“I washed it!” Cordelia said hurriedly. “I promise it’s clean! There’s nothing wrong with it!”

“Hah, you washed it?” the sales assistant scoffed. “Miss, why’d you wash it when you only rented it for a day? You rented it to get married, not to farm, right?”

Cordelia, who was embarrassed, flushed.

The conditions during her wedding had actually not been too different from farming conditions. She had walked the muddy village paths in the rain, soiling her white wedding dress and shoes, as well as chafing her feet.

The sales assistant flipped the skirt of the wedding dress repeatedly and threw Cordelia dirty looks.

“Miss, even if you wash this washing dress, you have to dry wash it!

“Do you even know what dry washing means?”

The sales assistant intentionally mocked her upon seeing how naïve she was. “Sigh, our wedding gowns have been sold one after another since we opened for business. This is the first time we rented one… Hah, don’t get married if you can’t even afford a dress!”

“Can’t one get married without buying a wedding dress? Is there a law against it?”

Cordelia turned around in surprise upon hearing the sudden stern voice and saw Marcus walk in. It was as if the air had frosted around his eyes, and he oozed an authoritative presence.

There was a slight frown on his face as he approached Cordelia and naturally wound an arm around her. He snorted at the sales assistant, “Do you think people are blind enough to miss the huge ‘wedding dresses for rent’ sign in your shop?”

“You—”

“Besides, the styles you have here are average, and the quality is not exactly fine. There’s no need to buy one back!”

The sales assistant nearly rolled her eyes. “Just admit that you can’t afford one! Picking a fight with us is… Hah… We have designer haute couture too!”

Marcus raised a brow and caught a glimpse of the wedding dress on the mannequin in the center of the hall. It was a fishtail dress that would accentuate one’s figure. There was golden thread sewn discreetly in it, as well as scattered diamantes in the chest area.

The design stood out relatively but could not be compared to the nice things he had seen in the past.

“Pft, stop eyeing the dress!” the sales assistant snapped, “You won’t be able to afford it no matter how much you look! Sigh, miss, I feel bad for you. You’re so pretty, yet you didn’t pick properly before you got married. What a waste of this pretty face!”

“Whatever’s between me and my husband is nothing for an outsider like you to comment on!”

Marcus jolted. The little woman had always been docile and nice, but she was currently arguing aggressively.

Cordelia took a step forward, glaring at the sales assistant. “I can take the wedding dress to the dry cleaner and bring it back. But you have to apologize to my husband for what you said!”

“What?”

Cordelia was nice—depending on the person speaking to her. She could endure it when others bullied her, but if people around her were bullied, she would fight with everything she had—even when that was her husband, who she had never met and had just gotten married to.

Her face was flushed as she repeated herself. “I said, apologize to my husband!”

The sales assistant rolled her eyes at her and ignored her.

“I don’t need an apology,” Marcus said with a smirk as he looked at her.

“Do you like that wedding dress?”

“Huh?”

Cordelia followed the direction of his finger and saw the wedding dress glimmering in gold right in the center of the boutique. She was enchanted, but she did not understand what the man wanted to do.

Marcus still had a smirk on his face when he pulled out a card and placed it on the counter. “My wife likes that dress. I’ll take it.”

It felt like the air suddenly froze. The sales assistant stared at them wide-eyed, and Cordelia was at a loss.

“Marcus, what are you doing…” Cordelia tugged at the man’s sleeve and reminded him softly, “We’re already married!”

“We can still get one as a keepsake,” Marcus replied. “That’s designer haute couture, so it requires a fitting. Does your place have specialized staff for that?”

Then, the sales assistant broke out of her reverie and put on a pandering grin. Her hands clenched each other as she bowed respectfully.

“Sir, are you really taking it?”

“Yes, take my wife’s measurements now.”

“I’ll call the designer then…”

“Miss,” Marcus said with a raised eyebrow. “Can’t you do it?”

The sales assistant went rigid.

“I don’t want it if you’re not the one taking the measurements.”

The sales assistant started panicking a little in front of this man with the powerful presence. A purchase like this was rare, and she had a duty to measure the customers, so she went over to Cordelia after retrieving the measuring tape.

“Miss, I’ll—”

“Will you be able to measure the skirt like this?” Marcus scoffed as he trained his dark gaze on the sales assistant.

“To measure the skirt, you have to get on your knees!”

The boutique was suddenly pin-drop silent. The others looked sympathetically at the sales assistant while the latter scowled. Despite that, the manager who came eyed her, urging her to do what the customer wanted. After all, that was one expensive wedding dress.

Marcus was nonchalant, and the smile on his aloof face never did reach his eyes.

Cordelia could not help tightening her hold on his hand.

“Forget it, let’s not buy it,” she told him softly. “This wedding dress is very expensive, and we won’t have much use for it in the future…”

“Swipe the card.” Marcus sounded frosty. “No password necessary.”

Ultimately, it was the boutique manager and designer who mediated the situation.

Marcus stood by the door smoking while Cordelia had her measurements taken inside. This time, no one dared mock her. The sales assistant stood aside stoically after the manager chastised her, and the designer kept complimenting Cordelia’s figure. Even the manager treated her like she was a VIP, making her coffee and fetching her water.

When they finally left the bridal boutique, Cordelia was glum on the way back. The wedding dress was worth more than $4,000… She bit her lip and looked at the man next to her. He was indifferent and he looked as calm as an iceberg.

