Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law-Chapter 445 - 444: Bowl of Turtle Soup (1)_1

A taxi quietly pulled up in front of Hansen Ruiz’s villa and stopped. A man, bearing a resemblance to Hansen, got out of the taxi, then gestured for the driver to leave quickly. Once the taxi drove away, the man furtively hurried toward Hansen’s villa.

Hansen seemed to expect his arrival and had been waiting for him at home.

The man had barely reached the villa’s door, and before he could even ring the bell, Hansen strode out from inside.

He approached the door and, through the ornate gate, asked the man, "Did you bring me what I need?"

"I brought it, big brother. Aren’t you going to let me in? I’m risking getting skinned alive by mom to help you out, and you won’t let me in. That’s pretty immoral, don’t you think?" The man was Simon Ruiz, Hansen’s younger brother. Mrs. Ruiz had confidently named them, believing that the combination of her sons’ names, "Hansen" and "Simon," signified they would become exceptional men of great charm and grace.

Hansen opened the gate, and Simon darted into the villa, heading straight for the Main House. Once inside, he began an intensive search, checking everywhere, as though he was looking for someone.

Hansen walked in and leisurely took a seat on the sofa. He picked up the glass of red wine he had been drinking and, with one arm resting on the arm of the sofa, lazily sipped his wine, completely ignoring his brother’s actions.

"Where’s my future sister-in-law?" After scouring the whole Main House without finding any trace of Rachel Bailey, Simon finally sat down across from Hansen. Seeing Hansen drinking red wine and noticing spare glasses on the coffee table, he poured himself a glass. After a few sips, he looked at Hansen and asked, "Big brother, with your cold, cunning, and domineering nature, how could my sister-in-law have disappeared? I thought you’d gotten her pregnant already, and that’s why you were in such a hurry to register." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Simon and Hansen seemed to get along extremely well, as Simon spoke freely without any fear of Hansen getting angry.

After finishing the wine in his glass, Simon pulled out a red booklet from a hidden pocket in his suit. It was a household registration book—the Ruiz Family’s.

Several days prior, he had received a call from Hansen, who instructed him to sneak the registration book away from their mother when she wasn’t looking and bring it here.

Afraid of being discovered by his mother, he hadn’t even dared to drive his own car, having reported that he was away on a business trip.

"Here’s what you asked for, big brother." Simon handed the household registration book to Hansen, poured himself another glass of wine, sank into the sofa, and sighed. "Big brother, you’re so brave; only you would dare to defy our family’s matriarch. Our youngest brother and I are both completely under her thumb. But the most pitiable one is our dad."

Hansen took the household registration book, flipped through it to verify its authenticity, and then called Rachel. He told her to bring her household registration book and meet him in front of the Civil Affairs Office at three in the afternoon. Rachel was bewildered. Her household registration book was still with her parents in the Bailey Family village—how could she possibly bring it to the Civil Affairs Office by three?

Hansen didn’t elaborate further. Just as he’d had Simon retrieve their family’s household registration book from their mother, he had also anticipated Rachel’s situation. He had already sent someone to the Bailey Family village to obtain her household registration book from Rachel’s father, delivering generous betrothal gifts in the process—all of which Rachel was completely unaware.

"Rachel, are you willing to marry me?" Hansen asked softly.

Rachel was silent for a moment on the other end, then said with a hint of playful annoyance, "Our families have already met. Do you even need to ask?"

A smile instantly appeared on Hansen’s lips; the heavy burden in his heart finally lifted. Simon, seated opposite him, perked up his ears, eagerly absorbing his brother’s tender words. Despite his future sister-in-law not being anything special and seeming quite ordinary, she had managed to capture his brother’s heart, making him willing to enter the ’grave of marriage.’

Yes, in Simon’s eyes, marriage was indeed a grave. Look at their father! He had been buried for a lifetime because he married their mother. He was still buried now, and as a result, Simon, their son, was also affected.

He had no desire to get married, afraid of ending up with a wife who, like his mother, appeared elegant and dignified on the outside but was, in reality, domineering and authoritarian.

After Hansen finished the call with Rachel, he cast a cold glance toward his brother and said irritably, "You think I’m like you? Only into ’fast food’?"

Simon might not be married, but he was constantly seen with a stream of new women. He was callous about love and never sought a genuine connection—the complete opposite of Hansen’s self-discipline.

"Fast food doesn’t come with strings attached. It’s mutual consent. I want their bodies, they want my money—it’s a fair exchange," Simon replied nonchalantly. Then, putting on a pitiful expression, he added, "Big brother, Mom is already on her way here. After you register this afternoon, make sure you return the registration book so I can put it back in its place at home before Mom finds out. Though, she’ll probably find out anyway. If Mom metaphorically kills me over this and I lose everything, remember to compensate me with half of your current assets, okay?"

Hansen just gave him a sidelong look and ignored him.

He made another call to confirm if the person he had sent to the Bailey Family village to retrieve Rachel’s household registration book had completed their mission. He learned that the task was successful: Rachel’s father’s trust had been secured, the mission gloriously accomplished, and the person was already back in T City, waiting downstairs at the Emerald Garden Building. Upon hearing this, Hansen became somewhat impatient. He took the household registration book, straightened his white suit, and, feeling spirited and impeccably groomed, decided it was time to head out and take Rachel to register.

It would be a swift affair. Once the marriage certificate was in hand, Rachel would legally be his wife. The matriarch’s anger and opposition would then be useless. She would have to accept it, whether she wanted to or not.

Simon also leapt up, wanting to follow, and quickly made an excuse, "My brother’s getting married; I’ll be his witness!"

Witness, my foot!

Hansen turned his head, his gaze sinister as it fell coldly upon Simon. Simon’s excuse faltered, and his smile turned sheepish.