CHAPTER 14: CHAPTER 14: MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE

Clara Sterling went to the south gate and saw a man in a suit standing in front of a Toyota, as if waiting for someone.

Just as she was about to walk over and ask if the man was Silas Sheffield’s assistant, the man suddenly looked up and saw her.

The man approached her and respectfully said, "Hello, Miss Sterling, my name is Zachary Lynch, and I am President Sheffield’s assistant."

Clara was slightly taken aback. She hadn’t asked, so how did this person confirm she was the one he was meeting?

He had directly addressed her as "Miss Sterling" without asking if she was Miss Sterling.

Clara mentally reviewed and confirmed she had never met this assistant before.

"Hello." Clara greeted the man politely. "Thank you for picking me up."

"You’re welcome. Please follow me." The man led her towards the Toyota.

Zachary opened the rear door, and Clara then saw Silas Sheffield sitting in the back seat.

The man’s sharp black suit made him look even more distinguished; his long and cold eyes, beneath the gold-rimmed glasses, remained indifferent when he looked at her.

Clara addressed him, "Silas."

The man only gave a slight nod.

Clara sat in the car and fastened her seatbelt, maintaining a space between her and Silas.

On the way, Silas was wearing headphones, engaged in a video conference on his laptop.

Today was a Wednesday, a weekday, and this time of day was indeed work hours.

Clara couldn’t help but think, he really was busy; even on the way to get the marriage certificate, he was in a video meeting.

Clara didn’t know much about Silas. The first time she saw Silas at the Sheffield Family home, she was seventeen, and Silas was twenty.

All she knew about Silas came from Sophie Sheffield.

According to Sophie, Silas had always been outstanding since he was a child, a leader among his peers, always first in his grade, even winning a gold medal in a physics competition in high school, and later being recommended for Veridian University.

When she started her freshman year, Silas was about to graduate from university.

She later heard that after graduation, he went abroad for further studies and only returned at the beginning of this year.

Clara only knew that after returning to the country, Silas took over the family business and is now the president of Sheffield Group.

Fifteen minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of the civil affairs bureau.

Clara and Silas got out of the car and walked into the civil affairs building together.

Assistant Zachary Lynch sat in the car, watching the back of his boss and Clara, involuntarily sighing, "They are really a perfect match."

On a weekday morning, there were not many people getting marriage certificates, and it was soon their turn.

When taking the photo, Clara kept a considerable distance, respecting boundaries.

She knew Silas had mild germophobia, disliked physical contact, and was very conscious of boundaries.

She cautiously stood beside him, with a gap between their bodies, making them appear unfamiliar.

The photographer frowned, "Get a little closer, the bride and groom should smile."

Clara looked at the camera, curved her lips into a fake smile.

It seemed to her that with this fake smile, the photographer’s brows furrowed even more.

Was there a problem with her smile or was it Silas’s expression beside her?

Clara couldn’t see Silas’s expression. In her memory, she had never seen Silas smile, and she couldn’t imagine what he would look like smiling.

After getting the certificate, Clara opened it immediately to check their photo.

Silas wasn’t smiling.

In the photo, Silas still had a blank face, without expression.

A sense of loss flashed in her heart. Clara put away the marriage certificate, glimpsed from the corner of her eye that Silas hadn’t even looked at it before putting it away.

In the car, Silas initiated the conversation, "Let me know when you’re available to take some wedding photos."

Clara lowered her gaze, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and softly said, "Can we postpone that for a while? I’m not in the mood for wedding photos lately..."

Silas understood and didn’t say much, just agreed with a "Sure."

Her mother was terminally ill now, so it was normal not wanting to take wedding photos.

As they approached the school, Silas asked again, "When do you plan on going to Veridian?"

Clara responded, "School ends for winter break after the exams on January 4th. Anytime after January 4th works. Do you need to contact the doctors there first?"

"Yes," Silas said, "Shall I book a ticket for you on the 5th?"

Clara nodded slightly, "Okay."

At the school gate, Clara was just about to get out.

"Wait a moment," Silas called to her.

Clara turned to look at him.

The man handed her a set of keys, "The keys to the house at The Ripplewood Estate, I’ll send you the address on WhatsApp later."

Seeing the confusion in Clara’s eyes, Silas calmly explained, "It’s the marital home."

Clara’s cheeks instantly flushed.

She uttered like a whisper, "But we’re not really..."

Silas knew what she wanted to say, "Even if it’s an arranged marriage, it’s still a marriage, with everything that entails."

Clara didn’t know whether or not to accept the keys.

Still hesitating, Silas produced an envelope, "Marital agreement, take a look."

"Okay." Clara accepted the envelope and opened it.

She skimmed through the contents, which were essentially as Silas had previously mentioned; if she married him, he would cover her mother’s medical expenses and provide her with a place to live.

The agreement detailed what he had mentioned before, such as the minimum he would transfer to her each month.

Upon seeing the amount, Clara’s eyes widened in shock.

Five million!

And it was also written in words, ensuring she hadn’t misread it.

It was black and white, stating that Silas Sheffield would regularly remit 5,000,000 RMB (in words: Five Million Yuan) per month as living expenses to her.

He would give her five million every month as living expenses?

Clara abruptly looked at the man beside her, "That’s really unnecessary..."

The man’s expression remained unchanged, lifting his eyelids to look at her, "Now, you are Mrs. Sheffield, the president’s wife of Sheffield Group, and five million as living expenses is normal."

Seeing Clara still seemed reluctant, Silas added, "Even if I married someone else, it would be the same."

"Alright." Clara understood, the five million each month was for Mrs. Sheffield, the president’s wife of Sheffield Group.

No matter who it was, they would receive the five million.

Not giving or giving less would damage Silas Sheffield’s reputation.

Clara realized that she could choose not to spend what he gave her.

If they divorced in the future, she could return it to him.

Besides these, the agreement included some spousal rights and obligations.

It stated that she could choose to publicly or privately reveal her status as Mrs. Sheffield and enjoy the use of all Silas’s assets, among other things.

At a glance, Clara noticed the agreement only listed her rights but not her obligations.

And conversely, Silas’s obligations were listed without mentioning his rights.

Clara looked up again.

Silas knew what she wanted to ask, so he said, "You’re still a student, already struggling on your own, I don’t want to burden you further with more obligations."

His voice was calm and collected, his face expressionless, his demeanor aloof, yet when he said these words, Clara felt a warm current slowly flowing through her heart.

"Thank you." Clara bit her lip, moved to the point of her eyes reddening at the corners.