Chapter 3: Helicopter
968 Words
Her father looked at her and smiled gently.
“That marriage agreement was made a long time ago. One way or another, you need something to lean on. City A is a new beginning for you.”
Tu Nhu Han nodded slightly, quietly accepting the weight of expectation resting on her shoulders.
That same afternoon.
She pulled her suitcase toward the waiting car.
The driver, following instructions from above, took her straight to the airport.
Tu Nhu Han sat silently in the back seat, eyes drifting toward the window. Familiar places slipped past like scenes from an old film
The cozy café where she once spent rainy afternoons,
The narrow alley she used to walk down after part-time shifts,
The dusty old bookstore where she bought secondhand textbooks.
She was leaving in a hurry. So hurried, in fact, that she hadn’t even had time for a proper farewell.
Her best friend, Han Vi Vi, had complained endlessly, whining and pouting before reluctantly letting her go, and made her promise to text as soon as she landed.
And of course, she had to throw in one last jab:
“That new husband of yours sounds awful. Men never trust them.”
Tu Nhu Han couldn’t help but laugh.
Vi Vi wasn’t wrong just upset for her sake.
They’d been childhood friends for nearly twenty years. Even though life had taken them down separate paths, their bond remained unshaken.
City N — the place where she was born and raised, where her parents still lived.
Where she had laughed, cried, stumbled, and grown over the past nineteen years.
Today, she was leaving it all behind.
Stepping into a new life, a new identity as the wife of the elusive head of the Duc family.
Even if it was just on paper.
Tu Nhu Han tugged at the corner of her lips half a smile, half helplessness.
She nearly forgot her husband’s name. In her mind, she’d been calling him “the mysterious man” for so long, she might as well think that was his name.
The city slowly melted into the warm glow of twilight.
Outside the window, busy streets came and went. People hurried home with arms full of groceries and children in tow while she, in contrast, was heading into the unknown.
City A awaited her.
She didn’t know what her husband looked like.
And frankly, she didn’t care.
To her, this marriage was just a contract.
She had long learned how to rely on herself
She didn’t need a prince.
She didn’t need fairy tales.
City A, for her, wasn’t about romance.
It was about freedom.
About rebuilding her life under a new sky even if that sky came with a man she barely knew.
Tu Nhu Han leaned back in her seat, eyes fixed on the blurred skyline outside.
She never dreamed of being someone’s beloved.
Never hoped to be cherished like some fragile porcelain doll.
All she needed…
was a quiet place to breathe.
To stand on her own.
And somehow, she believed… she could.
“Dame, we’ve arrived at the airport.”
The driver’s voice pulled her back to reality. Professional and polite, he had remained silent the entire ride now speaking only to inform her, as part of his duty.
Sunset light spilled into the car, soft and golden, casting shadows across her calm face.
Outside the window, the small provincial airport buzzed with travelers coming and going.
She had arrived.
Or so she thought.
Just as the car should’ve stopped near the terminal gates, it suddenly veered down a quiet side road, toward a restricted area by the tarmac.
“This way, Dame.”
The driver pulled up and got out, courteously opening the door for her.
Tu Nhu Han blinked, momentarily startled, but stepped out.
He said nothing about her delay, showed no impatience simply waited, calm and efficient, as she slowly gathered herself.
The air was still… until the distant roar of propellers cut through the silence.
A helicopter.
Her heart skipped.
A real helicopter.
Not from a drama, not a movie but one that had come to pick her up.
Holy
She didn’t even finish the curse in her head.
Her mysterious husband’s family really didn’t hold back.
She had expected a commercial flight at most. First class, if they were feeling fancy. But this?
The sleek black helicopter descended like something out of a billionaire’s playbook.
The wind from the spinning blades whipped her hair into chaos.
She squinted and tried to shield her eyes with her hand, almost staggering from the force.
Then suddenly an umbrella appeared above her head, blocking the wind.
A tall man in a tailored black suit had approached without her noticing, holding the umbrella with both elegance and precision.
Without a word, he tilted it to cover her completely, and gestured toward the helicopter.
It was so over-the-top she wanted to laugh.
This… this was the world she was marrying into.
Her feet moved instinctively as she was escorted forward, mind still a blur.
The helicopter, sleek and glistening with chrome details, had wide windows and polished interiors.
She caught a glimpse of leather seats, metallic trims, and even a built-in drink bar.
The pilot, dressed in uniform, stepped out and opened the door with a crisp nod.
“Good evening, ma’am. I’ll be your pilot today. Please, take your seat.”
His voice was calm, practiced almost like she was boarding a private jet rather than being flown into a marriage.
Tu Nhu Han climbed aboard, heart beating faster than she liked.
Nerves? Maybe. Or maybe it was just the surreal feeling of entering a life that had never belonged to her before.
Her first time on a helicopter.
Her first step into a world of wealth, power… and mystery.
- Writer
