MARRIED BY ACCIDENT

Chapter 16

Katherine

"Your daughter has grown horns, Alberto! You should break her horns so it won't grow longer," Cynthia angrily said to Alberto when she heard what I told my father.

Alberto immediately approached me and raised his hand to slap me. But before his palm could hit my face, Axel quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"You can't hurt my wife, Mr. Harret. Not in front of me," Axel said firmly and pushed Alberto away from me. The anger on the man's face became even more evident. He probably didn't expect that someone would stop him from doing what he wanted inside his own house.

"Who do you think you are? You’re just a lowly car mechanic! Do you believe I could get you fired from your job?" Alberto threatened my husband harshly. He has big connections in our area, but I don’t know if his influence reaches the neighboring city where we currently live.

"And who do you think you are? The richest man in the country?" Axel gave Alberto an insulting smile. "Even my boss, who is the richest person in the whole country can’t fire me. How much more you, a mere small-time businessman?"

I stared at Axel’s face as he spoke. He was very confident. I didn’t see even the slightest hint of intimidation toward the person in front of him, even though he was talking to someone more powerful than himself. He wasn’t afraid. I was amazed by his courage and confidence.

"Will you let yourself be spoken to like that by a mere car mechanic, Dad? If other people find out that a poor man can talk back to you, they will laugh at you," Lucy said to Alberto. She wanted to make my father even angrier so he would take action against Axel.

I felt worried because Axel might lose his job. I was about to speak up to apologize for what my husband said but he stopped me. It was fine with me if Alberto threatened me because there was nothing he could do to me. But Axel, who was just an ordinary person, had no chance against him.

"Where does that man work, Lucy? I'll show him the consequences of offending a person like me!"

"He works at Casa De Tire, Dad. His name is Axel Brixton," Lucy answered before giving me an insulting grin. It seems she had my husband investigated, which is why she knows Axel's name.

"Axel Brixton?" Alberto's eyes suddenly widened. He must have thought that Axel and the CEO of AB Empire were the same person because they have the same first and last names. "Are you sure that was his name?" he asked Lucy to confirm.

"Yes, Dad. Don't worry because I've already had his background checked. He's really just a car mechanic. And the reason he was hired at Casa De Tire is because he has the same name as the CEO of AB Empire. But I assure you, they're different people and they have no connection to each other," Lucy explained.

My suspicion was correct that she had Axel's background investigated. And that's why she called me to attend my grandmother's death anniversary, to embarrass and belittle me. She really has such a small mind.

Alberto snorted at Axel before calling someone on his cellphone. "Good morning, Assistant Cuevas. It's me, Alberto Harret of Harret Group. I called to inform you that your car mechanic, who shares the same name as the CEO of AB Empire, offended my family and disgraced your boss's name. For—"

"I don't know you." Alberto hadn't even finished speaking when he was immediately cut off by the assistant of the CEO of AB Empire, and then the call was ended. I secretly laughed because Alberto's face suddenly turned pale from embarrassment. He even put his cell phone on the loudspeaker so we could hear his conversation with the assistant. He didn't expect that he would just end up embarrassed.

"It seems our boss' assistant doesn't even know you. I thought you had a strong connection with him," Axel said, shaking his head.

"Didn't you talk to Assistant Cuevas at the party last month? Why doesn't he know you now?" Amanda asked her older brother with a frown.

Alberto clenched his fist tightly before facing me. "I know that before you came here, you talked to Assistant Cueva and badmouthed me to him, that's why he pretended not to know me!"

I rolled my eyes before I answered him. "And why would I waste my time talking to him just to badmouth you, Alberto? Not everyone is like you."

"Just apologize to your Dad, Katherine. He'll let you come back home," Monika said, she spoke for the first time since I artived. She pretended to be concerned about me but the truth is she also wanted to see me embarrassed.

"I don't belong in this house where everyone living here are hypocrites so no need to come back," I answered Monika mockingly and turned to Axel. "Let's go, Axel. Let's go back to our house."

"Katherine!" Alberto called out to me loudly when I turned my back. "If you leave now, you will never be able to come back here ever again!"

I stopped walking and faced the person I once respected so much. "If my path crosses with any member of your family, don't ever say that you know me. I don't want my friends to think that I know people like you. Goodbye!"

I heard Alberto’s sharp cursing at me but I just ignored it. Now that I officially cut ties with them, I felt like my chest suddenly became lighter. It was as if a heavy stone pressing on my chest was suddenly removed.

"Are you okay?" Axel asked as we walked towards the car.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Of course, I'm okay." The truth is, I wanted to reproach Alberto for all the pain he caused my mom and me before. But I chose not to do that and just completely forget my past with their family.

"Do you want me to take action against the Harret Group?"

I quickly shook my head and smiled. "I won't touch them as long as they don't do anything to me. And besides, do you have the power to fight the Harret Group if ever?"

"Ahm, what if I was hiding something from you? Will you be mad at me and divorce me?" Axel asked me seriously.

My eyebrow raised at his question. "And what secret could you possibly have that would make me angry? And even if I don't get mad at you, we're still going to divorce after six months, remember?"

I grabbed onto the seatbelt when Axel suddenly drove the car as if he was annoyed by what I said. But why would he be annoyed? Does he not want to divorce me or does he want us to divorce before the six months are up?