"Ben, please, do not marry that silly girl. My heart will break…"

"Dear, the only way I can protect you is to marry that stupid Lillian."Benjamin's voice made Lillian Wilson stop in her tracks. She could feel her ears ringing from the shock, but instead of running away, she peeked through the door to confirm what she was thinking.

And she was right.

Benjamin Holmes, her groom, was standing so close to another man. Her knees weakened as she could feel herself retching from the sight.

She was in love with Benjamin for three years but never did it occur to her that he was not a straight man. All of her dreams shattered as she watched Benjamin hold the man tightly in his chest.

It disgusted her. How could Benjamin do this? Right actually before their wedding! If he had admitted the truth to her earlier, and she would willingly step away!

She shook her head as she took a step back, and small tears started to stream down her face, which she immediately wiped away.

However, a soft gasp escaped from her lips. The two men inside turned their heads, and their faces were etched with fear and surprise upon seeing the woman in a white wedding dress at the door.

"Lily…" Benjamin uttered. "Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here."

Lillian's glance went to the man beside Benjamin. His face showed sadness and anger towards her. She shook her head and took a step back again, still could not fully process what she had just found out, but before she could run away, she stepped on her gown and stumbled.

"Lily!" Benjamin grabbed her before her face could meet the floor. Benjamin even put his hands on her shoulders and helped her stand straight again.

"I'm sorry," he added.

"Sorry?" Lillian whispered, struggling with what words to say first. She laughed without humor as she looked at Benjamin again. "That's all you could say? What if I haven't seen you two? What will happen to me, Benjamin, huh? We'll continue the wedding, and I, the silly girl, would be a cover for you for this man's relationship?"

Benjamin remained silent, but after a few minutes, he clenched his jaw. "Don't worry; I'll announce that we won't go through with the wedding."

"My family will compensate you and your family, too," he added quickly before Lily could speak another bout of hateful words. Benjamin glanced at the man beside him and whispered, "Let's go."

The two of them walked away, their hands holding one another.

"You're disgusting," Lily roared, ensuring that Ben would hear. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, trying not to let her tears fall.

She didn't imagine being rejected on her wedding day. She loved Benjamin for years; how could she not notice that…

How…

Lily sighed but immediately covered her mouth when she felt her stomach roll, wanting to vomit the disgust she had been feeling.

Meanwhile, Benjamin came to the banquet hall and picked up a microphone. He walked to the stage confidently despite the hundreds of guests' evident confusion.

When he reached the front, he spoke in a deep voice, "I would like to announce that my wedding with Ms. Lillian will be canceled. We apologize for the trouble. All of your travel fees will be covered, and everyone will get extra payment. We'll explain it to the media sooner or later."

"Wait!" Before everyone could come back to their senses from the shock of the groom's words, the bride Lillian suddenly went to the stage, grabbed the microphone from Benjamin, covered the scarlet in her eyes, and smiled gratefully at everyone.

"Lily!" Benjamin frowned and raised his hand to grab the microphone in Lillian's hand, but she was too quick to push it out of his reach.

Lily could notice the tension on Benjamin's face.

She smiled at him and heaved a heavy breath, trying to hold back the emerging tears from her eyes.

Then, she asked the guests, "Is there anyone here willing to marry me? I will marry you right here, as long as you're a straight man."

The guests broke into a sea of murmurs as they watched Benjamin leave in embarrassing and Lily waiting at the stage for someone to marry her.

"What happened? Has the groom broken the engagement?"

"It seems so! The bride is seeking a groom on-site. It's too impulsive!"

"She's so rash! Is she in her right mind? What if some poor old man asked her for marriage? She would marry him, then? As long as the man is not gay? Wait, is that means... OMG!"

Lillian's eyes traveled around the room. There was a lot of discussion among guests, but no one stood up to take her offer.

Suddenly, a low, steady, heavy, and magnetic voice came from the banquet hall door.

"I'd marry you."

***

Lilian's eyes found the man who spoke.

He was sitting in a wheelchair; his well-fit suit made him stand out among the guests. Lily also noticed his sharp features were extraordinary; his handsomeness differed from the usual men she saw.

The man smiled at her as his wheelchair moved forward slowly along the carpet. Everyone buzzing like bees a while ago fell silent; their eyes moved together with the man's movement.

