with you? Why do you keep calling me so early in the morning?"

Ava's tensed shoulders relaxed, and her eyes closed briefly as her mother's voice came on the line.

"Don't you know that every woman with a man is preparing his breakfast at this hour? I knew your father did a bad job at raising you after I left him, but you're beyond my imagination!"

Turning her back on the four men in front of her, Ava greeted, "Good morning mom."

"What's good about the morning? I was having a good morning before you called me!"

Before Ava could respond, she heard the thunderous voice of a man through the phone.

"Charlotte, is my breakfast ready? I'm running late!" He was Mr. Martin Brown, the man whom her mother left with when Ava was eighteen years old.

The two weren't married, but they lived together like a married couple. It's been seven years now.

Ava's mother still introduced herself as Mrs Waverly, the same surname Ava bore. It was a constant reminder of her complicated past.

"You vile child, now my husband is getting upset! What do you want? Speak fast or call me never." Mrs Waverly quickened her movement in the kitchen as she stirred and turned the dish she was making.

Ava quickly stated her request.

However, when she was done talking, Mrs Waverly burst out laughing.

Ava's brows furrowed.

"I'm serious, mom. I really need your help."

"What? Don't tell me you spent all your money taking care of your late father, Ava. Are you really your mother's daughter? Did I give birth to you?

"You should know better than to spend even a dime out of your pocket on a man.

"They say the apple does not fall far from the tree, but it's different for you and me. Why didn't you just dump his a*s like I did?

"Truth is, I don't have any money to lend to you, Ava. I don't have a job, remember? The money my husband gives to me doesn't even take care of my expenses so I can't give you out of it.

"I definitely cannot give my savings to you as well. You might just kick the bucket like your father did before you're able to pay me back."

Ava swallowed up the insensitive words from her mother, and continued to plead.

"Give me a timeframe, and I'll pay you back, mom. I really need your help this time."

"Charlotte! Don't let me come into that kitchen and get you! Put down that phone, and bring my food!" Mr. Martin Brown barked at Mrs Waverly from the dining table.

"Whoops, gotta go. Now, you've made him upset. Call me back in two hours."

Two hours? These men would've chased her away by then. She wasn't even certain if her mother would lend her the money.

The beep sound indicated that the call was disconnected.

Ava slowly turned around to face the men who glared at her.

Feigning composure, Ava relayed the result of the call to the men, "She'll send the money to my account in the next two hours."

The landlord's face twisted into an even deeper scowl, "Throw her out, boys! We don't have time for this nonsense!"

His sons were swift to begin work. They did the heavy lifting by throwing out all her properties, and within a short time, Ava's watery eyes were fixated upon her properties littered outside her home.

"You can move back in after you send my money. You must think we're jobless to wait here for two hours more."

With that being said, the landlord left the premises with his sons.

Ava fought to push back the tears that threatened to fall when her phone buzzed.

Ring, ring, ring.

With a glint of hope in her eyes, Ava looked at the caller ID, thinking her mother called back to help her.

However, it was Liam Flynn, her only surviving client. Did he place an order?

Tucking her emotions back in her pocket, Ava picked up the call, "Mr. Flynn. Did you place an order?" Ava's question came out in a rush before she remembered to add a greeting.

"Good morning to you too, Ava. I didn't place an order, but I will later. I'm calling to remind you of your blind date that's set for 10am."

Ava's face felt drained of color as she stared at the scattered remains of her belongings.

She totally forgot about her blind date!

It was already past 8am when she glanced at the time on her phone screen. Would she be able to make it? She had really pressing issues at hand right now.

"...Ava? Hello, are you there?"

The words slipped out of her lips before she could think properly, "I'll be there, Mr. Flynn. I'll be at the blind date by 10, just send me the address."

"Great! I'll send the address and picture of your blind date right now." Liam said, his voice laced with enthusiasm.

He disconnected the call, and Ava only criticized her impulsive decision making when the beep sound was heard.

She dialed her mother's phone number again. She should be done making breakfast by now.

The realization that she had been blocked by her mother hit Ava after being unable to reach her on the seventh trial!

Left with no other option, Ava called Piper.

"Uh-oh, I'm currently on my way to my parents, Ava. Why didn't you ever tell me about this?!" Piper's tone was both pitiful and scolding.

Ava received a good telling off from Piper for keeping the rent issue away from her.

