The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus)

A sudden lump formed in her throat, threatening to spill over into tears. Finally, she stepped forward, facing Morgan honestly, "Grandpa, I'm sorry. I'm not Kendra. I'm Natalia, Kyler's youngest daughter. My sister didn't want to marry Magnus, so they sent me to Sapphire Island instead. I didn't mean to deceive you, Grandpa."

Upon hearing her confession, Morgan slowly put down the documents he was holding and turned to look at Natalia, stunned. "Is all you've said true?" He had intended to lure Natalia with shares of the family business. If she had willingly replaced Kendra for the sake of money, she would have no place in the Andersen family. But she didn't want the shares. She had confessed her true identity, admitting she was an imposter. Morgan finally nodded in acknowledgement.

Smart girl, he thought.

Having confessed the truth, Natalia finally let out a sigh of relief. She had been living with this lie for over a month, dreading the day it would be exposed. Seeing the mocking smiles on Lucius and Lillian's faces earlier, she knew that day had arrived. She decided to tell Morgan the truth, believing him to be a reasonable man. Even if she was a substitute, he wouldn't kill her. At worst, he'd send her home. "Grandpa, every word I've said is true. I wouldn't dare to lie. But Magnus doesn't know that I'm Natalia." Would he strangle her if he found out?

Morgan looked at the girl. He wanted to say that perhaps this girl was more suited for Magnus than Kendra ever could be. But Kyler's second daughter was illegitimate. Such a girl was not fit for his beloved grandson.

He slammed his hand down on the table, "Nonsense! You think this is a game, marrying in your sister's place?"

The cup on the desk rattled and fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Natalia clenched her hands tightly, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry." She hadn't expected Morgan to be so angry. Just as it seemed like his anger was about to explode, there was a knock on the study door.

She quickly turned to open the door and saw Magnus in his wheelchair, looking anxious. Without sparing Natalia a glance, he wheeled himself directly into the study, "Grandpa, what's wrong? Did Kendra upset you? She's young and naive. Don't hold it against her."

Morgan looked at his grandson, defending the girl. His heart ached even more. Magnus still didn't know that this girl wasn't the Clarkson's daughter. How much would it hurt him if he knew? He could tell Magnus was already fond of her.

But, no! He would not allow the Clarksons to deceive them like this. Looking at his grandson seated in the wheelchair, he waved his hand dismissively, "Enough, both of you may leave."

Magnus looked at the fuming Morgan and smiled, "Grandpa, don't be angry. You're almost eighty, and you should be enjoying your life. What could possibly make you so angry?"

After saying this, he took Natalia's hand and led her out of the study, heading straight to their bedroom on the third floor. Once the door was closed, Magnus turned to look at the girl, who was obviously frightened. "What did Grandpa say to you?"

Natalia looked into his icy eyes and shook her head, "Grandpa wanted me to sign a share ownership agreement, but I didn't."

"That's all?" The icy gaze bore into her as if trying to see through her, "You have one minute to tell me the truth." He wheeled himself over to her, lifting her chin up.

"What else are you hiding? I'm waiting for you to come clean." His voice was low and husky, like a suppressed growl.

"I... I told Grandpa that I'm not Kendra." As she finished, tears began to roll down her cheeks. She had been so careful to hide her feelings for so long, she no longer wanted to keep up the pretense. At this moment, a sense of relief washed over her. Come what may, she was ready. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable, only to feel the man gently release her chin and pull her into his embrace. Looking up into his eyes, she felt a moment of disorientation. He lifted her onto his lap, just as he had done before. He whispered in her ear in a low voice, "Don't be afraid. As long as you're my wife, that's all that matters. It doesn't matter who you are, you can only be my wife."

Stunned, Natalia looked at him, choking on her words, "Did you know all along that I wasn't Kendra? Did you deliberately not expose me?"

"Hm." He responded nonchalantly, looking out the window.

He held her as he wheeled over to turn on the bedside lamp. Natalia felt like she was dreaming, seeing his tender side again. He hadn't exploded in anger, or strangled her.

He put her on the bed, his dark eyes watching her quietly, "No matter what happens, just remember that you are my wife. Can you do that?"

Can she? She was not his wife; his wife was Kendra. But in his inscrutable dark eyes, she found herself nodding.

"Go take a bath and sleep. Don't leave me from now on. Once Grandpa's birthday is over, we'll return to the island." He straightened up and moved away from the bed, heading towards the door. As he opened the door and left, Natalia sat up. He knew. He had known all along and yet he hadn't strangled her. But Morgan wouldn't let the Clarksons off easily.

Her Dad!

She wanted to go plead with Morgan not to blame her father, but then she remembered Magnus' words, "No matter what happens, just remember you're my wife." She slumped back onto the bed. In the room below, Morgan looked at the man in the wheelchair, his most cherished grandson, who had been deceived like this. How could he swallow this bitter pill? "Get that girl off Sapphire Island immediately. I'll deal with the Clarksons. If they have nothing to say for themselves, I'll wipe their entire family off the face of Melfort." Morgan paced around the room angrily.

"Grandpa, I can't chase her away. She's already my wife. Where would you have me send her away? It doesn't matter who she is; she's Mrs. Magnus now. I'm sorry, Grandpa." Magnus looked up at the elderly man with gray hair.

"But she's Kyler's bastard child, with a mother whose identity remains a mystery. It's possible that Kyler had her with some lowborn woman. How can someone of such a status marry into the Andersen family?" He pointed towards the door, his voice laced with fury.

Magnus gripped the handles of his wheelchair tightly, pleadingly looking at Morgan. "No, grandpa, let me handle this. Please, don't interfere."

Morgan stared at his stubborn grandson, disappointment evident in his eyes. "It's only been a few days, and you're already attached to her. Magnus, she seems like a good girl, but she's not for you. I have to deal with the Clarksons."

"We do need to settle the score with the Clarksons, but I'll handle this girl. Whether she's suitable for me or not, I'm the only one who knows. Grandpa, you don't want to see me lose even the right to choose my own woman in this life, do you?" Magnus suddenly stared at Morgan quietly.

"You..." For a moment, Morgan felt his grandson was no longer the obedient child he used to be. He had changed. Maybe, unbeknownst to him, Magnus had grown stronger.