Jasper didn't say anything else. Instead, he took out his ID and set it on the counter before the clerk.

Coralie followed his lead.

Not a single word passed between them during the whole process. The clerk repeatedly looked from one to the other and paused several times, as though she was waiting for proof that they fully understood how serious this decision was. She didn't want to approve a marriage that might soon end in an ugly divorce.

However, neither of them showed any hesitation. With no reason left to delay them, the clerk finished the required procedures.

Once Jasper received both copies of the document, he looked them over and passed one to Coralie. "This one is yours."

Coralie took it and softly thanked him.

Together, they left the courthouse.

When they got outside, Jasper stopped and waited until Coralie reached him. He then took a set of keys from his pocket, which he had clearly prepared beforehand, and held them out to her. "I live at Veridian Apartments. Grandma told me that you own a bookstore near Evrata School. The apartment isn't far from there, and the bus ride should only take around ten to fifteen minutes. Do you have a driver's license? If you do, I can help you buy a car. I'll sign the loan with you and pay the down payment, while you take care of the monthly payments. That should make traveling to work more convenient. My job keeps me busy, so I usually leave early and return late. Sometimes, I also have to travel for work. You only need to look after yourself, and you don't have to worry about me. I'll send you money every month for the household expenses. To prevent any unnecessary trouble, we should also keep our marriage a secret for now."

Jasper was clearly accustomed to giving instructions, so he went through everything in one breath without giving her a chance to reply.

Coralie had only entered this rushed marriage because she no longer wanted to be the reason her sister and brother-in-law kept arguing. She needed to marry someone and move away so her sister could finally live in peace. To her, their marriage was simply a convenient agreement between two adults.

Since Jasper had offered her the keys, Coralie took them without pretending to refuse.

"I do have a license, but I don't need to buy a car yet. I normally use my scooter, and I recently replaced its battery. Letting it sit unused would only waste money. Mr. Warren, are we going to divide the household bills?"

Her sister had married for love, but her brother-in-law still demanded that every expense be divided equally. He behaved as though his wife was taking advantage of him, yet he had no idea how much effort went into raising a child, buying groceries, preparing meals, and keeping the house clean.

Men who had never handled those responsibilities often believed that being a housewife was easy.

Coralie and Jasper had entered this marriage in a hurry. Before that day, they hadn't even met each other. Keeping their money separate would at least help her feel more secure.

Without any hesitation, Jasper blurted out, "You're my wife now, so I can support you and pay for our household expenses. There's no reason for us to divide the bills."

A small smile appeared on Coralie's face. "Alright. We'll do it your way."

Even so, she had no plans to rely on him for everything.

Since she would be staying in his home, she could use her own money to pay for the things they needed around the house.

Besides, she would no longer have to spend money on rent.

Living together would only work if both of them did their part.

Once again, Jasper looked at his watch. "I have a lot to do, so I need to return to the office. You can drive my car yourself, or you can take a cab. I'll pay for the ride. I'll bring Grandma to my brother's place first. We should exchange our contact details in case either of us needs something."

Coralie took out her phone. Once they had saved each other's numbers, she replied, "I'll take a cab instead. You can leave first."

"Alright. Call me if you need anything."

Before walking away, Jasper placed two hundred dollars in her hand to cover the fare. Coralie tried to give it back, but one stern look from him made her close her fingers around the cash without thinking.

Unlike other couples who had just gotten married, they didn't leave the courthouse side by side.

Jasper stepped out ahead of her and went straight to his car.

"Where is Coralie?"

Judie questioned Jasper as soon as he climbed inside. When she saw that her grandson was alone, her doubts immediately grew. "Both of you went inside together, so why didn't you come back out together? Did you change your mind, or did she?"

After fastening his seat belt, Jasper said calmly, "We completed everything. Work is hectic, and I need to hurry back for a meeting. I gave her money to take a cab home. Grandma, I'll let you out at the next intersection, and my bodyguard will drive you the rest of the way."

"I don't care how busy you are. You can't leave Coralie there by herself! Don't even think about driving away. Wait until she comes out, take her home, and then you can return to work."

Judie grabbed the door handle, but Jasper had already locked it.

"Grandma, I agreed to marry her, but everything after that is between us. This is my marriage, so I'll deal with it in my own way. I also need time to judge her character for myself. Until I know what kind of person she is, we'll only be husband and wife on paper."

Judie fixed him with a hard stare. "Men from the Warren family don't get divorced!"

"That will depend on whether the woman you chose for me is someone I can spend my whole life with." As he finished speaking, Jasper started the car.

"Is this really how you're going to treat your wife? You just got married, and now you're abandoning her right away?"

Judie knew that agreeing to get the married was already the furthest Jasper would bend. After that, he would follow his own pace, and she wouldn't be able to change his mind. If she pressured him too much, Coralie might be the one to suffer and end up trapped in a marriage without love. In that case, Judie would be to blame for ruining the young woman's life.

