Chapter 8 Not Joking

Clint caught a glimpse of her phone and quickly averted his eyes. “I have no time to prepare my suits for taking photos on that day. Would you please help me with it?” Selene paused for a moment and smiled. “Yes, of course.” Selene had a sudden realization. This was just what she wanted: to be Clint Denovan’s wife in order to take revenge on Clint and Jennifer. Besides, she felt that she was lucky to marry such a handsome and rich guy. In any case, she would finally get married. And she was not good at dealing with men when it came to relationships, and she sucked at romance. So, when the opportunity to marry a handsome billionaire presented itself to her, it was no surprise that she accepted it without much hesitation. The day of their marriage registration was a normal Monday, like all others. Clint came to pick her up. He wore the black suit that she had prepared for him. It looked great on him. On their way to the registration office, neither of them spoke. There was a slight sense of unease between them. Until now, they had been mere acquaintances who had a one-night stand. Selene knew little about him except for the articles written about him that she had read on the Internet. She was oblivious to his personality or past. It was the same for Clint. He also knew nothing about her. But their silence and uneasiness didn’t prevent them from registering their marriage and making it official. Maybe this was the way mature men behaved, owning up to their decisions and dealing with the consequences accordingly. Finally, without a ring, flowers, or friends’ blessings, Selene and Clint were legally married. When they finished registering, Clint’s phone rang, and he answered it briefly, then hung up. “Sorry. I intended to have dinner with you to celebrate, but there is something urgent at work that I need to attend to. I need to get to the airport right now.” Selene shook her head, smiling. “It doesn’t matter. The company comes first. I can go back by myself.” Clint nodded and turned to leave and, after a short moment, turned back again to her. “Our new apartment- I’ve already prepared it. You should start packing, and when I’m back, we can move in together.” Selene’s face went blank for a moment. “Mr. Denovan-” She was about to refuse his request, but then she remembered the marriage certificate in her hands. She forced a smile on her face, then nodded. “Selene. We are now husband and wife. Just call me Clint.” He smiled slightly. He was normally very calculated with all the emotions he showed, but this time, the smile on his face was sincere. Clint gave Selene a strange look, then quickly turned to leave again. Watching him drive away, Selene took a look at the certificate and the photo of them together. They were both smiling, as per the photographer’s instructions. Though their smiles weren’t genuine, they looked great together in the photo. Clint came back three days later. Selene had packed up her things. She had her own place, which was not very big. Though she felt reluctant to leave her apartment, she chose to respect the fact that she was Clint’s wife now, which meant that they should live together like a normal married couple. The new apartment that Clint had prepared for their new life was not far away from Selene’s own apartment and her store. It was not a high-end residential area, but it also wasn’t bad at all. The rooms weren’t big but had a very cozy feel to them. It was quite different from the apartment where she had lived before. That night, they had their first real sex. Clint wasn’t drunk this time, but she still felt very uneasy despite him being her legal husband now. After they were done, they lay on the big, new bed. When Clint leaned to her side to kiss her, she turned away instinctively. The kiss, which should have landed on her lips, ended up on her ear. Clint went blank for a while, then smiled mischievously. He planted a few light kisses on the sensitive spot on her ear. He knows what he’s doing, Selene thought. There was no romantic talk. The night ended with silence between them. Maybe it was because she was no longer a virgin or due to the fact that Clint didn’t stink of booze, but the sex felt somewhat good this time. This was a good start, and their married life had begun. Even though they were not as sweet and intimate as most newlyweds, the conflicts and disagreements that Selene had expected did not come. They lived under the same roof and maintained the relationship of a couple. The embarrassment and uneasiness they initially felt had soon disappeared. The much-needed romantic intimacy and bond, however, failed to develop. They had different daily schedules: Selene stayed up very late and woke up whenever she felt like it, whereas Clint was a very disciplined person. He would go to bed early every day and wake up just as early. He kept himself busy, even at home, working on his computer. Their totally different lifestyles did not cause any disputes between them. On the contrary, they both felt very free to be themselves. Their main interaction was to share the bed for seven or eight hours every night. Despite their personality differences, they shared a harmonious life with each other in their marriage. Also, the sex was great. Selene liked this arrangement, as she hated relationship drama. She felt that Clint was the perfect partner to avoid that problem. Though she was not a greedy person, she enjoyed the financial security that came with having a billionaire for a husband. Selene would have been happy if their marriage had continued just like this. She didn’t see anything wrong with the spontaneous way they had gotten married and felt very lucky. She even imagined a lifelong marriage with Clint and planned to have a child in two years.