Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage Alistair answered the phone with obvious irritation . " What ? " The caller seemed startled by his tone and responded timidly , " Hello , Alistair . " The voice on the phone wasn't Rebecca's . " Who is this ? " Alistair asked , confused . " It's Vivienne , " she replied with a light laugh . " We've met before . " 1/9 Alistair immediately placed her . Vivienne was one of Rebecca's best friends . Rebecca had two close friends - Anne and Vivienne . Anne was … Well , he didn't really want to talk about her . But Vivienne was different . She was cut from a completely different cloth than Rebecca and Anne . Actually , she had decent values . Alistair still remembered how she'd come to his defense once when Rebecca was giving him a hard time . " Can I help you with something ? " he asked cautiously . If she was calling about Rebecca , he'd hang up immediately and block her number . Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage 2/9 It occurred to Alistair that if he really wanted to cut ties with Rebecca completely , he should change his phone number . He'd do that first thing after getting out of bed . " Well , " Vivienne said , sounding a bit embarrassed , " I was hoping you could do me a favor . " " What kind of favor ? " Nothing could have prepared Alistair for her request - she wanted him to come over and cook a meal at her place . As it turned out , her mother , Miranda Everett , had undergone surgery to remove uterine fibroids . During a visit , Rebecca had brought some chicken noodle soup . Miranda , who'd had no appetite since the surgery , suddenly found herself hungry again . She couldn't stop talking about it afterward , claiming it was the best chicken noodle soup she'd ever tasted and that it reminded her of childhood . However , it was actually Alistair who made that soup himself . Though Miranda couldn't stop thinking about it , she felt too awkward to ask for it again. Tomorrow was Miranda's birthday , and Vivienne suddenly thought of that chicken noodle soup while brainstorming unique gift ideas . Worried he might refuse , she quickly added , " Don't worry , I wouldn't expect you to do this for nothing . I'll pay you . How about 100 thousand dollars to make one dinner ? " As a wealthy heiress , Vivienne didn't think twice about spending Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage 100 thousand dollars just so her mom could taste that soup she'd been craving . 3/9 Getting paid that much for cooking one meal was clearly a sweet deal for Alistair , though money wasn't exactly tight for him these days . Since becoming the female CEO's kept man , his monthly allowance had reached one million dollars . To put it bluntly , even if he wanted to be poor again , he probably couldn't manage it . During his six years with Rebecca , the only skill he'd truly developed was his increasingly impressive cooking . Alistair considered the request carefully . If anyone else had asked , he would have flat - out refused . But this was Vivienne , someone who had shown him kindness and even defended him when Rebecca had given him a hard time . He wasn't the type to leave debts unpaid . Besides , her request wasn't unreasonable . " Your ex - wife's best friend has made a request . How will you respond ? " Option one : She's Rebecca's friend . To avoid unnecessary complications , make up an excuse and decline . " Option two : Rebecca is Rebecca , and Vivienne is Vivienne . You won't deliberately distance yourself from someone who means Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage you no harm just because you're keeping your distance from Rebecca . 4/9 " Choose option one for 50 system credits . Choose option two for 50 system credits . " Alistair was speechless . For once , the system had set up equally balanced options . " I'm sorry , but I need to think about this , " Alistair said . Vivienne was just grateful he hadn't immediately turned her down . " No problem ! " Alistair had just divorced Rebecca , and since Vivienne was so close to her , she wouldn't have bothered him if she wasn't trying to prepare a special gift for her mother . Of course , beyond helping her mother , Vivienne , the kind - hearted girl , secretly wanted to give Alistair a hand . Through Anne's relentless gossip yesterday , she'd learned that Alistair had walked away from the divorce without a penny to his name . When she worried about how Alistair would make ends meet , Rebecca callously replied that it wasn't her concern anymore . " If a grown man manages to starve himself to death , " Rebecca had added , " that just proves how pathetic and useless he is ! " Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage 5/9 A hundred thousand dollars was pocket change