Chapter 3
After leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau, Isabella Sheffield was in a state of shock. She could hardly believe that she actually got a marriage certificate with a person she had only met for less than half an hour. She must have gone crazy to do such an absurd thing.
She had no idea what the man standing in front of her did for a living, whether he was good or bad. All she knew was that his name was Alexander Cole. She had a peculiar familiarity with this name, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
"Ethan McMillan, you..." Ethan couldn't believe it when he saw Isabella come out with Alexander. He always thought Isabella loved him, but then she so decidedly turned around and got a marriage certificate with someone else. He couldn't quite accept it.
"Congratulations, Ethan." Isabella didn't know what she was feeling at the moment, but seeing the shocked look on Rachel Stewart and Ethan's faces brought her great satisfaction. With that, she left with Alexander in tow.
She was scared that if she didn't leave now, the drama would just start to crumble.
"Thank you for today, you can divorce me whenever you want, I can..."
"Divorce? When did I tell you I don't take marriage vows seriously? Once married, it's meant to last a lifetime." Isabella hadn't finished speaking when Alexander interrupted her.
Isabella looked at the man in front of her in awe. His face was serious. Why did she feel like she had been hoodwinked into a marriage?
"You...you...you're a big liar!" It took a while for Isabella to muster the courage to speak. Her face turned from pale to green, and she managed to choke out a sentence.
"It was you who proposed to me." Seeing the irate woman in front of him, Alexander was in a very good mood. It seemed to him that he had picked up a treasure even after being left at the altar.
Isabella was left speechless. Now that she thought about it, it was really her who proposed first. He just agreed. She couldn't really blame him.
"But...but I said it was just acting!" In a last-ditch effort to advocate for herself, Isabella regretted her decision. She should have accepted her heartbreak humbly rather than rushing into marriage with a stranger.
"Then let's just keep acting." Alexander put away his joking demeanor and spoke seriously.
Isabella furrowed her brows. She didn't quite understand what Alexander meant.
"I need a wife, and you need a husband. We can consider it a collaboration. Even if we get married, I won't restrict your freedom. You can do whatever you wish, and I will fulfill my duties as a husband. During our alliance, I will respect you and never get involved in extramarital affairs. All I ask is for you to cooperate when I need it."
Alexander had no other choice but to comply with his family's wishes. His only aim was to find someone who could play the role of Mrs. Cole; whether or not he loved her was irrelevant. If it wasn't for Isabella, it would have been someone else.
After a while, Isabella finally understood Alexander's intentions. They were simply putting on a show of marriage, a union in name only. She pondered over it for a moment, and this arrangement didn't seem to have any downside for her.
"I get it, so let's have a successful partnership, Mr. Cole!" Isabella pushed aside her inner frustrations, stretched out her frostbitten hands, and said to Alexander with a smile.
Ethan and Rachel watched her take wedding photos with this man. If they were to get divorced now, it would blatantly look like a sham. But since this man needed a wife temporarily, she could play the part of Mrs. Cole for now.
"Pleasure working with you, Mrs. Cole." Alexander had anticipated Isabella's cooperation. Even if she didn't cooperate, they were still linked. As long as he didn't grant a divorce, she definitely wouldn't be able to leave him.
"Young master, the Carter family just called saying that Miss Carter is stuck in traffic and may not be able to make it to the civil affairs bureau today. They want you to reschedule. Young master, you see..." As Liam Anderson parked the car next to Alexander, he offered him a cup of coffee with a troubled look on his face.
"Tell the Carter family, I'm already married." Alexander handed the hot cup of coffee to Isabella, opened the car door, and quickly ushered her inside, saying coldly.
The one thing he hated the most was lateness. If they missed it, that only showed that he wasn't destined to be with the Carter family.