Jasper ignored her complaints.

If Coralie proved that she was a decent person, he would make sure she lived a happy life with him. However, if she had fooled his grandmother and only pretended to be kind, he would end the marriage after six months. He had no intention of touching her, and because no one knew about their marriage, she could still start over and meet someone else.

Around ten minutes later, Jasper pulled over where several expensive cars were waiting, including a Rolls-Royce.

After stepping out, Jasper threw his keys to one of the bodyguards. "Drive my grandmother home."

Judie immediately objected. "I'm not going home! I want to stay with you and Coralie!"

By then, Jasper had already gotten into the Rolls-Royce and acted as though he hadn't heard her.

All Judie could do was stand there and watch as the luxury car quickly disappeared from sight.

In truth, Jasper stood at the top of Evrata's business world. He led the wealthiest family in the city, and his fortune was worth hundreds of billions.

"That cold-hearted brat!"

Judie cursed quietly before a sly smile appeared on her face. "I hope you fall hopelessly in love with Coralie one day and regret every word you said today. I'll be waiting right here to enjoy the whole thing."

Since getting angry wouldn't make Jasper return, Judie quickly called Coralie, who was already riding in a cab.

"Coralie, Jasper is unbelievably busy with work. Please don't be upset with him."

Coralie smiled lightly. "Mrs. Warren, I understand. It honestly doesn't bother me, so you don't have to worry. He gave me money for the cab, and I'm already on my way."

"You two are already husband and wife, which means you're part of the family now. You shouldn't keep calling me Mrs. Warren..."

Coralie hesitated briefly before correcting herself. "Judie."

A wide smile spread across Judie's face on the other end of the call.

"Coralie, you're one of us now. If Jasper ever mistreats you, come straight to me. I'll make sure he learns his lesson."

Finding a granddaughter-in-law like Coralie hadn't been easy. Judie had no intention of letting her grandson make the young woman suffer.

Coralie answered lightly, "Thanks, Judie. I'll remember that."

Judie had always shown Coralie nothing but kindness, but Jasper was still her grandson by blood. Coralie had only entered the Warren family through marriage. If a serious problem ever came up between them, she knew his family would most likely stand behind him.

For that reason, Coralie didn't place much faith in Judie's promise.

She had already seen the same thing happen with her brother-in-law's family.

Before her sister Lydia Campbell got married, her future in-laws treated her with such warmth that their daughter even became jealous of all the attention she received.

However, their attitude changed once the marriage was official. Whenever Lydia and her husband had an argument, her mother-in-law immediately found a way to accuse Lydia of being a poor wife.

No matter what happened, their son would always belong to them, while the woman he married would never truly be one of their own.

"You need to get to work soon, don't you? I won't take up any more of your time. I'll tell Jasper to fetch you later, and you can join us for dinner tonight."

"Judie, I may have to stay at the bookstore until late, so I probably won't be able to come tonight. Would this weekend work instead?"

Because her bookstore depended heavily on students from the schools nearby, business slowed down whenever classes weren't held. Weekends were usually so quiet that Coralie could shut the store for the entire day and finally have some time to herself.

"That works for me," Judie responded without making a fuss. "We'll save it for the weekend. You should go ahead and take care of your work. We'll talk later."

After saying that, she ended the call.

Coralie still didn't go directly to the bookstore. She first sent her friend and business partner Chloe Mitchell a brief message and explained that she would return before noon, when the students were dismissed for lunch.

She had just made one of the biggest choices of her life. Before doing anything else, she needed to tell Lydia the truth and pack her belongings so she could move out.

Before long, Coralie reached the apartment where her sister lived.

Her brother-in-law had already gone to the office, and Lydia was busy putting the freshly washed clothes into the dryer. As soon as she noticed Coralie, concern spread across her face. "Coralie, why did you come back? Aren't you supposed to open the bookstore today?"

"I'll go there before noon. That's when the students leave school and the shop starts getting crowded. Is Cody still sleeping?"

Cody Jones was Lydia's two-year-old son and Coralie's only nephew. He had reached the age when he was curious about everything and couldn't keep his hands off anything nearby.

"He's still asleep. The apartment would never be this peaceful if he were already awake."

Coralie stepped forward to help Lydia putting clothes into the dryer. Once they were working side by side, she brought up the fight she had overheard the night before.

"Coralie, Kevin didn't mean to make you feel unwelcome. He's carrying a lot of pressure on his shoulders, especially since I don't bring in any money." Lydia immediately started making excuses for her husband.

Coralie didn't argue with her. Still, she was certain that her brother-in-law had been trying to force her out without directly saying it.

Kevin Jones worked as a manager in a large company and received a generous salary. Lydia had first met him in college, and they later became coworkers at the same company before getting married. Not long after the wedding, he looked at her with deep affection and remarked, "I'll support you from now on. You can stay home and enjoy a quiet life while we start preparing to have a child."

