Flash Marriage:The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing Billionaire

"Nora, when exactly are you planning to move out?" Exhausted, Nora had just sat down to face the leftover food on the table when her stepmother Julia's sharp voice rang out behind her. Her chopsticks remained untouched as she set them back down. Nora cast her eyes downward, but before she could speak, Julia continued with her bitter remarks. "You're already 25 years old!" "Other people at 25 either have successful careers or happy families. Look at you—you've accomplished nothing!" "No money! No partner!" "I told you at the beginning of the month to hurry up and marry that boyfriend of yours and move out. It's almost the end of the month, and you still haven't done anything about it!" "Your brother needs the house for his wedding! Can't you, as his sister, move a bit faster?" Nora stood up abruptly. Julia was startled for a moment before recovering, placing a hand on her chest while continuing to mutter curses under her breath. "Are you trying to scare me to death?!" "It's not like you got dumped. What's with the dramatic reaction?!" "I'll move out, this week!" Nora clenched her fists, her voice trembling slightly. It was hard to tell if she was shaking from anger or something else. "You—" This time, Nora didn't wait for Julia to finish. She turned and left. This house had stopped feeling like home ever since her mother passed away. Now, there was no place for her here at all. "Children who aren't your own truly never become family. I've fed and clothed her for over twenty years, and now she won't even move out to make room for her brother's wedding!" "Never around, giving the family just one thousand a month, like she's tossing scraps to beggars..." Nora had already left the house, Julia's voice fading in the distance. With a hand pressed against her aching stomach, she wandered aimlessly for what felt like hours, eventually crouching down in an empty park. She buried her head in her knees and let out whimpers like a wounded animal. Home was no longer her sanctuary, and to make matters worse, the boyfriend who had chased her for a year turned out to be nothing but a scumbag. With her birth mother passing away when she was just a little girl, and with a stepmother who was the type who acted one way to your face and another behind your back, Nora both yearned for and feared forming a family with someone. Her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend now. He had doggedly pursued her for a year before she was finally moved by his sincerity and chose to trust him. Who would have thought that barely three months later, she'd discover her ex-boyfriend Porter embracing the intern who had joined the company just two months ago, kissing passionately in the break room. To add insult to injury, the pair had been badmouthing her behind her back while carrying on their affair. They said she was too rigid and conservative, that after three months she hadn't given him any opportunity to get physical, calling her a boring old virgin. In that moment, Nora wasn't sure what she felt. A mix of emotions surged within her, making her want to rush out and confront them. But her remaining rationality prevented her from doing so immediately. Since Porter had betrayed her, she absolutely wouldn't let him off easily. She prided herself on her looks and abilities in every way, just preferring to keep things proper. Yet this had led the man who had pursued her for a year to grow impatient and get involved with an intern. She gave a self-mocking smile, thinking that all men were creatures driven by l**t at first sight. Remembering her promise to Julia that she'd move out this week, Nora picked up her phone and downloaded a dating app. What was the fastest way to get herself married off? A local dating and chat app, find someone for a flash marriage. No sooner said than done, Nora downloaded it right away. When registering her personal information, she hesitated briefly before using her actual photo. After completing registration, Nora began searching for suitable candidates. Who knows how long she sat at the curb swiping, but she couldn't find a single normal person. Nora was getting discouraged, but just as she was about to give up and look for another approach... Among the many creepy, sleazy greetings, one particularly normal "Hello" caught her eye. Nora instinctively clicked on the person's profile to take a look. The avatar showed a handsome guy with short hair and strong features, quite pleasing to the eye. She immediately replied with a message— "Hello, want to get married?" The words "typing..." instantly appeared at the top of the chat window. Nora's eyes lit up as she stared intently at the screen. After about ten seconds, the "typing..." indicator disappeared, but the person didn't send anything. While she was puzzled, the "typing..." indicator appeared again, only to disappear after another ten seconds. Nora frowned, watching this happen several more times before finally exiting the chat window. But as soon as she did, the person's message popped up— "Sure, let's get married." Staring at those three simple words on the screen, Nora steeled her nerves and typed back— "Tomorrow at 9:30 AM, meet at the registry office." After this absurd exchange, Nora floated away from the park with light steps. Tonight, at least she wouldn't have to spend the night in the park. On the other end of the screen, the short-haired man who had just replied to Nora curved his lips into a slight smile: "Nora, I've finally found you..." The next morning at nine, Nora nervously clutched her bag. Her gaze darted around, obviously looking for someone. "Nora?" Hearing someone call her name, Nora instinctively turned around. She saw a tall man standing not far away, waving at her. A flash of suspicion crossed Nora's eyes, mixed with a hint of nervousness. There was no one else around, confirming that the voice had come from this man. Nora spoke with uncertainty: "Austin?" At the end of last night's conversation, they had exchanged names. "That's me." Having confirmed they had the right person, Austin strode toward Nora. "Did you bring everything? If so, we can go get married now." Austin didn't waste words, directly stating his purpose. The man before her had an inherently cool, detached air about his brow and eyes. His nose was high-bridged, his features refined, his thin lips slightly pressed together. Every gesture carried an air of nobility. Looking at the man whose appearance rivaled that of a movie star, Nora's eyes filled with disbelief. "Are you really Austin?" "Who else would I be?" Nora's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Last night she had only sent her own photo, so she hadn't known what he actually looked like. She had assumed his attractive profile picture was fake, but it turned out to be the real him. Seeing Nora seemingly glued to the spot, Austin's brow furrowed slightly, his voice carrying a tension almost imperceptible to her: "Marriage isn't a game, after all. If you've changed your mind, I..." "No! Let's go get married right now!" Nora declared decisively before Austin could finish. "Alright." With a flicker of amusement in his eyes, Austin took the lead, heading toward the city hall. "Have you two really thought this through? Marriage isn't something to take lightly—it requires careful consideration," the officiant clerk cautioned, observing the polite but clearly unfamiliar couple before his. These days, getting married was easy; maintaining a marriage was the challenge. "We've thought it through." "Absolutely." Both firmly stood by their decision, and twenty minutes later, they walked out with two freshly issued marriage certificates. "Nora." Just as they exited the city hall, Austin called out to her. Nora turned around to see Austin approaching with his long strides, casually handing her a key.