“Marcus.” Cordelia failed to hold herself back after some time. “I think we should talk.”

Marcus stopped walking in surprise. The girl looked at him seriously with her big eyes blinking and cherry lips pursed.

“You… were too impulsive just now.”

“What?” The man furrowed his brows.

“When we were at the boutique just now. Things didn’t have to escalate to that point… Why did you have to vent and buy the dress? It cost more than $4,000. Do you know how long that would last us?”

He genuinely did not know that. It had probably been too small of a meal to him in the past.

Cordelia sneaked a peek at him, but his chiseled face was still blank.

“I… I’m not blaming you.” She softened and said, “I just meant that we’re already married. We have to think about the future. I know that you were venting on my behalf, but hold yourself back when the time calls for it. There is lots more to spend on our home…”

Home? For some reason, the corner of Marcus’ lips ticked up automatically when he heard the word.

“Besides, I haven’t gotten my wedding gift yet. There’ll be other uses for it. We can’t splurge so lavishly.”

Cordelia’s voice went softer and softer. Worry crept up on her face once she thought of her mother, who was hospitalized, and her brother, who was still waiting for his allowance. She dared not let Marcus find out, though. She was supposed to be Yelena to him.

“Splurge so lavishly?” The man repeated the words in a murmur, hints of a smile tinging his tone of voice.

“Aren’t you the heiress of the Jenners? Why does it feel like you’re frugal with your money?”

Cordelia widened her eyes at him as her heart thumped. She frantically changed the topic of conversation. “Are you thirsty? I’ll go get us some milk tea,” she said, turning to go to a milk tea parlor by the street.

Marcus chortled while watching her frantic escape. His phone vibrated at the same time, and the smile froze in place when he saw the number.

“What’s up?”

“Mr. Z,” the person on the other end of the line answered in a pressed voice. “The investigation is almost done. Someone did tinker with the private jet on the day of your accident. We don’t have enough evidence for now, but it should be the person you guessed.”

“Good.” Marcus sounded stern. “Keep up the investigation!”

“Got it. But… How much longer will you be staying in the village in Jangasas, Mr. Z? You sure you don’t want to make a trip back to Centrolis?”

Marcus pinched the spot between his brows and looked grimmer before taking a deep breath and hanging up. He would make a trip back to Centrolis—just not now. He would only be alarming the people who thought that he had died in the plane crash and causing them to conspire again and find more vicious ways to harm him!

“Boba or grass jelly? Which one do you like?”

That question pulled Marcus out of his thoughts, and he met a pair of sparkling big eyes. Cordelia grinned at him, as sweet as the milk tea she had in her hand.

“What’s gotten to you?” Cordelia looked at him. “You don’t look quite…”

“I’m fine.” It did not feel good that someone could see past him.

Marcus’s voice was icy as he turned his back to her. “Have one yourself. I don’t like sweet things.”

Cordelia froze on the spot, holding two cups of milk tea. It was only after some time that she jogged up to him, biting her lip.

She stayed behind him, not daring to go too close. The man’s back felt like a slab of frosty wall. There was a world that only belonged to him on the other side, and she could not get over it no matter how close she was.

…

The second day after their wedding went by normally.

Marcus gave the bedroom to Cordelia and slept on the couch outside. There was only one duvet as well, which was given to her, so he made do with a thin sheet.

Cordelia felt bad about it. She stood by the bedroom door for quite a while, but the words “you can sleep in the room too” felt stuck in her throat. Perhaps Marcus was right. She needed time to get used to the fact that she now had a husband.

She let her head fall with a small smile.

People said that Marcus was a cold, bad communicator who always got into fights. She thought that he did not seem as bad, though. At least he showed her enough respect and tolerance.

…

According to custom, the bride should go back to visit her maiden family on the third day.

Cordelia’s heart had been thumping wildly since she had gotten up in the morning. To others, this was huge. The husband ought to keep the woman company, and they should bring along some sweet treats home. The family would have a hearty lunch together, and the newlyweds would return before sunset. However, this was practically going back to ask for money for Cordelia.

Her father had promised that he would give her a big monetary wedding gift as long as she got married in Yelena’s place. The money would cover her mother’s medical costs and her younger brother’s tuition.

It had been three days since Cordelia had gotten married and the Jenners’ promise felt like it had vanished into thin air. No one had brought it up again.

Cordelia contemplated it and decided that she had to go ask for the gift herself—but she could not take Marcus along, or everything would be exposed. Who knew what the man would do if he was angered.

“Marcus, I…”

She racked her mind for a convincing argument, mulling over a reasonable and logical excuse so that Marcus would not have to go with her. It took her some time, but she swallowed everything back and forced out the words: “I’ve made breakfast. Come have some.”

Marcus was working out at the front of the house. It felt like a corner of an iceberg melted off his heart when he heard her soft, sweet voice.

Cordelia had made scones and even fresh cream and jam. When Marcus stepped inside the small place, he suddenly found it to be brighter. The place no longer felt dingy after their wedding.

It was homier now. Everything felt warm and sunny thanks to Cordelia’s touch.

Marcus could not help the small smile that crept up on his face as he took a seat. The woman across from him seemed weighed down by thoughts. He considered it and asked, “You should visit your family today, right?”

Cordelia jolted before she bit her lip and stayed silent, not meeting his eyes.