The Mightiest Tycoon

2. Who Do You Think You Are?

The process of obtaining the marriage certificate was even simpler than when Richards joined the army. 

The only blunder was that the staff member, seeing Hannah's stiff, deadpan face, very tactfully reminded her: "This is where you get your marriage certificate; the divorce certificate is next door."

After completing the marriage registration, Richards, sitting in the luxury car, hesitated for a long time before pulling out an Amex prepaid card and handing it to Hannah: "Here is 50,000 dollars. Buy whatever you like as a bride price. Don't worry, even if we have a marriage of convenience, I won't mistreat you."

Hannah didn't answer, driving without looking to the side: "Save that little bit of your demobilization pay for your next marriage."

Richards raised an eyebrow, thinking that this woman was quite understanding, so he temporarily put aside his male pride and didn't argue.

"Where are we going?" Richards glanced at the dazzling night view outside the car window and put away her bank card.

"To my house," Hannah said indifferently. Just a few days ago, her grandmother prepared a luxurious wedding room for the newlyweds.

"What do you mean?" Richards's face darkened upon hearing this: "You want me to move in with you and become a live-in son-in-law?"

"So what?" Hannah tacitly agreed.

"We, the soldiers of the Northern Confederate Army, are all men of iron will!" Richards said emotionally. "To ask me to be a kept man is an insult to the American Army!"

"Oh," Hannah replied casually. "Okay."

“If you want me to marry into your family, you better drive back to the court right now and let’s get a divorce!” Richards insisted.

"Do you want to go to that budget residence you're staying at instead of my place?" Hannah frowned, a hint of impatience flashing in her beautiful eyes. Now that they've registered their marriage, they're officially a newlywed couple. Are they going to have their wedding night at a low-cost apartment?

“The reason I stay in places like this is because I’m used to wandering around,” Richards said with a deep look in his eyes. “However, now that we’re married, I’ll give you a better place soon. But for now, welcome to paradise.”

"Huh?" Hannah felt nauseous; this damned guy.

“Number 108, Happiness Lane,” Richards said proudly, announcing the full address. “I owned this first property of mine when I was eighteen, so I guess it'sa win-win situation for me.”

Hannah felt even more upset after hearing this. Kingstown, as a major demolition area in the old coastal town, had already been largely demolished. Was my first night as a newlywed going to be spent in a dilapidated building?

Hannah's psychological defenses collapsed several times.

The luxury car drove through a pile of ruins and headed toward a dilapidated six-story building. In the distance, bulldozers were working day and night, making deafening noise.

"This is your first house. You really won in life." Hannah glanced at Richards sideways. Watching him make a fool of herself is currently her only way to vent her emotions.

Richards looked around for a while and sighed, "Ten years have passed since I last came back, and everything has changed."

Hannah grunted, not wanting to press his weak point any further, and said firmly, "Are you sure you want to stay here tonight?"

In such dilapidated buildings, the water and electricity may have been cut off, and the loud noise from the nearby construction sites is even more of a headache.

Forget about sleeping, even staying here a little longer will cause neurasthenia.

“Of course,” Richards said calmly. “And I also have some good news to tell you.”

"Hmm?" Hannah frowned slightly. Tonight was the darkest moment of her life. But she also wanted to know what good news she could have.

"While you're still complaining about marrying a useless cook like me, that cook has already transformed into a homeowner receiving compensation for his soon-to-be-demolished house." Richards rolled down the car window, his gaze resolute as he lit a cigarette. "Let me be frank with you, if I don't get hundreds of thousands in compensation for this house, I'll rot and die in there."

Then the Porsche braked sharply and stopped in front of the dilapidated building.

Hannah really wanted to tell Richards that the company behind the demolition project in this area was Aerial Group, which she was in charge of. With just one phone call from her, she could pay out not just hundreds of thousands of dollars, but millions as well. But looking at Richards's shameless and unruly appearance, Hannah's only thought was to embarrass him.

"Come on, let me show you around our wedding room." Richards got out of the car and walked confidently toward the narrow stairwell.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Richards pushed open the door, revealing a cramped living room that stretched out before her.

