Substitute Marriage: My Mysterious Husband Is A Magnate

"It's late now. Why not go to bed?"

The man's deep and charming voice resounded, pulling back Meagan's wandering mind into her body. Meagan Allison, a newly-wedded lady, looked up and met her husband's deep eyes. She found them conveying unpredictable emotions that she couldn't read.

At this moment, Meagan nervously held the hemline of her dress, feeling her heart beat faster and faster by the second.

Ever since entering this room, she had been sitting on the edge of the bed and didn't move much. Hence, her back went stiff from keeping this posture for a long time. In fact, she hadn't taken off her wedding dress yet. She didn't know what to do or expect. The moment the man finished taking a shower and walked out of the bathroom, it finally dawned on her that they were about to spend their first night as a married couple. It wasn't just any ordinary event. It was their wedding night.

When she thought of this, her entire body trembled. She hadn't even had the opportunity to know her husband well. After all, she was merely a substitute, a replacement for another woman.

As an illegitimate daughter of a rich family, she was made to marry this poor man in place of her half-sister, in order to complete the engagement arranged by the elders of the two families. Furthermore, it was also expected that she would acquire a considerable amount of dowry from this marriage.

With this money, her mother's medical expenses could be paid for, her little brother could continue studying, and her whole family could live a good life. All this burden was passed onto her.

Dwelling on the realization that her life had now changed, Meagan took a deep breath and shakily walked toward the bathroom. "I... I'm going to take a shower as well..."

At these words, the man's eyes suddenly dilated.

Finally, Meagan got to the bathroom door. As she went inside and was about to lock the door, she noticed that there wasn't even a lock on the shabby wooden door. She couldn't help but swallow hard. Although her previous life was not a bed of roses, it wasn't as abysmal as this.

Soon enough, tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to cry and release her frustrations. But she could only stand there in the bathroom for a while, not even able to take off her dress.

The man outside seemed to have understood what was going on in her mind, so he said in a deep voice, "I'm going out for a smoke. You can take your time in there."

Meagan seemed to be a little relieved. To check if he really was going out, she leaned against the door and listened carefully. As he walked out of the room, the door closed with a creaking sound. Afterward, she no longer heard anything from the other side of the door.

The day before their wedding, a vicious typhoon wrecked the city. Massive billboards were dragged down, and even huge trees got uprooted and broken in half-this was the current state of the roads in every part of the city. Despite all this predicament, Meagan's wedding still went on.

Not only did she not have a decent wedding car to pick her up, but she also had to walk quite a long distance just to ride an inconspicuous minibus to take her to the village. Her shoes and wedding dress were soiled by the wet mud. Everything seemed to be a total mess.

As superstitious people, the elders said that marrying in such a condition would only result in a miserable future.

However, Meagan hadn't cared about her own happiness for so long. So, whatever happened in the future, she figured it was pretty much all the same for her.

After taking a shower, she dried her hair and finally stepped out of the bathroom.

It seemed that her husband was yet to come back from smoking outside.

All alone, she looked around and gazed at the two-room adobe house, only to see that there were leaks in some spots. But to her surprise, although the house was a little dilapidated, some maintenance and cleaning up could make it look good enough. Meagan finally found herself letting out a faint smile. Then, she decided to tidy up the room before her husband came back.

However, as she knelt on the sheets to make the bed, the man suddenly appeared.

She was caught by surprise, so she forgot the fact that she was only wearing a bath towel. With her sudden movement as she turned around, she didn't notice that it had already slipped down her body. Feeling a little chilly, Meagan screamed and quickly wrapped her chest with her arms after realizing what had just happened.

However, even before she could cover herself up, the man had already seen her naked body as clear as day.

Panicking profusely, Meagan pulled the quilt on the bed to hide her body. She was so embarrassed that her face turned red.

Unable to forget the scene he had just seen, the man swallowed, and the look in his eyes became more profound and complicated. This time, he walked slowly to her side and spoke in a low, cold voice that somehow implied a bit of intimacy. "It has gotten late. Let's go to bed now."

Earlier, his statement sounded like a mere suggestion. But this time, it was as if it became imperative.

Meagan's heart pounded so hard that she could imagine it jumping out of her throat. With her eyes closed, she eventually felt an arm going around her waist. Slowly and steadily, she fell into the man's arms as her back was pressed into his chest.

Meagan's mind stopped working.

