Marry To My Arch-nemesis

Chapter3

The next day, Isabella rose early, meticulously applying light makeup. After changing clothes and heading downstairs, the driver James, happened to come in, holding a takeout bag.

"I brought some milk and bread. Shall I heat them for you?"

"No need, I'm heading out." Isabella took out a prepared envelope from her bag and held it out to James.

He was puzzled, "Miss, what are you doing?"

"This is your monthly salary; please take it." Isabella offered the envelope, "Uncle James, thank you for these days. I should have paid you more, but... please don't mind the amount. I'm sorry."

James stepped back, reluctant to accept, "Miss, if you're in financial trouble now, let's discuss this later."

Isabella grabbed his arm and insisted, placing the envelope in his hand, "You don't need to come anymore. With no car and the house gone, I don't need a driver. In a couple of days, I'll be moving to the school dorm."

With her brother's clothes in hand, Isabella briskly descended the steps. She knew James was a good person, but given the current situation at home, even a driver wasn't necessary.

Exiting the villa gate, she stood by the road, watching taxis speeding by.

Isabella hesitated, realizing her bank balance was now less than six figures. With her father in the ICU, daily expenses were substantial. She took out her phone, checked the map for the bus stop, and walked briskly.

The subway was crowded during rush hour, and she faced traffic when transferring to a bus. After a quick run, she arrived at the government office gate at almost 8:30.

Looking around, she didn't see Dominic.

Panic set in—did he leave because she was late?

"Miss Hartwell ?"

A well-dressed young man approached, introducing himself as Mr. Kingsley's assistant, David. Isabella sighed in relief, following him to the street corner, where a luxurious navy-blue Rolls-Royce awaited.

Opening the car door, Isabella saw Dominic sitting in the back seat in a sleek black suit, radiating an air of nobility. He was scrolling through his phone when she entered, and she caught a glimpse of a photo—a girl in her mid-teens, wearing a white dress, with long flowing hair.

Seeing Isabella, Dominic locked his screen. She couldn't clearly see the girl's face in the photo. David closed the car door, staying outside.

Dominic handed her a document, saying, "This is a prenuptial agreement."

Isabella wasn't surprised. They were only collaborating, not getting married for real. Signing a prenuptial agreement to protect their assets was reasonable. She took the document and carefully reviewed it.

The contract was clear: her shares would be supervised by Dominic after marriage, and the profits and losses would still belong to her.

Dominic didn't use this as an opportunity to exploit her. When Isabella noticed the line

"Party B is required to fulfill marital duties".

On the document, her hand hesitated while flipping the page.

Dominic glanced at her holding the contract with delicate fingers, and after a subtle rotation, he still didn't light the cigarette.

"I'm not a manipulative person. Miss Hartwell, you can still back out now."

If Maximilian was a cunning and despicable wolf, Dominic was a lion—domineering and straightforward. What he wanted, he didn't conceal.

Isabella bit her lip, skipping the rest of the content and turned to the last page, signing her name. Handing the document to Dominic, she pushed open the car door.

"Let's go, get the marriage certificate."

Whether marrying Dominic would be jumping into another pit, she couldn't be sure. Unity Holdings Group, built over decades because of her father's hard work, must not fall into the hands of that scumbag, Maximilian. Even if it meant... risking herself!

Taking photos, filling out forms, getting the certificate— the entire process took less than twenty minutes.

Holding the freshly issued marriage certificate, as Isabella walked out of the government office gate, she still felt a surreal sensation.

A few months ago, she was anticipating her engagement with Maximilian, dreaming of a happy life as Mrs. Ryder after graduation. Who would have thought she would now hold the marriage certificate of her rival—Dominic Kingsley.

Truly, life is unpredictable.

Dominic stopped on the steps below, "Where are you going? I'll take you."

Isabella regained her focus, "No need to trouble you." She knew someone like Dominic valued time greatly. Being more than half an hour late, she already felt guilty; it wouldn't be appropriate to let him drive her.

Dominic raised an eyebrow, "Don't forget, you're Mrs. Kingsley now."

Isabella: ... Almost forgot, she was now a married woman.

"I need to go back to school to handle some things."

Originally, she had received a full scholarship from a foreign music school. She could have gone abroad for a year of study, but due to family matters, she gave up on studying abroad. There were still some necessary procedures that needed to be dealt with at the school.

Dominic opened the car door, gentlemanly shielding the car roof, "It's on the way. Get in."

His tone wasn't inquiring. When there's a car going in the right direction, it's better than squeezing into the subway.

Isabella didn't make a fuss, simply sitting on the back seat.

On the way? David, who was driving, couldn't help but twitch his lips.

His boss really didn't bother with white lies. They were supposed to go to the Kingsley office for a meeting, and now they were already running late. Detouring to the music school would add at least half an hour.

The car headed towards Harmony Heaven Music College. The road was a bit congested, with starts and stops.

Concerned about being late and having skipped breakfast, Isabella's blood sugar had dropped a bit. Feeling a bit dizzy, she reached into her backpack.

To her surprise, she found it empty. In her haste in the morning, she forgot to bring any sweets.

A hand reached over.

Between well-defined fingers, he held out half a peeled chocolate candy.

Did he know she had low blood sugar?

Isabella turned her head, and her gaze followed that hand to the owner's face—Dominic.

"This is our wedding candy."

Wedding candy? It was just a seemingly clandestine transaction; this person still had a sense of ceremony.

Isabella chuckled self-deprecatingly. Indeed, with little interaction at school, how could he possibly know about her low blood sugar? Seeing her without candy, Dominic raised an eyebrow.

"Shall I feed you?"