Back then, Lydia truly believed she had married the kind of man every woman dreamed of finding. She resigned from her job and devoted herself to being a housewife. One year later, she gave birth to a healthy, beautiful boy. Looking after the baby while handling every chore at home left her with no time to dress well, manage her weight, or even consider returning to her career.

Only three years had passed, yet Lydia no longer resembled the lively young woman she had once been. She had gained at least twenty pounds and become an exhausted housewife who chose clothes based only on comfort and rarely gave any thought to her appearance anymore.

Lydia had no money coming in, yet her husband suddenly demanded that she pay half of every household bill because Coralie was living with them. At the same time, he wanted her to return to work without giving up any of her duties at home.

Coralie was younger than Lydia by five years. She had only been ten years old when a car accident took both of their parents. From that day forward, the sisters had depended on each other and struggled through life side by side.

The settlement from the accident should have covered their schooling until graduation. Instead, relatives from both sides of the family took part of the money. Lydia and Coralie carefully stretched what was left and saved wherever they could so they could both complete college.

Their grandparents on their father's side had also claimed the house their parents left behind in their hometown. With nowhere else to go, the sisters rented one place after another for years. They only stopped living in rentals once Lydia married and moved into a home with her husband.

Lydia had always been deeply protective of Coralie. Long before the wedding, she had told her fiance that her younger sister would continue staying with them. He had readily accepted the arrangement at the time, but now, he no longer bothered hiding how much it bothered him.

"Lydia, I'm really sorry. I feel like I've only made things more difficult for you."

"No, Coralie. Don't ever blame yourself like that. After Mom and Dad died, I chose to take care of you, and I've never regretted it."

Coralie felt her chest tighten with emotion. Lydia had spent years being the person she could lean on, and Coralie now wanted to return that same support.

After taking a moment to steady herself, Coralie looked into her sister's eyes before speaking. "Lydia, I got married today. We went to the courthouse and registered everything. I came home because I needed to tell you, and I also need to pack my belongings. I'm moving out."

"You got married?"

Lydia's voice climbed so high that it almost turned into a scream.

Shock covered her face as she stared at her sister with wide eyes.

"Coralie, what is going on here? You never even told me you had a boyfriend!"

Coralie had already prepared her answer during the trip home. "Lydia, Jasper and I have been together for some time. His work schedule has always been packed, so he never had the chance to meet you. He asked me to marry him, and I accepted. We went to the courthouse today and made everything official. He's kind to me, and he treats me very well. Please don't worry about me. I'll have a good life with him."

Lydia still couldn't bring herself to believe any of it.

Not once had Coralie ever spoken about dating someone, yet she had somehow become a married woman overnight.

Then Lydia thought about the fight with her husband the night before and remembered that Coralie had heard everything. Shame hit her all at once, and tears burned in her eyes. "Coralie, I already explained to Kevin that you contribute to the food and household costs. You can live with us for as long as you want. There was no reason for you to marry someone so suddenly. You didn't need to leave in such a hurry."

In Lydia's mind, Coralie couldn't have known Jasper for very long. Otherwise, she would have said something about him before now.

Lydia was almost sure that her sister had walked into a courthouse and married a man without warning because Kevin had made her feel unwanted. Coralie had sacrificed her own marriage in the hope of keeping Lydia's from breaking apart.

Trying to ease her guilt, Coralie put on a smile. "Lydia, you aren't the reason I did this. Jasper and I get along very well, and I know I'll be happy with him. You should celebrate with me instead of blaming yourself."

Rather than feeling relieved, Lydia finally lost control and cried so hard that her whole body shook.

Coralie held her sister close and didn't know what else she could do. Once Lydia had cried herself out and her breathing returned to normal, Coralie reassured her. "I'll still come by often. Jasper has an apartment in Veridian Apartments, and it's close to your place. I can get here by bike in about ten minutes."

"Tell me more about him. What kind of people are his family?"

Since the marriage had already happened, Lydia had no choice but to come to terms with it. Her attention then shifted to Jasper's family and what sort of background he came from.

In truth, Coralie knew very little about the Warrens. She had been acquainted with Judie for three months, but she had never asked personal questions. Whenever the older woman shared something, Coralie simply listened. All she knew was that Jasper was her oldest grandson and had several younger brothers and male cousins.

Jasper held a position at one of Evrata's leading companies, drove his own car, and had already bought an apartment. Judging from that, his family was clearly well-off. Coralie shared every detail she could remember with Lydia.

After learning that Jasper had paid for the apartment in full, Lydia said, "That means the property belongs to him alone because he bought it before the marriage. Coralie, do you think you can ask him to put your name on the ownership papers?"

Having her name included on the property documents would at least give Coralie something to protect her future.