Chapter 2

THE SIGNING ROOM -MARRIAGE BUREAU

The clerk looked up at the strange pair standing in front of her desk.

She stared at Isolde for a long second, eyes narrowing in judgment. The girl had ripped jeans, a hoodie that had definitely seen better days, and hair that looked like it hadn’t met a comb in a week.

Then the clerk turned to Knox. He looked like he had just stepped off the cover of Forbes. Sharp jaw, a suit worth more than her life savings and the smug air of a man who probably trademarked the word "success."

She blinked, glanced between them again, and thought. "This can’t be real."

But she smiled professionally anyway. “Sir, are you sure she’s the bride?”

Knox didn’t miss the tone. He snapped, “Just do your job.”

The clerk flinched, then forced a polite smile. “Apologies, sir,” she said quickly.

She tried not to scrunch her nose when Isolde handed over her ID. It had a bent corner, sticky edges, and what looked like a dried ketchup stain right on the date of birth.

She took it like it was a biohazard.

Knox presented his next. The moment she saw the name, her eyes almost popped out. Wait a minute. Mathford? As in the famous Mathford?

She took another look at his perfect hair and nearly sighed. Of course. All the hot ones are either married or insane.

Then she looked at Isolde again. It made no sense. A girl that rough around the edges, standing beside a man who clearly belonged to a different world. Bizarre, to say the least.

Still, she pushed the forms forward.

Isolde signed without thinking twice. Knox was about to do the same when—

“Wait!"

Reeves burst into the room like a man racing to stop disaster. “Don’t sign that!” he shouted, his voice sharp with panic.

But it was too late. The pen lifted from the paper. It was done.

Reeves’s soul left his body.

“Shit,” he whispered, slumping onto the nearest chair.

Minutes later, the clerk returned. She handed them a temporary proof of marriage and promised the official certificate would be mailed within a few days.

Just then, a loud ding! echoed in the office.

The clerk stood up. “That’s 5PM. We’re closed.”

Knox turned to leave without saying a word.

But when he stepped outside, he noticed something strange. His brand-new wife was still inside, peeking from behind the glass door like a suspicious cat.

He walked back in and waved. “Hey. We’re leaving.”

Isolde stepped out slowly, looked left and right like a spy, then let out a long breath. “They’re gone.”

She stretched her arms like she was about to take a nap. “Well, thanks. I’m gonna go now.”

Knox blinked. “What?”

“I’m heading home,” she said with a lazy yawn. “Or maybe I’ll find food first. Haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

Reeves groaned. “Sir, what the hell have you done?”

“Oh God,” Knox muttered, rubbing his forehead.

“They found someone already,” Reeves said, clearly out of breath and out of patience. “I came in to stop you!”

“Great timing,” Isolde said with a lazy wave, already turning to leave. “Well, good luck with your real bride.”

“Hey! Stop right there!” Knox shouted. “You can’t just walk off!”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why not? I did what you asked. You saved me. We’re even.”

And with that, she turned around like she was walking off a movie set.

“There she is!”

It was the rolling pin lady again, back and louder than ever. This time, she’d brought reinforcements. A whole crowd trailed behind her like an angry parade. Right in the middle of them was the bread seller Isolde had apparently beaten up.

“Catch her!” The rolling pin lady shrieked.

Isolde didn’t think twice. She ducked behind Knox like he was a human shield. “Please save me!” she whispered.

Knox was frozen. So was Reeves. Before either of them could blink, Isolde dashed behind the building like a ninja.

The angry bread-and-chicken duo stormed up to Knox.

“Where’s the thief?” the woman barked.

“Thief?” Knox blinked.

“She stole from us!” the man yelled.

“I didn’t steal!” Isolde yelled, from somewhere behind the wall. “I begged for food!”

“She beat the seller when we said no!” the rolling pin woman complained, pointing at a young lady in the crowd whose eyes were swollen and lips bruised.

Knox looked like he’d just swallowed a fly. “Oh my God.”

He slowly turned to Reeves, who gave him that classic “serves you right” look.

“Alright. How much to settle this?” Knox asked weakly, already regretting every life choice he had made in the past thirty minutes.

Less than half an hour into marriage, and he was already paying off angry street vendors. All thanks to Avery.

“A thousand,” the woman said firmly.

Without blinking, Knox pulled out his wallet, took out a thick wad of cash, and handed it over.

“That’s way more than a thousand!” Isolde snapped from behind. “I didn’t steal anything!”

“But you beat her up!” the butcher added with a scowl.

Before anyone could say more, Isolde darted forward and snatched the money back from the woman.

She calmly counted out a thousand, handed it over, and turned to Knox. “Since you’re clearly loaded, I’ll just keep the rest.” She stuffed the leftover cash into the pocket of her hoodie like it was her birthright.

“Give that back!” a teenage boy stepped forward, puffing up his chest.

