Strangers to Spouses

Wiltspoon's hot weather in October was a killer. Still, the mornings and evenings were eased by the late autumn breeze.

Serenity Hunt got up first thing in the morning to make breakfast for her sister's family of three before grabbing her birth certificate and slipping away in the silence.

"We're going Dutch from now on, and I'm talking about everything – the living expenses, the mortgage, and auto loans! Your sister should be splitting the cost since she's

staying at our place. Sure, she pays two thousand bucks a month, but it doesn't stretch very far. She's basically mooching off us."

Serenity overheard her brother-in-law's comment during the couple's argument last night.

She had to move out of her sister's place.

However, there was only one way to put her sister's mind to rest, and that was to get married.

Since Serenity wanted to tie the knot on short notice without ever having had a boyfriend, she decided to take up on Grandma May's offer. Serenity had saved the old lady by chance and came to know that Grandma May was trying to marry off her grandson, Zachary York, who had trouble settling down.

Twenty minutes later, Serenity got off to her pit stop at City Hall.

"Serenity."

A familiar voice summoned her attention the moment she got out of the car. It was Grandma May.

"Grandma May."

As Serenity hurried over, she took notice of a towering yet distant figure standing next to Grandma May. He must be Zachary, her husband-to-be.

At a closer distance, Serenity was dumbstruck after getting a load of Zachary's face.

According to Grandma May, her eldest grandson, Zachary had no luck with the ladies despite hitting thirty. Needless to say, Grandma May was worried sick.

Serenity had always assumed that he must be hideous.

After all, she heard that Zachary had a high-paying job up the corporate ladder in a major group.

Now that they had met face-to-face, Serenity realized that she got it all wrong.

Zachary was attractive and carried himself with an air of aloofness. Standing next to Grandma May with a sour face, he appeared standoffish and gave off vibes to stay away from him.

Serenity's gaze strayed to a black MPV parked nearby.

Judging by the logo, it was a national car rather than some multimillion-dollar vehicle. Serenity deduced that the economic difference between her and Zachary was not that far off.

She and an old friend from school had started a bookshop at the entrance of Wiltspoon School.

During her free time, Serenity would also knit little knick-knacks to sell online. The sales were not too bad.

In a month, she could bring home a steady income of twenty thousand dollars. The same amount in Wiltspoon would position her among the white collars. That was why she could afford to hand her sister five thousand bucks for living expenses.

Nevertheless, her brother-in-law had no clue about her earnings. Serenity told her sister to pocket three thousand bucks and only disclose the remaining two thousand to her husband.

"Serenity, this is my oldest grandson, Zachary. He's a thirty year-old man and can't even get himself out there. Although he's not the warmest person, he's attentive and considerate.

You saved my life, and we've known each other for three months. Trust me when I won't recommend a bad man to you."

Taking in his gran's description of him, Zachary looked askance at Serenity, icily and profoundly without saying a word.

Perhaps he had grown immune to her grumbles.

Serenity knew that Grandma May had three sons, and each gave her three grandsons, blessing her with nine grandsons.

Since a granddaughter was missing in Grandma

May's life, she sought that affinity with Serenity.

Although blushing in the face, Serenity openly extended her right hand to Zachary and introduced herself with a smile, "Hello, Mr. York. I'm Serenity Hunt."

Zachary's penetrating gaze scanned Serenity from head to toe and back. With Nana clearing her throat, he reached out his right hand for a shake, albeit his voice reflected an icy tone.

"Zachary."

After the handshake, Zachary raised his left hand to look at the time before informing Serenity. "I'm a busy man. Let's get it done and over with."

Serenity hummed in acknowledgment.

Grandma May jumped in. "Go on inside to sort out the paperwork. I'll wait for you here."

"Gran, get into the car. It's a hot day out."

Zachary said as he helped Nana into the car.

Through his actions, Serenity was able to agree with Grandma May's statement that Zachary might be callous, but his heart was in the right place.

Although they were strangers, Grandma May mentioned that Serenity could move out of her sister's place into a house Zachary owned and paid for in full after the marriage. It could reassure her sister that Serenity was in good hands and end the arguments in the house because of her.

It was only a marriage of convenience.

Soon, Zachary returned to Serenity's side and uttered, "Let's go."

"Sure." Serenity quietly followed him into City Hall.

