Ethan held the marriage certificate in his hands, inspecting it closely for a few minutes. In the photo that was also handed to him, his lips were barely lifted into a smile while Grace was frowning.

He didn''t keep his attention on the photo for long. He kept ncing at the names on the certificate.

The staff member stood in front of him, nervously dabbing the sweat on his forehead with a tissue. "Is everything to your liking, Mr. Henderson?" he asked.

Ethan lowered his gaze, murmuring a soft hum.

The staff member let out a sigh of relief. His satisfaction was all that mattered. The staff member just wanted this to be over. His legs felt like they might buckle from the tension.

Ethan tucked the marriage certificate away and finally nced at Grace.

"Let''s go home."

Grace stayed where she was, frozen in disbelief. Who could''ve imagined she would be getting married so soon?

Ethan, now at the door, spoke again with a soft yet distant voice.

"We''re heading back, Grace."

She finally snapped back to reality and quietly followed him.

The ck-suited bodyguards were still lined up outside. As soon as they saw the couplee out, they stepped aside in a practiced formation.

But none of it felt real to Grace. Her legs were unbearably heavy, and each step she took was a quiet struggle. She sat in the car with her head lowered, keeping silent. As they neared Palm Bay again, she finally spoke.

"Are you nning to keep me locked in the vi forever, Mr. Henderson?"

"Just until you behave."

The words were delivered lightly, but they hit her like a crushing weight.

Ethan wasn''t just serious; he was dead serious.

Grace''s face turned even paler. This was the first time she had no idea how she should respond.

After getting out of the car, she drifted into the living area. The vi was bustling again. Maids were moving about, preparing dinner. When they saw her, they greeted her respectfully, "Wee back, Mrs. Henderson."

Her steps faltered. The absurdity of it all hit her like a wave.

She sank into the couch, watching as a maid approached her and poured her a cup of warm jasmine tea. "Mrs. Henderson, let us know if there''s anything you''d like to eat. Oh, and the fruits in the fridge were all flown in today."

Grace said nothing. Her eyes followed Ethan as he got into the elevator and went up. She didn''t even have the energy to speak to him anymore because there was no getting through to him.

She held the cup of jasmine tea in both hands. She was frozen in ce like someone caught in a trance.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Ethan had once again pulled out the marriage certificate. He stared at it for ten long minutes. When a knock sounded at the door, he finally tucked it away into a hiddenpartment beside him.

Tim stepped inside. He hadn''t uttered a word on the entire trip to the city clerk''s office and back. He merely fulfilled his duty as a chauffeur.

"Tonight''s appointment is confirmed," Tim said. "Shall we go now, Mr. Henderson? Are you really not eating with Ms. Lambert tonight?"

Ethan nced at the hiddenpartment. Then, he replied softly, "No. She loses her appetite when I''m around."

Tim felt a tightness in his chest at those words.

Grace had been sitting there for what felt like forever when Ethan and Tim finally came down, clearly on their way out.

Moments earlier, she had tried asking the maids to borrow a phone, but no one wouldply. They all avoided her like they had been informed in advance.

She averted her gaze and said nothing. She was stiff and silent as a statue.

Ethan didn''t approach her either. He headed straight to the entryway.

He made his way to Henderson Group first. Work was picking up after the holidays, and they had to startying the groundwork for the year ahead, esp so, Ethan would pull out the marriage certificate and nce at it. He couldn''t resist bringing it along with him when he left his bedroom.

ten

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An executive was left in shock when he entered and saw him holding the

marriage certificate.

"Wait, is this... Are you married, Mr. Henderson?"fn3276 ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? FιndNovel/fn3276

Ethan''s lips curled into a slight, almost imperceptible smile for a moment before

he simply hummed a reply.

This executive had been with

Henderson Group for years. In the

two years Ethan was abroad, this executive was the one who led thepany through numerous acquisitions, garnering the respect of everyone who worked with him. Cóntent belongs to s

A look of disbelief crossed the executive''s face. Wasn''t it widely known that éthan was obsessed with work and had no interest in _rtionships? He had never once seen Ethan going on a date with a woman before. Who could he have married?

s

"Congrattions, Mr. Henderson. Will Mrs. Henderson be visiting Henderson Group for an inspection? I''ll make sure everyone''s ready for her."

The mention of "Mrs. Henderson" clearly pleased Ethan.

The executive had originally thought that the marriage was a family-arranged affair and that Ethan didn''t actually care for it, which exined his usual indifference.

He had worked on numerous business projects with Ethan, and even contracts

worth billions barely earned a flicker of emotion from Ethan.

And yet, the phrase "Mrs. Henderson" brought the faintest hint of a smile to his

face.