Chapter 3

The next day, Alexander and I went to the city hall to get our marriage certificate.

There was no ceremony, no guests, not even a single photo to mark the occasion.

With the marriage certificate in hand, I was officially Mrs. Sterling.

Alexander's assistant, a young guy named Eddie, drove us back to Alexander's home.

It wasn't Sterling Manor, but a standalone villa out in the suburbs.

The villa was huge, decorated in a minimalist, cold color scheme, so empty it felt almost lifeless.

Eddie dropped us off at the door and left, leaving just Alexander and me in the massive house.

There was also a housekeeper who took care of cleaning and cooking.

The atmosphere was kind of awkward.

I checked out my so-called future "home," already scheming how I could just chill and slack off here.

"Where's my room?" I decided to break the silence first.

Alexander maneuvered his electric wheelchair and led me upstairs.

"The master bedroom," he said, pointing to the room on the left. "Eddie will have your stuff brought over."

I nodded and pushed the door open.

The room was huge, with a spacious walk-in closet and a balcony. It was a million times better than my tiny rental apartment.

"Where's your room?" I asked, turning back to him.

He pointed to the room across the hall. "Over there."

Sleeping in separate rooms? Perfect, that's just what I wanted.

I closed the door behind me and flopped onto the soft bed, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Step one: accomplished.

Over the next few days, our relationship was as icy as it gets, polite but distant.

He spent most of his time in his study, doing who knows what.

Meanwhile, I fully embraced my slacker lifestyle: sleeping in, watching movies, wandering the garden. Honestly, it was pretty sweet.

We were basically two strangers sharing the same roof. We'd only see each other at mealtime, and even then, we barely said a word.

One day, I was lounging in the living room with a face mask on, watching TV, when Lucas showed up out of nowhere.

He looked at me like I was something disgusting he'd stepped in.

"Where's my brother?" he asked.

"In his study," I replied, not even bothering to give him the time of day.

He marched straight upstairs, and soon enough, I could hear them yelling at each other in the study.

"Bro, why did you marry a woman like that? She's just a gold-digger. She'd do anything for money!" Lucas shouted.

"She's just going to embarrass us."

"Just divorce her already."

Alexander's voice stayed steady, but I couldn't make out what he was saying.

Not long after, Lucas stormed down the stairs, looking furious.

He walked right up to me, towering over me with a look of pure disdain.

"Name your price. How much do you want to leave my brother?" he demanded.

I peeled off my face mask and took my sweet time wiping my face.

"Mr. Superstar, have you been acting in too many soap operas? That cliché is so out dated now," I said.

"You!" Lucas was so mad he could barely get the words out. "Don't get cocky. I've seen plenty of women like you. You're just after the money, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I admitted without a hint of shame. "I'm here for the money. So unless you can offer me something more valuable than being Young Mrs. Sterling, don't even bother."

Lucas had probably never met a woman who was this upfront. He was left speechless for a moment.

I stood up, walked right up to him, and lowered my voice.

"And Lucas, quit raising your voice and causing drama. This is Alexander's house, not your personal stage," I said.

"Most importantly," I said, flashing a smile, "next time you see me, remember to call me 'sister-in-law.'"

Lucas's face turned all sorts of colors, red, then white, then red again. He finally stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I was in such a good mood that I hummed a tune all the way back to my room.

At dinner that night, Alexander actually started a conversation with me, which was a rare occurrence.

"Thanks for what you did today," he said.

I was caught off guard for a moment before it hit me. He was talking about Lucas.

"No need to thank me," I said, picking up some food with my fork. "I'm just making sure I keep my spot as Mrs. Sterling. After all, that's my steady meal ticket."

He looked at me, and there was a faint smile in those deep eyes of his.

"You're honest," he said.

"Honesty is a virtue," I replied.

After that night, things between us felt a bit more harmonious.

At least, he didn't give me that cold stare anymore.

Little did I know, this newfound harmony was just the calm before the storm.