Annie smiled faintly. "Yes, I've met him. He's great. We've already registered our marriage."

"I told you so! He's truly—" Suzanna choked on her words, as if only registering Annie's words. "Wait, what did you just say?"

Suzanna exclaimed, "You've actually gone and registered your marriage already?"

The scream exploding through the other end of the line was so sharp Annie had to pull her phone away from her ear.

"Say that again, Annie? What did you two do? Didn't we agree for you to meet first? How did that turn into registering your marriage right away? Did you guys fall in love at first sight? Did cupid's arrow hit the both of you?" Suzanna's pitch went an octave higher out of shock.

Annie was amused by her exaggerated reaction. Resigned, she replied, "There was no love at first sight. We just figured having a marriage license would make everything easier. There won't be any compl

After glancing at the message, Christian placed his phone aside instead of responding.

He lowered his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He'd been waiting for this day for far too long.

Early the next morning, Sean walked out of his office with a stormy look on his face.

His superior, Brandon Gates, was right behind him, still trying to advise him.

"Sean, it's not that we don't believe you, but the public pressure right now is just too much for us. The hospital really can't step in and clear things up for you.

"For now, just take some time off. Go home, rest, and try to reach an understanding with Ms. Steward. If possible, get her to clarify things on your behalf."

Sean stopped in his tracks, a deep frown creasing his forehead.

"I'm being suspended? What about my patients? Cecilia's condition is unstable. She needs constant monitoring."

Brandon's tone hardened as he patted 

This was starting to feel a little too surreal.

"Is my appearance to your liking, Ms. Steward?" Christian's tone had a teasing lit, pulling Annie out of her daze.

Only then did she realize she'd been openly staring at him. Heat crept up her ears and she quickly looked away, mortified.

"Yes. You're very handsome." Annie tried her best to sound calm, giving what she hoped was a neutral answer.

Christian nodded slightly, not pushing the topic and sparing her further embarrassment.

Instead, he shifted naturally into a brief self-introduction. "I'm currently the marketing manager at a tech company. My annual salary is a little over 300 thousand dollars. My company provides housing and a car, and I've saved up a bit myself, so life is fairly stable."

Christian's tone was calm and straightforward. He was merely being honest, neither boasting nor self-deprecating.

Annie nodded as she got a good picture of him.

Her parents ran a sizable business in Jynston. Family background-wise, Christian didn't exactly fit the bill. But as this marriage was only a mutually beneficial partnership, none of those details mattered as much.
 
Annie replied, "Suzie and I have been best friends for over a decade. I have no reason to doubt someone she introduces."

"So does that mean you agree to marry me, Ms. Steward?" Christian asked.

Annie shook her head lightly. "A partnership has to go both ways. We can't just consider my opinion. Am I to your liking, Mr. Parker?"

She looked up and met his gaze.

Christian looked at her for some time, his expression serious. After a while, he replied in a serious tone, "You're exceptional in every way, Ms. Steward. I'm very satisfied."

The sincerity in his tone made Annie's heart race. Her cheeks started to burn.

A little flustered, she turned her gaze to the window. "Let's head to the courthouse before you miss your flight tomorrow."

"Alright," Christian replied before suddenly leaning toward Annie.

The space between them disappeared in an instant. In that mere few inches, a clean scent of cedarwood gradually settled around her.

Annie instinctively leaned back, fingers curling as if ready to push Christian away.

But then, a soft click sounded as he fastened her seat belt in a swift movement. He then pulled back to his side of the car, maintaining a polite distance before starting the car.
 
Annie stared dumbly at Christian's profile, unable to help herself as she marvelled at how smooth he had been.

His gestures were natural and perfectly timed. She wondered if it took more than a few ex-girlfriends for him to be trained to such perfection.
 
The marriage registration process was faster than Annie expected. Soon enough, she stood outside the courthouse with a marriage certificate in hand.

Christian dug out a silver key from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to her. "This is the key to my apartment. I'll text you the address later. You can go anytime."
 
Before she could react, he pulled out a black bank card as well. "My salary and part of my savings are here. The passcode is six ones. Now that we're married, it's only right for you to keep it."

Annie was taken aback by the sudden handing over of important things. She quickly declined. "That's not necessary, Mr. Parker. We're just in a marriage of convenience, so there's no need for all of these."

Christian raised a brow. "Even if it's for convenience, we need to get into character quickly. The sooner we get used to behaving like a married couple, the less likely we'll slip in front of our family."
 
Annie found no flaw in his reasoning.

She accepted the card after a moment of hesitation. "Alright, I'll hold onto it for now. Just let me know anytime you need the money."

Christian didn't say much. He simply opened the car door for her. "I'll send you home."
 
"Okay, thank you," Annie replied.

…

Back at the Steward residence, they added each other on WhatsApp before parting ways.

Christian's profile picture was a slightly blurry silhouette that was likely of a woman. His username was just a single letter "C".

Looking at the photo, Annie instinctively guessed that it must've been an ex-girlfriend.

For some reason, her thoughts drifted to Sean. He claimed to love only Cecilia, yet still married another woman without hesitation.

Thankfully, this time Annie had no expectations from Christian. She wasn't going to fall into the same trap ever again.

She had just finished changing his contact name when her screen lit up. It was a call from Suzanna.

"How was it? How was it? Did you meet my uncle? Is he to your liking?" Suzanna's excited voice almost pierced through the speaker.


Annie smiled faintly. "Yes, I've met him. He's great. We've already registered our marriage."

"I told you so! He's truly—" Suzanna choked on her words, as if only registering Annie's words. "Wait, what did you just say?"

Suzanna exclaimed, "You've actually gone and registered your marriage already?"

The scream exploding through the other end of the line was so sharp Annie had to pull her phone away from her ear.

"Say that again, Annie? What did you two do? Didn't we agree for you to meet first? How did that turn into registering your marriage right away? Did you guys fall in love at first sight? Did cupid's arrow hit the both of you?" Suzanna's pitch went an octave higher out of shock.

Annie was amused by her exaggerated reaction. Resigned, she replied, "There was no love at first sight. We just figured having a marriage license would make everything easier. There won't be any complications later."

Suzanna clicked her tongue. "Unbelievable. My best friend suddenly turns into my u

Chapter 7 Sean Is a Jerk