Chapter 4: A husband?

"I am a romantic at heart," Sienna explained sincerely, "Even as a young girl who read countless webnovels, I hated the contract marriage trope because marriage is a..."

"Sacred union?"

"Right," Surprised that he put in the right words, she continued still, "And a marriage should happen only for..."

"Love?"

"_"

"Right again," she gave him a look and said, "So, if not for my current predicament, I never think I am capable of doing a fake marriage. I was worried I would fall for my pretend husband and make everything difficult for the both of us."

Callahan didn’t say anything.

But it was the driver who interjected through the partition, "Then, the young mistress has more reasons to worry. The Young Master is hailed as one of the finest gentlemen of this generation and he is the most eligible of the country. Women of all age have found themselves helpless around his charms."

Sienna glanced at the partition speechlessly, wondering if that was just for show.

But seeing that Callahan didn’t seem to mind his driver eavesdropping and interrupting, she didn’t pick on it.

Rather, she replied, "Well then, unlike others, I am immune to your young master’s charms because I know the person underneath them."

Then, Sienna turned to Callahan, "Which is the reason I think this marriage is my least complicated bet."

Callahan remained silent.

"Or what, are you afraid of falling for me?" Sienna batted her lashes as she leaned in.

The man tilted his head down, meeting her provocative gaze, "Unless you fall first."

Sienna paused, then burst out in laughter as she straightened, "Good way to say that it’s impossible on both sides."

The car came to a halt in front of her apartment building. In a rare good mood, she waved her hand to say goodbye to the man.

By the time Sienna reached the reception area, her eyes narrowed.

The entire place was crowded with boxes and suitcases. Amongst them, she could see a bunch of designer bags she had recently brought, a couple of important files she had left in the drawers this morning and essentially, all her belongings.

"What’s happening here?" Sienna questioned the receptionist.

The girl forced a professional smile, "Miss, it’s your personal..."

"Even if it is my personal affair, it’s a failure of the security system if somebody managed to touch my things in my absence..."

"Miss Qing, there is no point tormenting the poor receptionist. She is merely doing her work!"

Just as Sienna turned, a lawyer stepped out of the elevator, followed by a group of bodyguards behind her.

Sienna crossed her arms in front of her chest, "What about you? Intruding in my house in my absence, touching my personal property while being a lawyer... Are you not afraid of consequences?"

The woman frowned, "I am doing my job too. This penthouse is no longer yours. It now belongs to Miss Kira."

"It’s a property under my mother’s name. In what world would it belong to her stepdaughter instead of her biological daughter?" Sienna found it ridiculous.

"Your mother is gone and the conditions of inheritance require you to be married before you turn 24. Since you are not, Miss Kira could buy this penthouse with her own money," The lawyer said with a confident smile on her face.

Behind her, the four bulky bodyguards stood like a wall.

Sienna frowned, "And which part of law declares that my she can claim my house if I fail to get married?"

"There’s no need to make a scene, Miss Qing," the lawyer sneered, pushing her gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose, "The legal transfer is finalized and you should know how much your father loves Miss Kira. So, there would always be a way around the law."

Sienna chuckled bitterly. More or less, that was the truth. The Qing Family would topple the mountains for Kira.

The lawyer sneered, "Unless you miraculously found a husband before overnight, you have no legal standing to set foot in this building."

Sienna sighed, and a light melodic laugh escaped her lips, "A husband?"

She dipped her hand into the inner pocket of her trench coat, her movements slow and unbothered, "Funny you should mention that."

"What... What are you doing?!" The lawyer motioned the bodyguards to be wary.

Sienna withdrew a small booklet. The crimson cover caught the bright chandelier light of the lobby, the gold-embossed national emblem gleaming against the deep red backdrop.