Married a Secret Billionaire by Breaking Wave

Josiah slapped a hand against his thigh, only now realizing that he had dug his
own grave.

“B-Bro... Fredric, you've got to help me!” Josiah grimaced. “I never thought of
stealing Z's woman! Besides, my type isn’t pure and chaste women like Cordelia!
Z probably has a loose screw or something to actually like this type of woman...”
Fredric sipped on some tea with a cryptic smile. Yeah, he had never known that
the cold, brutal third heir of the Hamertons, who had always stayed away from
women, had not only become Marcus Grist but had actually made an effort for a
girl like Cordelia Jenner.

“Didn't Z say that he isn’t bothered by the marriage? He's just using it to hide his
identity...”

“And you believe what he said?” Fredric rolled his eyes at Josiah. “Just wait and
see. I don’t think things are as simple with Cordelia. Heh, who knows if Z will
want to return to Centrolis when the time comes!”

After lunch, Marcus left, letting Cordelia know he was going out.

The village was not huge. Before Cordelia had come, Marcus had always gone
up the hill along the village path. Not many people were there and the air was
fresh, so it was a great place to be alone.

He often needed some quiet time to meticulously plan for the future.

Today, however, he could not get peace of mind. The filth coming out of Yelena’s
mouth through the phone kept echoing in his ears.

Marcus took a deep breath and decided to go up the top when someone
suddenly shouted at him from the back. “Hey, Marcus!”

A young man waved his arm as he jogged up the path below.

Marcus paused and frowned lightly.

“I thought it looked like you from down there! Didn't expect you to be so fast. I
had to run to catch up!

“Oh yeah, you're all healed? Do you need me to get you more meds?”

Marcus nodded, answering without much emotion, “Thank you, it's all healed.
Thanks for going to the trouble.”

“We're bros. Don’t mention it!”

The man patted Marcus’ shoulder, and the two of them went up the hill together.
Honestly, Marcus was grateful for the man. Seth Stafford was his name, and he
came from a decent family, one of the rare few who were rich in the village.

Seth was also the only university student in the village, and he had graduated
from med school. The year he had come back after graduating, he had met
Marcus, who had been nursing his injury at home. The man was warm and kind.
He was the only one who had checked on Marcus every other day, sometimes
sending him prescribed medicine, when the entire village had found him too
eccentric and hard to approach.

Their unexpected friendship amidst that hard time had given Marcus a sense of
warmth... only for it to turn into a burden later.

Who knew how Seth had found out about the relationship between the Grists and
the Jenners, but he had actually broadcast the marriage pact between the two
families. The whole Jangasas had been waiting to laugh at the Jenners. If they
refused to marry their daughter over just because the Grists had fallen, it would
turn into another piece of juicy gossip in the business field later on and the
Jenners would become the prime example of someone lacking credibility.
Caught in the predicament, the Jenners had been forced to make Cordelia marry
Marcus in Yelena’s place.

“Oh, right, I haven't asked you about newlywed life!” Seth grinned gleefully as he
scanned Marcus. “You look radiant. Having a good time with your wife, huh?
“Speaking of which, I'm basically your wingman. When are you taking her to
meet me?”

Marcus tried to force a smile through his glower, looking extremely unnatural.
Back when he had come to nurse his injury in this village, he had only taken
Marcus’ identity after coincidentally finding out that the Grists were gone and
Marcus Grist, based on his ID, looked incredibly like him.

He had concealed his real identity so he could prepare himself and get his plan
ready. Getting married had not been part of his plan!

It was kind of hard to handle Seth when he got too friendly...

“Right, I heard that the Jenner heiress doesn’t have the best temper?” Seth
asked, looking at Marcus in concern. “Hah, she grew up being doted on, after all.
It's no wonder she'd have a bit of a tantrum. Try to keep it together. Don't try
getting even with a woman!”

“Mm, I got it,” Marcus answered flatly.

Although the marriage had been unexpected, it was fortunate that the person he
had married was not the heiress of the Jenners. If he had married Yelena Jenner,
he might have actually wanted to choke Seth to death.

Since the two men had not met for some time, Seth invited Marcus to have a
drink at his place. Just as Marcus struggled to find a way to reject the offer, a few
older women ran up the path to the hill.

“Gosh, Marcus, you're here? Hurry back home!”

“Your dear wife will be crumbling soon otherwise!”

Gossiping was the favorite activity of older women in the village.

“Gah, your wife's too pretty. The men are all captivated by her with one glance.
And you're still in the mood to roam around the hill? Things will be going south if
you don't go back now!”

Marcus seemed alarmed as he rushed back home.