"Who is he?" a lady whispered to her friend.

"He looked so handsome. Is he a friend of the bride or the groom?"

The woman giggled. "It looks like he's rich, as well. Look at his watch and clothes. Too bad he's disabled."

The wheelchair stopped a few steps away from Lilian. The man raised his head to look at her with sincerity.

"I'd like to marry you," he said with a faint smile. "Do you want to check first if I'm straight or not?

Lilian's mouth parted as she stared at the man in front of her. For a moment, Benjamin's betrayal seemed to vanish, replaced by panic and confusion.

The man grinned wider, his eyes filled with amusement. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you regret seeking out a husband impulsively? Or are you thinking about how to check if I'm straight or not?"

"W-what are you...." Lilian stammered uncontrollably; she couldn't even continue her sentence. She didn't regret announcing something so rash in front of their guests, but she didn't expect that someone would be willing to marry her now.

It was just for show, so people would not take pity on her!

"I'm asking you, do you regret it?"

Seeing that Lilian would not talk, the man spoke to introduce himself with seriousness in his voice, "My name is Kayden Brown. I'm also from JC City, unmarried and heterosexual."

The man smirked upon seeing Lilian stare at him, unmoving as if the woman froze in her spot. It looked like she was not interested in marrying on the spot. Still, he was curious about where her impulsiveness would take her, so he spoke again.

"Miss Lilian, can I ask what the things you're looking for in a husband are? Maybe I could check and see if I meet your requirements?"

Before Lilian could answer, suddenly, a female voice came from behind the crowd. The sound was firm and eager.

"Kayden, what the hell are you doing? Don't cause trouble here!"

The crowd turned and checked; they all focused on the lady who came in a hurry. It was Benjamin's mother, Molly Brown, the wife of the chairman of Holmes Group. Lilian's gaze traveled back and forth between Molly and Kayden.

Kayden frowned slightly, his head turning to address Molly. "I'm not causing trouble, Molly. Stay out of this. After all, Lily announced she wanted a groom now."

"No! Benjamin's cancellation of the wedding hasn't been clarified yet. It's okay that you don't help in the family, but why are you making this even more complicated? You're Benjamin's uncle, have some respect!" Molly sternly refused.

There was a commotion in the crowd as a result of her statements. The guests' gasps echoed around the hall as they realized the man was the supposed groom's uncle. They couldn't believe what was happening, but most of the guests thought that the drama was so much better than the wedding.

Molly looked around, her smile sheepish and forced. "My brother must be exasperated from his travels. He just got off the plane, so his lack of sleep made him do such things," she reasoned before turning back to Kayden. "Come on, Kayden. Let's go home."

Molly never thought that her most-awaited day would perish in an instant. She was ushering some guests into the VIP room before she heard that Benjamin had canceled the wedding, and on top of it all, her brother was causing all kinds of shame to their family name.

They have been disgraced too much for a single day.

However, the shame didn't end. It advanced as Lilian stepped down the stage and squatted in front of Kayden's wheelchair. Her eyes were burning through the man's skull as she stared at him with a calculating gaze.

Then, she spoke in the microphone with a challenging voice, "A gentleman's words are to be taken seriously, right? Let's start the wedding now."

Lily initially hesitated, but when she heard that Kayden was Benjamin's uncle, only two words popped into her mind: marry him!

Benjamin had hurt her badly today. Since Kayden was willing to finish what his nephew had started, Lily thought that it would be better if he addressed her as his uncle's wife.

"Lilian, don't you feel ashamed by what you're about to do?" Molly said fiercely, her voice in a controlled rage. "My son refused to marry you, so you want to marry my brother? Are you that lonely to marry any interested man? Are you that desperate?"

Molly spouted offensive words, her eyes squinting as if she wanted to lash out and hurt Lily. But Lilian remained motionless, her gaze firmly locked with Kayden.

"You said you love my son. I guess that wasn't true," Molly added. She never liked Lilian. She would disapprove of that woman if it weren't for Benjamin. Lily was a nameless girl in society; Molly even made sure that Lily won't rip off her son by making Lily sign a prenuptial agreement.

On the other hand, Lily truly loved Benjamin. She signed anything his mother gave her; she thought she could accept all the bad treatment she got from his family as long as Ben was by her side.

