They had long considered Edgar as good as dead. If Briar hadn’t returned to investigate her sister’s death, they would never have let him see Briar.
In the end, that scumbag begged Briar to return, only to treat her poorly and even let his mistress and her two children bully her. If Briar hadn’t insisted that they stay out of it, they would have made Edgar pay.
Ashton’s disregard for Edgar and the Jennings family won over Ruben and Larry. After breakfast, when Ashton and Briar were leaving to run errands, the two men happily saw them to the door.
Even when Ashton suggested they stop by a church and get married, her two uncles had no objections.
Briar was speechless. “Uncles, I know Ashton is giving you a lot, but could you at least pretend to be a little reserved? This is too obvious!”
Larry waved at Briar. “Go on, you and Ashton go take care of business. We won’t keep you for lunch.”
With that, the two of them turned and went back inside.
Briar was speechless.
Ashton pulled the stunned young woman into the car and comforted her. “Darling, maybe your uncles haven’t recovered from the shock yet. Once they’ve had a moment, they’ll probably ask us to stay.”
That may be what he said, but the car had already sped away. Even if her uncles came to their senses now, it would be too late to stop them.
Resting an arm on the car window, Briar shook her head in resignation. “Ashton, you’ve really mastered the art of being insincere.”
Ashton wasn’t annoyed by Briar’s sarcastic tone. He reached out, took her right hand, and changed the subject. “Should we meet up with Connor and the others first?”
Briar nodded. “Yes, my people have arrived as well.”
With her identity as the elite instructor of DDC Vanguard Base exposed, Briar dropped the act and had Memphis, who was nearby, reveal himself.
Ashton glanced at Briar. “He’s one of your subordinates from the DDC Vanguard Base?”
Briar smiled. “That’s right. One of my informants in the shadows.”
Ashton raised his eyebrows in surprise. He would have thought she was joking if she hadn’t looked so serious. “You’re one of the top five hackers in the world. Do you still need to rely on informants to gather information?”
‘Wasn’t that a huge humiliation to the Hacker Alliance?‘ he thought.
Briar shrugged and didn’t elaborate. “It’s fine. No one in the Hacker Alliance knows.”
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A glint flashed in Ashton’s dark eyes. Realizing this was likely another card Briar was keeping up her sleeve, he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he asked, “Did Louie and Kameron come with you?”
Briar pursed her lips. “No. I was afraid you powerful figures would clash, so I had them led elsewhere…”
“You were afraid that if we met, I’d get more information about your role at the DDC Vanguard Base from them, weren’t you?” he said.
Seeing that Ashton had seen right through her, Briar wasn’t embarrassed. She retorted confidently, “That’s right. And wouldn’t you?”
Ashton spoke slowly, “I can.”
Briar pursed her lips. “See? That solves the problem.”
It was amusing to think about. They were already an engaged couple, yet their conversations were full of mind games. She wondered if other engaged couples were like them.
Ashton chuckled, knowing he had upset her again. He took Briar’s hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it gently while coaxing, “I was wrong. I won’t do it again. Darling, don’t be angry…”
A tingling sensation ran through her fingers. Briar could not resist this kind of apology from Ashton. She turned her head toward the window and reluctantly mumbled, “Mhm… I’m not angry anymore.”
Ashton still did not let go of Briar’s hand, occasionally bringing it to his lips for a kiss.
Ashton had not lied to her two uncles when he said they would pass by a church. One of the hideouts they were tracking for Ben was indeed on a route that went past a church.
Nittel Cathedral was one of the largest and oldest cathedrals in Qathana and a place where many couples came to get their marriage licenses.
The car slowly stopped at the cathedral entrance. Briar looked at the solemn cathedral in shock. “You can’t be serious. Are you really here to get a marriage license?”
Ashton gave Briar no chance to back out. After getting out of the car, he put his arm around her and led her into the cathedral. The place should have been a famous, bustling tourist spot, but right now, the cathedral was empty except for a kind–faced priest waiting inside,
Ashton half–hugged and half–pulled Briar to the altar. Amid the pastor’s hurried yet solemn declarations, she went through the ceremony in a daze,
She heard the pastor’s final blessing. “And so, I hereby declare Mr. Ashton Wade and Ms. Briar Jennings officially husband and wife. May God bless your marriage, protect your love, and may your love be as eternal
and endless as God’s own love.”
And just like that, with a stamp on the marriage certificate, Briar and Ashton went from an engaged couple to newlyweds. It all happened so fast that Briar didn’t even know how she got back to the car with Ashton.
“My darling, from this day forward, may our lives be intertwined.” Ashton took the marriage certificate from Briar’s hand and carefully tucked it away in the car’s glove compartment. Seeing she was still in a daze, he
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Chapter 252
leaned in, cupped her face, and gently kissed her on the lips.
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The kiss was deep and passionate. Breathless, Briar slowly came back to her senses. She gazed at the handsome face so close to hers and whispered, “From this day forward, may our lives be intertwined.”
They embraced, their foreheads touching and breaths mingling. The whole thing, from entering to leaving the church, took less than half an hour, but the whirlwind moment was filled with happiness and the hopeful anticipation of a beautiful life together.
Ashton said, “Darling, I know the time and place aren’t right, but can you call me ‘Hubby‘ just once? I want to hear you say it.”
Briar blinked her misty eyes and, in a soft, slow voice, refused, “No.”
Ashton was relentless, pestering Briar until she finally gave in. Worn down by his persistence, she whispered almost inaudibly, “Hu… Hubby.”
Briar had only said “Hubby” to make him be quiet, but her whisper–soft voice had the opposite effect. It nearly turned Ashton into a ravenous wolf on the spot, ready to devour her whole.
Frightened, Briar struggled, reminding him to rein in his burning desire because they were still in the car.
However, Ashton replied that they were now a legally married couple, so any act of intimacy in the car was perfectly reasonable, and she could no longer refuse.
His shamelessness nearly made Briar pale from shame and anger. Fortunately, Ashton hadn’t been blinded by desire and still remembered they had important things to do.
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