7: A bold proposal

“What, exactly, are you doing?” Finnick asked as he shifted back slightly, his cold gaze tracking her sudden invasion of his personal space.

Kimberly leaned against the marble counter, a dazzling, dangerous smile playing on her lips. “Didn’t you hear me loud and clear, Uncle? I’m asking you out...”

Finnick furrowed his brows, a flicker of dark amusement crossing his features.

“…for dinner,” Kimberly purred softly, executing a flawless, seductive wink.

He let out a low sigh, shaking his head.

“I’m not interested…” He finally turned his head, fixing her with a gaze cold enough to freeze blood. “…in my nephew’s wife.”

Kimberly scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes. “Oh, please!” She pouted, shifting her weight to face him head-on. “Let me tell you a little secret.”

“What?” Finnick asked, already looking away in total indifference.

Kimberly stretched her neck, bringing her face inches from his. “Theo Kruger and I aren’t actually husband and wife.”

Finnick’s gaze snapped back to her, his dark eyes instantly turning icy.

“We’ve never even shared a bed,” Kimberly declared with dramatic flair. “We aren’t a couple in any sense of the word. In fact... our marriage certificate is a complete fake.”

Finnick looked away, rubbing his temple tiredly. “Fake?”

Kimberly nodded casually. “Mhm. The coward didn’t want to tie himself down to me, so he forged a fake certificate three years ago to pull the wool over my eyes.”

“And how, exactly, did you find out about this?” he asked, his expression completely unreadable as he picked up the bottle to pour another glass.

‘Because I’m holding the master script, obviously,’ she cackled internally.

Waving his question off with a dismissive flick of her wrist, she continued, “That’s irrelevant details! The point is, we have no legal standing, no marital bond, and zero emotional ties. We are complete strangers on paper.”

“So…” Finnick murmured, raising his glass back to his lips. “What are you trying to get at?”

Kimberly rested her chin on her hands, staring up at him with a starry-eyed, dreamy expression as he took a slow gulp of his beer.

“Didn’t you say it yourself earlier?” Kimberly purred, unable to tear her eyes away from his face.

He tilted his head slightly, eyeing her sideways.

“You said the marriage alliance between the Holland and Kruger families is absolute and non-negotiable,” she murmured, reaching out to place a slender hand on his broad shoulder, slowly dragging her fingertips across his back in a slow, brazenly seductive path. “It’s a hard and fast law set by the old patriarch. But since Theo and I aren’t legally bound... why can’t we form the union instead? You aren’t married, after all.”

Finnick stared at her as he dropped his glass back down, genuinely stunned by her audacity.

He found himself briefly calculating the fgap in their ages and social standing, yet finding her fearless provocation shockingly absurd.

She blinked at him with an impossibly cute, picture-perfect innocent pout.

Finnick’s eyes flickered, and he abruptly looked away, his jaw tightening as he reined in his composure.

Kimberly let out a long, dramatic sigh, gesturing to herself. “I mean, just look at what you’re turning down! These full breasts, this perky butt, these long legs… I have more than enough hardware to walk a Paris runway!”

Finnick kept his eyes glued to his glass, entirely unsure of how his night had spiraled into this circus.

Kimberly leaned right into his line of sight, her voice dropping to a whisper. “And look at this face...”

He raised his chin, his gaze deliberately bypassing her, actively avoiding eye contact.

“I can do innocent, or I can do dangerous,” she whispered playfully. “It’s a guaranteed win-win for you. Hmm?”

Finnick rolled his eyes, his patience finally snapping. He pushed his glass aside as he began to stand up.

“Hey! Uncle!” Kimberly squeaked, instantly planting both hands firmly on his broad shoulders and throwing her weight down, forcing him right back down into the leather barstool.

He was shocked.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she pouted, putting on her best aggrieved face. “You haven’t given me a proper answer yet!”

Finnick fixed her with a stern, impenetrable glare.

“Since you call me ‘uncle,’ that means there is a clear generational gap between us. Even if you and that incompetent nephew of mine aren’t legally bound, you stood at an altar together and had a high-society wedding banquet. To the world, you are Theo Kruger’s wife. My nephew’s wife. Now... if you dare utter another word of this unhinged nonsense, I will personally have you thrown out onto the street.”

Kimberly gasped loudly, her hand darting out to lock around his arm with a deep frown.

She began to rant childishly. “Why are you being so ridiculously stubborn, Uncle?! I already told you, Theo and I are nothing! Weren’t you the one lecturing everyone that those who enjoy the Kruger family’s wealth must contribute to the Kruger family? So where is your grand contribution, huh? As the supreme ruler of the Kruger empire, where is your sense of duty? Where is your conviction?!”

Finnick looked down at her slender hands gripping his sleeve, then raised his eyes to meet hers.

She was terrifyingly bold, and he genuinely didn’t know what to make of her.

Slowly, his large hand reached up and clamped firmly around her wrist, his expression darkening into a stern glare.

“Get out of my sight right now,” Finnick growled, his charisma suffocating, “or I will throw you out myself. Pick one.”

Kimberly’s mouth fell open in outraged shock.

Yelp!

Before she could process it, Finnick effortlessly shoved her wrist back, the power behind his movement forcing her to stumble backward out of his space as he turned his back on her completely.