The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus)
Chapter 124

"You have no choice. You're forever my wife, and you are stuck with me for the rest of our lives." Could he read minds?

The chill of the ring warmed as it passed through his large, comforting hand and slipped onto her slender finger. Her tears, held back for so long, finally rolled down her face.

Around them, a round of applause erupted. Magnus, with an indulgent look on his face, wiped away her tears. "Baby, don't cry. You'll make me feel bad."

Natalia, weeping tears of pure joy, felt as though her life had become a rollercoaster. Magnus had divorced his wife and proposed to her - all in one day. It was happening so fast that she barely had time to process it all. She looked at Magnus as he awkwardly wiped away her tears, then burst out laughing.

Magnus was rendered speechless by her reaction.

"Natalia, you're scaring us with all this crying and laughing," Chase chimed in with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Natalia, you should kiss Magnus. Most proposals end with a kiss," James suggested cheekily.

At James's words, Natalia's face turned bright red. She was still sitting on Magnus' lap, with him staring at her with fiery, expectant gazes.

He bent down to kiss her eyes, but Natalia quickly pushed him away. "Stop it." she protested, but Magnus ignored her. He held her head with one hand and kissed her deeply, cutting off any protest she had left "Ahahaha. Magnus, you really are a man of action. We've been tortured enough, we'll leave you two lovebirds alone now." Chase and James jokingly covered their eyes as they left the room. This was the first time they'd ever seen Magnus act this way with a woman.

Magnus, ignoring them, held Natalia as they shared a loving and passionate kiss. They returned to Maplewood Manor as the sun was setting.

The Clarkson family had been informed of the situation. Kendra, who had been avoiding them, was shocked to learn that Magnus had managed to divorce her without her consent, thanks to a court ruling. What's more, Magnus had proposed to Natalia.

Infuriated, Kendra swore she'd make Natalia pay for this. "That Magnus. How dare he play me like this! And Natalia, that bitch!" Kendra fumed, gripping her cup so hard that it shattered when she threw it against the wall.

"Miss." The servants stared at her in shock. They were used to Kendra's temper, but they had never seen her this angry before.

"Get out! All of you, get out!" Kendra shouted, venting her anger on the innocent servants.

Addison, hearing the commotion from her room, rushed out to see Kendra. "My dear daughter, what happened? Is it that Natalia again."

"Mom! Stop it! I don't want to hear about her anymore." Kendra interrupted, confirming Addison's suspicions.

Addison realized that Kendra had changed after this incident. "Mom, Magnus proposed to Natalia." Kendra sobbed, burying her face in Addison's shoulder.

"Don't cry, my darling. It won't change anything. You're only making me feel worse," Addison comforted her, softly stroking Kendra's back.

"Mom, no matter what I do, I can't seem to outdo Natalia. What should I do? Now she's the wife of the CEO of Andersen Corporation. I've worked so hard, only to have it all benefit her. How can I get rid of her! Magnus even divorced me for her."

Kendra's words stirred something in Addison. She wiped away her tears and helped Kendra up. "If you can't do it, someone else can," Addison stared into Kendra's face and spoke word for word. Kendra immediately stopped crying. "Who?"

"Lucius." Both mother and daughter spoke the name simultaneously.

"But I've already offended him. I am too embarrassed to see him, and after all the harm I've done to him, there's no reason for him to help me," Kendra said, her voice trembling.

"He will help you. He has no other choice," Addison said, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Early the next day, Kendra dressed in a seductive red silk dress and meticulously applied makeup. "Let's meet," she wrote in a text message and sent it.

Lucius, the recipient of the message, could only laugh bitterly. "Sorry, I have nothing to say to a woman like you. Given our history, I'll let you go this time," he replied, throwing his phone to the side. He didn't want anything to do with her.

But soon, his phone lit up again. "Then you'll never have a chance to beat Magnus. You'll always be living in his shadow. Meet me at the coffee shop under your office at 6 p.m. It's up to you whether you show up or not," After writing these words, Kendra's hands were trembling. In reality, she wasn't sure whether Lucius would actually come. Everything she sent was taught to her by Addison, and she had no certainty about whether Lucius would buy her story.

At 6 p.m., in the coffee shop.

Kendra nervously clutched the coffee in her hands, her legs shaking involuntarily. Ten minutes had passed beyond the agreed-upon time, and there was still no sign of Lucius. Her anxiety grew.

Just as she was about to leave, a familiar towering figure caught her eye. It was Lucius. A wave of relief washed over Kendra. She took a moment to compose herself.

"So you did show up," Kendra said, her voice barely above a whisper. It was as if she had become a completely different person.

"Cut the crap, Kendra. What's your big plan?" Lucius snapped, his impatience and disdain for her evident. His eagerness to bring down Magnus was also clear.

"I don't have a plan, that's why I called you here. I thought we could brainstorm together."

"Ridiculous!" Lucius glared at her, standing up to leave.

"We're two peas in a pod right now, Lucius. If we want to bring down Magnus, we need to work together. You don't have a choice." Kendra quickly stood up, her voice determined.