บท 2: Your Husband Is A Billionaire
A car stopped in front of the wedding hall, and a blond girl in her mid-twenties, wearing a short peach-colored dress and matching heels, rushed out of it.
"I'm late for the wedding. Nat is going to strangle me." She hurried towards the grand wedding hall, only to see a familiar-looking woman in a wedding dress marching out of the door.
"Is that Nat?" She quickened her pace and called out, "Nat?"
Natalie, her mind chaotic with various thoughts and emotions, stopped when she heard the familiar voice. Her tear-filled eyes finally focused on the familiar figure standing a few steps away—her best friend, Mia.
"Why are you out of the wedding hall?" Mia walked up to her, her face turning worried as she noticed Natalie's tear-streaked cheeks. "Is everything alright, Nat?"
Natalie shook her head. "Nothing is alright." The tears she had held back now flowed freely.
Mia hugged her. "Calm down. Tell me what happened."
"First, take me away from here. I want to go away."
"The wedding?"
"It's not happening."
"What?"
"Please, just take me away from here first."
"Alright."
In Mia's car, the two friends headed to her apartment. On the way, neither spoke a word. Natalie sat with her eyes closed, needing time to sort out the mess in her mind, clutching the biggest shock of her life—her marriage certificate.
The car stopped in front of an apartment building—not high-end and the best one in the city but still luxurious. Mia, not wanting to bombard her friend with questions, first took her upstairs to her apartment. Natalie walked inside and slumped onto the white cushioned sofa, as if she had exhausted all her energy.
"You should freshen up and change into some comfortable clothes first," Mia suggested. "Then we can talk…"
In response, Natalie raised her hand and held the document out to her friend.
Mia took it and was shocked to see what it was. "Nat, what is this? Don't tell me this is real. You married someone and didn't even tell me?"
Natalie looked at her friend with a weary expression, letting out a mocking and hurtful chuckle. "What and when should I have told you about this? Until today, I wasn't even aware that I've been a married woman for the past year and a half."
Natalie explained everything that happened in the wedding hall, leaving her friend stunned.
After a moment of silence, Mia went through the document again. "Who is this Aiden Handrix?"
Natalie shrugged. "I don't know."
"This must be a prank played by someone, and this certificate is fake," Mia concluded as she finally sat next to Natalie. "Your stepmother and her annoying daughter—they must have done it. You know how hard they've been trying to separate you and Ivan and make Briena marry him."
"I wish that were the case and I could change things. But this certificate is real. My uncle confirmed it," Natalie explained.
"Your uncle could be in cahoots with them," Natalie said. "We should still get it checked out. There's no way you wouldn't know if you were married!"
After all, Mia knew her best friend. Natalie was not a careless person. Since her mother's death, she had always kept her guard up against people. There was no way someone could fool her into a marriage which she was not aware of.
"You have a point," Natalie sighed deeply. "I can only hope it's a fake, otherwise…you trust me right? I wouldn't get married without telling you."
"Of course I trust you!"
"I wish Ivan had trusted me as well."
Mia turned angry at the mention of his name. "Don't talk about that asshole who didn't even try to understand you and couldn't wait to hook up with a tramp."
Natalie had nothing to say to that. Ivan's distrust had truly hurt her. "Forget about him. First, I need to find out who this Aiden Handrix is and when exactly we got married. If it's fake, I'll let him know he can be sued for fraud. If it's real…"
"What will you do if it's real?" Mia asked.
"I am going to strangle this Aiden Handrix to death for doing this to me," Natalie gritted her teeth.
Unfortunately, the mysterious Aiden Handrix was near impossible to find.
Despite searching for hours on the Internet, Natalie and Mia could not find a single 'Aiden Handrix' that matched the photo on the wedding certificate.
"Maybe he's poor and illiterate, that's why he's not online," Mia groused. "Your terrible stepmom would love for you to be saddled with someone like that so you can suffer."
"You have a point," Natalie rubbed her temples. "Let's call it a day. I'll hire a private detective tomorrow. For now, I just want to relax. Want to watch some TV?"
"Are you sure?" Mia asked, worried for Natalie's mental health. "Your failed wedding is going to be all over the news."
"What else can they say about me that my loving family hasn't mentioned already?" Natalie asked, and she turned on the TV. "I want to see how shamelessly they're milking this!"
To their surprise, news about Natalie's failed wedding wasn't what was reported.
"Who is this unlucky fella? The news about him is even bigger than the scandal you created," Mia commented playfully.
"I'm not sure. Let's see," Natalie could only pray for that poor man.
The trending news showed a scene from the airport, with reporters trying to capture images of a man stepping out along with his subordinates. "A son of the Harper family, Justin Harper, has finally returned to the country. It has been said he has returned to take over the Harper Empire and will take his father James Harper's place."
"Wait, what the…" Natalie exclaimed suddenly. "Why does this man look like the one in my marriage certificate?" She looked at Mia, who was equally shocked.
Mia picked up the marriage certificate from the table and compared the picture with the man on the screen. "It's indeed the same man, Nat."
For a few moments, both looked at each other in disbelief, then their heads turned to the television once more, almost like robots.
"Naaatt!" Mia screamed, breaking the silence. "Your husband is a billionaire, not a poor and illiterate roadside man."
"But his name is different," Natalie commented. "The one in my marriage certificate says Aiden Handrix, and this man here is Justin Harper. Not to forget, they say he is returning to the country after a decade, and I have never gone out of the country. Also, my wedding certificate is from our country. More importantly, it could still be fake!"
"Yes, those are all important points, but Nat, have you considered that Aiden Handrix might be his secret identity?"
"Why would he do that?" Natalie asked, amused. "He's not a superhero."
"Okay, let me explain what I've heard about the Harpers from my father's business dealings," Mia cleared her throat, as if preparing a grand speech.
"What is it?"
"James Harper had always kept this son of his hidden, like a precious treasure. Until now, no one knew what he even looked like. That's why everyone is running to capture his image today. Maybe, just maybe, to hide him, James Harper gave him a different identity. What if Justin Harper is Aiden Handrix?" She picked up the wedding certificate.
"Look at this picture. How can they be so identical in appearance? Even that tiny mole on the left of his chin is the same. If this is not him, then he must have a twin brother somewhere. Either way, this is a clue we cannot miss!"
Natalie mulled over Mia's words quietly. "I need to meet him. Can your father arrange a meeting for me?"
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