The Lost Heiress Returned: Stay With Me, My Two-Faced Goddess

It was the peak of summer, and the space outside the City Hall in Oqruron was alive with activity.

Cathleen Stewart stood within the crowd, tiny beads of perspiration gathering across her forehead.

The smooth skin of her face and her long lashes made her strikingly beautiful, so much so that people found it hard not to stare. Yet her detached, almost distant air felt oddly mismatched with the oppressive heat and the surrounding commotion.

She was dressed in a worn-out shirt paired with simple jeans—her daily clothing.

She had spent the past twenty years living in isolation deep in the mountains. Never once had she expected that her first step after leaving that life behind would be getting married.

Her thoughts drifted back to the final words of Erin Warren, the person who had taken her in when she was an infant. She tilted her head slightly, looking up at the sky. Without a watch or a phone, she had no choice but to judge the time by the position of the sun.

By her estimate, it was close to three in the afternoon. A faint frown formed between her brows.

It was already three, yet the man she was meant to marry still hadn't shown up.

The blare of a car horn suddenly broke her thoughts. A black Maybach sedan slowly rolled to a stop beside the leaning tree nearby.

The passenger door swung open, and a well-dressed man stepped out briskly. He moved to the rear of the vehicle and opened the door with clear deference for whoever sat inside.

When the man seated in the back stepped out, even Cathleen found herself slightly taken aback, one eyebrow lifting.

His face was sharply defined, with a clean, angular jaw. He stood tall, his presence commanding, his broad shoulders tapering down to a trim waist. Both his build and appearance could only be described as flawless.

"Cathleen Stewart?" he asked, his tone cold as the words left his lips.

Cathleen met his eyes and gave a small nod. "Yes, that's me."

"I'm Matthew Spencer. Let's go." Without another word, he turned and headed straight for the entrance, making no effort to wait for her.

Momentarily caught off guard, Cathleen hurried after him and called out, "Wait!"

Matthew stopped and glanced back with a slight scowl, his eyes carrying an unmistakable warning. "I only have ten minutes for this."

A hint of irritation stirred within Cathleen. Was he really that eager to rush through a marriage?

Erin had once owed Matthew's grandfather, Edmund Spencer, a significant debt of gratitude. As she lay dying, she made Cathleen promise to marry into the Spencer family as a way of repaying that favor. If not for that obligation, Cathleen would have turned around and left the instant she encountered someone as insufferable as Matthew.

Before Cathleen could respond, Matthew had already entered the City Hall.

Years of rigorous physical training in the mountains had kept Cathleen in excellent condition, so despite Matthew's