She thought wrong, though. Benjamin was never on her side. He was cheating on her. He made a fool of her for the last three years, pretending that he was a straight man.

Now, even if she didn't know who Kayden was a few seconds ago, she was willing to marry him. That way, not only did Benjamin have to call her aunt, and she could also have the position and power equal to Molly.

The time of her being a pushover was done.

"Miss Lilian, are you sure you want to marry a disabled person like me? I'll give you a chance to think about your decision," Kayden said calmly, ignoring his sister's rambling.

Lilian glanced at Molly, and after a few seconds, she nodded. "I'm sure. So what if you're disabled? I don't mind, as long as you're straight. I won't regret it."

The man's eyes lit up; his amusement was now through the roof. The woman was exceptional, and he couldn't imagine why Benjamin would cancel his wedding with her.

Kayden turned to Molly. "From now on, Lilian would be your sister-in-law. I hope you'd respect her. I expect you won't say nasty things about her as you did now."

After that, he raised his hand. Suddenly, several men in suits came out of the crowd and nodded respectfully to him, awaiting his orders.

"Send the chairman's wife home, let the guests take their places, and order the staff to start the wedding." After Kayden spoke, he turned around and stretched his hand to Lilian. His light eyes reflected his tenderness.

"Let's go, my bride. Let's finally tie the knots."

A blush spread from Lily's cheeks to her neck. She was surprised that Kayden addressed her as his bride immediately. She barely knew the man!

"Thank you," she said with hesitation. Lily put her hand into Kayden's massive, warm hand, and together, they strode slowly in front of the stage.

Suddenly, she felt something cold on her finger, and when she looked down, she found Kayden putting a diamond ring on her ring finger. Her eyes widened in amazement as she gazed at the man, who had a faint smile on his mouth.

"I just borrowed this ring. Don't act so surprised."

Lilian glanced at the ring on her finger. Who was so generous to lend Kayden such a big diamond ring? But, of course, he must have borrowed it. Their wedding was not prepared, after all.

"Kayden, don't mess around!" Molly's face turned blue with anger, and she wanted to continue to oppose, but she had been dragged out of the banquet hall by Kayden's men.

With the sound of sweet music, the guests at the scene wholly recovered from the state of being stunned. They all took their places and whispered while watching the ceremony.

Media also started to appear; their cameras aimed at the new couple on stage. The Holmes family did not invite any media, but people at the ceremony must have posted something on the web for them to come in a hurry.

In a few minutes, the photos on the background wall had been removed and replaced with live video, and the groom's name had been changed from "Benjamin Holmes" to "Kayden Brown."

***

"Kayden Brown, do you take this woman, Lilian Wilson, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, until death do you part?" The wedding minister wiped his sweat as he put the microphone in front of Kayden. He was severely nervous and excited about this wedding; it was the first time the minister had witnessed a sudden groom change. He almost mispronounced the groom's name!

All the audience held their breath and focused on the man in the wheelchair. Kayden looked calm and collected despite the events before their matrimonial rites.

Meanwhile, Lilian's palm sweated profusely as she waited for Kayden's response. She even closed her eyes and held her breath. After all, Kayden had all the right to say no. He was Benjamin's uncle, and if he had a last-minute decision to change his mind as Benjamin did, Lily would be left with nothing but shame.

After a short silence, Kayden held Lilian's two hands together. With a gentle pull, he pulled his bride sit on his legs.

Lilian gulped, and her body froze as she smelled the unmistakable, manly smell. She tried to stand away from him, but his grip tightened and clasped her wrist.

Kayden leaned and whispered, "Don't move, Lily."

The warm breath swirled in her ears, and the feeling of itch spread over her body. She was immediately too frightened to move anymore.

Kayden took the microphone from the minister's hand and looked softly at the woman in his arms. "Miss Lilian, do you want to marry me?"

"I...." Lilian tried to muster her courage, but only a tiny sound made its way out of her mouth. She felt embarrassed, especially because Kayden was so close to her.

"I-I do," she uttered.

The man raised his eyebrows with satisfaction, and the smile on his face became bigger. "Then, I do, too, Minister."

Then Kayden gave the microphone back to the minister's hand, held Lilian's face, and kissed her lips without hesitation.

Lilian's heart skipped a beat; she stared at Kayden with unblinking eyes. She wanted to break away from the man's hold, but he was too strong for her that she couldn't move at all. All she could do was let Kayden kiss her.