Her body trembled as she felt a hot, hard chest pressed against her back. At the same time, she heard strong heartbeats, pounding rhythmically. His masculinity enveloped her whole being. She took a deep breath, in hopes that this would calm her down a little. But she found her limbs to be as stiff as before.

However, before the man's hands touched her skin, he suddenly stopped moving.

"Do you know who I am?"

Meagan was stunned, not expecting to hear this question.

It was a simple question, but there was an implication behind it. He was her husband, and this moment was their wedding night. It was only natural for them to consummate their marriage.

However, due to her extreme nervousness, Meagan answered his question literally. "I-I know... You're Zayden Whitman."

Hearing this, the man felt so amused that he let out a faint smile.

Zayden Whitman... Well, that was what she knew.

In fact, she wasn't the only one hiding a secret.

This man was not the true Zayden Whitman, who was supposed to be the bridegroom.

Just as she wasn't Winona Allison, who was supposed to be the bride.

But the truth was from the moment he saw Meagan, he could tell that she was just a substitute, just like him. Although he didn't know the exact reason why Winona was replaced, he could just assume that someone born in a rich family would never want to marry a poor countryman.

But now, it didn't really matter. Meagan replaced the real bride, and he replaced the bridegroom. The two of them were just even.

"Zayden..."

As he heard Meagan call her, he eventually regained his senses, lowered his head, and met her beautiful, sparkling eyes. Her timid and soft expression actually made him kind of enamored and infatuated.

Meagan bit her lips as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry. I'm just too nervous... Of course, you are now my husband. It may just take some time for me to get used to this... Anyway... We can start."

Beads of sweat were formed on the tip of her nose. She tried to act naturally, but her whole body was shaking. Thus, she ended up moving clumsily.

Nonetheless, Zayden's heart skipped a beat. Seeing that Meagan was about to kiss him on the lips, he suddenly held her hands and gently pushed her away.

Meagan was stunned, not understanding what just happened. Her face was still flushed, and her eyes widened in confusion. Didn't he make the first move just now? Why would he suddenly push her away?

But then Zayden looked at her and said, "We don't need to rush. I'm sure you're pretty tired. You can rest and sleep for now."

"Zayden, I..."

"You need some time to get used to this new life. I won't force you if you aren't ready yet. While you're conditioning yourself for having a husband, I promise not to make things difficult for you."

After saying that, he lay on one side of the bed and turned his back on Meagan.

Looking at his bare back, Meagan also lay down and fell into a daze. She didn't even realize how much time had passed, but she eventually heard him snoring lightly already.

Realizing that he was deep asleep, Meagan finally had the chance to take a look at him carefully.

He was very handsome. His face was angular, his eyebrows were dashing, and his muscular arm under his head screamed how good his body was. When she thought about this, her face instantly blushed again.

Meagan's heart started throbbing so hard that she hurriedly turned around, afraid that she would wake Zayden up.

She eventually felt sleepy. But her mind was still filled with her frustrations about the sarcasms she received from Winona and her mother before her marriage. They told her that the Whitman family had a good relationship with them since decades ago, so the two families made an arrangement to unite. But after the Whitman family had suddenly fallen, they hid in a small mountain village and had become very poor. It was said that Zayden was a terrible person and was well-known for being a hooligan. Rumors stated that he had already been arrested several times.

Winona said haughtily, "A rogue? How can you expect me to marry such a guy? On the other hand, you and that Zayden guy suit each other. Didn't your mother sleep around with many men? Even your brother is a bastard! Now, go marry him. A person like you only deserve a disgusting person!"

Her father's attitude wasn't any better. In a cold tone, he said, "Meg, think about it carefully. Marry Zayden in place of Winnie, and I will give you enough money to cure your mother from her illness."

Winona's mother also chimed in, strongly poking her temple with a finger, "What are you hesitating for? Marrying someone like him is enough for a little bitch like you! You can even carry the title as the precious lady from the Allison family! Don't be so ungrateful!"

Meagan was jolted awake from her nightmare. She found herself breathing frantically, her heart pounding hard. Then, she realized it was already dawn, and Zayden, who was supposed to be sleeping beside her, had disappeared.

Meagan put on her clothes and went out to the yard. As she expected, she saw Zayden there, and he was doing some morning exercises.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his two hands were lifting dumbbells alternately. His muscles were so toned, like small rocks lined up all over his body. His sweats shone as they reflected the rays of the sun that was rising. Looking carefully at him, Meagan felt like she was staring at a Spartan warrior.

