4: finally married.

4: Finally Married

Hanna positioned herself beside Morgan, keeping a distance so that neither of them would touch. The atmosphere was tense and silent among the people; it felt more like a funeral than a wedding. The only thing breaking the silence was the sound of camera flashes taking photos as evidence to fulfill the requirements of the will.

As soon as the justice of the peace's standard speech ended, both confirmed their desire to marry and signed the papers, joining them in matrimony.

"Are you satisfied, Mr. Grumpy?" Hanna asked without looking at him.

"For now, Mrs. Ortiz. Enjoy the buffet. No one will bother you until it's time to leave."

"Sure!" she muttered sharply, turning her back on him and heading to a distant table in the banquet hall.

As soon as Morgan moved away from Hanna and towards the other guests, his ex-mother-in-law interrupted his steps.

"Is she really that ugly?" she asked, now mockingly glancing at Hanna.

"You're enjoying seeing my life turn into hell, aren't you?" Morgan asked, keeping a fake smile on his face.

"You know, I never considered the idea of you remarrying, but seeing you so unhappy makes me feel quite good!" she replied with a wicked smile, amused by Morgan's situation.

Hanna, meanwhile, was sitting at a distant table but in a position in the hall that allowed her to see all the guests.

"Well... it's the rule: never sit with your back to your enemies," she murmured, taking a bite of the cake slice the waiter had brought her. "And never eat anything offered, but... surely they don't want me to die in such an obvious way," she commented to herself, eating a piece of the cake and pushing the veil back a bit.

Even so, finding it difficult to eat, she pushed it back further, freeing her lips. It was then that she saw a tall man coming towards her fiercely. She quickly lowered her head and looked him up and down until she reached his face, left speechless.

"I told you, it's one of the rules: don't you dare remove that veil. Otherwise, if it's bothering you, just leave. The driver is at your disposal, Mrs. Ortiz."

"Don't you mean... Mrs. Farrugia?" she asked, biting the corner of her lips and staring at Morgan, stifling a laugh as she noticed his enraged face.

That was not bad at all for Hanna. She had spent months thinking about this marriage, besides the fact that she had to get involved with a man she didn't love, even considering the possibility that he might be a man without limits who would force her to be his wife.

But seeing how much Morgan despised her gave her some relief, though she didn't understand why he felt so strongly against her when they hadn't even met before. He seemed nothing more than a bitter person, treated as the family leader for being the oldest man.

She suddenly stood up, facing him as he turned his face away.

"Seems like you don't think I'm that old now, do you?"

"No, I thought you were fifty. I don't know... After all, you have a twenty-six-year-old son. How can you look no older than thirty?" Hanna asked with a slightly apprehensive voice, realizing he wasn't in the mood to talk.

"It's none of your business, but I can tell you. Davis is not a legitimate son. His father passed away, and I raised him as my own," he said unwillingly.

"Ah... that explains a lot," she commented indifferently.

"And for your information, I turned 32, not fifty!" he grumbled, then walked away.

"Who would have thought... the guy is a big shot," she murmured, shaking her head from side to side, playing with the veil. "Still, he's just a man who would do anything with his power to get what he wants. After all, he easily paid me to marry him," she thought with disdain.

Hanna didn't dare go anywhere other than that hall. She knew she wasn't welcome and everyone there was avoiding her. She even enjoyed the buffet and drank alone, keeping that uncomfortable veil on her head. She had no idea that they were repulsed by her appearance.

Suddenly, she found herself with only a few people left. Everyone was saying their goodbyes. Morgan was called by the lawyer of the will and then called some of the older members to discuss Hanna's situation and how they should proceed.

"As you know, the marriage must last at least three years unless she wants a divorce before then. If the bride decides to divorce early, she will lose all her inheritance rights," the lawyer explained.

"And what if I want to back out?" Morgan asked anxiously. "If the groom backs out of the marriage, does she lose her rights?"

"No, quite the opposite. She can choose how much she wants from everything you have, and when I say everything, it includes all parts," he explained while Liara, Morgan's ex-mother-in-law, listened to the conversation with a slight smile.

"Can she live in her own house?" Morgan asked.

"It would be appropriate for her to be in a safer place. Knowing that she is now part of an influential and wealthy family, this could bring problems for her, even kidnappings and ransom demands. And the contract is very clear about events that could cause the bride's premature death, so... think about the best way to act now, in three years... or sooner, if you or she decide to back out. But I hope you can follow your grandmother's request," he suggested, gathering his briefcase and the papers on the table. "Oh... and Hanna cannot know about any of these clauses so as not to influence her decisions. After all... everything she decides must be of her own accord and will," he warned seriously.

"What are you going to do with Hanna?" Liara asked as soon as the lawyer left.

"I wanted to leave her in the same place where she lives. Her identity would be preserved, but if something happens, we would be losing a lot."

"Well..." his mother sighed, who had been analyzing the situation the whole time. "We have the separate annex in the mansion. None of us ever go there, but it's as well-maintained as this part. We could arrange for her to live there. This way, we wouldn't have to see her or need her to leave," she suggested.

"I'll think about it. I'll make all the necessary decisions. In two days, they can send some security guards to fetch her and bring her without anyone seeing and take her to the sealed annex. But... Davis must return, I am only the temporary groom. I will hand this opportunist over to him. I don't want to know or deal with her," he asserted, leaving the room.

However, Liara followed him fiercely to once again spew her venom. Before Morgan could enter his room, she stopped him, and he stood there impatiently, waiting for yet another damned sermon.