The air in his mouth was fresh; there was a faint smell of mint. Lilian's stiff body soon relaxed. She closed her eyes and let him kiss her aggressively.

She was the one who insisted on the marriage, anyway, so she would be considered a hypocritical woman by the guests if she acted so reluctant towards him.

Once their kiss ended, the guests clapped blissfully. The minister, confused by the couple's quick rites, announced hesitantly that the wedding ceremony was done and that the newlywed may live a happy life together.

Feeling that the woman in his arms was a little short of breath, Kayden finally let her go, looked at the blush on her cheek, and helped her up.

"Let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and get our marriage certificate immediately."

"O-okay," Lily answered. She was surprised that Kayden immediately wanted to get their marriage certificate. She knew the rites were simply a ceremony, but the actual marriage begins once they sign their marriage contract.

She couldn't refuse since she was the one who would take advantage of him.

Lilian excused herself for a while to change her clothes. She heaved a heavy breath as she slowly removed her wedding gown. Her original plan was to sign the marriage contract with Benjamin after their wedding and then go directly on their honeymoon.

In a blink of an eye, she would still do all those things, but with a different groom by her side.

Still, it thrilled Lily to see how Benjamin, the bastard, would face her in the future.

As for Kayden... Er, she would simply take it slow with him.

Lilian was led out of the hotel by Kayden's men. A black Bentley was parked in front, its rear door open, and Kayden was already sitting comfortably inside. The man waited for her to get in, but she simply stood frozen.

Kayden, seeing his wife's hesitation, raised his brows. "Are you afraid to sign a marriage contract with me?" he asked in a challenging voice.

"I'm not afraid!" Lilian's lips curled in anger. "Let's go," she added quickly as she got into the car.

Kayden ordered his driver to take them to the bureau’s office. Lilian watched the man stare at the iPad in his hand. A touch of cunning look flashed in his eyes as he sent emails. Seeing Kayden was busy with his work, she turned her head and simply enjoyed the view outside.

Suddenly, a burst of tight feeling pain came from her lower abdomen, and she felt the warm liquid coming out directly from below.

Something must be imbalanced with her hormones! Her period should be on next week.

Her menstruation was always on time, so she was not prepared right now. It frustrated her even more, when she realized that she was wearing a couple of white trousers.

As she tried to think of a way to settle her period, another bout of warm liquid flowed. She could now smell the faint fragrance of blood in the air.

She gritted her teeth, turned around, and smiled awkwardly at Kayden, who was thoughtfully staring at his iPad. "Mr. Kayden, I..." She couldn’t continue her words. "Just call me Kayden or honey,” the man said with a smirk.

Now that she could see Kayden up close, she realized that the man was extremely handsome. Like the type of boy straight out of a runway or television.

"Okay, Umm.. Hon-honey, can we go to the bureau at another time?" Lilian didn't dare to look at him more, because his deep eyes were like a pool. She felt she would be sucked in if she looked at him more.

"Can you give me at least a reason why? Or you're just having doubts about our arrangement?" Kayden frowned slightly and asked.

"Don't worry, I definitely don't regret it! I... I..." Lilian felt another burst of tight feeling pain in her lower abdomen. She couldn't help raising her hand and covering her stomach.

"What happened? Is there something wrong?" Kayden put down the iPad and pressed her shoulder. Only then did he find that a thin layer of sweat had seeped from her forehead.

"Your face looks pale," Kayden said seriously in displeasure.

"I’m on my period, so it's normal that my face looks pale!" Lilian yelled out in annoyance."Just take me home; I'll clean up and go to the bureau with you!"

"You sure that you're okay?" Kayden finally understood what was going on; his face relaxed, and he leaned back again on his seat.

"Yes." Lilian smiled and said to the driver, "Hey, Leo, just take us home, please."

After that, she stuck her tongue out at Kayden playfully and quickly turned her head out of the window with a grin.

Kayden didn't say anything. He took a blanket, and put it on her.

When Lilian turned and wanted to say thank you, he leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes.

Lilian's cheeks warmed, appreciating Kayden's consideration.

When the car stopped at South FC Apartment, Lilian wrapped a blanket around her waist and quickly got out of the vehicle.

After she glanced at the bright red on the beige leather seat, Kayden shook his head , and his eyes were full of soft smiles.

