In the afternoon, Audrey Sutton had to go back to school for classes, and Shane probably needed to get back to his company urgently. He took over ten calls just this morning.
Catching a ride with Shane to school, Audrey didn’t know if everyone there knew about their marriage, but to avoid suspicion, she only asked Shane to drop her off near a corner close to school.
"What time does school end in the afternoon?" he asked her as she got out.
Audrey was curious about what he wanted but didn’t ask, simply said, "Four thirty."
He checked his watch, seeming to calculate the time, pondered for two seconds, and said, "I might not be done with meetings yet, so do you want to take a cab yourself or wait for me to pick you up after work?"
Audrey was a bit confused: "Where are we going?"
Instead of answering directly, he took out a key from his pocket, pointed towards a luxury apartment complex outside the window and said, "I have a place there, Building C, unit 21-2. You need to move in, here’s the key."
Audrey wasn’t sure if she was more excited or worried, tentatively asked him, "Do you live here too?"
"Yeah."
"Didn’t you say we weren’t actually living together? Why have me move in with you then?"
"Because I don’t want tomorrow’s news headline to be ’Newlywed Third Young Master Warner Living Apart’."
Audrey pursed her lips and took the key from his hand: "I have a lot of stuff in my dorm; I can’t move it all on my own."
"I’ll be off work around half past five; you pack up your stuff, and I’ll come pick you up."
Audrey looked at him twice but didn’t ask anything more.
"Not leaving? Waiting for me to open the car door for you?"
Audrey finally pushed the door open and got out, and as soon as the door closed, he drove away.
Watching his car’s back end, she muttered softly, "What a show-off."
She always fantasized about scenarios where she was with him, imagined various aspects of his personality.
Like a gentleman as gentle as jade, a suave handsome guy, a prince of sweet talk full of romantic words...
In the end, she discovered none of them were real; he was just a two-faced, picky, and sharp-tongued guy, and quite intimidating.
But once at school, hearing her classmates and friends’ envy and jealousy made her forget all his flaws immediately.
She heard people discussing their situation everywhere she went, though it was sudden, yet no one said she was unworthy.
Audrey felt delighted, but on the way to the classroom, she heard someone say: "Who knows? Maybe she used some family money as a scheme, otherwise why would Third Young Master Warner suddenly change his mind and marry her?"
"That Laura Yates said she ran away from the wedding, but she was surely forced. Which woman would flee from marrying Shane Warner?"
...
The words were like a wake-up call; Audrey only then remembered that runaway bride.
She found it odd too, that there was actually a woman who didn’t want to marry Shane Warner?
Though technically she was half a rival, Audrey was curious about what kind of woman she might be.
She hadn’t slept well last night, and she dozed off in class, muddled through two lessons, then directly went back to her dorm to pack her things.
The dorm had a total of four people; they were all quite close. They had already discussed Audrey’s unexpected marriage yesterday in their WhatsApp group chat.
When Audrey returned, Barry Barrett was the only one there playing games.
Spotting Audrey, Barry nearly fell off his chair in excitement: "You dare come back, Comrade Sutton? You managed to solve your lifetime event during a mere two-day vacation!"
Audrey proudly replied, "You guys kept calling me a single dog every day."
"Is that why you married my male idol without inviting us to be bridesmaids?"
Audrey muttered, "How many idols do you exactly have?"
Barry replied, "I don’t care, next time you get married, you must invite me to be a bridesmaid."
Audrey flicked her forehead: "Next time, next time? Shut your crow mouth!"
Barry chuckled: "Then tell me, how did you snag Third Young Master?"
While organizing her desk, Audrey said with a smile, "It was love at first sight. The moment he saw me, he said he’d marry no one but me in this life."
"Tsk tsk tsk, Comrade Sutton, is that thick skin of yours lying on the floor?"
Audrey: "Not going to talk nonsense with you. Hurry and help me sort my things."
Barry: "What for? Are you leaving us behind?"
Audrey: "It’s not like it’s the first day you know I prioritize romance over friendships."
Barry helped while gossiping: "Starting the cohabitation life, are you? So how was the wedding night? Tell me, was the first time really painful? And how many rounds can Third Young Master manage in one night?"