With a slight blush on her face, Meagan greeted him. "So, you get up this early every morning?"

Zayden glanced at her, nodded indifferently, and continued his workout.

At the same time, Meagan started looking around the yard. It wasn't too big, but it was a little messy. There were sandbags, boxing gloves, baseball bats, and dumbbells all over the place. It was like an outdoor gym. Then, she felt a bit nervous, remembering the rumor that he had been imprisoned multiple times before. Of course, she didn't dare ask if this was true. But based on Zayden's physique, it was apparent that he could fight anyone.

In Meagan's eyes, this man looked so mysterious. She wondered what kind of person he really was without relying on baseless rumors.

Nonetheless, she heard that most men in the area had a serious male chauvinism to the point that beating their wives had become normal, especially when they were drunk. Thus, Meagan dared not to be careless.

Biting her lip, Meagan mustered her courage and walked up to Zayden. "Well... Have you had breakfast yet?"

After a moment, Zayden replied in a flat tone, "No. Not yet. You can cook for both of us."

"Okay. Leave it to me." Meagan quickly nodded and ran to the kitchen.

She was actually skillful in cooking, so it was one of the things she was confident about. Not long after, she finished cooking some porridge, fried eggs, and a plate of pan seared beef especially for Zayden.

When Zayden got inside the house, he directly sat on the dining table. As he raised his head, he saw Meagan's smiling eyes. Caught off guard, his heart skipped a beat. As if wanting to reward her for her hard work, he picked up a piece of beef and put it on her plate.

Meagan's brows furrowed. She made it especially for him so she was about to refuse. But Zayden said in a low voice, "Eat some of it too. You need more protein since you're so thin."

"Oh, okay..."

She pursed her lips, losing the courage to refuse anymore. In fact, she had a lot of things in mind that she wanted to talk with Zayden.

First, she wanted to apologize for what happened the previous night. All men should be looking forward to making love with their new wife at their wedding night. However, her reaction made it look like he was forcing her, but she knew he wasn't.

Second, she wanted to ask Zayden about his future plans. Since they were now a couple legally, they should talk about what they were going to do from here on.

Besides, she also didn't know what his proper job was and how he was making money to support his new family.

In other words, they had lots of things that they needed to know about each other.

However, Zayden kept his head down, only focusing on his breakfast. Whenever he raised his hand to bring the spoon to his mouth, the calluses on his knuckles were pretty visible. Most probably, they were from punching the sandbags countless times.

When Meagan saw this, the words that she wanted to say were swallowed back because of fear.

The first meal after their wedding day was long and silent. Of course, Meagan felt very uncomfortable. But this was something that she couldn't run away from. From the moment they got married, there was no turning back.

"By the way, are you free today?" Meagan finally broke the awkward silence.

Not expecting the question, Zayden was a bit taken aback. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing much. I'm just going downtown to return my wedding dress to the shop I rented it from," Meagan answered with a nervous smile.

Zayden's face froze for a moment. He hadn't given a damn about anything connected to the wedding. So, he didn't even know that Meagan's wedding dress was rented. For most women, getting married was the biggest event of their lifetime. They wanted to cherish and remember that moment, so they would happily buy their wedding dress to keep it. When Zayden thought of this, his eyes slightly narrowed. He had a strange feeling.

Seeing that he became silent again, Meagan hurriedly explained, "I'm not asking you to accompany me! I can go return the wedding dress myself. You can deal with your business if you're busy. You don't have to worry about me."

"Okay then." Zayden took up her offer and let her do her errand on her own.

From the perspective of outsiders, they only seemed like roommates. There wasn't a shred of intimacy for them to be called a couple yet.

After cleaning up the soiled wedding dress briefly, Meagan packed it up and put it into a bag. Then, she left the house and took several bus rides before reaching the wedding dress shop. She left early in the morning, but it was almost noon when she finally arrived.

During the wedding preparations, except for the dowry that her father promised verbally, the Allison family didn't help her with anything. Therefore, she had to look around by herself until she found a wedding dress in this shop that fitted her style and had a reasonable price. The shop was not that huge, but the staff acted like big shots. Especially for someone like Meagan who only rented her wedding dress, they easily looked down upon her.

So, when they received the rented wedding dress, one of the staff said with disdain, "Ma'am, do you think we can rent out this wedding dress again? Just look how dirty it is! Do you remember receiving this dress in this condition?"