Afterwards, Ava apologized, "I'm sorry, Piper. I didn't want to bother you. Send my regards to your parents."

Ava thought she'd be able to go to Piper's house, and stay there for now. She couldn't do that anymore since Piper was on her way out of the city.

Piper's parents lived in the small town near New Omicron, and Piper occasionally visited them. Her parents lived comfortably as they were the governors in the small town.

This also meant that Piper would not be opening her bookstore today since she was on her way out of town.

"You can book a hotel and send me the bill, Ava. I'll pay."

Piper was generous, but Ava declined her offer. She would take all her stuff to Ava Bakies, and spend the night there as well.

Ava hung up.

After a brief second, she received a message from Liam containing the location for the blind date, and the picture of the man she was supposed to meet.

"Ethan Atticus," Ava whispered as it was written on the message sent by Liam. The location for the blind date was not far from where she was.

She stuffed her phone back in her pocket, and ransacked her brain.

The money she was with could only take her to her shop.

Should she call Liam to cancel? It was impossible to make it to the blind date when she was practically homeless.

Where would she keep her property and clothes? On her blind date's head?

Even if she successfully went on this blind date, how would she get back to Ava Bakies?

Would the blind date be willing to drive her? What if he was without a car? Would he be generous enough to hire a truck or a taxi for her?

Impossible! She would not stoop so low to ask a stranger for help or money.

Liam had been her only surviving customer, and she didn't want to ruin her relationship with him by not showing up to the blind date he setup for her.

She agreed to Liam's idea when he proposed it, so backing out now would shed a bad light on her.

An idea struck her!

She would call a cab, stuff her things in and on top of the vehicle, and then plead with the cab driver to give her a few minutes to stop at the restaurant to explain things to her blind date. Maybe they could reschedule.

Brilliant!

That way, her relationship with Liam would not be bruised, and he would keep ordering from her.

Genius!

Or so she thought...

Getting a cab driver who agreed to risk the future of their cabs for such a low price was another hassle.

"Why don't you hire a truck instead?" A cab driver suggested.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Ava gently smacked her forehead with sarcasm dripping from her tone.

Her eyes grew misty under the bright blue sky. The scorching sun pricked her skin, and she missed her father even more now.

Lately, Ava craved the presence of a male figure in her life.

While she enjoyed being an independent woman, she also enjoyed having her father around her even though he was mostly sick before he passed on.

If her father were here, she wouldn't have been forced to ring her mother for help.

Finally, a cab driver agreed to Ava's price. It was already 9:45am. Thankfully, the restaurant was just a block away from where she stood.

Stuffing her things in the cab took another twenty minutes out of her time.

Ava sighted the grumpiness of the driver as he strapped her things on top his vehicle. She turned a blind eye.

She finally arrived the restaurant, and immediately sighted her blind date through the glass window. She was 20 minutes late.

The man who was waiting for her inside appeared suave, and properly groomed.

Although he carried himself with an air of aloofness, Ethan was quite pleasing to the eye.

Ava scanned her dirty clothes, and suddenly felt embarrassed to go in.

She swiftly discarded the thought. She was only going to ask him to reschedule anyway. If he declined, it wasn't her fault.

Ava was just about to push open the door to the restaurant when the cab driver honked aggressively, gaining the attention of those in the restaurant, and also passersby.

All eyes were on the overloaded vehicle.

"Ma'am, I can't take this trip. Remove your stuff from my car."

Ava scurried back to plead with him. She was going to spend less than five minutes in there. Plus, she already gave him the hundred bucks she was left with.

The cab driver refused especially because of the small amount she offered. She refused to top up the price so he couldn't agree. He could see his tires deflating. How stupid was he to have agreed in the first place.

The cab driver brought her things down from the car, tossed them on the ground in front of the restaurant, and zoomed off.

Ava turned around to see if her blind date noticed the scene unfold.

He sure did, and so did the other people in the restaurant.

With the help of the security guard, Ava moved her stuff to the back of the restaurant. The security guard helped her stuff them into a small store there.

The bags that could not fit were carried by Ava into the restaurant. She walked straight to Ethan Atticus who was obviously triggered by her presence.

Ignoring the looks and light whispers of those in the restaurant, Ava outstretched her right hand and greeted, "Hey, I'm Ava."

Ethan ignored her obviously dirty hands, and gave her a nod. He went mute afterwards, and aggressively tapped his phone screen.

