SWNOVELS Chapter 2
Chapter 2 Flash Marriage
When Helene heard the news, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning on a clear day.
Not knowing what else to do, she began to comfort her younger brother, Zion, though her own voice was hoarse from exhaustion. “Don’t worry, I’ll transfer a fifth of it to you now, and the rest will come later. Just make sure they keep
Grandma in the hospital. I’ll figure out what to do with the rest of the money.”
Once she hung up, Helene visited the nearest bank and took out a hefty cash advance on her credit card. Then, she took this money and immediately transferred it to him. Their Grandma had raised the two of them on her own and had suffered all these years. How unfair it was that she would now face cancer of all things.
No matter what, Helene wanted to save her. But how would she get her hands on so much money? Even if she sold the apartment at this very moment, the cash wouldn’t come in fast enough.
Perhaps she could borrow the money. One by one, Helene combed through her contacts, calling everyone from old friends from high school to college classmates. But even with all their support, she could only get a small fraction of what was required. Some didn’t even bother answering.
Deflated and at a complete loss, Helene took a moment to shut down and catch her breath. She was scrolling through social media when an advertisement for some marriage
0.00%
service caught her eye.
The ad was almost too simple. A man, supposedly a higher–up of some company, was willing to pay one lucky woman $70,000 if they would become his companion. The only condition was that they also had to take care of the elderly members of his family for half a year.
That was the exact amount that she needed, and she felt moved to snatch the opportunity at once. She didn’t even care if it was a scam, immediately calling the number listed. The phone line was busy no matter how many times she called, which made her anxious. Maybe the money had already been claimed by another woman who had called in first.
Finally, she heard the ringtone and shortly after, someone picked up. Whoever it was, they were silent for a while. Thinking this was all a scam after all, Helene hung up.
The old master of the Bamford family watched his grandson sitting in silence. It must have been a girl calling about the ad. The line disconnected almost immediately, which made him anxious. Slapping him hard with his cane, he ordered his grandson to call back immediately.
The phone rang again, and Helene hesitated to pick up for a moment, though she eventually gave in. This time, someone spoke.
His voice was deep and had an allure that pulled at her heart, tempting her.
“Sorry about earlier,” he apologized. “The signal was bad and I don’t think you can hear me.”
11.84%
Chapter 2 Flash Marriage
“Oh, no, it’s okay.”
11 288 Wouchers
“You must be calling about the ad you saw. Let me tell you about my situation first, and we can go from there. My name is Carlisle, and I’m 28 years old. I work at the IT division of a tech company, and aside from dividends and bonuses at the end of the fiscal year, I make about 50 grand a year. I have a house that’s already been paid off, and I can get around on my own. I have an old moped, which is more than enough. Oh, and I promise I don’t have any bad habits or anything of the sort.”
He stopped for a moment to catch his breath before continuing. “I just want to make it clear that if you’re interested, I have a sick Grandpa that needs daily care, so I live with the old man at the moment. I’ll be staying with him for half a year after we get married. All I ask is that you stay at home and help out with him and the house. If you can do that, I’ll give you whatever I make. That being said, you can work and advance your own career as well, but caring for my Grandpa is your priority.”
Another pause.
“Can you do all of this?”
Helene took a few moments to think in silence. The thought of walking away from her career to take care of someone else’s Grandpa didn’t quite sit right with her. In fact, it embarrassed her in a very certain way, but she couldn’t deny that the conditions of this deal were otherwise great.
This man wasn’t even insisting that she become a housewife. It would be more difficult to juggle everything if she decided to take on a job as well, but the option was open to her. He
23.57%
Chapter 2 Flash Marriage
seemed reasonable enough.
1788 Vouchers
After giving it a bit more thought, Helene agreed to the man’s
terms.
“Do you have any other requirements besides what was offered in the ad?”
“No,” Helene replied bluntly.
Perhaps she was being too straightforward, as Carlisle had become suspicious of her response. “Really? Nothing else? | could add your name to the property or-”
“No, I’m okay. Besides, what was yours before the marriage should still belong to you.”
The man fell silent again, not speaking for so long that Helene thought that the reception must have been poor again. But then, Carlisle spoke up again and the phone speakers were barely able to capture the depth of his voice.
“Alright, 9 AM tomorrow, I want you to bring your ID and meet me at city hall’s front doors.”
Without waiting for a response, he hung up.
Helene wondered to herself why it was even necessary to get this “marriage” properly officiated. All she was worried about was the money promised to her, and she didn’t have a chance to ask now.
Early the next morning, Helene walked out of her apartment in a daze. Dark circles hung under her eyes, a reminder of the restless night that she had spent. Zion had called again to update her on the situation. The operation fees were rising,
36.68%
Chapter 2 Flash Marriage
and now, they’d need 140 grand.
1788 Vouchers
The news alone was enough to make her hair turn gray. Without a moment to spare, she had rushed out to the hospital herself to make sure that this wasn’t some sort of mistake. Perhaps the hospital was raising the price of the operation to get what they could out of her grandma’s insurance, but the moment some hospital staff explained the operation and she saw the documents, she knew this was no
scam.
