Chapter 5 The mystery husband's secret
Chapter 5: The mystery Husband's Secrets
The solid beam of her desk lamp created multiple shadows throughout the room where Ariana sat at her spot. A sealed envelope with unbroken wax seal bore the emblem of her late grandfather who had been the powerful patriarch of Cameloe family.
She kept her fingers above the envelope in a tense moment between uncertainty and interest.
Married.
Her mind repeated the word as it hit her like an alien truth. She lived all her past life unaware of the truth despite its significance.
With an audible gasp Ariana sliced the envelope open. Law documents which included marriage records and notarized statements and a signed contract rested inside.
Her grandfather's.
An icy wave swept through her body upon realizing it.
Her marriage wasn't an accident. The man who supported their family in the past arranged this alliance.
Why?
She searched the papers until she found her husband's name but discovered only initial letters—J.R.—along with a large hereditary stamp.
Something wasn't right. Why would her grandfather plan such a thing if he wanted to keep it secret from her?
Ariana pressed her lips together. A single investigation was needed for clarity.
She required access to the marriage registry.
---
Artificial light illuminated the gleaming marble floors of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
while the room smelled of paperwork and polished wood.
Ariana showed her identification together with her marriage certificate to the clerk at the counter.
"I have to double-check a marriage document."
The clerk, an older man with glasses adjusted his spectacles to study the document that lay in front of him.
His face showed no signs of emotion before he looked down. His expression shifted when he focused on the family seal.
He twitched his fingers before sitting upright and becoming fully alert.
"Miss Cameloe received an apology from me because I lacked authorization to share additional details."
Ariana's stomach tightened.
She moved her body closer to the man to maintain a quiet tone. "This is my marriage certificate. As his wife I have the legal right to understand my husband's identity."
The clerk paused to scan his surroundings while making sure no one was listening in. He spoke softly to explain that the record had received high-security classification protection.
"The system have been sealed with high -security classified protection which denies any employee including me from viewing complete records."
The pressure of her nails made shallow indentations in her palm. Sealed? The marriage record exists under complete government registration protection.
She forced a polite smile. "I understand. Can you at least verify what the man's name begins with"
The clerk cut his words short by saying "have already shared too much" while squirming in his seat.
"If You want more information, I suggest speaking directly with ... Him."
The weight of those words pressed heavily on Ariana's chest.
Him.
The man she married possessed exclusive power to conceal official documents from the public.
The arrangement exceeded an ordinary arranged marriage to become a major event.
The pounding of her heart forced her to walk out of the building.
---
Midblock, Ariana moved forward while an ever-present watchful sensation tickled her vertebrae.
She stood watching without turning until she saw herself in the reflection of a nearby store window where a sleek black luxury car stopped across the street.
She felt sure that the person inside the window-tinted car was no regular bystander.
The moment stretched into only one brief pause before she faced the vehicle directly.
The instant she glanced at the vehicle the engine started purring and the car glided away before vanishing into the flow of traffic.
A calculated move.
Someone had been watching her.
Ariana exhaled slowly. The surveillance wasn't a product of her imagination because tracking had actually started.
But by whom?
Her mysterious husband? Antony? Someone else entirely?
Her fingers clenched. The person watching her had made a mistake thinking she would take a passive role in this situation.
The confident young woman of today refused to be the same sheltered person from her past.
Whoever was in that car she will find that person soon enough.
That evening, Ariana scanned financial documents from her study as she tried to reconstruct pieces of knowledge about her mysterious husband.
Jesse Ren.
The initials. The family seal.
Her husband.
Her heartbeat rushed through her ears.
Through her entire marriage she lived with a spouse she never recognized as the powerful business magnate now standing before her.
This individual maintained power equivalent to controlling most of the country.
Dark eyes, sharp features, an aura of quiet dominance.
His photograph showed a name that stood out in bold letters.
Whoever her husband was, he had the power to bury official records.
This wasn't just an arranged marriage—this was something much bigger.
Her heart pounded as she turned and left the building.
---
A Shadow Watching
As Ariana stepped onto the sidewalk, the feeling of being watched crept up her spine.
She didn't turn her head immediately, but in the reflection of a nearby shop window, she caught sight of a sleek, black luxury car parked across the street.
The tinted windows obscured whoever was inside, but something told her they weren't just an ordinary passerby.
She hesitated for only a second before turning fully toward the vehicle.
The moment her gaze locked onto it, the engine purred to life, and the car pulled away, disappearing smoothly into the traffic.
A calculated move.
Someone had been watching her.
Ariana exhaled slowly. This wasn't paranoia—she was being monitored.
But by whom?
Her mysterious husband? Antony? Someone else entirely?
Her fingers clenched. If they thought she would cower, they were mistaken.
She wasn't the naive girl she once was.
Whoever was in that car—she would find out soon enough.
---
Every lead she followed hit a dead end. Every inquiry, blocked.
Who was this man?
A notification suddenly popped up on her screen—Breaking News.
Ariana's breath hitched.
The news anchor's discussion about the businessman's deals and market expansion and ruthless reputation passed uninterrupted through her mind.
Dark eyes, sharp features, an aura of quiet dominance.
A name appeared in bold letters below his image.
Jessie Ren.
Ariana's breath hitched.
She barely registered the news anchor's voice as they discussed his latest acquisition, his growing influence in the global market, his reputation as an elusive yet ruthless businessman.
Jessie Ren.
The initials. The family seal.
Her husband.
Her pulse pounded in her ears.
The man she had unknowingly been married to all this time…
Was one of the most powerful figures in the country.