The outdated decor and furniture, in a one-bedroom apartment of less than 50 square meters, hold more than a decade of memories for Richards.

To be fair, this house was not even as big as Hannah's study.

"Don't be shy, make yourself at home." Richards entered the house first, acting like the host.

Hannah followed cautiously into the house, afraid of stepping on anything dirty, let alone sitting down. She was filled with despair Was this a place for humans to live?

Seeing Hannah standing helplessly in the living room, the dim yellow light shone on her fair, jade-like face, then slid down to her full breasts and beautifully curved hips, Richards exhaled a breath of stale air and took the initiative to concede: "There's hot water in the bathroom, you go take a shower first, I'll make the bed."

Hannah nearly suffered a heart attack. Even the bed had to be made on the spot.

Upon entering the restroom, Hannah's vision went blank. The space was so narrow that it was difficult to turn around, and although the floor had been cleaned, there were stains everywhere that couldn't be wiped off.

After calming down in the bathroom for a few minutes, Hannah walked towards the master bedroom with a blank expression.

"You're done washing so quickly?" Richards had already made the bed and was now making a makeshift bed on the floor next to it. He had previously said that they could share a room, but not a bed. When he turned around, he saw Hannah standing at the door, dressed neatly. She didn't look like she had just taken a shower; she probably hadn't even washed her hands. "You don't shower before bed? Can't you pay a little more attention to personal hygiene?"

"So you know that showering is for hygiene?" Hannah asked coldly. "Is your bathroom hygienic?"

"How is it unhygienic?" Richards asked, tidying up the bedding on the floor. "I cleaned it just two days ago; it was spotless. If you don't believe me, touch it. If you can feel any dust, I'll lick it all off for you!"

“It’s seeped into the wall, you really can’t touch it.” Hannah’s red lips parted slightly, too lazy to argue. She glanced at the brand-new bedding on the bed and the neat but obviously simple makeshift bed on the floor, and her resentment eased a little.

At least, this guy kept his word and didn't intend to cross the line.

"Hey, why do you have so many excuses?" Richards asked irritably. After a pause, he patted the bedding on the floor and said, "Try the firmness. If it's not right, I'll add another blanket for you."

"Try the what?" Hannah was speechless.

“Otherwise?” Richards said matter-of-factly. “When I was in the army, I suffered a serious back injury, and the army doctor told me that I had to sleep on a soft bed to protect my back. But for someone like you who sits in an office all day, sleeping on a hard bed is better for your back.”

Hannah was completely dumbfounded. She had never seen such a shameless freak as Richards before. The most fatal thing was that she had just registered her marriage with him.

"I'm sleepy, let's wash up and go to bed." Seeing Hannah standing there silently, Richards yawned and said. After saying that, he carried a red basin full of toothpaste and towels into the bathroom, too lazy to pay attention to this spoiled young lady with all sorts of bad habits.

You're the one who's shamelessly insisting on marrying me, and I'm expected to fawn over you? Dream on!

After taking a pleasant hot shower in the bathroom, Richards came out wearing comfortable pajamas. Just as he was about to curl up on the sofa for a pre-bedtime cigarette, there was a knock on the door.

The knocking was steady and forceful, yet aggressive.

Richards raised an eyebrow. He had just returned here. Who would come knocking on his door in the middle of the night? He weakly opened the door and glanced at the man standing outside.

He was very handsome, very stylish, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and thin, ruthless lips. His impeccably tailored suit accentuated his cold and aloof demeanor, making him appear even more imposing.

The man stood there at the doorway, like an iron tower, suffocating everyone. "Are you Richards?"

"Yes, that's me." Richards nodded slightly. He didn't recognize the man. "Who are you?"

"Is Hannah staying here tonight?" The man didn't answer but questioned.

As suspected, they came for Hannah. Was he the ex-boyfriend with whom she still has feelings? Richards smiled innocently and said, "Yes, she just lay down after taking a shower."

"If you dare touch her!" The man's body erupted with murderous intent. "You're a dead man!"