Ava helped herself to a seat opposite him. She glanced around the restaurant, and saw that a few eyes were still focused on her.

Shortly after, Ava's phone rang. It was Liam.

Ethan obviously reported the situation to Liam, and Ava honestly did not fault him for that.

Ethan Atticus was the mover and shaker of the business world in New Omicron. He was the present heir of Atticus Corporation.

Despite Ethan's request to keep his identity hidden from Ava, Liam went on to blab about who he was to her. Or better still, Ava found out herself.

Why else would she show up to a blind date, and put up such an act in front of everyone?

She obviously expected Ethan to give her a huge sum for appearing pitiful! She was such a scheming woman!

Well, he was not stupid! He knew a staged scene when he saw one!

Having lost a ridiculous bet to Liam a few weeks ago, Liam came up with the most outrageous task for Ethan to do.

Ethan was pleased with being a single man at thirty. He lived in peace, and spent his time doing what he loved most - working.

However, his very peaceful life pinched Liam's neck, that the latter decided to bring up this idea to spice up Ethan's life.

For losing the bet, Ethan had to go on a blind date with three different women that Liam chose, and pick a wife out of them.

How ridiculous did that sound?

Ethan only agreed because he was a man of his word. His only condition to do this was that his identity would be hidden from the women.

He even arrived the date in a compact sedan that cost around $30,000.

The woman sitting in front of him with different bags strapped over her shoulders obviously knew who he was, and she had the intentions to mooch off him.

Ethan was not against spoiling a woman, but he was against gold digging.

Ethan's eyes narrowed as he studied Ava, his expression a mask of disapproval.

While Ethan judged Ava, she on the other hand, explained her predicament to Liam.

Ethan's tensed facial muscles eased up a bit as he heard the young lady in front of him come clean to Liam about what really happened.

While still listening to Ava speak, Liam sent Ethan a text message, "You ruthless bastard! You didn't even give her a chance to explain herself. I told you Ava was a hard worker. Better give her a house from one of your many properties."

Ethan read the text over and over again. A pang of guilt struck his heart. He should've at least listened to her first.

Impulsively, Ethan sent a text to his PA, "Set up the apartment in Calonia Heights. Furnish two bedrooms with basic interior designs for a high income salaryman. One for me, and the other for a lady. You have four hours to get the job done."

He put down his phone the same time Ava ended her call with Liam.

She spoke first in a low voice, "I'm sorry for this disappointment, Mr. Atticus. I'll take my leave now."

"Stay," Ethan grabbed her hand before she could leave.

Realizing the awkwardness in his gesture, he quickly let go of her hand and continued talking.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. Can we just carry on with the date? I know you have nowhere to go for now, so why don't you just spend some time here to relax?"

Ethan's eyes widened at his ability to coax a lady. He had zero experience with women as he only related with women on business levels.

Ava did not refuse. She had no money on her to leave the restaurant and go to Ava Bakies anyway.

Her stomach growled as she hadn't had breakfast. She also needed someone to distract her from the vicissitudes of life.

If she went to the shop with her luggages now, she would end up balling her eyes out on an empty stomach.

She should eat first and have the strength to question why her life suddenly flopped.

When the food came, Ava did not hesitate to dig in. For some reason, she was not shy to eat with gusto in front of a stranger she had just met.

Ethan ate at his usual pace, observing all the ethics and etiquette of fine dining.

The two discussed about their life, with Ava carrying the conversation. Ethan had nothing to say to her asides telling her that he worked as an executive somewhere in the city center.

He didn't say Atticus Corporation for fear that she would connect the dots, and his cover would be blown.

Ava had no reason to doubt or question a man that she had just met so she believed every single word he said about himself.

With Ava yapping about her life and bad business, four hours rolled by quickly.

Ethan received a text from his PA, "The house in Calonia Heights is ready sir."

Ethan did not respond to the text, but pulled the most outrageous stunt he could ever think of.

Gently grabbing her free hand, Ethan asked, "Ava Waverly, let's go get our marriage license at City Hall."

Ava, who was halfway through her third cup of smoothie, burst out laughing at the joke Ethan made, "You don't speak much, but you're such a funny man, Mr. Atticus."

Seeing that Ethan neither laughed nor retracted his statement, Ava uttered, "You're serious? Why?!"