At exactly nine o’clock, Helene arrived at city hall. The
holidays had just ended, so a crowd of couples were waiting for the building to open. Some were happily married, while others wore grim expressions, probably tying off the loose ends of a divorce.
Standing out from the crowd, Helene spotted a man wearing a dark blue suit. It was ironed well and fit him perfectly. Beneath his suit was a white dress shirt with the top button undone, revealing a bit of his collarbone and Adam’s apple. Apart from a watch on his left wrist, the man wore no other accessories. It was a timeless and clean look.
The thin wavy locks on his forehead were slightly curled, the otherwise black hair shining amber under the morning light. His eyelashes were long, shadowing his eyes and hiding whatever emotions lay underneath.
Helene had a photo of the man she was about to meet, but she hesitated to confirm whether it was this man she was looking at now. She already knew it was him. He looked even better than in the photo, and he had a dashing air about him. This was the man she would be marrying.
47.40%
Chapter 2 Flash Mamlage
288 Voucher:
Before she realized it, he was already walking toward her. The two exchanged pleasantries and were on their way inside city hall. Carlisle Bamford was his full name. He had told her in passing as he walked toward a small ticket machine. Then, the two sat down in the waiting area facing the service counters.
Helene, who had hesitated to speak for some time, finally said, “Mr. Bamford, I’m sorry, but before we sign off on the marriage certificate… Could I make a small request?”
Carlisle nodded. “Go ahead.”
“In addition to the 70 grand that you were offering, is there any chance I could borrow another 70?” .
Carlisle turned to look at her with a visibly displeased expression as he thought back to a short conversation with his Grandpa, who had screened her earlier.
“The girl studied nursing in college,” his Grandpa explained. “She comes from a relatively ordinary family, and she seems pleasant by many accounts. This Helene girl sounds pure of heart.”
He laughed to himself as he recalled his Grandpa thinking she was innocent.
Quick to explain herself, Helene continued in a panic. “Wait, don’t get the wrong idea. I told you I want to borrow the money. Here, I’ll even sign off on an IOU. I promise I’ll return the money to you after I sell my apartment. If you’re still not satisfied with that, I can also pay you interest.”
“And why didn’t you mention this on the phone yesterday?” Carlisle pushed. He felt that he had been tricked, so he got up to leave the building.
60 40%
Chapter 2 Flash Marriage
1288 Vouchers
As he walked to the front gates, he received another call from his Grandpa.
“Did you get the marriage license?”
Just then, Helene had caught up to Carlisle, showing Carlisle the IOU she had written up. She pleaded for his
understanding, asking him to believe her. She was in trouble and desperately needed the money.
Upon hearing his Grandpa’s expectant voice, Carlisle finally gave in. There was no cure for his Grandpa’s disease, so he was determined to at least ensure that someone would take care of his Grandpa. Carlisle also wanted to fulfill his Grandpa‘ s only wish: to see him get married and have children before his time came.
Carlisle put down the phone and looked at Helene with a serious expression.
“First, I want you to know that this is no small sum of money. When it’s time for you to pay, I expect to have my money back. Second, if you have the money, you’ll pay it back to me as soon as possible. And third of all, you’re not getting any more money out of me. There won’t be a next time, understand?”
“Of course. I swear I’ll give you back your money as soon as I get it. It’ll take a while to sell my place, after all. And don’t worry, this is a one–off thing. I won’t ask you for anything like this again.”
Without saying another word, Carlisle turned and walked back into city hall.
Soon, their number had been called, and it was their turn to
7309%
Chapter 2 Flash Marriage
788 Vouchers
become official. The entire time, Carlisle was distracted, responding to messages and sending out emails on his phone. Helene couldn’t tell what he was doing, only that he was unimaginably busy.
Once everything was in order, Carlisle told Helene that he was returning to the office and instructed her to pack her things while he was busy. She would move into his house the following night.
Then, he hailed a taxi and left, leaving Helene to feel guilty on her own. She knew she had overstepped, having already taken the money he had offered upfront. It was shameless of her to ask to borrow more, but she had run out of options.
Carlisle directed the taxi to a main intersection and asked the driver to pull over. After paying, he walked to a black Bentley that the side of the road. As he made his way over, he called his housekeeper, ordering all of his valuable furniture and furnishings to be removed from his Grandpa’s house. They were to be replaced with old furniture that anyone would be able to purchase.
Finally, he asked for a pre–owned moped to be delivered to his house, which couldn’t be worth any more than 15 grand. Now sitting in his car, Carlisle also took off the diamond watch and stashed it in the glove compartment. It was worth over a million.
Now that he had some privacy, he could take his time to make sure he had hidden everything. Apart from his suit and phone, he didn’t have anything particularly valuable.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Helene couldn’t have known that she had just gotten married
to a billionaire. After arranging for her house to be sold with a realtor and putting up a listing, she hurried to her company.
As soon as she walked past the front doors, she could see Freya gossiping about her with the women at the front desk.