4. Marital house

Brielle had never expected she would marry the man she had avoided for years in a matter of moments. The procedure proceeded smoothly, and for a moment, she suspected that Niklaus had foreseen everything and planned ahead.

But the thought vanished as quickly as it had come. 'How is it possible? He couldn't have possibly guessed how I'd react. What if I hadn't approached him?' she thought, holding the pen.

"What are you thinking about, Elle?" Niklaus asked when he noticed her lost in thought as she stared absent-mindedly at the form. "Please sign here."

His voice brought her out of her reverie, and under his gentle encouragement, she signed the form.

The staff then processed the registration, and within minutes, they had their marriage certificate in their hands.

"Congratulations, Miss Langford, Mr. Callahan. We wish you a happy married life," the staff said, beaming widely as if he were officiating his friends' wedding, instead of two strangers.

Brielle stared at him oddly. But before she could dwell more on it, her husband wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brought her out of the building.

"Don't you think the staff was behaving weirdly today?" she asked, glancing behind her.

"Why do you think so?" Niklaus tilted his head and gazed at her, not bothered that she'd find out what he had done. 'Anyway, we are married now. It doesn't matter if she finds out. She can't leave me now.'

"I just feel there's something off." Brielle's eyes snapped towards him, and she turned around to face him, forcing him to let go of her, much to his dismay. "Did you already anticipate my reaction?"

Everything fell into place suddenly, and her clouded mind cleared.

"Did you know I'd come to you for help?"

"More or less." Niklaus didn't lie. He never lied to her. 

"Then did you also guess that I'd propose a marriage to you?" 

"If I were to be honest, you caught me off guard there. I wasn't expecting you to propose marriage." Niklaus pursed his lips, recalling how confounded he had been when Brielle had asked him to marry her. Happiness had embraced him so suddenly that he had wondered if it was all a dream.

"I knew you'd seek help to manage your company and perhaps to even deal with your uncle's family and your ex."

"Oh," Brielle nodded blankly, not knowing how else to react. 

"I was even prepared to set forth a condition before I agreed to help you."

"Oh, what condition? If I may ask?" Brielle was curious. What could she possibly offer him when he had everything?

"To marry me, of course. What else do I need?" Niklaus said in all honesty, and Brielle rolled her eyes, suppressing her annoyance.

"So, even if I hadn't proposed a marriage today, you'd have, and we'd have gotten married for sure."

"You've summarized it so well. What a darling!" Niklaus placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward until his lips were a breath away from hers.

But Brielle escaped his clutches quickly and even stepped back, adding some distance between them. Staring at him warily, she said, "I need to be careful. You're such a devious man."

"And you, my dear," Niklaus moved closer to her and looked at her with so much affection that Brielle's heart picked up pace and started to thump madly. "Are a sweetheart. Gosh! I love you so much."

Although his confession was nothing but a mere whisper, Brielle heard it clearly, and her heart went into a frenzy instantly. She couldn't quite fathom her reaction to his confession. She didn't like him, let alone love him. Yet, every time, in his presence, she sensed a strange kind of tension charged with electricity. She was terrified of him. Yet, she felt safe and protected with him around.

Brielle couldn't comprehend the contradictory emotions, and Niklaus noticed how she had blanked out all of a sudden. Although she was looking at him, her mind was elsewhere. 

Not wanting to overwhelm her more than she already was, he led her to the car.

Brielle watched him make his way around the car after closing the door for her. Her gaze didn't leave him even when she buckled her seatbelt. 

Niklaus wasn't oblivious to her curious eyes. It was as if she was trying to read him, find out his true thoughts. Instead of becoming cautious, however, he was only pleased to see how transfixed she was on him. 

In a momentary impulse, he leaned forward and kissed her lips.

Brielle was taken aback by the sudden kiss. Just when she was about to push him away, the man moved back himself, perplexing her all the more. The kiss had ended even before she could react.

"Apologies. I couldn't control myself," he said with no regret. Instead, he smiled deviously as his eyes glinted with an evil light. 

"But I guess I'm allowed to kiss you today. After all, we just got married."

"You... you..." Brielle stuttered and avoided his gaze, making the man to move closer until she could hear his breathing.

"Although I want to kiss you until you're gasping for breath..."

Brielle's heart spiked up, and she had an inkling that Niklaus had heard it too, for his curved into a smirk.

"Although I want to bring you to our bed and make love to you all night," the man continued, watching the woman before him with mad obsession.

"Although I want to make you scream my name until you remember nothing else but me," he said, observing how her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink, a color he had adored for a long time. 

"Although I want to do a lot of things to you, with you," he closed his eyes and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "I won't do anything until you accept me wholeheartedly. I won't touch you until you feel the same way about me."

"I..." Brielle was dumbstruck by his straightforward words. His confession was crude, but his feelings were real and from the depths of his soul, and they hit her heart at the speed of a Mack truck.

"But don't make me wait for long, Elle." Niklaus' eyes snapped open, and he stared at her in the eye. "I don't think I can remain patient when it comes to you."

Brielle stared back at him and hesitated for a moment. But when she saw him restraining himself, her resolve crumbled, and she sighed softly. "Give me three months."

"What did you say just now?" Niklaus moved back, his eyes widening in surprise.

Brielle didn't shy away from his gaze and repeated what she had said. "Give me three months. I'll let go of my burdens and come to you."

Niklaus couldn't believe his ears, and his lips stretched into a grin. "You said it, Elle. You aren't allowed to go back on your words."

Brielle nodded and vowed solemnly, "I won't. You have my word."

"Three months it is. I'll be waiting."

"Can you drop me off at my office?"

Niklaus didn't miss the way Brielle's eyes gleamed. A wicked idea was brewing in her mind, and he was loving how she was finally taking charge to deal with the bastards who ruined her life.

"Sure. But before that, there's something I want you to know."

Brielle turned to him, prompting him to continue.

"From today onwards, you'll have four bodyguards protecting you. This is my request, and it's non-negotiable."

Brielle understood his intentions, and she had no thoughts of stopping him. "I understand. I'll leave this matter for you to decide."

"Good. Also..." Niklaus paused for a moment before saying, "Are you moving in with me or should I move in with you?"

"What?" Brielle couldn't comprehend what he was saying and stared at him incredulously. 

"We are married, Elle. You don't think we'll be living separately, do you?"

"Ohh..." Brielle hadn't thought along these lines. She had no idea how to respond. She was just about to reply when Niklaus intervened, his eyes widening when a brilliant idea hit him.

"Or I have a better idea. I'll pick you up after work. Let's go and check out some houses."

"Houses?" Brielle felt the man to be speaking in riddles. She couldn't make sense of what he was trying to convey.

"Yes. Let's buy our marital house. Why didn't I think of this before? Look at my forgetful brain." Niklaus smacked his forehead, and Brielle jolted, startled by his actions.

"You..."

"It's decided then. I'll pick you up at 4. Let's go and take a look at some of the houses."