Marrying

Chapter 11 

Even with Matthew’s intimidating aura hanging over her, when Valerie really took the time to mull things over, she couldn’t help but feel like a total scumbag After all, she’d been the one pushing for this marriage in the first place, and he’d even gane so far as to get them an apartment to start their life together. His attitude towards the whole thing just made Valerie feel incredibly guilty, since her true goal had really been to use him and keep their baby to herself only, 

“Don’t worry, Mr. Grant. I try my best said Valerie. She had decided to be a good wife to make up for him. 

Matthew furrowed his brow, perplexed. What exactly is she getting at something he wondered skeptically. 

Try h 

her best at what? Is she just saying she’ll try best not to cheat on me or 

“Again. If I ever catch you cheating on me in the next six months.” he said, 

Valerie quickly cut him off, “I won’t, Mr. Grant. You have my word.” 

“Aren’t you scared of me?” he asked, surprised to see her smiling in the face of his intense glare. His subordinates would usually be jumping out the window if he so much as frowned in their direction. 

Valerie couldn’t help but find has behavior rather peculiar. “Why does he seem to have this obsession with people being terrified of him! He’s not some kind of monster, after all, she thought to herself 

“Im sorry. Mr. Grant, but I don’t understand why you keep asking if I’m afraid of you.” Valerie replied, her brow furrowed in confusion. “You’re my husband now, and we need to make this work for the next six months. I have every intention of living peacefully with you during that time.” 

She looked around the apartment- it had two bedrooms and was flooded with natural light. Also, it was conveniently located near her workplace, and her rent was coming due soon. If I move in here, I could really stretch my budget a lot further, she thought to herself, positively giddy at the prospect. Valerie lived by a prrity straightforward philosophy – she never turned down a freebie. 

“So, which room is mine, Mr. Grant? Or do we… Valerie asked awkwardly. She remembered he said something about her fulfilling her duties as a wife. She was not sure if that meant they would sleep together. 

“There are two bedrooms” answered Matthew. Twon’t do anything to you until we’ve developed genuine feelings for each other.” While he was open to a bit of fun, he had no real interest in Valerie. What had happened between them previously was just an accident, and he had no desire for her to be a constant presence in his life. In his opinion, she simply wasn’t qualified to serve as the hostess for his family. 

Valerie let out a sigh of relief, secretly pleased. She wanted to make up for him by cooking or cleaning, but the idea of sleeping with him felt awkward. Liule did she know that Matthew had noticed her relief and uncered. 

“Alright, let’s get a few things straight from the jump, Matthew stated firmly. “First things first, don’t enter my room or touch any of my stuff without my permission. And keep it down after 11 o’clock – I need my space to be calm and quiet. The living room and kitchen are shared spaces, so feel free to use them however you like” 

He continued, “And another thing. I’ve got a housekeeper coming by once a week to tidy the place up. But the rest of the time, I’m gonna need you to be the one doing the cleaning around here.” 

Matthew listed out the rules, fully expecting Valerie to bristle at his authoritative tone. After all, he was accustomed to barking orders in the workplace. To his surprise, however, Valerie still wore a cheerful smile on her face as he laid out the ground rules 

“Is that all Okay, I think I can do all of those, Mr. Grant. By t 

y the 

way, , can I bring my stuff here tomorrow! And my hamster! And Valerie asked. 

Matthew found himself momentarily lost for words. This wasn’t at all the reaction he had expected from his new live–in partner. Normally, people quailed under his firm instructions, bur Valerie seemed unfazed. Interrupting her chatter, he said. “This is your home now, so you can do whatever you like. And you can stay here tonight, since there’s a typhoon ourside.” 

Still, he supposed he’d have to make the best of their new living arrangement. No matter what, Valerie was now his lawfully wedded wife now, so he couldn’t very well mistreat her. He assumed that for a golddigger like Valerie, the idea of being married to a poor driver must already be a form of 

torture. 

His words seemed to have an unexpected effect on Valerie. Little did he know, his begrudging consent to let her stay put a warm glow in her heart. Coming from a family where she’d always felt like the black sheep, the notion of having a place to call her own was novel and exhilarating 

“Thank you, Mr. Grant. I really hope we can make this living together thing work out,” Valerie said gratefully, before retreating to her new bedroom 

Once there, Valene took a moment to drink in her surroundings. She noticed the fresh bedding in the closet and eagerly set about making the bed, placing a lamp on the nightstand, Nankang into the comfortable mattress, Valerie felt a wash of contentment. No matter what life threw her way, Valerie had a knack for taking things as they came. She believed that this new living arrangement with Matthew would be no exception. 

Mr. Grant may be a tough cookie, but I’ve dealt with all sorts of jerks at work, she mused to herself. At least this one’s easy on the eyes. But I can’t let him know about the baby, though. That’ll only make the divorce harder. As long as I can tough it out for the next six months, it’ll be all over” 

Valerie stroked her flat belly and made up her mind. Haby, don’t worry, I won’t let anyone take you away,” she muttered. 

Chapter II 

Across the hall. Matthew found himself staring at Valerie’s door for a long while, utterly bewildereil. Her reaction had been so different from what (he had expected – no panicked outbursts or tears, just a calm gratitude with a smile. Her composure left him with a nagging sense of self–doubt. 

He had grown accustomed to people reacting with fear around him over the past thirty years – even his own brothers and parents. He had initially thought Valerie would be no different, that she too would be terrified of him. Yet, to his surprise, Valerie had turned out to be the sole exception. Her calm, almost grateful response had thrown him for a loop. 

Matthew reached for his phone and placed a call to Charles. “Listen, prepare these th 

things for me..he instructed. 

The next morning, shonly after Valerie had left, a briefcase was delivered in Matthew’s doorstep. Inside were several official–looking documenti Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“Matthew took out the documents and gave them a thorough once–over- a regular 9–to–5 jobs, a reliable car, a mortgage–free house, and over $100k sitting pretty in the bank. In Matthew’s eyes, these were the bread–and–butter essentials of a comfortable, middle–class existence – the kind of life he felt the average Joe on the street should be able to achieve without too much fuss. From now on, that was exactly the kind of regular existence he planned to lead 

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