Seeing the marriage certificate, Yelena's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, where did you get that?"
Has this guy lost his mind to the extent that he resorted to such an insane measure just to keep me with him? He even dared to forge a marriage certificate?
"Do you realize that forging marriage certificates is illegal? I strongly advise you to destroy this immediately." Yelena tried to reason with him.
"You think I'm unaware of the law? I'm a lawyer, after all. I know better than you," Hank replied with exasperation. "The fact that I'm showing you this proves that it's genuine evidence, not something I've fabricated."
Yelena burst into laughter. "Even if you wanted to marry me, you don't need to go to such lengths. When did I ever get a marriage certificate with you?"
"Three years ago on one evening."
Yelena's face turned pale. "You mean the night we were drinking?"
Indeed, she vaguely recalled something from three years ago. That night, she had been at a dimly lit bar, feeling downcast. Hank had inexplicably appeared by her side. They had consumed quite a bit of alcohol, and Yelena couldn't remember exactly what had happened. It was the only night she had completely blacked out and lost all her memories.
"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Yelena's face showed a mix of disbelief and apprehension. "You're certain you're not making this up? Setting aside the fact that I could never possibly marry you, I was heavily intoxicated that night and I don't recall anything. Plus, getting married requires ID cards. How could my parents or myself have given you those?"
Hearing Yelena's logical reasoning, Hank spread his hands. "Unfortunately, on the night you blacked out, you dragged me along to register for the marriage. As for the ID card, you took care of that yourself."
His words were becoming more and more absurd.
Yelena found it hard to believe, but soon she accepted the reality of the situation when Hank even pulled out his phone from his pocket and played an audio recording.
Yelena's faint voice resonated from the recording. "I'm at Luna Bar, having a drink. Can you come pick me up?"
Seeing the marriage certificate, Yelena's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, where did you get that?"
Upon hearing these words, Yelena was caught off guard. So, it was she who had called Hank to Luna Bar back then. Her recent statements suddenly felt embarrassing.
"Wait there, I'll be right over," came Hank's response in the recording.
With a raised eyebrow, Hank inquired, "Do you believe me now?"
Yelena still clung to her stubborn stance, even in this dire situation. "I still don't believe it. What can this recording prove? You could have forced me into getting married back then."
Hank's lawyer instincts kicked in, and he continued, "Alright, then I'll present another piece of evidence." He opened another voice recording.
"You better tell me whether you want to marry me or not!"
Amidst the chaotic ambiance of the bar, Yelena's voice stood out loudly. Despite sounding a bit exaggerated due to her drunkenness, her words were clear and determined.
"I do want to marry you, but aren't you the one who never wanted to marry me?" Hank talked to her like one would to a child.
"Who said I didn't want to marry you? If it weren't for what you did back then, how could I not want to marry you? Do you know what I went through back then?" Yelena's voice in the recording carried a hint of a teary tone, evoking a sense of pity.
Just as expected, Hank's voice softened again. "Can you tell me what happened back then?"
"Like I'd tell you! If I did, you'd definitely despise me..." Yelena's voice cracked, portraying her helplessness. "You're such an irresponsible and bad man. Otherwise, you wouldn't have easily abandoned me..."
After listening for a while, Yelena failed to grasp any key points from this recording either. "But this conversation doesn't really prove anything, does it?"
Hank took a deep breath, and asked her seriously, "Are you sure you want me to play this recording in public for others to hear how you pestered me into marriage?"
Only then did Yelena realize that there was another person present. Her face turned scarlet instantly. "No, no, that's not what I meant."
The woman beside them quirked her lips and chuckled. "There's no need to be embarrassed. We're all family here."
The term 'family' sounded somewhat strange, causing Yelena to glance at Hank and then at the woman. She felt a bit uneasy.
"But you already have a girlfriend now, so why did you come looking for me?" Yelena, for some reason, had assumed that the woman was Hank's lover. They seemed like a perfect match, with an extraordinary understanding between them. In comparison, Yelena felt like an outsider.
"Who told you I'm his girlfriend?" the woman said with an amused and indulgent smile. "Young lady, are you overthinking things? Or are you feeling jealous?"
Having her thoughts exposed, Yelena vigorously shook her head and took a few steps back. "No, no, I absolutely don't feel jealous."
The woman with red lips turned her head and playfully patted Yelena's head. "Alright, kiddo, don't think too much. I'm not his girlfriend. If we're talking about relationships, you should probably address me as 'aunt'."
Only then did Yelena recognize the slightly familiar face of the woman before her. "You're... Freya Josling?"
In the world of lawyers, apart from Hank, there was another female lawyer who could rival him—Freya Josling.
The cases she handled never went awry. Her qualifications even surpassed Hank's, and whenever they met, Hank would show deference. Her achievements were extensively covered in newspapers and news. Yelena had assumed it must be someone extraordinary who could make the proud Hank bow his head. But it turned out she was his aunt!
Upon realizing this, Yelena felt her face burn. She had actually misconstrued Hank's relationship with his aunt...
"Sorry about that, I might've been overthinking things just now. My words might have been offensive, and I apologize."
Freya wasn't bothered at all by this. She smiled, pinched Yelena's cheek gently, and said, "It's okay. I can see you genuinely like my nephew."
Yelena pursed her lips. "I don't like him."
"If you don't like him... Then why did you react so strongly upon finding out about my connection with him?"
Yelena's heart had been laid bare, and she had no words to refute Freya.
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