My Homeless Billionaire-Husband - Chapter #4 - Free To Read

Madelyn sat cross-legged on the bed, her wrinkled wedding dress spilling over the sides like a deflated cloud. Her makeup was smudged, and her hair was a tangled mess, but her expression was sharp and alert as she stared at the marriage certificate on the nightstand.

“So... we got married,” she said, her voice flat.

Brian, sitting in a chair by the window, leaned back with a sigh. “Looks that way.”

Madelyn frowned, rubbing her temples. “I remember the bar. We were drinking—whiskey, I think?”

Brian nodded. “You said something about proving you could make a better mistake than your ex.”

Her face turned crimson. “Please tell me I didn’t actually say that.”

“You did,” Brian said, though his lips quivered into a faint smile. “And then you dragged me to a 24-hour chapel. You insisted on the Elvis impersonator officiating.”

Madelyn groaned, burying her face in her hands. “This is a disaster.”

Brian shrugged. “Could be worse.”

“How exactly?”

He gestured toward the certificate. “At least Elvis didn’t put us on his Instagram.”

Her eyes widened, horrified, until she caught the faint teasing glint in his eyes. “Not funny,” she muttered, though a reluctant smile tugged at her lips.

They fell silent for a moment, the enormity of their predicament settling over them like a heavy blanket. Madelyn glanced at the simple gold band on her finger, absently twisting it.

“What do we do now?” she asked, her voice quieter.

Brian watched her carefully, sensing the storm of emotions behind her words. “Get it annulled, I guess.”

Madelyn stared at the certificate for a long moment, her brow furrowing. “Wait... maybe we don’t.”

Brian blinked. “Come again?”

She sat up straighter, her eyes sparking with something new—determination. “Nathan.”

“What about him?”

“This,” she said, holding up her left hand, “will drive him insane. He’ll hate seeing me with someone else—especially married. It’ll make him jealous enough to crawl back.”

Brian raised an eyebrow. “You think that’s a good idea?”

“It’s better than letting him and Jessica think they won.” Madelyn’s voice hardened. “Besides, you need a place to stay, don’t you? My family’s mansion is huge, and no one will question you being there if we’re married.”

Brian leaned back, crossing his arms. “So, let me get this straight. You want to stay married to get back at your ex, and in exchange, I get room and board?”

“Exactly.” She met his gaze, her expression unreadable. “It’s not like I’m asking for forever. Just long enough to make my point.”

He considered her offer, the weight of his mission pressing on his mind. Having a stable cover—a legitimate reason to be inside the Crawford mansion—would be invaluable. But there was also something about Madelyn herself, the sharp intelligence in her eyes, the fire in her voice, that intrigued him in a way he hadn’t expected.

Finally, he nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Her shoulders relaxed, though she quickly masked her relief. “Good. But we need rules.”

“Obviously.”

“No one finds out we were drunk,” Madelyn said firmly. “We stick to the story—we met, fell in love, got married. End of discussion.”

“Fine. And no digging into each other’s pasts,” Brian countered, his tone sharpening slightly. “What’s done is done.”

Madelyn nodded, though she gave him a curious glance. “And this ends when I say it does. No arguments.”

“Works for me,” Brian said. His lips quivered with a slight grin. “Anything else?”

She stared at him, suddenly aware of how close they were. His easy confidence was infuriating, but it was also grounding in a way she hadn’t expected. “Yeah. No funny business.”

Brian chuckled, the sound low and warm. “Define funny business.”

“You know what I mean,” she said, crossing her arms. “This is an arrangement, not a honeymoon.”

“Understood,” he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “But if we’re going to sell this, we might need to practice pretending we like each other.”

Madelyn rolled her eyes. “Don’t push your luck.”

The morning passed in a whirlwind of preparation. Madelyn dug into her tote bag for makeup wipes and tried to salvage her appearance. Meanwhile, Brian found an old shirt and a pair of slacks from his duffel bag that didn’t scream “homeless,” though his scruffy beard remained intact.

“Here,” Brian said, stepping behind her as she struggled with the zipper of her dress. His hands brushed hers as he tugged it free, and Madelyn caught her breath at the unexpected warmth of his touch.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

“No problem.” Brian stepped back, his expression unreadable.

The tension hung between them for a moment before Madelyn broke it. “All right,” she said, smoothing her skirt. “Let’s do this.”

The Crawford mansion loomed large as they pulled into the driveway in a borrowed car Madelyn had arranged. Brian stared at the sprawling estate, his instincts prickling. He’d been in mansions before, but this one felt different. It wasn’t just ostentatious; it was calculated. Every hedge, every marble column screamed power.

“This is your family’s house?” he asked, his tone neutral.

“Unfortunately,” Madelyn muttered. She glanced at him. “Ready?”

“Not even close,” Brian said, but he followed her out of the car anyway.