At the registry office, Zachary urged Serenity. "Ms. Hunt, you can still change your mind if you don't want to go through with this. It doesn't matter what my Nana says. Marriage is a huge commitment, not to be taken lightly."

He was hoping Serenity had second thoughts.

Because he had no intention to marry a woman he had only met.

"I won't back out on a promise."

It took Serenity a few days to consider before reaching a decision. Now that she had made up her mind, she was not going to go back on her word.

There was nothing more Zachary could say at that point. He took out his document and placed it in front of the officer.

Serenity did the same.

The pair swiftly went through the formalities in less than ten minutes.

Once the officer issued the marriage license, Zachary fished out a bunch of keys from his pocket and gave them to Serenity.

He said, "The house I bought is in Brynfield.

Nana told me that you own a bookshop near Wiltspoon School. My place isn't too far from your workplace. It'll take around ten minutes by bus.

"Do you have a driver's license? If you do, you can get a car. I can help with the down payment while you will be responsible for the monthly payment. It'll be easier for you to commute to work.

"I can get very busy at work, so you won't see me much.

There will be business trips too. Don't mind me. Just look after yourself. I'll wire the household expenses to you on the tenth of every month when the salary is out.

"One more thing. For convenience's sake, we should keep our marriage a secret for the time being."

Zachary must have held high ranks in the office because he went on and on without giving Serenity a chance to speak.

Serenity only said yes to the marriage so she did not become the reason for arguments between her sister and her brother-in-law. Marriage was Serenity's ticket out of the house while still giving her sister peace of mind. It was only marriage by name.

With Zachary handing her the keys to the house, she gladly accepted them.

"I have a driver's license, but a car isn't in my plans right now. I usually get to work on an e-bike. I just replaced the batteries on the bike, so it would be a shame not to ride it.

"Um... Mr. York, are we splitting the bills?"

Despite her sister and brother-in-law marrying for love, her brother-in-law proposed to go Dutch as if her sister was taking advantage of him.

It took a lot of time and effort to care for a child, get groceries, cook, and manage house chores. A man, who had never been through it himself, would think their wife had it easy at home with the child-minding, cooking, and cleaning.

Since she and Zachary had never met prior to signing the papers, Serenity would feel more at ease if they went halves.

Without a second thought, Zachary replied sullenly, "I have the means to support my wife and our little family. No need to share the costs."

Serenity smiled. "Alright then."

She was not one to freeload without contribution.

Whatever was needed in the house, Serenity planned to pay it out of her pocket.

Serenity was already saving on rent anyway.

It was all about the give-and-take as well as mutual understanding to live together in harmony.

Zachary lifted his left arm to look at the time before saying to Serenity, "I need to get back to work. You can take my car home or hail a cab. I'll reimburse the fare. I'll drive Nana to my brother's."

"That reminds me. Let's exchange numbers to reach one another."

Serenity took out her phone and saved his contact. "I'll get a cab. I should leave you to your work."

"Okay. Call me if you need me."

Prior to leaving, Zachary gave her two hundred bucks for the cab, to which Serenity refused. However, she immediately grabbed the money when he scowled.

Zachary walked on ahead instead of stepping out of City Hall together with Serenity as newlyweds.

He made a beeline to his car.

"Where's my granddaughter-in-law?"

Seeing that only his grandson made it out, Grandma May asked skeptically, "You went in together. Why didn't you leave together? Did you change your mind or did Serenity change hers?"

Zachary fastened his seat belt before pulling out the marriage license. Turning around, he gave the license to gran. "We got the papers. I need to hurry back for a meeting at the office. I gave her two hundred to get a cab.

"Gran, I'll drive you up to the crossroad ahead. The bodyguard will take you home."

"You shouldn't ditch Serenity no matter how busy you are.

Hold on. Don't drive until Serenity is out. You can return to work once you take her back." Grandma May wanted

to get off, but the door was locked.

"Gran, I married her as you wished, but you can't dictate everything else I do. I'm the one living with her, so it's my call. I'll observe on my own time and be the judge of her character. I won't make the marriage official if she doesn't pass the test."

Grandma May murmured, "... Divorce is not an option in our family!"

"Well, that depends on whether you've picked a wife who's worth spending the rest of my days with."

Zachary remarked as he started the car.

