The next day, Natalia rushed to the cathedral as planned. She called Vasili and asked him where he was. It was only after a few attempts that her call went through but it was Vasili's cold rejection that welcomed her. "I'm sorry, Natalia. I've something urgent to attend to in the office. Let's have our marriage registration some other time…"
Before Natalia could respond, Vasili ended the call.
Liar! Even now, he was still lying to her!
Clearly, Vasili was still fooling around with Irina, enjoying himself so much that he forgot about their wedding day.
Eventually, her last compromise was nothing but self-deceit.
Natalia straightened her attire and left. She had already made up her mind to cut all ties with Vasili.
As she swerved into the corridor, she encountered a tall man. His dark gray suit accentuated his perfect figure, supported by his rather arresting long legs.
He held up a black umbrella, revealing a limited edition mechanical watch on his wrist. Shifting her eyes upward, Natalia could not help but get dumbstruck.
A pair of dark mauve eyes embedded on the man's chiseled face loomed out from underneath the umbrella. They were mysterious and deep-set—they could render everyone defenseless as they subconsciously fell into the intriguing yet enigmatic void.
Natalia recognized him immediately. This was Alex Bruch, CEO of HR Entertainment, who dominated half of the entertainment industry in A Country. Simultaneously, he was the current leader of the Bruch family.
'The sun is still up and there's no hint of rain today. Why is he using an umbrella?' Natalya thought to herself.
"Mr. Bruch, Miss Lucy's still crying, and she hasn't even gotten dressed yet…" the assistant behind him said in a trembling voice.
Alex was not surprised in the slightest, and he replied coldly, "I'll give you half an hour to arrange for the next one. Tell Mr. Robert that there's no shortage of people who want to marry into our Bruch Family."
Standing next to him, Natalia smiled.
It turned out that she was not the only one who had been abandoned on their wedding day. Alex was in the same boat here.
Natalia could not resist and she turned around. She looked at the epitome of elegance, who continued to hold up a black umbrella even on a cloudy day, and blurted, "I do!"
Her gentle yet breathy voice was filled with unquestionable determination.
Alex turned to the woman walking toward him, his eyebrows raised ever so slightly in confusion.
"My fiance has a change of heart. Your fiance isn't in love with you. Why don't we get together and get married instead?" Natalia said with a serious expression on her face. Her watery eyes were bright and clear like a stream from the mountain.
Only when she got closer did Natalia notice Alex's pale face. No, to be precise, every inch of Alex's exposed skin was extremely fair, except his thin red lips. They were so red he looked like there was blood on his lips.
She was not afraid. Instead, she studied him curiously.
Alex stared into Natalia's eyes, his violet gaze darkening slightly before his lips parted. "Sure."
The assistant behind him sucked in a breath of cold air and looked at the scene before him in disbelief.
Even as Natalia and Alex walked out of the registration room with their marriage certificates in each hand, she still found this entire incident unbelievable.
Her decision to marry Alex was not a spur-of-the-moment hotheadedness, but for mutualism's sake. She understood that it did not matter to Alex who became his wife. However, even after all of this became reality, she still felt like she was in a dream.
After all, this was Alex Bruch.
"We are legal spouses now, but there are some things that I'll need to clarify first."
Natalia was tactful. "Mr. Bruch, don't worry. Other than being your wife in name, I'll stay within my line."
Alex opened his mouth but eventually swallowed his words. Then, he left without as much as a ripple in his calm expression.
Looking at Alex's departing figure, Natalia thought to herself, 'This marriage to Alex may just be as mundane as deciding what to eat for breakfast. None of us will be affected by this emotionally at all.'
Natalia's phone rang. As the caller ID on the screen indicated that it was Vasili, Natalia's beautiful brows mashed together in a frown.
He still had the cheek to contact her?
Natalia picked up the phone intending to see how low Vasili could go.
"Where are you, Natalia? I'm sending someone to pick you up for a show. Irina injured her ankle. You'll take her place at the next show."
Natalia was disgusted by his apathetic demand.
"Sorry, Vasili, I'm not feeling well. I want to go home and rest," Natalia turned him down.
"Oh. What's wrong, Natalia?" Vasilenko sounded anxious. "How about this? I'll come and pick you up myself."
"No, Vasili, I…" I don't want to see you.
These words were cut off before Natalia could say them. "Don't worry, Natalia. I've taken care of everything in the office. Stay where you are and I'll come to get you."
"Where are you taking me?" Natalia asked coldly.
Vasili answered without hesitation. "To a show, of course. You and Irina are the best models in the company. Only the two of you can turn this show into a blast. Since Irina hurt her ankle, I can only ask for your help, Natalia…"
A cold smile flashed as Natalia heard that.
After knowing the truth last night and going through the despair that lasted until today, she no longer believed Vasili's words.
She had no plans of settling scores with Vasili and Irina for their betrayal and wanted to draw a clear line between them instead. Yet, Vasili and Irina had the cheek to come knocking on her door.
How dare they be so heartless that they would squeeze every last bit of value out of her?!
Realizing this, Natalia flew into a rage.
"You don't have to pick me up. I'll head there myself."