This date was obviously an epic fail, and... "Who proposes after a disastrous first date?!" Ava blurted out her thoughts.

One would think that Ava's words would knock Ethan's senses back to normal, but the man urged on, "You need a place to call home. I can give you that for free. You don't need to bother your best friend. Let's go get our marriage license."

Marrying her could be the perfect solution to his predicament.

Why not just marry Ava and save himself the stress of meeting up with the two other women Liam would arrange for him?

Ava was in the dark about the primary reason for his sudden proposal.

Her gaze drifted off, her mind weighing the pros and cons of Ethan's proposal.

Just this morning, she wished her father, or any male figure, was present in her life.

Did her wishes come true through this blind date? Plus, it took care of the most pressing issue of hers right now. Her accommodation.

If she agreed to marry this good looking young man, she could channel all her focus into reviving Ava Bakies.

What if this man was a serial killer, or an organ harvester?

Impossible! Liam would not introduce her to someone who would kill her.

"You have to tell me the reason why you want to get married so quickly. Is your family on your neck to bring home a wife?"

"No," Ethan could not possibly tell her that there was a bet, "Like I said before, I can give you a place to call home."

"At what expense? What do I owe you after you've given me a place to call home?" Ava had to ask these questions. Getting married to a stranger was nothing to joke with.

"You don't owe me anything, and I won't force you to do anything with or for me."

Ava noticed the honesty in Ethan's eyes when he spoke.

She squinted her eyes, and stared into nothingness. Since she was on a spree of making wrong decisions that day...

Ethan's car screeched to a stop in front of City Hall. "We're here," he announced to Ava who sat quietly on the passenger seat.

It was near evening so the sun was not as scorching as it was earlier.

The two remained mute as if waiting for the other to stop both of them from getting this marriage license.

A medium-sized truck carrying Ava's stuff, rode behind them, and stopped at the entrance of City Hall too.

Sensing that Ava was probably waiting for him to make the first move, Ethan pushed open the car door, and stepped down.

He walked ahead of Ava, and only turned around when he noticed that she didn't get down too.

"Having second thoughts?" Ethan asked loudly.

Ava pushed open the car door, got down, and relaxed her shoulders, "No, Mr. Atticus. I'm all good."

She followed behind Ethan and the two strode into the building.

The formalities, and documents they needed to get their marriage license were few, but Ethan had nothing on him.

Ava had hers in one of the bags in the truck outside, but Ethan had to call Liam to swing by his mansion in Crescentside, and help bring the necessary documents he needed to marry Ava.

Of course he excused himself from Ava's presence before making the call.

"You're getting married to Ava?!" Liam was beyond delighted by the news!

Ethan's life was already becoming less of a boring eyesore.

Liam showed up at City Hall with Ethan's documents after some time. He remained with the two until they both signed the document and it was sealed.

Ethan folded, and stuffed the marriage license into his pocket. He took large strides ahead of his new wife and Liam, and headed towards the car.

"Ava, I knew you both would eventually get to this stage, but I didn't expect it to happen so fast," Liam teased Ava as they walked behind Ethan.

"Well, he proposed, and seeing that I really don't have anywhere else to go, why don't I just agree to marry him?" Ava shrugged.

Deep down, Ava knew that this marriage would eventually crumble. Couples who dated for many years before they got married, divorced after a few years, what more of she and Ethan who were basically strangers to each other.

Ethan Atticus was just a nice man who thought of helping her, even though his way of helping seemed strange.

He also mentioned that he wouldn't force her to do anything that she didn't want to do. She believed that included warming his bed at night.

If they would get a divorce, Ava hoped that it would happen later. She had to revive Ava Bakies, and ensure that she never got into a financial crisis that would prompt her into accepting a stranger's marriage proposal in the future.

Liam kept mute about the real reason why Ethan immediately proposed.

The latter was obviously saving himself from the stress of going through two other blind dates. Ethan thought he was putting an end to Liam's entertainment, whereas he made it even more interesting!

"I believe you both will enjoy your marriage. I don't want to be a third wheel, so I'll get going now. Bye Ava. Bye Ethan."

Liam got into his car, and zoomed off.

Ava glanced at the towering figure standing next to his car, "Let's get going," Ethan faintly uttered.

She got in, and they started their journey to the house in Calonia Heights.

Ava's eyelids drooped, and her shoulders slumped as the humid air brushed her face. She was eager to be done with this day.

