Proposal

Fiona was frowning. She tightened her grip around the piece of paper, hoping to stop her arms from shaking. The documents were very thorough. It showed an examination of the doctor who operated on her mother, showing that she was experiencing some tremors on her hand and foot. This was taken four weeks before her mother’s surgery.

The document also contained some signatures of her father.

“Do you believe me now?” Luca asked. “Of course, it’s fine if you don’t believe me. You can always ask your father. I’m sure with all this proof, your old man won’t deny anything.”

“And in return, you want me to become your secretary?” The email files that she read said that he needed her to act as a secretary to protect him from the women who liked him. Silly. However, Fiona understood that some wealthy people just needed to spend their money on something.

“That was before I knew you were a Chen.”

“Excuse me?” Why did her family matter?

“Well… my mother died the same way as your mother. Except your father was the surgeon.”

“You—“

“I think… he received some payments from my now stepmother and late father. Though, I cannot confirm this.”

The revelation made her speechless. She squinted. “Were you in that bar because of my sister?”

He chuckled. “What do you think?”

Did she just ruin his plan? “You can’t blame me for that.”

“I’m not blaming you. I invited you to my room.” He made a deliberate pause. “And I don’t regret anything.”

She gulped as the memories of that night resurfaced in her head. Like a firecracker, bits and pieces of their short affair exploded inside her, causing tremors and electric pulses down her stomach. She cursed inwardly.

“So you wanted me to spy for my father? I am a bodyguard. I am not some secret agent.”

“I know,” he mumbled and calmly leaned forward. His strong aftershave assaulted her senses. She leaned back.

“You are too close.”

He chuckled. “Sorry… I thought we are already considered close.”

Jesus… was this man for real?

“My point is, I would help you find out the truth about your mother’s death while you help me with mine. Win—win. Don’t you think so?”

“What’s the catch?” She felt suspicious. He was a businessman. How could he accept anything without any profits?

“You will marry me.”

Fiona stared at him. Then she blinked. “Marry who?”

“Me. Luca Han of HICI. I’m sure becoming Mrs. Han isn’t such a bad thing, right?” His lips lifted into a confident smirk.

“A contracted marriage?”

“No. I don’t need any contracts. I want to marry you.”

“Mr. Han, this arrangement is just—insane. Are you still drunk?” She couldn’t help but ask. What the hell was this? She fought the urge to touch his forehead, to know if he was having some sort of fever. Perhaps this was some hallucination?

“No, Miss Chen. I want to become your husband. I have no interest in you and any other women. I want to use you as a shield. I want someone smart and talented to stand by my side.”

“Do you—Do you understand what you are trying to say, Mr. Han?” She had heard about contracted marriage. Marriages with a lot of conditions, but this was the first time she heard about something like this.

Gay. Bisexual.

He must be, right? There was no other explanation! Luca said he wanted to use her as a shield. Didn’t this mean he wasn’t planning to reveal his sexuality to everyone? This was the only plausible reason why he would want to marry her.

“I do. In this marriage, I would like two conditions. You can do whatever you want as long as you won’t cheat on me. If you cheat on me, a divorce will come. First, during the divorce, you wouldn’t receive a dime from my wealth. I will arrange everything for you to make your life comfortable. Aside from that… Nada.”

He held two of his fingers. “Second, I saw your records. I know what you are capable of. In case… I would die ahead of you or get wounded by you, there will be nothing for you. Please understand that this is me trying to protect myself from someone who could easily kill me in my sleep.”

“…” She didn’t know what to say.

It seemed that Mr. Han’s plan was already well thought out? “So, let me get this clear. You want me to become your wife? In exchange, you will help me find out the truth about my mother’s death?” She snorted and continued, “You do understand that I can actually find out the truth by myself, right? I have options, Mr. Han. I am not some desperate Cinderella. I can protect myself and I don’t need anyone’s help to solve my own problems for me.”

“Damn… you are difficult.”

She lifted her chin and smirked. “I am taking that as a compliment.”

“Any girl would immediately agree to marry someone like me.”

“I am not just any girl.”

“Figured as much.” Luca gave a tight-lipped smile. Then he leaned back. “If you come back now… your father would probably accept you. After all, you are a successful businesswoman. A millionaire.”

Fiona already knew this. In the past years, she had been receiving calls from her father. Every time, the man would invite her to come back.

“What do you think would happen next? You are already twenty-eight. Single. Do you think…he would consider your feelings when it comes to your marriage?”

Fiona’s brows furrowed. Her father was simply the most ruthless man she knew. He would definitely prioritize benefits above her will.

“That is only applicable if I accept them too,” Fiona said. When her fiancé back then cheated with her sister, everyone in the family thought it was her mistake. Why would her fiancé cheat on her if she was a good woman?

That devastated her.

She immediately knew it was because she already lost her license. To them…she was just an empty vessel. Someone useless!