Samuel sat on the couch for ages, thinking, ‘No guts, no glory. If I want the big prize, I guess I gotta give something up.
‘Shares mean nothing if that’s all I’ve got,’ he thought bitterly.
Without fresh cash coming in, the company was practically on the edge of bankruptcy.
Even the tiniest perk from the Harris Group would be enough to keep AetherTech running for a whole year.
Whitney had just pulled up to the intersection when her phone buzzed with a message from Samuel.
[I’ll get the share transfer process started this afternoon. We’ll need to call a shareholders’ meeting, so the earliest it can happen is the day after tomorrow. Is that okay?]
She sneered. ‘See? Only the ruthless get what they want.’ she thought.
[Sure.]
Starting today, Whitney would no longer see Samuel as her father.
[Klein, it’s nothing. I just wanted to ask what time we’re heading to City Hall tomorrow.]
Klein stared at his phone, his long fingers tapping the screen as he thought. [8:30. We’ll get married as soon as they open. We’ll be the first couple to get married tomorrow.]
*****
The next morning at 8:30, Whitney showed up at City Hall right on time, dressed in a simple white shirt with light makeup.
Klein was already there, rocking the same white shirt, one hand casually in his pocket. God knows how long he’d been waiting for her.
Klein strode over to her, and said with a smile, “You came.”
Whitney had no clue that Klein’s hand in his pocket was actually trembling a little.
Whitney flashed him a smile and said, “Come on, let’s head in.”
They filled out the forms, and snapped a few photos. When Whitney finally held the marriage papers, it didn’t feel real at all.
‘Wait, I’m actually married now?’ Whitney thought, in a daze.
‘Wasn’t this a bit too rushed?’ she couldn’t help but wonder.
Klein stood by the window, took out his phone, and snapped a quick picture, wanting to capture the moment.
Then he strolled over to Whitney, calm and collected, and said,”Come on, let’s go make our vows.”
Whitney hadn’t checked what the process was, so she didn’t even realize this part was totally optional with the new policy.
Klein gently took her by the wrist, leading her over to the platform.
He switched his phone to video mode, flashed the staff a friendly smile, and said, “Mind helping us record this moment?”
Then Klein pulled out a wad of crisp hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and handed it over with a polite smile.
The staff member was totally stunned, not sure what to do with himself. “Wow, thank you.That’s way too generous.” he said.
“Thank you,” Klein said, sounding casual but sincere.
‘That’s ten grand! For pressing record? Hell yeah, I’m in!’ the staff member thought, practically grinning from ear to ear.
“Absolutely! I’ll make sure you guys look amazing on camera!” the staff member said, practically bouncing with excitement.
Whitney stared in shock as Klein strode up to the vow platform like he’d done this a hundred times. He grabbed a set of vows, and said, “Let’s read them together.”
Whitney paused for a moment and said, “Okay.” She reached for the other copy sitting on the platform.
Klein’s eyes softened, and he said with a smile, “No need to take one. Just follow my lead. I’ll read a line, and you repeat after me, alright?”
Whitney nodded subconsciously and said, “Okay.”
Right now, her mind was in a total daze.
Today, Klein’s usually cold voice turned unexpectedly gentle and warm.
“We willingly become husband and wife,” Klein intoned, his voice steady and clear.
Whitney felt her throat tighten, her voice trembling slightly as she repeated after him, “We willingly become husband and wife.”
“From this day on, no matter what life throws at us, good times or bad, rich or poor, healthy or sick, young or old,” Klein said, his voice calm and full of promise.
Whitney looked up, meeting his bright eyes, her voice blending with his as she echoed every word.
When they reached the last line, Klein’s deep gaze shimmered with warmth. “We’ll stay true to these vows, and I’ll love you, always.” he said.
As he finished it, Whitney felt her heart skip a beat.
She hesitated on that last line.
Almost unconsciously, she tilted her face up and caught a hint of anticipation in Klein’s deep eyes.
After a moment of silence, she softly repeated the words, “We’ll stay true to these vows, and I’ll love you, always.”
Klein set the vows aside, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips.
“Alright, my dear wife, time to head out as newlyweds,” Klein said with a playful grin.
Klein pulled out a fat stack of envelopes full of money from his jacket, shoved a bunch into Whitney’s hands. Then he grabbed her hand and started handing them out to everyone in sight.
Staff? Here was an envelope!
Other couples getting married? Envelopes for them too!
Even the cleaning lady got lucky!
Everyone was grinning from ear to ear.
“Congrats! Wishing you two a lifetime of happiness together!”
“Oh, you guys are gorgeous! A perfect match!”
(690
Klein laughed and slipped two envelopes into the hands of the person who’d just showered them with blessings.
Finally, with everything done, Whitney walked out of City Hall in a daze.
She shot Klein a complicated look and said,”You even brought envelopes of money?”
‘Is this really how it’s supposed to go?’ Whitney wondered, totally confused.
‘Why has no one ever mentioned this before?’ she thought, still trying to process it.
Klein was totally serious. “Yes, this is how everyone does it when they get married. If you don’t believe me, just ask anyone here.” he sounded confident.
Whitney blinked. ‘Seriously? I don’t even have any friends who’ve gotten married. How would I know?’ she thought, feeling a little helpless.
‘What, am I supposed to wait until Carter gets hitched and then ask him how it works?’ Whitney snarked.
“Alright, if you say so,” Whitney replied, giving in with a sigh.
Klein took her hand and slipped a ring onto her finger, and then gave her his ring to put on his finger.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.