Isolde smirked. “You want me to embarrass you? I’ll beat you up right here.” She stormed toward him, cracking her knuckles.

Before Knox could react, another girl shoved Isolde from the side and just like that, chaos broke out.

One moment, Isolde was sitting on the girl, throwing punches. The next, she was landing a clean hit on the boy, who was clearly bigger but had no idea how to defend himself.

Knox stood frozen, horrified. What had he gotten himself into?

Reeves looked like he aged ten years. He pressed a hand to his forehead. “I think I’m having a stroke.”

“Give back the money!” Knox finally found his voice.

Isolde paused mid-punch and shot him a glare. “It’s too much,” she argued.

“Give it back! I’ll give you more,” Knox begged, desperation oozing from every word.

Isolde narrowed her eyes, clearly not trusting a word. “You better not be lying.”

“I promise,” he said, hands raised in surrender.

Grudgingly, Isolde walked back, shoved the money at the woman, and muttered, “That should be more than enough to treat all three of them.”

“Fool,” the woman muttered, snatching the cash and marching off with her ragtag crew.

Reeves gave Knox a slow clap. “Great job, boss. You married a street-fighting bread thief.”

“Thanks for that,” she said with a bright smile, then held out her hand. “The money.”

Knox sighed, pulled out another wad of cash, and handed it over.

A wide grin spread across her face. “You’re rich,” she said, clearly impressed

She turned to leave again, but Knox stopped her. . “We’re married. You’re coming home with me.”

Reeves gasped. “You can’t be serious boss. We need to fix this today.”

Ignoring Knox completely, Reeves stepped toward Isolde. “I’ll make you an offer. Half a million right now. Divorce him.”

Isolde’s eyes lit up. “You're not serious, but if you are..." She spread her arms. "I'm in."

“No!” Knox snapped. “Slade gets the inheritance tomorrow. Divorce takes time. I need this marriage to stay for now.” he whispered to Reeves.

He looked at Isolde. “You owe me. Come home. Or I’ll call those people back.”

Her mouth dropped open. “That’s blackmail. I don't even know you,"

“Seriously! What the hell were you thinking accepting my offer?” Knox snapped, waving the marriage certificate.

She shrugged. “I just wanted to get away from them.”

“But I actually needed someone to stand in as a wife!” he barked, clearly on the edge.

That’s when it hit her. This was a real mess. She hadn’t thought it through at all.

“What do we do now?” she asked in a small voice, already regretting her impulsive decision.

“Come home with me. Act like a wife. Just for some days. I'll give you more money.”

"More money?" Her eyes lit up.

She looked down at the money in her hand and thought for a second. He looked rich. Probably had a clean bed and running water, things her crumbling excuse of a house couldn’t offer.

Honestly, stepping away from the chaos of the slums for a while didn’t sound so bad.

“But… I can’t just disappear like that!” she said, raising a brow. “I need to tell my family I’ve landed a sweet new job, with a clean, gentle gentleman!” She gave a playful wink.

Knox nodded. She had a point. “Fine. But we’re going with you.”

She tapped her chest with pride, wearing a smug grin. “Relax. You don’t need to. I’ve got this.”

She started walking confidently.

“Follow her!” Knox ordered Reeves. “If she vanishes, you’re putting on a dress and marrying me!”

Reeves froze. “No way. I’ve got her,” he said quickly, hurrying after her.

But just a few steps ahead, she stopped, planted her hands on her hips, then cupped her mouth like a megaphone.

“Family! I’m off! Got a job! See you in a few days!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

She turned around with a satisfied look. “There. I’ve told them.”

Reeves blinked. Knox just stared at her, confused.

“That’s it?” Knox asked, unsure.

“Yep,” she said, smacking her lips. “They heard me.”

Knox narrowed his eyes, wondering if he was about to take home a complete lunatic. Either way, he made a mental note. Security must be tripled.

“So, can we leave now?” he asked, still not sure what just happened.

She gave a shrug. “Fine. But if you try anything stupid, I’ll break your nose.”

Knox sighed like a man accepting his fate. “It’s my nemesis,” he muttered.

But when they got to the car, Knox stopped her. “You’re not riding with me.”

“Fine,” she shrugged with zero interest, yawning like she’d just rolled out of bed and casually rubbing her stomach.

Reeves sighed. “We could get her a cab?”

“Nope,” Knox said. “She’ll disappear before we blink.”

So, after way too much back and forth, they finally agreed: Knox would sit in front, away from the chaos. Isolde would ride in the back with poor Reeves, who was seriously questioning all his boss' life choices.

Just as the driver was about to start the engine, Knox's phone rang.

Avery’s sweet and curious voice came through the speaker. “Are you still at the Marriage Bureau?”

Knox let out a long, helpless sigh. This was already a mess, and he had a feeling it was only going to get worse.