for wealthy heiresses like Vivienne - just another dinner out with friends- but it could make a huge difference for Alistair . Before making the call , Vivienne had worried that Alistair's pride might be hurt . After talking to him , she realized she was the one overthinking things . He sounded perfectly normal , which put her mind at ease . Alistair got up from his oversized bed , took a shower , and finished breakfast . Right on schedule , he went downstairs to find a Maybach waiting at the curb . Caroline sat in the back seat , gesturing for him to join her . He slid in beside her . " Did you get here early ? " Caroline closed her laptop . " No , just arrived . Your timing is . perfect . " They drove to City Hall in silence . Good old City Hall ! Getting married was supposed to be a sacred , beautiful moment . But for Alistair , the whole thing felt like some kind of joke . He was divorced yesterday and married today , like children playing house . The more he thought about it , the more ridiculous it seemed . Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage 6/9 The funniest part was that the woman processing their marriage certificate was the exact same lady who had handled his divorce . from Rebecca just yesterday . Her eyes lit up when she saw Caroline . " Well , aren't you a pretty young girl ! " The appreciation of beauty was universal . Women were just as quick to notice a gorgeous face as any man . The clerk instinctively glanced at the man standing beside Caroline . " Young man , your wife is absolutely gorgeous . You're so … lucky . " Her voice trailed off as recognition dawned on her face . Alistair smiled politely , " Thank you . " The clerk stared at his face in shock . She was sure her eyesight wasn't failing her , and at barely forty , her memory was still sharp . So why did I feel like I'd seen this young man just yesterday ? And filing for divorce , no less ? The reason she remembered so clearly was because Alistair and Rebecca had made such a striking couple . They were both gorgeous and definitely a perfect match . When they'd come in to file for divorce , she'd silently lamented what a shame it was . They were such a beautiful pair. Why couldn't they make it Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage work ? Young people these days … And here she was thinking the same thing again . 7/9 Though she had to admit , this guy had good taste in women . Today's girl was even prettier than yesterday's , with a classier vibe too . Once they had the marriage certificate , Alistair stared at their photo , bewildered . Second marriage , just like that ? The universe really has a weird sense of humor . " Are you done admiring it ? " Caroline snatched the certificate from his hand before he could answer . Alistair wanted to point out that she had her own copy , but kept quiet . Caroline stacked both certificates together and tucked them into her purse . " I'll keep these safe . " Alistair couldn't argue with that . They walked out of City Hall together . " I need to head to the office , " she said . " You can go back to the hotel for now . I'll pick you up after work and take you home . " Alistair's foot landed on the last step when her words stopped him . Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage Caroline turned , giving him a puzzled look . 8/9 He swallowed hard against the sudden lump in his throat when she casually mentioned taking him home . Since his grandfather died , the concept of " home " had disappeared from Alistair's world . Even after he'd " made a home " with Rebecca , it had never really been his , just hers . At best , it had been nothing more than a cage that trapped him . Caroline walked ahead , her ponytail catching the bright sunlight , which bathed it in a golden glow . Suddenly , Alistair found himself looking forward to this new marriage with unexpected hope . " Ms. Ashbourne … " he called out .. " Still calling me Ms. Ashbourne ? " Her tone was light , without any real criticism behind it . Alistair corrected himself . " Carol ? " It felt strange calling her by name for the first time . The corner of Caroline's mouth twitched upward slightly . " That works too . " What does she mean by that ? What else would she want me to call her- " honey " ? Chapter 9 A Quick Marriage Alistair knew he couldn't bring himself to use that word . 9/9 They might technically be husband and wife now , but neither needed to be reminded why two strangers had suddenly rushed into marriage . " What were you going to tell me earlier ? " she asked . " Oh right - I have something to take care of tomorrow at noon . " " Will you be back home for dinner ? " " Yes , I should be back by afternoon if everything goes smoothly . " Caroline's eyes crinkled slightly . " Then go ahead . "