The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

Ashton didn't utter a word, just nodded at Kimberly's command and headed to the room to grab their family records.

Alaric was over the moon, while Hertha's eyes widened in shock. Turning to her mother, she exclaimed, "Mom, are you serious?"

"Sweetie, when have I ever joked about something like this?" Kimberly chided, her tone playful yet firm.

In just a few moments, Ashton was back, handing over the documents to Hertha. "Go on, the sooner you leave, the sooner you're back. Your mom's pork rib stew is almost ready."

Hertha was taken aback, glancing at the documents and then at her father. Were her parents really that eager to see her married off?

"What are you waiting for? Take these and go! It's 1:40 now, the registry office opens at 2. If you hurry, you can be the first in line. Get it done and come back home for lunch," Kimberly urged, nudging Hertha's arm, signaling her to take the documents quickly.

Hertha was still dazed. She had been eagerly waiting for Alaric to come back with the documents, but as time passed, her anticipation turned to disappointment, doubting Alaric's feelings for her.

Once doubt creeps in, that intense anticipation just fades away.

Alaric returned, documents in hand,

on to her

arm around her shoulders with an intimacy that faced both Ashton and Kimberly, and said with a smile, "We'll

the documents, still arm in arm with

few steps after

be good, just play around the house, and wait for your daddy and mommy to come back,"

a word, letting

both confused

to Alaric? It felt surreal, like

been gradually worn down during the wait, the moment they were actually heading to the registry office didn't

thrilled, his face beaming with a smile all the

driving at a normal pace until they reached

were ten minutes