Moving around New Omicron with her luggages all day was not very convenient.

The pair arrived Calonia Heights, and stopped in front of a single-storey building. From the look of it, it probably had three or four bedrooms in it.

It had a huge front porch, and a balcony that would be beautiful to sit at every night.

Ava thought the building looked a little bit too expensive even for a high income salaryman like Ethan.

She had heard about Calonia Heights before, but she'd never been to the area. She only knew that the houses here were not put up for rentals. They were sold.

Stepping out of the car, Ava remarked, "Your place looks really amazing, but wasn't it too costly to purchase?"

"It wasn't. I saved up for many years so I could buy a house. I was tired of paying rent monthly, and I worked towards getting a house for myself." Ethan said as he slammed the car door shut.

When Ava thought about it, Ethan actually made a really smart move by buying the house. If she had treaded the same path, she would've put an end to her housing issues a long time ago.

Ava had no reason to doubt Ethan. She was honest about everything she told him concerning herself, so she believed he did the same too.

However, the bungalow in Calonia Heights, with its cozy porch and inviting balcony, was one of Ethan's small properties.

His mansion in Crescentside would swallow up this bungalow and many more.

"Jeff, help my wife move her things into the house," Ethan ordered the truck driver who leaned on the side of the truck with his legs and arms crossed.

"You know the truck driver?" Ava thought he had just met the truck driver when he came to pack her stuff from the restaurant.

"Yeah. He's a real handyman, and works for almost everyone in this area," Ethan lied, his countenance remained steady and unmoving. He made up these stories with so much ease.

Jeff was actually his chief bodyguard who had to disguise and show up as a truck driver today because his boss asked him to. He swung into action the moment Ethan gave the order.

Ava hummed, and thought that Ethan knew what things to prioritize and make his life easier as he grew.

"I'm going to take a look," Ava said as she walked behind Jeff to see what her new home looked like on the inside.

When the two were inside, Ethan took out the marriage certificate from his pocket, straightened it, and took a shot.

The picture was sent to his mother with the caption, "I have a wife now. A date for our family to come over and visit my wife and I should be fixed. She has no family so we're not expecting anyone from her family to show up. Inform dad."

Mrs Flora Atticus, who was getting her hair restyled at the Atticus residence, heard her phone beep.

Seeing that it was a message from Ethan, she tapped on it without hesitation, curious to know why her son texted her today.

Her eyes popped open, and her jaw dropped when she saw the picture of a marriage license. Her face contorted into a deep frown.

Seething with rage, Mrs Atticus read the caption attached to the photo her son sent.

Ethan always nursed the habit of doing whatever he pleased, but this time, Mrs Flora Atticus would not let him have his way!

She read Ava's name as seen on the certificate, over and over again, but the name did not ring a bell. It only meant one thing - Ava was a nobody!

What would other members of the upper crust think of the Atticus's? How could the Atticus's heir pick just anyone to be his wife? Tongues would wag, and they would be a laughingstock in their community!

She immediately dialed his number while sending her hair stylist out of the room.

The hair stylist scurried out of the room when she saw the scowl on Mrs Atticus's face.

"Ethan, what's the meaning of what you just sent?!" Mrs Atticus spat irritably the moment her son picked up the phone.

"I'm married, mom. Tell me congrats," Ethan said plainly.

In all honesty, there was nothing she could do about his marital status now.

"Ethan, answer my question. You're joking, right?! That marriage certificate is fake. Tell me it's fake!"

Ethan sighed, "It's real. I got married today, and my wife and I are in our new home in Calonia Heights."

"Your wife and you? Ethan, who is she? Where does she come from? Who are her parents, and why did you say she has no family?"

Getting married to a nobody was not part of Mrs Atticus's plans for her son.

"She's Ava Waverly. I just met her today, so I don't know much about her. I'll be able to answer all your questions when I know her better." Ethan needed his family's cooperation to help keep his identity a secret. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told them about this marriage.

Mrs Atticus's words caught in her throat, her face pale with shock.

"You met her today and got married to her today without doing a proper background check on her?

"Ethan, you know the marriages that happen in the Atticus family do not happen by chance! They are always deliberate, yet you went on to do something so ignorantly?

"I believe you were taught to make better decisions! If you wanted to get married to someone today, why didn't you tell us so we could arrange for you and Sophia Everett to tie the knot?!

