"Darling, where are we going?" Vania asked a second time, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Once again, Hanson did not answer her and merely kept his eyes on the road ahead. He had to get to the place before closing time.
Ten minutes later, the car rolled to a stop outside a building. Upon seeing the signage over the main entrance, Vania turned to look at the man in the driver's seat and asked bewilderedly, "Why did you bring me here?"
He flicked her gently on the temple and smiled indulgently as he said, "I thought you could read."
There was only one reason he would bring her to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and it was so they could get married.
"Excuse me, but who said I'd marry you?" Vania demanded primly. They had agreed that they would hold off on getting married until after they found their daughter. More importantly, Hanson did not even propose to her, which she thought was too important of a step to skip.
When he heard her implied refusal, he panicked and said, "You have to marry me no matter what." Regardless of whether she had meant it as a joke, he didn't think marriage was something to be taken lightly, and he refused to take no for an answer. "Who else would you marry if not me?"
He reached out and clasped her hand tightly, as though worried that she would make a run for it if he didn't.
Vania turned to look out the window as she grumbled, "You didn't propose to me." She was sure that he was the one for her, but even she could not overlook the minute details that led up to the most romantic and special moment of her life.
Hanson raised her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, then said solemnly, "I know this is a little sudden, darling, but I don't want to take any chances and have you reconsider marrying me in the future. I promise you that I'll give you a grand proposal and an even grander wedding."
He said this so convincingly and so earnestly that Vania suddenly understood why he insisted on getting married today. As such, she nodded placatingly and replied with a ceremonial air, "Then we shall be together forever, and if you betray or hurt me, I will divorce you without question and take custody of our children."
He grew sullen after hearing the word "divorce". For some reason, forever seemed like a really short time. "I want to be with you, and I want our love to transcend lifetimes. We will never divorce." He never even wanted to consider something as preposterous as that.
"Fine, then," Vania said with a nod, then flashed him a smile so sweet that he would have kissed her right there and then had he not exercised some self-control.
Hanson thereafter took her hand and quickly led her down from the car. He had to get married right away.
"President Luke, Mrs. Luke," the employee in the bureau greeted warmly when he saw their arrival.
Hanson was pleased to hear that the employee had addressed Vania as though she was already legally married to him. Guess it's time to invest in their department.
The employee produced the paperwork sent over by Hanson's legal team and said, "Here are the documents that require both of your signatures."
The employee produced the paperwork sent over by Hanson's legal team and said, "Here are the documents that require both of your signatures."
When Vania gleaned through the contents on the first page of the documents, her eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Hanson piped up, "Darling, from now on, what's mine is yours. I love you."
"I love you too," she said, then signed the papers with a flourish. She had no interest in his money but in his personality to begin with.
"Now, how about a picture for the banns of marriage?" the employee suggested.
"Oh no," Vania moaned as she cupped her cheeks. "This all happened so suddenly that we didn't even get to dress up like a proper couple!"
"Don't worry, President Luke and Mrs. Luke. We've got this covered." The employee took out a set of white blouses that were perfect for the picture. "We have these in stock for newlyweds. Think of it as part of our blessing, though we do need you to pay for it."
Hanson wasted no time in handing over the money. "It's a small price to pay for a picture of our happiest moment, darling."
Just like that, they donned their new shirts and took a picture to commemorate the blissful occasion, one which Hanson thought was the greatest love story mankind had ever seen.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Her Seven Little Bodyguards
Love this novel, when are you going to update it been waiting for a while. Is there anyway to get the whole thing. Or somewhere else I can finish reading it? Please HELP!!!!!...