My Accidental Billionaire Husband

Walking side by side with her dad into the auditorium, was Clara, a stunning soon-to-be bride. Her glittering silver wedding gown caught every eye, her perfectly contoured veil drew admiring murmurs, and atop it all, she wore the most amazing smile, but beneath that smile was a sadness no one could comprehend. Everyone rose to honor her as she stepped into the hall. The mere sight of her mesmerized those who looked upon her, especially the men. Clara heard a chorus of "awes" and exclamations from various spots in the hall. She was convinced people were utterly blown away by her appearance. Yet, Clara, the bride, was anything but happy about getting married. Her smile was a carefully constructed facade, and any perceptive observer could tell it wasn't real. She wasn't marrying for love but for want. She didn't even know Clarence, the 46-year-old man she was about to wed. This was a marriage of sacrifice, a desperate bid to save her mother's life and their family company, which teetered on the brink of collapse. Mrs. Lucia Jones's declining health was inextricably linked to the fortunes of her business. Some time ago, she'd fallen victim to scammers who had stripped her of everything she had ever worked for. Clara felt she had to be the sacrificial lamb, tasked with finding a way to restore her mother's company and fortune, and by extension, her health. Clara had discovered, in a gruesome way, that her crazy stepsister, Melinda, from her dad's first marriage, had introduced her mother to the very company that scammed her. Melinda had then vanished alongside the fraudulent business. Melinda was indeed unhinged, and Clara blamed her mom for blindly trusting someone like that, for falling for such a cheap scam. Melinda was not one to work or strive for money; but she simply loved to spend it. She would flit from one wild party to another, squander her dad's money unnecessarily, and engage in all sorts of bad behavior. Sometimes, she even stole from her father for drugs, smoked incessantly, and drank herself into oblivion with her unsavory friends. Clara Jones, a 25-year-old woman fresh from studying abroad, had so many plans for the future: to live fully, make her own money, and definitely find love with a handsome young man. But her dreams were about to be shattered before her very eyes when she was told she had to marry Clarence, a man 21 years her senior. While age can be a factor, in this case, the difference itself wasn't the sole issue. Clara had no choice. Mr. Clarence Anderson was willing to provide 50 billion, the exact sum needed to save her mother's life and company, on the condition that she marry him, that she become his wife. "Clara often wondered why a man his age wasn't already married and why he expected a young woman like her to marry him, what insolence" she would always murmur.. Regardless, she maintained her smile as she walked into the auditorium. She spotted her dad's ex-wife, a highly manipulative woman, in the hall, a wicked smile playing at the corner of her lips. Clara clenched her teeth in anger but knew she had to control herself; it was her supposed wedding day. Ms. Lexi had always disliked Clara and her mother. She believed they had driven her out of her husband's house, though in reality, it was entirely her own fault. She was the one who had cheated on her husband multiple times, even in his presence, believing he couldn't live without her. Clara's mother had been her dad's girlfriend at the time, while Mrs. Lexi, her stepmother, was still married to her dad. Clara was the product of that relationship. When Mrs. Lexi's incessant cheating led to divorce, her father legalized his relationship with Clara's mother. Lexi had hated Clara fiercely when she was younger, mistreating her whenever she got the chance. When Clara's mother wasn't around, she would hit Clara at the slightest provocation and force her to do all the chores while her own daughter, Melinda, lazed around. Even after the divorce, Mr. Jones allowed Lexi to stay and provided for her out of concern for his daughter and because he knew she had nowhere else to go, having been rejected by all her boyfriends. They reached the front, and Clara's dad left her to take his seat. For a moment, Clara closed her eyes as she walked with her dad, not because she needed some sleep but because she was exhausted from the mental stress, and when she opened them, a young man stood in front of her. "Who could this be?" she muttered, her eyes widening in surprise. "Clarence is meant to be a 46-year-old man, but this man seems younger than 46; he looks like he is barely 30?" Clara muttered again as she looked straight at the young man who seemed not to care about what was happening. He also seemed like He was being forced to get married. "There is no way I am marrying this man, I need to find out exactly what is happening. I need to find out who he is" Clara uttered under her breath. She was still lost when she saw her dad going outside. After a while, he came back inside, with a rather disappointing countenance. "Clarence called, he said he is not in town, so his assistant will be representing him," Clara's dad whispered into her ear, patted her shoulders, and then went back to his seat. Clara felt disorganized and angry. "Give me a minute, please, everyone," she excused herself. "How dare he? Does he think I am a piece of furniture that he can bid on? I have not even processed being his wife, and now this? he dares to send his assistant to marry me. Who the hell does he think he is?" Clara lamented as she hit the wall in the restroom. Slowly, she comported herself, not wanting to ruin her makeup, and after realizing that Clarence was still keeping his part of the bargain, she decided to return to her wedding. After the wedding, Clara removed her very long veil as the supposed assistant ushered her to his car. Her dad, who loved her dearly, could do nothing but watch as she followed Clarence's assistant into the car, while others cheered them on. The new bride was furious at the prospect of spending her life with a man she had no feelings for, in a loveless marriage. But as long as her mother's company was revived, nothing else mattered. She was ready to make the sacrifice. The young man started the car but then stepped out again to greet some wedding guests. Clara's anger surged; she clenched her teeth and hit her hand against the seat. "Can we go now? Your boss will be in town any moment, and I have unfinished business with him," Clara snapped, rolling her eyes, already thoroughly irritated. The young man returned to the car and smirked, an annoying, proud expression on his face. He said nothing, simply focusing on the road and driving. "Did you hear me?" Clara yelled again. "What boss are you talking about? You must be sick in the head. You're not even my bride, and you dare to ask me questions? Where's my bride, Lana? I saw her last night. Why wasn't she at her wedding?" he demanded, pulling over and staring at her. Clara was utterly confused, unsure what he was talking about. "You must be very strange," Clara said, her voice now dangerously low, struggling to control her rising anger. "You are Mr. Clarence's assistant, an ordinary assistant he sent to represent him, and you dare to speak such nonsense to me." "Well, let's go. You certainly need to explain why you're married to me instead of Lana. Where did you hide her? Did you kidnap her because you want to marry the most eligible bachelor in town? You must be desperate. I only exchanged those wedding vows because I didn't want to be embarrassed in front of everyone present. Otherwise, I would have called you out." "Oh, just shut up! You, a billionaire? You must be raving mad! Just wait until I report you to your boss and tell him the nonsense you're spewing. You'll lose your job," Clara spat back. "You must be a sick woman. Did you escape from an asylum or something?" he retorted, puffing out a breath. They were still arguing when a call came in. "Oh, he's calling. You'll be damned after I finish this call. Just wait until I tell your boss how disrespectful you are to me, your boss's new wife," she gloated, picking up her phone to answer, a wicked smile playing on her lips. "Hello, Clara, why aren't you at the venue with your father? My assistant and dignitaries have been waiting for you," the caller said with an angry tone. "I… Clarence, I don't understand. But I was at the venue, and we are done with the whole wedding arrangement. I don't understand what you are saying," Clara stammered, her voice suddenly very low. "Which auditorium did you go to? There are two of them, North-North and North-South. The wedding is supposed to be at North-South," he said. Clara heard a beep and assumed he had ended the call as she lowered the phone from her ear. Clara was mortified and speechless. She knew she had made a terrible mistake. She had gone to North-North for the wedding and married the wrong person, a strange man before her, thinking he was Clarence's assistant.