The city hall staff were impressively efficient; the couple completed their marriage registration in under ten minutes.

The only snag was Matthew's unyielding frown, which led the staff to suspect he was being forced into marriage. They double-checked his willingness several times.

This made Valerie wonder, "Does this guy ever crack a smile?" But her curiosity was short-lived. As they stepped outside, ominous clouds rolled in. Remembering the morning's forecast of a small typhoon hitting Kranson City, she panicked about the laundry she'd left outside, especially her expensive work clothes. Splurging more this month wasn't an option.

"Let's swap WhatsApp information, sir," Valerie said urgently. "I have an emergency. Can we text if anything comes up?"

Matthew readily exchanged numbers. It then struck Valerie that she didn't even know his name. And just like that, they were legally husband and wife.

"Um," Valerie began hesitantly.

As if sensing her question, Matthew's piercing blue eyes met hers. "I'm Matthew Grant, your husband."

His intense gaze made her heart skip a beat. "Alright, Mr. Grant it is," she replied.

"Mr. Grant? Playing hard to get?" Matthew thought, labeling her as cunning. He replied curtly, "I'm swamped with work. I can't drive you."

"That's fine. I appreciate you making time for this," Valerie replied cheerfully, waving him off. "See you, Mr. Grant!" She then dashed off on her scooter.

Matthew half-expected her to reveal her true colors now that they were married. Is she after my money or something else? he wondered. Surely, it couldn't just be for a marriage license. But Valerie left without looking back.

Watching her scooter disappear, Matthew felt oddly used. His brow furrowed in irritation. "What is this, some new kind of seduction tactic?"

The ring of his phone broke his reverie. It was his secretary reminding him of an important meeting. Business always brought out his serious side. After the call, he tossed his phone back in his pocket and headed back to the office.

As CEO of Grant Group, Matthew had always been the golden boy, groomed to lead and control everything. Yet today, Valerie had thrown him for a loop, and he'd married her on a whim.

She better not have other schemes, or I could make her life in Kranson City a living hell, he thought darkly.

By the time Valerie got home, a fierce wind nearly blew away the clothes she'd hung outside. She quickly gathered them and decided to clear the accumulating delivery boxes from her windowsill, heading to the recycling center before the rain rendered them unusable.

Growing up, Valerie never received an allowance from Ruth. In her most desperate times, she'd endure scorching 104°F heat to hand out flyers, her skin peeling from sunburn, just to scrape together enough cash for a few workbooks. Having known the pinch of penniless days, she valued every hard-earned dollar.

After tidying up, Valerie found over twenty missed calls from Julian. She could ignore Ruth's lectures, but not Julian's worries.

With a two-hour window before the rain, she grabbed her marriage license and headed to Clutvale Estate.

That morning, Valerie had dropped a bombshell about her pregnancy and marriage, leaving Julian stunned. They shared almost everything, and he knew she wasn't interested in dating.

"How the hell did she skip straight to marriage and kids?" Julian was flabbergasted. But when he saw the legitimate marriage license from city hall, his disbelief paused momentarily.

Valerie, realizing Julian might notice the registration date, quickly snatched the license back with a laugh. "Come on, Julian, you have to believe it now. We've been together for a while, and it's really good. He treats me well, don't worry."

Julian still couldn't accept it. He hadn't met Matthew and felt uneasy about entrusting Valerie to him. "Valerie, marriage is huge. How could you rush into this without even talking it over with me? And he doesn't seem easy to deal with. How old is he? Where's he from?" Julian's concern was evident.

Stunned, Valerie flipped open the marriage license to check Matthew's birthdate and address. After a quick mental calculation, she responded calmly, "He's 29, born and raised right here in Kranson City."

"What's his family like? What does he do? Does he own a house? Bought outright or mortgaged?" Julian fired off more questions.

Now Valerie was overwhelmed. "Jesus, Julian, you're really drilling down here. I don't even know all that."

The final "曲" appears to be a stray character and has been removed.