Chapter 3

That day, Ryan got a call from Hannah while he was at the County Clerk's Office.

Hannah had made a mistake at work and got chewed out in front of everyone by Ryan's cousin, the vice president of Shepherd Group.

Feeling wronged, Hannah called Ryan to complain. "Mr. Shepherd, your cousin, the VP, said I'm useless at everything except making you happy in bed.

"I'm so embarrassed. I feel like dying. I can't take it anymore."

Ryan immediately panicked and rushed out before the paperwork was even finished. "Mia, this is a life-or-death situation. I have to go now. You'll have to handle the rest yourself."

I grabbed his hand, trying to stop him. "Ryan, it's our wedding day. Do you really have to run off to her right now?"

Honestly, Hannah didn't sound heartbroken about being scolded at all. She was whining and trying to get his attention.

But whether Ryan didn't notice or was pretending not to, he shot me a look I couldn't decipher and hurried off anyway.

That day, I walked out of the County Clerk's Office alone and got someone to make me two fake marriage certificates.

As soon as I finished speaking, my parents suddenly popped up on the screen.

"That's my girl, just as clever as me," my dad said.

"Come on, she got her smarts from me, not you. Stop trying to take credit," my mom said.

My dad muttered a bit, not daring to snap at my mom, so he turned his frustration toward my brother. "Tom, why are you still sitting here?

"Go to Bayviewland and pick up your sister. Are you really going to let my precious girl fly back all by herself?"

My brother boarded our family's private jet that night and arrived first thing in the morning.

He was a total neat freak. The first thing he did when he saw me was ask where the bathroom was. He was already planning to take a shower.

I dug a few of Ryan's clothes out of the garbage bag I'd packed.

My brother came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Just then, someone knocked on the door. He hadn't even had a chance to grab the clothes I was holding, so he answered the door himself.

*****

Standing at the door was one of Ryan's close friends.

The guy and my brother, with his chest on full display and only a towel around his waist, locked eyes for a moment.

Then the guy stepped back, rubbed his eyes hard, and finally made sure he hadn't walked into the wrong place.

As I came downstairs holding Ryan's clothes, the guy recognized me and waved. "Hey, Mia, Ryan sent me over. He tried calling you, but you didn't answer."

After that video blew up, Ryan wouldn't stop calling me.

I didn't have the patience for his excuses. I blocked him.

After handing the clothes to my brother, I hurried him off to the bedroom to change. "You've been up all night. Don't catch a cold."

I watched as my brother closed the door. Ryan's buddy couldn't stop staring at him, sizing him up for a good while.

After a moment, he finally asked, "So, Mia, who's he?"

I smirked. "Oh, him? He owns the place."

My brother bought this villa for me, so yeah, he was basically the owner.

The guy was momentarily speechless, his eyes darting around as he pulled out his phone and played Ryan's message for me. "Mia, don't believe anything you see in that video. People online love to stir up drama.

"Actually, I got two lucky charms. One of them is for you."

I didn't even bother to listen to the rest of the voice message. "Tell Ryan we're done. I don't want him bugging me ever again."

My brother, dressed, grabbed the guy and hauled him out the door. Watching the door slam shut, Ryan's buddy quickly called him to spill the tea.

He called Ryan, who picked up right away, sounding all laid-back. "So, is Mia still pissed or what?"

"Ryan, you need to get back here. Someone's trying to steal your wife," his buddy said, dead serious. "That guy's taller than you, better looking, and way more ripped.

"And Mia said he's the actual owner of your house. So, if he's the owner, then who the heck are you supposed to be?"

Ryan was totally thrown off. 'What guy? How could there be another man at my place?' he wondered.

After hanging up, Ryan couldn't sit still anymore.

He pulled out the lucky charm he'd been keeping pressed to his chest all day. He made up his mind to head home sooner than planned.

He called for Hannah. "Book the earliest flight. We're leaving right now."

Hannah was in a sharp black business suit, wearing her best corporate smile. "Mr. Shepherd, every flight to Bayviewland is grounded because of the weather. Nothing till tomorrow at the earliest."

Ryan stared at his DMs, those annoying red exclamation marks still glaring at him. He raked a hand through his hair, clearly annoyed. "Tomorrow then. Hurry it up."

Out of Ryan's line of sight, Hannah's eyes flashed with mischief, but she nodded sweetly like the perfect assistant.

*****

The next day, Ryan still couldn't make it back. Hannah had gotten her period in the middle of the night, and the cramps were so bad she passed out and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Even if Ryan was a total jerk, he couldn't leave a girl like her stranded all alone in a city where she didn't know anyone.

Hannah lay in the hospital bed, her face full of guilt. "I'm sorry, Mr. Shepherd. You really don't need to stay here with me. Check on Mrs. Shepherd.

"This whole thing blew up way bigger than those little tricks you had me do to make her jealous.

"Mrs. Shepherd probably got the wrong idea. What if she gets upset and leaves you?"

Ryan stood by the window, his back to her, and lit a cigarette in silence. He didn't turn around until it was finished. "Mia and I are married. Where else would she go?

"Don't overthink it. Get some rest. I'll go grab you some breakfast."

Once Ryan left, Hannah hugged the blanket tight and couldn't help but grin to herself.