Chapter 1

Wiltspoon’s hot weather in October was a killer. Still, the mornings and evenings were eased by the late autumn breeze. Serenity Hunt got up first thing in the morning to make breakfast for her sister’s family of three. She then grabbed her birth certificate and slipped away in the silence. “We’re going Dutch from now on, and I’m talking about everything—the living expenses, the mortgage, and auto loans! Your sister should be splitting the cost since she’s staying at our place. Sure, she pays two thousand bucks a month, but it doesn’t stretch very far. She’s basically mooching off us.” Serenity overheard her brother-in-law’s comment during the couple’s argument last night. She had to move out of her sister’s place. However, there was only one way to put her sister’s mind to rest, and that was to get married. Since Serenity wanted to tie the knot on short notice without ever having had a boyfriend, she decided to take up on Grandma May’s offer. Serenity had saved the old lady by chance and came to know that Grandma May was trying to marry off her grandson, Zachary York, who had trouble settling down. Twenty minutes later, Serenity got off to her pit stop at City Hall. “Serenity.” A familiar voice summoned her attention the moment she got out of the car. It was Grandma May. “Grandma May.” As Serenity hurried over, she took notice of a towering yet distant figure standing next to Grandma May. He must be Zachary, her husband-to-be. At a closer distance, Serenity was dumbstruck after getting a load of Zachary’s face. According to Grandma May, her eldest grandson, Zachary had no luck with the ladies despite hitting thirty. Needless to say, Grandma May was worried sick. Serenity had always assumed that he must be hideous. After all, she heard that Zachary had a high-paying job up the corporate ladder in a major group. Now that they had met face-to-face, Serenity realized that she had gotten it all wrong. Zachary was attractive and carried himself with an air of aloofness. Standing next to Grandma May with a sour face, he appeared standoffish and gave off vibes to stay away from him. Serenity’s gaze strayed to a black MPV parked nearby. Judging by the logo, it was a national car rather than some multimillion-dollar vehicle. Serenity deduced that the economic difference between her and Zachary was not that far off. She and an old friend from school had started a bookshop at the entrance of Wiltspoon School. During her free time, Serenity would also knit little knick-knacks to sell online. The sales were not too bad. In a month, she could bring home a steady income of twenty thousand dollars. The same amount in Wiltspoon would position her among the white collars. That was why she could afford to hand her sister five thousand bucks for living expenses. Nevertheless, her brother-in-law had no clue about her earnings. Serenity told her sister to pocket three thousand bucks and only disclose the remaining two thousand to her husband. “Serenity, this is my oldest grandson, Zachary. He’s a thirty-year-old man and can’t even get himself out there. Although he’s not the warmest person, he’s attentive and considerate. You saved my life, and we’ve known each other for three months. Trust me that I won’t recommend a bad man to you.” Taking in his nana's description of him, Zachary looked askance at Serenity, icily and profoundly without saying a word. Perhaps he had grown immune to her grumbles. Serenity knew that Grandma May had three sons, and each gave her three grandsons, blessing her with nine grandsons. Since a granddaughter was missing in Grandma May’s life, she sought that affinity with Serenity. Although blushing, Serenity openly extended her right hand to Zachary and introduced herself with a smile, “Hello, Mr. York. I’m Serenity Hunt.” Zachary’s penetrating gaze scanned Serenity from head to toe and back. With Nana clearing her throat, he reached out his right hand for a shake, albeit his voice reflected an icy tone. “Zachary.” After the handshake, Zachary raised his left hand to look at the time before informing Serenity. “I’m a busy man. Let’s get it done and over with.” Serenity hummed in acknowledgment. Grandma May jumped in. “Go on inside to sort out the paperwork. I’ll wait for you here.” “Nana, get into the car. It’s a hot day out.” Zachary said as he helped Nana into the car. Through his actions, Serenity was able to agree with Grandma May’s statement that Zachary might be callous, but his heart was in the right place. Although they were strangers, Grandma May mentioned that Serenity could move out of her sister’s place into an apartment Zachary owned and paid for in full after the marriage. It could reassure her sister that Serenity was in good hands and end the arguments in the apartment because of her. It was only a marriage of convenience. Soon, Zachary returned to Serenity’s side and uttered, “Let’s go.” “Sure.” Serenity quietly followed him into City Hall. At the registry office, Zachary urged Serenity. “Ms. Hunt, you can still change your mind if you don’t want to go through with this. It doesn’t matter what my Nana says. Marriage is a huge commitment, not to be taken lightly.” He was hoping Serenity had second thoughts because he had no intention of marrying a woman he had just met.