"Punk! No husband would act like this. How could you drive away and abandon your bride right after you got married?"

Grandma May knew that since her oldest grandson had made the biggest concession by marrying Serenity, he refused to budge in other matters. It was not like she could do anything about it. Her grandson might make Serenity a grass widow if Grandma May pushed him too far. Serenity would be the victim in all of this.

Zachary let his Nana tear into him.

He would make Serenity happy if she deserved it. Had she been lying to Nana and putting up a façade, Zachary would divorce her six months later. Serenity could still find another man since he kept the marriage under wraps and had no plans for sexual contact.

After driving for ten minutes, he pulled over at an intersection.

There were a few luxury sedans parked there. One of them was a Rolls Royce.

Zachary pulled up by the road and got down from the car before tossing the keys to an awaiting bodyguard. He instructed, "Take the old Mrs. home."

"I'm not going back. I want to stay with you and spend time with my new grand daughter in-law."

Grandma May put up a fuss.

Nevertheless, her darling grandson had got into the Rolls Royce, turning a deaf ear to her protests.

She could only watch as her oldest grandson drove off in the luxury sedan.

Zachary was, in fact, the mover and shaker of Wiltspoon's corporate world. He was the heir to the richest family in Wiltspoon with a net worth of a hundred billion!

"Ruthless b*stard!"

Grandma May cussed her grandson out and muttered under her breath bitterly, "I'll wait for karma to strike when you fall in love with Serenity."

No amount of anger could get her grandson back here. By the time Grandma May picked up the phone to call Serenity, the latter was sitting in a cab on her way home.

"Serenity, Zack is swamped with work. Don't take it to heart."

Feeling the marriage license that was stuffed in her pocket, Serenity answered, "I can understand, Grandma May. I don't mind it at all. Don't feel bad. He's paying for my fare.

I'm already on my way home."

"You're married to Zack now. Am I still Grandma May to you?"

Serenity was caught in a daze for a moment before calling her gran.

The old lady happily accepted the new address title.

"We're a family now, Serenity. Tell me if Zack ever picks on you. I'll have your back."

It took forever for her grandson to get a wife. There was no way Grandma May would allow him to step all over Serenity.

"I will, Nana."

Serenity casually responded.

Although Grandma May was nice to her, Zachary was her blood relative while Serenity was only related to the family by marriage. Serenity found it hard to believe that the Yorks would stand by Serenity during a conflict between the couple.

Such was the case with her sister's in-laws.

Pre-marriage, the in-laws were nothing but good to Serenity's sister to the point their birth daughter was jealous.

It was a different story post-nuptial. Every time Serenity's sister got into a disagreement with the husband, her mother-in-law would get on Serenity's sister's case about being a

bad wife.

In short, the son was always family while the daughter-in-law remained as an outsider.

"You must be heading to work, so I should get out of your hair. I'll get Zack to get you home for dinner tonight."

"Nana, I'm closing the shop pretty late at night. I probably won't be able to make it. Can we reschedule for the weekend?"

The school was off on weekends. Since the bookshop's livelihood depended on students, business was slow on days when school was out. She would have time and no need to set up shop during such occasions.

"Sure."

Grandma May thoughtfully added, "The weekend, it is. Go on with your work then."

The old lady hung up the call.

Instead of heading straight to the shop, Serenity sent a text message to her best friend, Jasmine Sox, that she would make it back before the last school bell rang.

With one major milestone ticked off her list, Serenity had to let her sister know and move out of her place.

About ten minutes later.

Serenity arrived at her sister's home.

Her brother-in-law had gone to work while her sister was hanging clothes out to dry on the balcony. Seeing that Serenity was home, her sister expressed her concern. "Why are you back at this hour, Seren? Is the shop closed today?"

"I'll go when it's busy in the afternoon. Is Sonny awake yet?"

Sonny was Serenity's nephew. The boy was currently in his Terrible Twos.

"Not yet. The house won't be this quiet if he's awake."

Serenity asked about last night as she helped with the laundry.

"Seren, your brother-in-law isn't trying to kick you out.

He's simply under a lot of stress.

It's not like I'm working."

Liberty clarified for her husband.

Serenity kept to herself, knowing well that it was her brother in-law's covert attempt to throw her out.

