Chapter 432: Humiliated

"Wait!" Natalie said.

Justin stopped, and Natalie looked at Grace. "Just as a reminder, don’t mistake our room for yours and disturb us."

Grace looked at Justin. "Aiden, I’m your wife. Where am I supposed to stay if not in your room?"

Still carrying Natalie with ease, Justin looked at her. "Firstly, I only have one wife—and that’s Natalie, who I’m taking to my room. As for you, I’m sure there are plenty of guest rooms in this mansion."

With that, he walked upstairs, carrying Natalie, who wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to peck his cheek. "You’re so cool."

Justin looked down at her and kissed her lips. "I’ll show you in the room how hot I can be."

"Nothing new to me. You’re the epitome of hotness," she teased. "My hot and handsome husband!"

Their conversation was clearly heard in the drawing room, fading only when they reached upstairs.

Meira blushed lightly as she heard and saw them, quickly escaping to her room with a thought:

Mallory turned to Aeldric, who was still sitting quietly in his chair.

"Father, are you not going to say anything to him?" Mallory asked. "You’re the one who chose a bride for him, and now she’s being insulted like this."

"I can make him marry her, but I can’t force him to take her to his room," Aeldric said, standing up. "She has to find her own way." He looked at the butler. "Prepare a comfortable room for Grace."

"Yes, Mr. Riverdale."

Aeldric looked at Grace. "For now, stay in another room. If you don’t like it, you can choose a different one tomorrow," he said, and left.

Mallory and Grace were shocked to see Aeldric taking Justin’s side. Instead of confronting him, the old man was outright ignoring the situation.

If only they knew, this old man had invited his own doom into his home and was now suffering, with no power left in his hands.

Grace clenched her fists.

"Ms. Hartz, this way," the butler said.

"I’m not Ms. Hartz now, but Mrs. Aiden Riverdale," she corrected him.

"I’m sorry, Mrs. Riverdale," the butler said and led the way.

If only this woman knew there was no Aiden Riverdale, but Aiden Handrix—and she wasn’t even married to him. The one she was married to, he was Aaron Handrix, so she was not Mrs Riverdale as well.

Only if she had seen the name on her marriage certificate.

----

When Justin and Natalie entered the room, he placed her on the bed that was decorated for the wedding night. The entire room had a romantic air.

"It was supposed to be your brother’s wedding night with Grace, but you’re taking advantage of it instead of letting him be with her," she commented playfully.

"I’ll give him a chance to thank me later," Justin replied and leaned in to kiss her.

"If she finds out her husband is chilling in a lavish penthouse at this moment—leaving her to be embarrassed—I’m sure she’ll go berserk," Natalie commented. "Not sure if I should pity her or feel like she deserves it."

"Trust me, it’s the latter one," Justin said. "Now stop talking and focus on me." He pinned her to the bed beneath him, kissing her passionately to stop her from saying another word.

-----

Inside the penthouse, Aaron was sitting in the study, going through the details about the incidents from the past—especially the recent discovery they had made about Patrick Hunt.

Trevor brought him something. "Mr. Aaron, your marriage certificate is here."

Aaron took it, looked at it, and then tossed it into one of the study’s drawers. This marriage meant nothing to him—other than being a way to get back at his real enemy. Grace, his so-called wife, was simply a means to infiltrate them through their daughter.

He didn’t feel bad about Grace, as she was no saint either. He had gone through her entire history, and she was nothing more than a spoiled daughter of a wealthy family who didn’t care about people weaker than her.

She was not just arrogant but also cruel and manipulative when she wanted things done her way and to achieve whatever she desired.

If not for Natalie’s strong personality, intelligence, and powerful background, Grace would have long since tried to get rid of her.

Aaron looked at Trevor and said, "That man, Patrick Hunt—he must have left by sea, since there’s no record of him leaving this country."

"Yes, Mr. Aaron, we’re looking into it. He couldn’t have stayed in this country, so he must have left through illegal means, with no official record. Sea route is the most likely option. We’re trying to find out who might have helped him leave, what ship or any other sea vessel he could have used."

"He had a baby with him. That means it wouldn’t have been easy for him," Aaron said. "Babies cry and can’t be hidden easily—they draw attention."

"That only leaves us with the possibility that he had already hired a private boat with the help of contacts he must have gathered during his days as a spy in the special forces."

Aaron hummed. "Considering his abilities, it wouldn’t have been that difficult for him—especially after managing to dodge Aeldric’s people without even being noticed. The real question is, where did he go after that? There’s no record of him returning to Bayford or going anywhere else."

"Once we find his escape route, I’m sure we’ll trace him down," Trevor assured.

Aaron hummed again while Trevor left after some further discussion.

----

Grace went to the room that had been given to her. It was one of the guest rooms. Being a bride, she had to stay in a guest room while her husband was spending the wedding night with someone else.

Grace picked up her mobile and dialed Colin’s number.

The moment it was answered, she said, "Dad, you have to come here."

"What happened, Grace?" Colin asked.

Grace explained everything to him.

"Calm down. It’s past midnight, so you should rest. We’ll deal with it tomorrow—especially since you and Aiden have to visit our home," Colin assured her.

"But Dad, it’s so humiliating," she said. "I can’t stay here like this with that woman Natalie around him all the time."

"Don’t worry. Just wait until tomorrow," Colin assured.

Grace could only hum and hung up the phone.