Flash Marriage: Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

"You shameless creature! You didn't care for a decent dowry so you've sold yourself cheap!"

Clothes and art supplies were thrown at Emily Smith, scattering all over the floor.

She sat in the hallway, clutching a faded white canvas bag filled with her belongings, both personal and artistic. A gust of wind rushed through, an old painting board was also tossed away, grazing Emily Smith's face before falling onto the floor, leaving a streak of blood on her visage.

Emily barely had time to cry out in pain, as she hastily gathered her belongings, her tears blurring her vision.

Meanwhile, Sophia Smith continued to chastise: "You've slept with another man, but at the very least, couldn't you have chosen someone wealthy? Who knows, you might've transformed from a lowly caterpillar into a phoenix! Now you're carrying the worthless child of an unknown man, you can't even bring yourself to abandon it, with its father working at a hotel, what future could this bastard child have?"

No sooner than her mother had finished speaking, Emily heard her stepfather David loudly proclaim: "Make her abort and marry her off to the Johnson family's son! Now with her pregnant, we don't know how much dowry we can claim!"

Emily's room had long been transformed into her younger brother, John Smith's, video game room, with only a folding bed tucked into a corner as her sleeping place.

Now, even this last tiny corner had been taken from her.

"So young and already pregnant? She deserves to be kicked out."

"That's right, I heard she was engaged to the Johnsons, who would want such an immoral person?"

The neighbors hearing the commotion opened their doors to watch, pointing fingers and gossiping about Emily.

One sympathetic observer unable to bear the sight remarked: "It's about to rain, and the hallway window is broken. She's so young, staying here overnight, she'll fall ill?"

Enduring the penetrating gazes, Emily gritted her teeth and packed all her belongings into a single suitcase.

"Bang!" The door suddenly slammed shut before her, Emily gathering some of her belongings, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Her abdomen had been kicked by her stepfather David and was yet to recover, causing her vision to darken from the pain.

A few minutes later, Emily regained her composure, squatted down, picked up the crumpled medical report from the ground, stuffed it into her bag, then struggled with her luggage down the stairs.

She couldn't just sit there and await her fate.

She had to find a way to survive for herself and her unborn child.

Night had fallen, dark clouds swirling ominously overhead, signalling a heavy summer rain.

"Boom~"

A flash of lightning jolted her, sending an unexpected shiver down her spine.

Ignoring the pain in her body, she picked up her rustic luggage, walking step by step towards the Salaca Hotel.

Her mobile phone had run out of battery and shut down, the money on her had been stolen by Sophia Smith, she was left with no choice but to walk.

The Salaca Hotel was the largest seven-star hotel in the city, located on Financial Street at the heart of the city. Its 88-floor glass skyscraper was a unique landmark of the city.

Walking under the rain for almost an hour, Emily finally reached the entrance, anxiously taking shelter next to a flower bed.

Against the glaring lights in the background, she sat there, drenched and desolate, looking like a pitiful homeless person.

Because he worked there, she would wait. Eventually, he would come out, wouldn't he?

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. Emily spotted a tall man in a vest hurrying out of the hotel not too far away.

Emily's eyes brightened, she dropped her luggage and ran towards the man, "James Williams..."

The man, called by name, halted and looked over at her, frowning.

Emily brushed her wet hair off her face with her hand, clutching the test result in her hand, trying to muster a smile, "Do you remember me? Three months ago, we..."

"I remember, what do you want?" The man curtly interrupted her.

Emily was taken aback, seeing the man impatiently checking his watch in front of her, she hurriedly spoke, "I'm pregnant and have been kicked out of my home... The baby is yours, could I stay at your place for a few days?"

Upon hearing this, James's expression, originally cold, turned frostier still, "I'll give you the money, go have an abortion."

"An abortion?"

She opened her mouth, only for darkness to swoop in before her eyes, and then she promptly collapsed.

Upon regaining consciousness, she found herself in a small, unfamiliar room, a thin blanket covering her.

Recalling the fainting incident at the hotel, she jolted up, hastily surveying her surroundings.

The lighting in this place was poor, shrouded in dim, dusty shadows that hinted at an odor of dust and mildew.

"Creak-" a noise echoed.

The rusty iron door was pushed open, and the light from outside pierced in.

Instinctively, she glanced in that direction.

A man, dressed in a suit and shirt, stepped in.

Tall and imposing, his head almost touching the not-so-high iron door.

Despite his ruggedly handsome face, his deep-set eyes were frigid, and an aura of aloofness radiated from him, rendering her a tad jittery.

She was slightly bewildered, a mere servant with such a dominating presence?

Seeing Emily regain consciousness, the man didn't seem surprised, casually uttering: "Awake, are we?"

After a feverish night without antibiotics, her swift recovery was surprising, he thought to himself.

His voice was pleasing, deep and slightly seductive.

She instinctively nodded, observing the man approaching her, a tinge of fear prompting her to clutch the thin blanket tightly.

James noticed her small gestures, reaching out for a paper that lay on the table.

"If you're awake, let's continue discussing the child."

She bit her lip, recalling before she fainted, how he seemed to be planning an abortion for her, a flicker of fear flashed in her eyes.

"I... I want to keep the child!"

"A woman has the right to determine the child's fate, and the father, married or not, has an obligation to provide!"

James Williams, upon hearing this, furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly irritated. He fetched a cigarette from the box, put it to his lips, about to light it, but something occurred to him, and he put it back.

His inky-black eyes lifted, his tone firm, "How can I be certain that the child is mine?"

Hearing this, Emily's unease instantly turned into anger, but looking into the man's tranquil, ebony eyes, as if he was just asking a simple question, she managed to contain her fury.

Three months ago, she had drank too much at her close friend Daisy's wedding, accidentally ended up in his room, and when she woke up, she didn't know how to face him and quietly slipped away.

It was only when dressing herself that she noticed a staff badge of the Salaca hotel thrown on the floor amongst the man's clothes, leading her to conclude that he must be a hotel employee.

A one-night stand, suspicions like these were not out of place.

She opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but the memory of that night brought a blush to her face.

The man's physical prowess was truly commendable...

Her voice stiffened: "You saw that night, the faint red...on the bedsheet... As for the child, if you truly have doubts, we can wait until its birth and perform a paternity test."

James, noticing her flaming red ears, seemed to be deep in thought.

Her response that night did indeed seem like her first time.

Based on his investigations, Emily didn't know his real identity, only assuming he was a humble hotel worker.

Her nature was gentle and soft, and it seemed unlikely that she had the gall to deceive anyone.

But no matter who it was, hearing the name Williams could stir small anxieties. To avoid trouble, he had chosen to conceal his identity and continue playing the "employee" with no prospects, bringing her to this dilapidated room.

Seeing his lack of response, Emily continued, "Rest assured, I won't cling to you. But right now, I've been thrown out of the house, so I hope I can stay in your room temporarily during my pregnancy."

If she were to go home, her mother and stepfather would still force her to get an abortion, arrange a marriage with the Johnsons, and demand a dowry to fulfill her younger brother's gaming coach dreams.

She had spent more than a decade under their control and didn't want the rest of her life to be defined as the "one supporting her brother," ruining her own life.

After all, who can let themselves be drowned in their own life?

As long as she had a place to stay, for everything else, she could always find a way.

James glanced at her, stood up, and in a frosty tone, stated: "You want to stay, fine, but you have to marry me."