Chapter 2. Certificate of Marriage

It was past two in the morning when Braun left the hotel where the welcome party for a famous artist from his company was held. He was about to get into his sports car when suddenly a young woman crossed the road from the opposite bar. He wouldn’t usually pay attention, but when he looked closely, he raised his eyebrows.

“Mr. President, is there a problem,” his assistant asked, waiting for him to get into the car. 

“Wait a minute,” Braun replied, taking steps toward the woman leaning against the traffic light post. Luigi curiously watched his departing boss, only to be surprised because, for the first time, he saw him show concern for another person. Briella held her head as she felt her surroundings spin. She leaned back against the traffic light post and composed herself before walking again. 

But before she could take another step, a man appeared before her. "Don’t you know it’s dangerous for someone like you to walk at this hour?” She heard the cold and authoritative voice of the man who suddenly appeared before her. Briella’s eyes narrowed, and, despite her height of 170 cm, she seemed dwarfed when looking up at the man. 

“Don’t you also know how painful it is to be cheated on by the one you love the most?” she asked him absentmindedly, pointing at her chest. “It hurts like hell! I gave him everything he wanted! I gave way and sacrificed my career just so he couldn’t complain, but in the end, he cheated on me?! Fck him!” she yelled.

Briella couldn’t hold back anymore and sobbed into the stranger’s chest before her. Shed didn’t care who he was. All she wanted was to release her anger and hatred. She cried until she was weak and could no longer stand alone, continuing to lean on the stranger’s shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her waist to help her stand properly. With blurred eyes, Briella raised her gaze again and impulsively bridged the gap between their lips. She was out of her senses but knew what she was doing. But what did she care about the potential consequences of her actions?

Luigi’s eyes widened when he saw what the woman who approached his boss did. He immediately exited the car and checked if people were passing by in that area. Nobody could see what was happening because the news would indeed explode tomorrow. 

“Mr. President,” Luigi approached the two with worry. The man didn’t respond and stared at the woman before him. 

“Take me with you,” the woman whispered after her unexpected kiss. Luigi swallowed hard and looked at the drunk woman who was only being held up by his boss. Without warning, Braun picked her up and left the stunned Luigi. “Find your way to go home. Also, I was hoping you could bring one of my lawyers to see me early in the morning. Prepare something for me,” Braun said, leaving his assistant, who was still in shock. 

***

Briella woke up with a feeling of being watched. Upon opening her eyes, she first saw a cream-colored ceiling. Her brow furrowed as she realized she was not in her room. 

She jolted upright, confirming that she was indeed not in her room. She looked around. She was in a very spacious room. Not far to the left, she could see a small balcony. The walls were gray, and a lampshade on a table next to the bed she was in stood out. A door in front of her opened, and her eyes almost bulged out in surprise when a man wearing only a towel emerged. The structure of his body was equivalent to a Greek God! Broad shoulders, perfect biceps and triceps, and six-pack abs! Briella swallowed hard as her gaze dropped to the towel wrapped around the lower part of his body.

‘Is he real or just an illusion?!’ 

“Are you done examining my body? Did I pass?” Briella shivered when she heard the man’s deep baritone voice. 

She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it when she couldn’t think of anything to say. She clung tightly to the blanket as he approached her. 

“Go and have a cold shower. Meet me downstairs, and there’s something you need to know. I’ll be waiting for you.” 

He left a pair of casual clothes. She automatically raised her eyebrows because they were women’s clothes. “It’s a new set of clothes. I called my assistant to buy them for you.”

The man said and nodded toward a pile of branded paper bags. Briella was gaping in amazement. She couldn’t speak and secretly gulped due to embarrassment. She didn’t expect him to read her mind. He walked towards a door.

“Go and take a shower. It’ll help with your hangover—I change my mind. I’ll wait for you here.” 

She quickly headed to the bathroom as soon as she closed the door she had entered. She couldn’t remember how she ended up here. All she remembered was her fiancé’s betrayal, drunkenness, and... kissing a stranger! She hugged her body and remembered the man’s figure she had seen when she woke up. Only now was her brain processing what had happened. 

How did she end up sleeping with the Devil? Did something happen between them last night? How did she end up here, and most importantly, why did he bring her home? A lot of questions were bothering her mind. And there’s only one person who can answer them. She hurried to take a bath, and when she got dressed, she immediately left the bathroom without drying her hair. She saw him sitting on the sofa in the room. She hesitated to approach and talk to him and kept her head down. 

