"WHAT?" Bianca was stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief at what she had just heard.
What did Mr. Adrian just say? Marry him? Damn it. He's joking, right?
Feeling confused and anxious, Bianca asked, "You're not sick, are you, Sir?"
"I'm not sick, and I'm perfectly fine. So? Will you marry me?" Adrian asked, full of hope that Bianca would agree to his crazy idea.
"You're asking me to marry you?"
"Mm." Adrian nodded, far too enthusiastically.
The expression on his secretary's face now showed just how uncertain she was about what Adrian had just said. She even started studying his face closely, maybe trying to see if he was joking. Unfortunately, Adrian wasn't joking. This wasn't something to joke about. And Adrian wasn't the kind of man who would throw around such serious words lightly.
For God's sake, Adrian wasn't even ready to get married. No, he didn't want to get married at all. He'd rather grow old alone than deal with anything related to love. But then again, marriage wasn't always about love. Plenty of people got married without loving each other at first.
"Are you sure you're not sick? Maybe you hit your head earlier and didn't realize it," Bianca suggested, trying to make sense of things.
"Listen carefully. I'm perfectly fine. I'm not sick, and for the record, my head is 100% bump-free," Adrian explained, getting slightly annoyed.
He understood her reaction. If the roles were reversed, he would've reacted just like Bianca, utter disbelief. Especially if the proposal came from one's own boss.
"Mr. Adrian, I really think you should see a doctor. I'm pretty sure something's not right with your mental state. If a doctor can't help, maybe a psychiatrist can," Bianca offered sincerely.
Damn it. Adrian wanted to curse. Did she really think he was crazy?
"I'm fine. And for your information, I don't need a doctor, much less a psychiatrist. Do you think I've lost my mind?" he snapped, offended by her implication.
Marriage. What a damn mess.
"Why don't you try repeating what you just said to me, Mr. Adrian?"
Adrian huffed. "I know exactly what I said. I asked you to marry me, didn't I?"
"So you are crazy," Bianca muttered under her breath, shaking her head—unaware that Adrian heard her.
"For goodness' sake, I'm not mentally unstable like you think. I'm not crazy! I don't even want to get married. There's just something that's pushing me to do this insane thing. I don't want to be the kind of loser who begs—or rather, convinces—his secretary to marry him," he said in defeat, not knowing what else to say to make her believe him.
"There's something that made you ask me to marry you? But why me? Why did it have to be me in this crazy plan of yours?" Bianca demanded.
"Look, Bianca, I—"
Bianca cut him off. "Sorry, sir. I have to decline your request. Find someone else who's willing to marry you. I'm not interested. And I'm sure it won't be hard for you to find someone to replace me."
She turned and walked away, leaving Adrian behind.
"Bianca, please. Just this once."
Adrian's plea stopped her in her tracks. She turned around to face him again.
For a brief moment, Adrian caught a flicker of sympathy in his secretary's eyes but in the next second, it quickly shifted into irritation.
"Mr. Adrian, look. I can't marry you. Marriage isn't something you can just toss out in a casual sentence. It's sacred. It's not a game. You don't ask someone to marry you out of the blue, especially when there's no love between us. And on top of that, you're my boss."
"I understand where you're coming from. I know this is sudden, and you must be confused about why I'd say something like this. But I'm begging you, can you please help me? Just this once. Please think about it again," Adrian pleaded.
"Mr. Adrian, it's not that I don't understand, but—"
Adrian cut her off. "It's for my grandfaher. It was her last request. I'm begging you, only you can help me." His face was filled with desperation.
"What do you mean?" That got Bianca's full attention.
Adrian then explained everything, the real reason why he had asked his secretary to marry him. "I'm asking you to marry me because of my grandfather. It was his dying wish. He wanted me to get married as soon as possible."
"Couldn't you find someone else to marry? Why me? Surely there are other options," Bianca asked, completely puzzled.
That was the question Adrian had been waiting for all along. To him, Bianca was the strongest candidate to be his wife. Not because he liked her, far from it. In fact, considering his reason for choosing her, Adrian's male ego took a bit of a hit.
Why?
Because Bianca was the only one who never seemed impressed by him or even remotely interested.
"I can't. I only want you," Adrian said firmly.
"Why me?"
"Because you're the only one who's not attracted to me. And that makes everything easier."
Damn it. Adrian knew how ridiculous and arrogant that sounded. Anyone who heard it would think he was full of himself. He was certain Bianca would never accept such a foolish proposal.
"Alright," she said.
Adrian blinked several times. "What did you just say? You said yes?"
"I said yes." Bianca gave a small nod.
"You're sure?" Adrian asked, hesitant. He still couldn't quite believe what he'd just heard.
"Do you want me to be unsure?" she shot back, a challenge in her tone.
"No! That's not what I meant. I'm just afraid you'll change your mind later," Adrian said quickly, his voice laced with panic.
"I'll marry you," Bianca replied, her expression now completely professional. "But I have conditions."
"Conditions? What conditions?" Adrian asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"We should talk about this in your office," Bianca replied calmly, glancing around the area. "It'll be more private… and less distracting."
Adrian followed her gaze, suddenly aware of how exposed they were. A few employees were walking past, and although no one seemed to be eavesdropping, it wasn't exactly the place to discuss marriage terms.
"Right. I almost forgot we're not in my office," he muttered. "Come with me."
***