Chapter 10
Chapter 10:
Kristine made her way to City Hall, but Asher was nowhere in sight.
She quickly sent him a message. “I’m Kristine Green. Where are you? What time will you arrive? Oh, and this is my new number p>
Almost immediately, Asher texted back. “Headed there now. Traffic’s awful p>
Kristine took him at his word and waited outside, quietly blending into the steady flow of people at the entrance.
Meanwhile, just around the corner, Asher sat in his car and watched her through the window.
𝘙𝗲a𝖽 𝘁𝘩𝖾 𝘭𝘢𝗍𝖾𝗌t t𝗿𝖾𝗻𝖽𝘴 𝗼𝘯
Back at the hotel, Colton bent down and retrieved Kristine’s spare phone from beneath the pillow. His grip on the device tightened. Not a single member of the hotel staff dared to make a sound.
“Where is she?” he asked, his tone glacial.
With no more excuses left, the hotel manager replied stiffly, “She left earlier this morning p>
Since the hotel had only two luxury suites, the manager had no trouble recalling Kristine at all. Frustration became plainly visible on Colton’s face, the tension rising until the veins at his temple pulsed.
Kristine never failed to surprise him. Pulling off something like this took real nerve.
Bobby made his way upstairs and hesitated at the sight of Colton standing in Kristine’s room, but delivered his message regardless. “Mr. Yates, Mr. Edwards’ assistant has just arrived. He’s here to bring you to the wedding p>
Colton had no interest in attending any wedding right now. Kristine had to be somewhere in Peudon — she could not have simply vanished. Doing his best to hold his irritation in check, he left the room.
Halfway down the hall, he stopped and glanced back at Bobby. “Get Kristine on the phone. She has one hour to come see me. Make sure she knows p>
Bobby offered no reply.
Over at City Hall, Kristine had already been waiting outside for thirty minutes, yet she showed not the slightest trace of impatience.
Asher observed her from the car and remarked quietly, “She’s patient, I’ll give her that p>
The driver glanced back in confusion. “Did you say something, Mr. Edwards p>
Asher turned away. “It’s nothing p>
He pulled out his phone. A new notification from his assistant had just come in — the car assigned to collect Colton would reach the last intersection within minutes.
“Let’s step out,” Asher said, already preparing to leave the vehicle.
The driver and bodyguard moved without hesitation, flanking him as he readied himself. Their sudden activity caught Kristine’s attention. A faint crease formed between her brows — for a moment, she had thought Asher might not show.
The bodyguard wheeled Asher across the busy street and brought him to a stop in front of her.
“Let’s head inside,” Kristine said, her tone light and free of any anger. If anything, she almost sounded relieved.
A flicker of doubt crossed Asher’s face as he gripped the armrest. “Are you really going through with this p>
Kristine looked back at him, openly puzzled.
“You’re actually ending things with Colton?” he pressed, making no effort to hide his skepticism.
He had never witnessed Kristine chasing after Colton himself, but back when he could still walk, he used to hear Jemma complain endlessly about Kristine’s hopeless infatuation. He had doubted those stories at first, thinking Jemma exaggerated. Some of them, however, were wild enough that he couldn’t dismiss them entirely. So when Kristine announced her intention to marry him, he had never truly believed she would let go of Colton for good.
Kristine found herself momentarily at a loss. Apparently, her reputation for being hopelessly in love had spread far and wide.
She offered him a level voice and a faint smile. “You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Edwards. Once we’re married, I won’t go looking for anyone else p>
Asher said nothing in response.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a black Audi rolled to a stop in front of City Hall. With practiced ease, Colton emerged from the back seat. The chill in his expression seemed to quiet the street around him, and his sharp features drew every eye in the area.
At the sight of him, Kristine’s expression shifted at once.
Colton’s stare immediately sought her out. He cast a quick glance at his watch. She had made it there in under an hour. Of course — she had only been putting on a show.
He gave a small nod in Asher’s direction. “Mr. Edwards, I have some personal business to attend to. I won’t keep you long.” Without waiting for a reply, he crossed the distance and took hold of Kristine’s wrist. “Head back to the hotel. Wait for me there p>
Confusion flickered across her face.
At exactly that moment, Asher spoke up. “Mr. Yates, do you know my fiancée p>
The question seemed to throw Colton entirely. He froze for a second, then slowly turned to meet Asher’s pleasant smile from the wheelchair.
“This is the fiancée I mentioned yesterday — Kristine Green,” Asher said easily. “Kristine, meet Mr. Colton Yates p>
Kristine glanced at Asher, quickly reading the pretense in his introduction — that there was no shared history between her and Colton. Perhaps that was for the best. If Colton witnessed her actually getting married, maybe he would finally accept that she was leaving him behind.
Colton stood frozen, blindsided. Eventually, he forced a thin, icy smile. “Kristine, did I hear him correctly p>
Pulling her hand free from his grip, Kristine answered without hesitation. “I never deceived you. I really am marrying Asher. After he lost the use of his legs, my mother decided he was no longer a suitable match for Jemma. That’s when I returned and offered to take her place p>
Asher heard every word and allowed a faint, knowing smirk to cross his face. He couldn’t help but wonder whether Kristine was getting even with him for having summoned Colton there in the first place.
Colton’s tone sharpened. “Since when did you care about that family? I thought things were awful between you and them. Why would you do this for them p>
Kristine tipped her head back, a bittersweet smile on her lips. Deep down, she had never expected Colton to understand her. Even so, facing that truth stung more than she had imagined.
“That’s none of your business,” she said.
Colton refused to back down and seized her wrist once more. “Kristine p>
She glanced at the red marks forming around her wrist, then calmly lifted her eyes to meet his. A stray breeze moved across her face, stirring her lashes. Her gaze was cool and steady.
“You’re my ex now, Colton. The best thing an ex can do is disappear for good. Do you understand that p>
Without another glance, she broke free and wheeled Asher toward the building’s entrance.
Asher’s gaze drifted back to Colton, who was still standing in place, reeling in disbelief. A rare pang of sympathy stirred in him.
Once they reached the counter, Asher broke the silence. “Looks like you’re actually going through with this p>
Pulling out the paperwork, Kristine answered briskly. “Mr. Edwards, you can stop doubting me now. I gave you my word, and I intend to keep it. Once we’re married, I’ll cut off all ties with my ex. I don’t cheat. Now — where are your documents p>
Asher’s fingers curled tighter around the armrest.
To be honest, marrying Kristine had never truly been part of his plan. If it had been, he never would have allowed Colton to get involved. But now it was too late to change anything. He watched her small hand hover expectantly for a moment before making one final attempt. “Don’t you feel sorry for Colton p>
His gaze flicked toward the entrance, where Colton still lingered beneath the sunlight, visibly shaken.
Kristine did not even glance in that direction. Instead, she nudged her hand closer. “Your documents, please p>
A heavy sigh escaped Asher as tension gathered behind his eyes. He turned to his bodyguard. “Hand my documents to her p>
Without missing a beat, the bodyguard produced the necessary paperwork and passed it over.
Without the slightest pause, Kristine stepped forward and placed their documents on the counter. “We’re here to register our marriage,” she said plainly to the staff member.