“President Braun, I—” Briella could not finish her sentence because of his sharp gaze. 

He set aside the paper he was reading and pulled her back into the bathroom. He pointed to the mirror and removed a hairdryer from one of the cabinets. 

“Do you want to catch a cold? Why didn’t you dry your hair before leaving the bathroom?” he said coldly.

Briella didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the man’s behavior. First, her hair wasn’t that wet, and second, the weather wasn’t cold enough for her to catch a cold. 

“The entire house is air-conditioned, and the temperature inside is the opposite of outside. So you can’t just leave your hair like this.” Briella stared at the man behind her, drying her hair with a hairdryer. The man noticed and gave her an inquiring look.

“It’s really fine, President Braun. My hair is not that wet.” 

How come a King and Godlike creature like you treat me like this? 

The man continued until he was satisfied, then he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of his room. 

A long hallway greeted Briella. They passed six rooms before they descended a large staircase in the center of the house. Briella’s expression changed when she noticed two people sitting in the living room. Both immediately stood up when they saw their approach. 

“Good morning, Mr. President. As you said, I came with Attorney Guevarra early in the morning. He will also explain the contract you have prepared.” Luigi explained to his boss after greeting him respectfully. Briella and President Braun sat next to each other on a long sofa while the two took separate seats in front of them.

Braun just nodded and didn’t let go of Briella’s hand. Luigi gave the lawyer a look and a nod. Attorney Guevarra produced three white papers. When he placed them on the table, Briella’s eyes almost bulged at the large letters on the paper. 

CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE CONTRACT?! 

What the fuck?! 

Is Briella reading it correctly? Why did President Braun’s lawyer bring out such a document? 

‘Did I put myself into a dead end?’ she asked. Briella glanced at the man beside her, wanting to read his thoughts. 

But if his expression was gentle when facing each other, it was the opposite now. President Braun reviewed the contract before picking up a signing pen and signing all of them. Only then did he look at her. 

“I want you to be my wife. Can you sign this paper for me, please?” President Braun asked her softly. 

Briella’s jaw almost dropped at his words. She didn’t know how to react. Really?! Is he proposing to her?! Right now?! Here?! Did she hear him correctly?! 

Apart from Briella, there were two other people whose jaws almost dropped and whose eyes popped out at what they heard from the President of Crown Star Entertainment. The Heartless Devil of the Entertainment Industry is asking a woman to marry him! With his power, fame, and luxury, does he still have to do this? 

“Look, Ms. Gabriella Montañez, I need someone to marry me, or my father will take everything I have. On the other hand, you need someone to get your revenge. Let’s help each other. In return, I will give you everything that you want.” Briella fell silent at President Braun’s explanation. He made a valid point and could provide her with everything she wanted. She could use his power to crush those two animals. But that wasn’t what she wanted to happen. 

“I trust you,” Briella said simply to the man. “I just want to clear some things. I will not sign because of what you promised. I’ll sign the contract to show you my gratitude for saving me last night. I don’t need your help, not because I’m bragging. It is my problem; I don’t want to drag you down. President Braun will not interfere with my problems if he can promise me. I will sign these papers wholeheartedly.”

“Okay, I promise!” President Braun responded without hesitation. That was the answer Briella had been waiting for, and she signed the documents in front of her. She didn’t bother reading them because she trusted Braun El Cueva wouldn’t deceive her. “Aren’t you going to read the contract first? What if I do something wrong and include it in the contract?” The man asked her with a raised eyebrow. Briella shook her head and looked at the man next to her. 

“President Braun, like I said, I trust you. As far as I know, you were not the type of person to be a scoundrel and a cheater.” President Braun burst out laughing. 

“What a clever girl! So it’s settled, then. You will be my wife from now on! As a promise, I will not interfere with your problems. I will give you six months. I hope it’s enough for you.” Briella nodded. 

The conversation ended just like that, and within an hour, she had signed a contract without an expiration date. She is now the wife of Braun El Cueva. “Please keep it a secret for now. I promise you can do whatever you want as soon as my problems are done.” Briella’s last plea to Braun. 

“No problem.” The lawyer left first, carrying the papers signed by Braun and Briella. On the other hand, Luigi stayed behind and locked himself in the upstairs study room. The newlyweds had breakfast quietly. Afterward, they went to the second floor and went their separate ways; Briella returned to her room while Braun went to the study room to speak with Luigi.