I Am Not Your Husband

"What makes you think I'm not Justin Harper? Have you seen me before?" The man asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Even if I hadn't seen him, I could tell you are not him," Natalie replied confidently.

"May I know how?"

She looked into his eyes and answered, "There are many reasons, but this is the most important: You don't look like someone who feels he owns the entire world. However, you do look like someone who works for such a person—a person important enough to dare to impersonate him."

The man was taken aback by her reply, but kept his calm until he received any order from his boss. 

"Then, do I look like the one who owns the world?" A deep and dignified voice interrupted their conversation. 

Natalie turned her head to the left to see a tall man standing at one of the doors to another room, wearing a pricey black suit, looking straight at her. With deep-set eyes, long and arched eyebrows, and thin lips, he had a dignified, distinguished look. With his sharp features and dashing looks he gave off an undeniable air of nobility and elegance just by standing there.

Justin Harper.

For a moment she felt like it was a dream, she was finally meeting the man who had his picture attached in her wedding certificate. The man walked towards the sofa to sit in his place. Noah emptied the place for Justin and stood on one side of the sofa, resuming his role of an attentive assistant.

On the other hand, Natalie found it difficult to take her eyes off of this man and followed him till he sat opposite to her. His deep gaze met her still one. He raised a brow at how boldly she was staring at him without saying a word. 

Snapping back to her senses, Natalie felt awkward and picked up the glass of water from the table, taking a few sips. She could feel his piercing gaze on her, and suddenly, his presence felt overpowering. He hadn't said anything, yet there was an aura about him that left others feeling pressured and quiet. Was it because he could be her husband, or was he simply the kind of person who emitted such an imposing aura?

"I hope now you don't mind answering the question my assistant asked earlier," Justin began. "Why are you looking for me, Ms. Ford?"

She cleared her throat as she placed the glass of water on the table. "Mr. Harper, I am Natalie Ford—"

"I do watch and read the news," Justin interrupted her, indicating that he was aware of the scandalous news about her. "You are quite famous, I must say."

She felt a surge of irritation at his words. This was the man that was responsible for her latest scandal, but he was now pretending to be ignorant. "I wish to strangle the one who made me infamous."

"Thoughts of self harm can be a sign of psychological issues, Ms Ford," Justin commented with a raised eyebrow. 

Her brows knitted in rising anger at his words. He was basically blaming her for her situation, implying that he had nothing to do with it! She wished to shout that she was the victim here.

Justin could clearly sense her anger and found himself enjoying provoking her. "Ms. Ford, it seems I am the first to diagnose you with potential psychological issues. But I'm sure I will not be the last."

Natalie truly felt like strangling this man. He was infuriating not with just his almighty presence but with his words as well. 

'Calm down, Nat. Anger is not going to take you anywhere. This is not Xyros.' 

She inhaled deeply to calm herself before she began, "Mr. Harper, do you have another identity besides the one you currently own?"

"No?" His deep, authoritative voice reached her ears. She observed his expressions and felt he wasn't lying. But then, people in the business world could be skilled at hiding their true thoughts.

"Do you, by chance, have a twin brother, Mr. Harper?"

"No."

"Do you know a man named Aiden Handrix?"

"No."

Natalie opened her bag and pulled out a document. She placed it on the table. "Maybe this can refresh your memory."

Noah picked up the document and handed it to Justin. Curious, Justin looked at it, only to receive the shock of his life. The man that this newfound stepsister of his is said to have married looks exactly like him. 

If not for the different name written on it, he might have thought it was him, and would have been even more annoyed to see that he had married his stepsister. 

If not for the different name, he might have torn this document right away.

Justin controlled his emotion and acted unaffected. He handed it back to Noah to give it back to Natalie. Noah finally looked into it and was equally shocked as Justin. He could not help exchanging glances between Justin and the picture on the document. How much he tried to find a difference, he failed and asked himself, 'Does he really have a missing twin brother?'

"Ms Ford, may I ask for your intentions in meeting me?" Justin asked, sounding calm and composed. 

"I believe you're smart enough to understand it, Mr. Harper," she said, turning to Noah. "Mr. Assistant, you can go and check the authenticity of this wedding certificate before your boss accuses me of forging a fake one."

Noah looked at Justin, who nodded in agreement. Noah immediately left, knowing they needed to verify the document's authenticity on their end. It was hard to believe there could be someone out there who looked exactly like Justin. Even if it wasn't for Natalie's sake, they needed to investigate for Justin's protection. Given Justin's position, it wasn't safe to have a double out there.

Justin turned to Natalie. "So, you think I'm your husband?" he asked, feeling ridiculous inside, as the woman in front of him was his stepsister. However, he had to keep their true relationship from her until he knew her better and was sure she wasn't greed driven.

"After seeing that wedding certificate, any sane person would make a similar guess," she answered. 

"But I must disappoint you—I am neither Aiden Handrix nor your husband."