"Marriage? That's a huge deal for , sir. I can't just treat it like a ga or a business strategy. Please... find soone else. With a face like yours, I'm sure you won't have any trouble replacing ." Bianca said firmly.
"A face like mine?" Adrian raised an eyebrow. His expression stayed unreadable, but there was a distinct glint of amusent in his eyes. "Care to explain what you an by a face like mine?"
Bianca fumbled. "Uhm, I an... well, you know, you're... uhhh..."
"Handso, rich, and sexy?" Adrian offered, finishing her sentence with a tiny smirk.
Bianca's jaw dropped.
What the... did he just... did he actually say that?
Never in a million years did she think she'd hear Adrian Williams describe himself as sexy out loud.
"Close your mouth unless you want a fly to get in," he added coolly.
Bianca instantly clamped her lips shut.
"Exactly," she muttered under her breath, trying to steer them back to the original topic. "You know all that about yourself."
"Yes, I do," he said casually. "Most won are attracted to for those very reasons. My looks. My wealth. And that's exactly why I chose you, Bianca."
She blinked. "Excuse ?"
"I asked you to marry because I know you're not attracted to . And even though that bruises my ego a little—" he said, placing a hand over his chest in mock pain, "I believe you're the best option I have."
Bianca stared at him.
Wow. Okay. He really said that with his whole chest, huh?
"That's your reason?" she asked, incredulous.
"That's my reason," he confird without hesitation. "You're the only woman I know who hasn't thrown herself at . And believe , finding soone who genuinely doesn't care about my face or my bank account? Not easy."
"Maybe there's soone out there like that, but finding her would take ti. Ti I don't have."
"So, please, help out, Bianca. Just this once."
***
Even though Bianca had stubbornly refused Adrian's proposal, sohow after enough persuasion, pressure, and a ridiculous list of promises, she gave in.
She had officially agreed to his crazy idea.
The next day, just like Adrian had planned, the two of them were now on their way to the hospital where his grandfather was being treated.
"You don't mind if I play so music, do you?" Adrian asked, glancing at Bianca from the corner of his eye.
"Go ahead. It's your car. You don't need my permission, sir." Her voice was flat, her eyes locked on the road ahead.
For most of the ride, Bianca said nothing. She kept her gaze out the window, choosing the city traffic over conversation with her boss slash soon to be fake husband.
Every question Adrian asked was t with the shortest possible reply. Bianca wasn't just being cold, she was practically frozen.
And honestly? It drove Adrian crazy.
"What's going on with you?" he finally snapped. "Can you try not to treat like the enemy? Let's not forget, I'm still your boss."
Bianca exhaled slowly, her eyes still focused on the road. "Look, Mr. Williams... I want to talk about what we discussed yesterday."
Adrian frowned. He didn't like the sound of that. "Our discussion yesterday? What about it?"
Bianca shifted in her seat, turning toward him slightly. "I've been thinking. Sure, I don't like you now. But what if that changes? What if... soday I start developing feelings—"
"For ?" Adrian cut in, finishing her sentence, sounding entirely too smug.
Bianca burst out laughing.
The sound startled Adrian. Her laugh was so warm and unexpected, it sent a weird jolt through him. Before he could stop himself, the corners of his mouth lifted into a soft smile.
Damn it. She actually laughs like that?
"You wish," Bianca scoffed, shooting him a look. "That's not where I was going. You're not my type. There's a very slim chance I'll ever fall for you."
She smirked at him, amused and just a little bit smug.
Adrian blinked. Okay, that stung more than he cared to admit.
Not her type, huh?
Well. That was a first.
Adrian didn't quite buy Bianca's answer.
"What I ant earlier was, what if I end up falling for soone else?" Bianca finished the sentence Adrian had so confidently interrupted.
But Adrian didn't hear that part.
His brain had latched onto just one thing. Her words echoed like a cursed ringtone inside his head.
You're not my type.
That one stung more than he expected.
"Why am I not your type?" he asked, eyes still fixed on the road but his tone clearly wounded.
Bianca rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Seriously? That's what you picked up from what I just said? That you're not my type? And now you want to know why?"
"Yes. Why am I not your type? What's wrong with ?" he pushed again, clearly not ready to let it go.
Unbelievable. Was this really happening?
Bianca sighed. "I don't know. You're just... not it. That's all."
She didn't even an it to be harsh, it was just the truth.
Adrian scoffed, still in disbelief. "Then tell . What is your type?"
Bianca hesitated for a mont, then looked at him sideways.
"Well, definitely not soone like you," she said, voice lower now, as if trying not to hurt his pride too much but the words still landed with a thud.
Adrian suddenly pulled the car over. The sudden motion made Bianca's heart skip a beat.
Still gripping the steering wheel, he turned slightly toward her, his expression unreadable but intense.
"So, your ideal guy is basically the opposite of ?" he said dryly. "Not handso, not rich, not sexy?"
Oh my God. Did he just say that? Out loud?
With a straight face?
Bianca stared at him in horror. Sobody get out of this car before I actually throw up.
"Good to know," Adrian muttered, looking back at the road. "Since that's the case, let add one more clause to our contract. For both our sanity, I think we should agree not to date or get involved with anyone else while this whole arrangent is still in place."
Bianca blinked.
Wait. What? Was that... jealousy? No. No way. He was just being practical. Right? Right...?
Bianca frowned, seriously considering Adrian's words. "But what if you're the one who ends up falling for ?"
Adrian choked on air before bursting into loud laughter. The idea clearly amused him, way more than it should have.
Fall for her? Sure, he could admit she was interesting. Attractive, even. But love?
Yeah... no. That part of him had been locked away a long ti ago, if it even existed in the first place.
"You don't have to worry about that," Adrian said, wiping a fake tear from the corner of his eye as he composed himself. "The chances of falling in love with you are very, very slim."
He paused, then added with a smirk, "You're not my type either. So, you can relax."
There was a smug kind of satisfaction in his voice. Like he'd just returned a serve in a tennis match and nailed it perfectly.
***
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