Chapter 1: Shotgun Wedding

At nine o'clock, the night was irresistibly seductive.

Natalie Tang had drunk a little too much at her bachelorette party, so her fiancé escorted her back to the apartment. Yet, when she awoke with a splitting headache, she saw, under the dim light, a man and a woman.

Struck as if by lightning, Natalie could only stare in dumb shock at the pair by her bedside, her heart tearing apart in a swell of rage.

"Serena, stop messing around, Natalie just fell asleep!" the man said.

"What's wrong? Afraid your fiancée will wake up?" Serena asked bitterly. "You're getting married tomorrow!"

"Baby, don't make a fuss, let's go to another room," the man coaxed seductively.

"No, I want it here! Right in front of her!"

Tears welled up in Natalie's eyes. She couldn't believe that her fiancé, whom she was supposed to register her marriage with tomorrow, was having an affair with his mistress right in front of her.

"Sweetheart, shall we go to the bathroom then?"

"Go ahead and start the water," Serena said, pushing him towards the chest. Once the man left, she turned to Natalie and sneered, "Tomorrow, I won't give Evan the chance to register with you because I'm pregnant. He's mine!"

Natalie clenched her fists to keep from crying out. Just three years ago, she was the top model of Shengjing, but she gave it all up for this man, even handing over her spot to Serena. And now, it seemed she was just preparing a wedding dress for someone else. No, this had to be a nightmare. She would wake up and everything would be alright.

Clinging to that lie, Natalie tried to soothe herself. But in the middle of the night, Serena, feigning discomfort, clung to Evan and left the hotel. Evan abandoned Natalie without a second thought!

And they were supposed to register their marriage tomorrow!

With a bitter smile the next morning, Natalie drove to the civil affairs office as planned and called Evan, only to receive a cold response: "Serena got injured on stage. I need to deal with this urgent matter first. Let's postpone the registration."

There would be no later. Natalie reminded herself despairingly.

Turning to leave with her sunglasses on, Natalie was confronted by a figure approaching her. He was clad in a deep blue vintage suit that wrapped his muscular frame, a burgundy scarf peeping from his breast pocket. His legs were long and straight, leading down to a pair of shiny brown pointed shoes.

This man... his presence was too overwhelming, like a noble king from the Middle Ages!

Especially when he drew near, even behind sunglasses, his chiseled features and those sensual lips were maddeningly attractive.

Natalie recognized this man as Terrance, the CEO of Harui Entertainment. They had met once at a ball when she was still famous.

Was he getting married today too?

"Mr. President, Miss Chi has not arrived on time... She's ten minutes late," his assistant reported with due respect.

"Tell the Chi family that anyone who is late for their wedding need not bother coming at all," the man spoke coldly.

"But the Chairman said you must get married today, even if it's to a 'shemale,' he wouldn't object," the assistant said timidly.

"Pick someone at random from the socialites then. You have half an hour," the man said briskly, his demeanor aloof.

It seemed they were kindred spirits in misfortune, yet different. Terrance, with his immense wealth, could have anyone he desired. As a most eligible bachelor, love was the last thing he needed. He only required a marriage to appease his elders.

Suddenly, an idea struck Natalie. She removed her sunglasses and approached him, suggesting softly, "Mo, your bride isn't here, my groom has fled. How about... we make a marriage pact?"

Terrance's assistant was dumbfounded, never expecting a woman to be so bold...

But Natalie stood tall, summoning all her courage.

Terrance removed his sunglasses, revealing eyes as dark and sharp as diamonds. After a moment, he turned to his assistant, "Give me her information."

The assistant knew Natalie's identity well, promptly searched her name on his phone, and presented it with due reverence. Two minutes later, the man uttered a single word to her: "Okay."

Natalie felt lucky to have encountered Terrance. Unlike others, he didn't need to use women or seek so-called love, and he certainly wasn't lacking companionship.

And more importantly, she wanted Evan to regret his actions.

The marriage was quickly formalized, and within half an hour, Natalie had her certificate. She was now a married woman.

"Mr. Mo, could you spare a moment for a few words?" she asked.

"Get in the car," Terrance replied, putting his sunglasses back on and stepping out of the office.

Natalie followed, climbing into the Rolls Royce behind him. Once inside, she spoke nervously, "Thank you for marrying me. I'll cooperate with whatever you need, no conditions. But I have two requests."

"Speak," Terrance said, loosening his collar with a weary gesture.

"First, unless absolutely necessary, keep our marriage private. Second, don't meddle in my personal affairs. Don't worry, now that we're married, I won't have inappropriate contact with other men."

Terrance's lips curved slightly at her words, a dangerous air swirling in the car. "I agree... But I'll give you time to clean up your messy past. Half a year from now... I'll make our marriage public."

"Thank you," Natalie nodded.

"One more thing... I don't believe in married couples living apart. You have three days to move to the address I provide. My assistant will contact you later."

Natalie didn't object; as a married couple, it was a reasonable request. She agreed without hesitation: "I will."

"Good."

After their verbal agreement, Natalie left Terrance's car. The assistant took the driver's seat, watching Terrance through the rearview mirror. "President, back to the office? Or should we go to the old house and inform the Chairman first?"

"Follow Natalie and report her whereabouts to me," Terrance instructed, then exited the car.

There must be a reason she suddenly proposed marriage.

As the CEO of a multinational entertainment company, he was no stranger to Natalie's fame in the modeling world. Three years ago, she suddenly turned down an offer from the top modeling agency Star Emperor, resulting in a full-scale industry blackout. Subsequently, she signed with Timi Entertainment and became intimately associated with its boss, Evan.

A top model vanished into obscurity...

But as it turned out, there was more to Natalie's story than met the eye.

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