Her brother-in-law earned a lot as a manager in a firm. Liberty met him in college and was working in the same firm when they later got married. After marriage, the man lovingly said to Liberty, "I'll take care of you. Just stay at home and rest. I don't want you to be tired when the baby comes around."

Believing she had found the right man; Liberty quit her job and became a housewife.

She gave birth to a lovely son a year into the marriage and had no time to dress up between caring for a child and managing housework. Liberty paid no thought to watch her figure, nor could she break free from her routine and return to the workplace.

Fast forward three years, Liberty went from a young and beautiful woman to an overweight and unkempt housewife with no time to spare for herself.

Serenity was five years younger than her sister. Their parents passed away from a car accident when Serenity was ten. Since then, Serenity and Liberty only had each other.

The compensation from their parents' accident would have been enough for the sisters to complete their studies, but the grandparents from both sides of the family wanted a piece of it. With what was left, the sisters had to scrimp and save to pull through college.

Since the grandparents proceeded to hog the family home, Serenity and her sister resorted to renting. Their renting days were finally over when Liberty walked down the aisle.

Liberty absolutely adored Serenity and talked to her then husband-to-be about the living arrangement before marriage.

The man was quick to say yes about taking Liberty and Serenity as a one-package deal, but his resentment was beginning to rear its ugly head.

"I'm sorry, Liberty. I'm a burden to you."

"No, Seren. Don't think that way. Mom and Dad left us too soon. I'm all you got."

Serenity was deeply moved. As a child, Serenity could always count on her sister, but now it was her turn to be Liberty's rock.

After a brief silence, Serenity took out the marriage license and showed it to Liberty.

She said, "I'm married, Liberty. I just signed the papers and came back to let you know.

I'll be packing up and moving out in a bit."

"You got married?!"

Liberty's voice turned high pitch, almost to a screech.

Staring at Serenity in disbelief, Liberty snatched the marriage license for a closer inspection. There was her sister's name alongside a stranger's name on the papers.

Attached was a photo of the newlyweds.

"What's this about, Serenity? I thought you didn't even have a boyfriend."

The man in the photo was good-looking, but his piercing eyes and callous lines along his facial features were telltale signs that he would not be the easiest person to get along with.

While on the way back, Serenity had a story all thought out. She answered, "I have been in a relationship for quite some time. His name is Zachary. He was always busy with work, so he could never make time to come meet you.

"He proposed, and I said yes. Then, we went to get our marriage license at City Hall.

He's a great man, Liberty. He's good to me. Don't worry.

I'll have my happily-ever-after."

Liberty had a hard time buying the story.

She had never heard of a boyfriend in Serenity's life. Yet, the latter was telling her now that she got a ring on her finger.

Serenity must have overheard the fight last night. Upset, Liberty teared up and remarked, "Seren, I told your brother-in-law you paid for groceries. Feel free to stay with us.

"There's no need to rush to marry or move out."

Liberty bet Serenity had not known her boyfriend for long.

Otherwise, Serenity would not have waited until now to tell her.

The sudden decision to get a marriage license was because Liberty's husband believed Serenity overstayed her welcome.

Serenity was in a hurry to give herself away before Liberty's marriage was on the rocks.

With a smile, Serenity comforted her sister. "Liberty, you got nothing to do with it. My relationship with Zachary is very strong. I got my happy ending. You should be happy for me."

Liberty could not stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Serenity helplessly embraced her sister until Liberty cried her heart out and calmed down. Serenity made a promise to Liberty. "I'll visit you often, Liberty. Zachary's house

is not far from yours in Brynfield. It takes me ten minutes on the e-bike."

"What's the situation with his family?"

As the marriage was sealed, Liberty had no choice but to accept it. She went on to dig further about her new brother-in-law.

Serenity did not know much about the Yorks. Although she had known Grandma May for three months, Serenity never pried into the family's private affair and often lent an ear to Grandma May. All she knew was that Zachary was the oldest in the family and had a lot of younger brothers including cousins.

Zachary had a job in one of Wiltspoon's finest companies. He was doing well for himself as he owned a house and car. Serenity told the little information she knew to her sister.

Having heard that Zachary had no debt on the house, Liberty asked, "That's his prenuptial property. Seren, can you get him to add your name to the title deed?"

At least, Serenity would be covered if her name was on the deed.