Chapter 5: Marriage Certificate

Words : 1662 Updated : Aug 7th, 2025

"I'll let you take the lead this time." When Rosalie heard that, she instantly remembered what had happened earlier at the motel. Her chest tightened in anger. "Didn't I warn you to stay away from me, or I'd have someone take care of you?" Rosalie said coldly, her eyes icy as she glared at Oliver. "I didn't do it on purpose. Running into you was just a coincidence," Oliver explained. Rosalie smirked. "Coincidence? You stalked me. Don't you even have the guts to admit it as a man?" She was convinced Oliver had stalked her. Otherwise, how could he have shown up? "Me? Stalking you? It was your father who brought me here," Oliver said. Rosalie suddenly stepped forward. Oliver blinked. "What are you trying to do? You want to take charge here?" "Knock it off," Rosalie snapped through gritted teeth. "I'm giving you one last warning. Get out of my house, right now!" Oliver chuckled. "What if I don't?" "Don't think I won't have someone take care of you," Rosalie shot back, her eyes blazing. Oliver shrugged. "Do whatever you want, I'm not leaving." On his way here, Oliver had been wondering about his fiancée's identity. He never expected it to be Rosalie, someone he had a one-night stand with. He decided that even if God himself told him to leave, he wouldn't budge. Not only was she his fiancée, but he was here to repay a debt. Besides helping James' family avoid disaster, he would also help raise their status. Leaving wasn't an option. "You... You're shameless!" Rosalie fumed, but there was nothing she could do. She turned and stormed out of the room. In the living room, just as Rosalie was about to speak, James cut her off. "Rosalie, how did the chat with your fiancé go?" Rosalie couldn't believe her ears. Pointing at Oliver, she asked, "Dad, what did you say? He's my fiancé?" "Of course he is. Haven't I told you before? Once he's here, you'll get married," James replied. "I refuse to marry him!" Rosalie shouted. "Marry this bumpkin? Not in a million years! Over my dead body!" Smack! James slammed his hand on the table. "You will marry him today. Go get the marriage certificate with Oliver now, or I'll disown you!" "That's final. You don't get a say in this!" James said sternly. Rosalie was on the verge of tears. Oliver, standing beside her, didn't know what to say. Rosalie suddenly glared at Oliver, her gaze sharp as a knife. He thought she might attack him, but instead, she said, "What are you just standing there for? Let's go!" "Go where?" Oliver asked, confused. "To the civil bureau," Rosalie said through clenched teeth. ... Oliver and Rosalie spent over two hours at the civil bureau. By the time they got back, it was already dark. The whole way home, Oliver kept picking up the marriage certificate and looking at it over and over, handling it like it was something precious. Seeing this, Rosalie felt nothing but disdain. Just thinking about being married to this guy made her so frustrated that she could barely breathe. "Hmph, I'll kick you out eventually," she thought coldly. "You're back already?" James greeted them with a big smile as they walked in. "We're back," Oliver said. "Still calling me Mr. James?" James said, pretending to be annoyed. Oliver hesitated, then quickly corrected himself, "Dad!" This earned him another look of disdain from Rosalie. "Alright, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner," James said. Oliver promptly went to wash his hands. When he came back, the table was already set with several dishes. Suddenly, Oliver caught a strong whiff of seasoning liquor, and saw Martha coming out with a big plate of marinated crayfish. "What are you looking at? Never seen crayfish before? Figures, coming from the rural area," Martha said sarcastically. Oliver ignored her and asked, "Wait, the liquor in the crayfish... Is it..." "Yeah, it's those two bottles you brought over," Martha said casually. "Just some cheap booze. Works great for soaking the crayfish. At least it was good for something. What, feeling bad about it now?" "Not at all, Mrs. Martha. As long as you're happy," Oliver said, not bothered at all. After all, the liquor was a gift from Jayden Davis, so it didn't cost him a dime. Plus, having grown up with Christopher, Oliver was a seasoned drinker and never got drunk. Curious to try the crayfish, he picked up his cutlery. But just as he was about to dig in, Martha stopped him. "What's wrong?" Oliver asked. "Don't think you get to eat it just because it's your booze. This crayfish is expensive and reserved for one of James's friends. Don't even think about it," Martha said, putting some pork in Oliver's bowl. "Here, eat pork. I bet you can't get any in the countryside." Back in the mountains, Oliver had eaten all kinds of wild game, but the pork was new to him. James just shook his head helplessly as he watched. Rosalie's face was expressionless, but there was a hint of a sneer at the corner of her mouth. Just then, the doorbell rang. James went to open the door and brought in a middle-aged man about his age. "Benjamin, you got here just in time. We were just about to eat. Come on, have a seat," James said, grinning. "Man, it smells great in here," Benjamin said, taking a deep sniff. "Benjamin, quit sniffing already. You know my cooking's always top-notch," Martha said. Benjamin kept sniffing as he made his way to the table, his eyes landing on the plate of marinated crayfish. "Wow, Martha, did you make this too?" Benjamin asked. "Of course. Who else?" Martha replied proudly. Benjamin gave her a thumbs-up. "Wow, Martha, looks like you guys have hit the jackpot lately." "Hit the jackpot? What are you talking about?" Martha said, looking confused.

Chapter 5: Marriage Certificate

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