"You know our families already agreed to your marriage with Sophia! How do you expect your dad and I to show our faces near the Everett's now?!"

Ethan lightly pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to his mother.

His intention was simple: to share the news of his marriage, but his mother's reaction was already spiraling out of control.

Ethan's voice dropped to a whisper, "I never agreed to get married to Sophia, mom. That was yours and dad's decision. You know I have no feelings for that girl."

Sophia Everett was the first daughter of Mr and Mrs Everett. The Everett's owned the best private schools in New Omicron, and they had other side businesses in and out of town.

While their wealth could not be compared to the Atticus's, they were a force to reckon with in New Omicron.

Sophia was a socialite, and greatly impressed Mrs Atticus, who was also a social butterfly in her younger years.

"But you have feelings for a woman you just met?! Ethan, can you just listen to yourself?"

Ethan could not bear to hear the bickering of his mother anymore.

For the sake of peace, he came clean about what truly happened, "Listen, mom. Liam and I had a bet, and I lost. He gave me a task for losing the bet, so that's what I'm simply doing.

"Ava Waverly does not know about this bet. She only agreed to get married to me because I offered her a place to call home.

"I also told Ava that I'm only a high income salaryman, so my true identity is hidden from her. I need you all, my family, to play along, and act like ordinary people when you visit us later.

"I don't want her knowing about who I really am for fear that she might refuse to leave when the bet is done.

"I'll also sign a contract with Ava tomorrow. We're getting divorced in six months, and our marriage remains a secret to everyone except our families."

Ethan heaved a huge sigh after explaining what happened to his mother. The story behind his sudden marriage should calm her nerves.

"That best friend of yours is a menace! What kind of task is this? Why did you agree to do it? Was a gun pointed at you?

"And now you've dragged all of us into this silly game of yours.

"I don't support this, and I won't pretend like I do, even when we meet her." Mrs Atticus would not take chances. Ethan and Ava could actually develop feelings just by living together in the same house.

Ethan may think that he's thick skinned, but his heart would melt when Ava started performing her duties to him as a wife.

"I have to get back to my hair appointment. We'll fix a date to come over and see your new...wife." Mrs Atticus almost choked as she called a stranger her son's wife.

Ethan would not be the end of her.

He was playing games with his best friend at thirty, whereas other men his age had their first child or more already.

She hung up, not wanting to hear anything else from Ethan.

Ethan had been outside the house longer than expected. Thankfully, Ava did not bother to look for him.

Jeff still had a few more luggages to take inside.

Ethan called, "Jeff."

Immediately dropping the bags in his hands, Jeff swiftly responded, "Yes boss," he took large strides towards Ethan.

Ethan shushed him immediately, "You don't call me boss when we're around her, am I clear?"

Not knowing how else to respond to his boss, Jeff simply nodded.

"I'll live here for the next six months now. Inform the other bodyguards.

"Wait for me outside the gate every morning. I'll drive this sedan out to the gate, and get into my main car outside. Am I clear?"

Jeff nodded in affirmation.

"Get back to work."

Jeff had only a few bags left to take into the house before he would be done.

Ethan strode into the house to see what Ava was up to inside.

To his surprise, he found her sleeping on the sofa.

The woman he tied the knot with most certainly did not care about first impressions! How could she be asleep after they just got here?

Didn't she say she wanted to check the house out? It was more like check to see if the couch was comfy enough for her to take a nap in.

Ethan stared at the sleeping woman on the sofa. A portion of her brown hair fell over her face.

Just then, Ava's phone rang. Ethan immediately turned around, and walked towards the opposite direction.

It would be more than awkward for her to wake up and find him staring at her.

"Hello?" Ava was woken by her ringtone plus the vibration, so she picked up the phone.

"Ava, are you still at the shop? I'm about to leave my parent's house just so you can sleep comfortably at my place. I'll buy you an early dinner."

It was Piper. Piper always came back to New Omicron the following day after she visited her parent's home, yet she was about to make a trip back just for Ava's sake.

"Piper, you don't need to come back today. I found a place to stay, so you just be with your mom till tomorrow like you always do,"

"You found a place to stay? Who is it? Is it your mother? Don't worry about my mom, Ava. She understands the situation at hand right now, and she has agreed for me to come back."

"I got married, Piper. I'm currently at my husband's house."