Chapter 3 We Live Together

Clarissa looked around. There was no one else in the office.

Damien said, “I’m talking to you.”

“What?”

“Marry me.”

Damien repeated his words.

Clarissa was not mishearing things after all.

Nonetheless, she was still in a daze. There was still a month until she graduated from university. She had considered marriage before this, but not at the moment.

‘Is Damien testing me?’ Clarissa speculated. A president would not lose anything by sleeping with an intern. Still, there would be a negative impact. He was probably trying to see if Clarissa had any inappropriate thoughts.

Clarissa felt complicated. Damien’s eyes and embrace were warm. To her, he was different from other men even though their sexual encounter was accidental. At the same time, she was aware that it was impossible for them to be together in this lifetime.

She was a woman of unequal status in comparison to him. Even though he mentioned marriage, it was definitely not because he liked her.

Clarissa recalled Damien’s “hint” on the day he returned her phone. Obviously, he was worried that she would cause him trouble.

Hence, she lied.

“I have a boyfriend.”

Damien asked, “Are you guys planning to get married?”

“Oh, no. We haven’t graduated and aren’t financially stable yet.”

Clarissa tried her best to stay calm.

“How far has your relationship with him developed?” Damien was particularly concerned about Clarissa’s personal life.

Clarissa did not know what he was thinking, so she blurted, “We’re… Living together now.”

She was implying they had slept together and her “boyfriend” would not be pleased if he found out about the incident during the day of the team-building activity. In other words, she would keep it a secret. President Damien had nothing to worry about.

“Living together?” Damien frowned.

‘On that night, she was clearly…’

Clarissa could see that Damien was doubtful. So, she quickly added, “We’ve been dating for a few years and just recently moved in together after finding a suitable house.”

“Aren’t you going to ask why I chose to marry you?” Damien was not shocked to hear that Clarissa had a boyfriend.

“Why?”

“My grandpa is very ill. He hopes to see me get married before he dies. However, I don’t have a girlfriend. As for why I chose you… Well, you should know the reason better than anybody else. I did search around, but you are still the most suitable person.” Damien sat on his office chair. His tone sounded as if he had everything under his control.

The words “you are the most suitable person” hurt Clarissa’s pride. She was probably only “suitable” because they already had sex. Other women might be more conserved. Thus, choosing Clarissa would save some trouble.

Although she knew that Damien did not propose to her out of love, she still felt disappointed upon hearing his reason.

Damien clearly remembered what happened that night. Moreover, there was a slight disdain in his voice. He was asking Clarissa for help, but he felt contempt toward her in his heart.

In Damien’s eyes, she was merely a scheming woman. She slept with her superior and left her phone in his room on purpose. Obviously, she was trying to entrap a rich man. Yet, she had the audacity to play hard to get and even pretended to be innocent. How could she expect him to respect her?

“You can state any terms you want as long as it doesn’t exceed five million dollars.”

Damien was scornful.

Five million dollars was indeed a large sum. Despite that, Clarissa did not find it impossible to refuse.

After a moment of silence, she suggested politely, “President Lawrence, you can consider getting a fake marriage license.”

“It’ll be troublesome if my grandfather finds out about the truth. Besides, a marriage license is secondary. The main priority is to find a person. My grandpa will only be reassured after seeing my partner.”

Damien was somehow patient in answering Clarissa’s questions.

Clarissa nodded her head slowly. She bit her lip as she started thinking of ways to reject him.

Seeing that Clarissa was hesitant, Damien said, “There’s a fixed period for this marriage. If you agree, we’ll get the marriage license tomorrow. As for the end date…”

“I disagree!” Clarissa spoke sternly.

“...”

Damien could not even finish his sentence. He simply stared at Clarissa.

It was the first time someone had flat-out rejected him.