"She is still that little girl after all these years."

***

Lilian quickly changed her clothes and went downstairs. She was determined to clean the seat she was on, but someone had already cleaned it when she came.

She only smiled sheepishly at Kayden. "I'm sorry," she uttered.

"Why are you so polite?" Kayden asked, his brows raised, then his gaze landed on the bags behind her. "You brought everything things?"

"Yes. I’ve bring enough pads for today." Lilian patted her bag, a ting of warmth spreading to her face as she realized that Kayden had just asked her if she had sanitary pads for her period.

But Kayden coughed and cleared his throat, averting his gaze.

"What I mean was, have you brought your documents for register? Such like IDs and all?"

Lilian felt a bucket of ice being thrown at her. She didn't realize that Kayden was talking about her necessities!

She smiled awkwardly. "Yes, I brought them, too." She always brought her IDs wherever she went. And she already planned that she would go to the bureau to sign a marriage contract with Benjamin.

"Let's go, then." Kayden nodded with satisfaction.

When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Lilian got out of the car and stood at the door. Looking at the slogan "Free Marriage, Registration According to Law," her eyes were stained with a touch of disappointment.

An Audi followed behind the Bentley, and a man with glasses got off and helped Kayden out of the car with the driver, Leo, and got him into a wheelchair.

The man with glasses handed Kayden the documents and materials in his hand and asked in a low voice, "Sir Kayden, I know that Lilian might be the girl you're looking for, but it had no further proof that she was that little girl. Besides, how could your sister and her husband didn’t notice that if she was that girl?"

Kayden's slender fingers stroked the dark red booklet, and his deep eyes narrowed slightly. "Jerry, do you believe in the familiarity of smell?"

Jerry shook his head. "Do you mean she has a familiar smell? Do you remember it? That's why you decided to marry her?"

"Of course not." Kayden shook his head and took a meaningful look at Lilian, absent-mindedly standing from a distance, and said. "I like the smell of her. Even if she is not that little girl, it doesn't matter. She's the woman Benjamin should have married."

"Oh, I see." Jerry pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose and nodded.

He thought everything was under his boss' control. Still, the girl's impulsive decision to marry immediately made Kayden's effort easier. His boss didn't have to worry about how to steal her from Benjamin anymore.

Kayden doesn't care who Lilian is. What mattered to him the most was that she was the woman he "robbed" of the Holmes family.

"You hesitated to get here, didn't you? That's why you got here late."

A teasing voice came from behind. Lilian quickly took back her thoughts and turned around. "Who hesitated? I'm just waiting for you?"

Then she helped Kayden to the marriage registry.

Although she was not a woman of her words, she couldn't break her promise. She was determined to be Benjamin's aunt-in-law.

The process of getting the marriage certificate was very smooth. Soon, Lilian pushed Kayden out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, and they each had a copy of their marriage certificate.

"Mr. Kayden, I wanted to ask you something. I was hesitant initially, but now that we're officially married, I think I can ask you now."

"I can't hear you," Kayden teased as his driver, Leo, helped him get in the car.

"Mr. Kayden," Lilian called loudly. But the man completely ignored her even if they were now inside the vehicle.

"I still can't hear you," he said.

Lilian's lips curled as irritation grew in her chest. "Fine! Honey."

Kayden then smiled, raised his hand, and touched her head lovingly. "Before you ask, there are a few words I want to tell you first."

"Well, tell me." Lilian nodded.

Kayden put down his hand, looked directly in front of the car, and restrained all the expression on his face. "I'm seven years older than you and Benjamin. I recently returned after several years spent abroad. One of the purposes I returned home was to find a woman to marry. I didn't expect to meet you today, but since we met each other's requirements, I think our marriage benefits one another.

I'll be departing once more in a year. It will be up to you if you want to come with me or not. But, you need to know one thing. I have no feeling from the waist down. I can only be your husband in the paper," Kayden said.

Lilian looked at him with a bit of surprise and asked incredulously, "Do you mean we are only bound legally, and we won't be a normal husband and wife? And... Would we get divorced if I don't want to go abroad with you in a year?"

Kayden looked at the surprise flashing in her clear eyes and frowned. "When you announced that you wanted a man to marry, you said you only wanted a straight man. You didn't say you also wanted a normal marriage."