Chapter 2- MARRY ME

Preview: MARRY ME

"I got the greatest shock of my life. How possibly am I going to marry someone I don’t even love a single bit?"

BRYAN~~

There is really something behind that girl. She’s got serious guts, but she also seems weirdly reserved. And why the hell does she seem so familiar to me? Whatever, I don't care.

“Bryan, have you thought of what I told you?”

My dad’s sharp voice broke my train of thought. Today, I decided to have dinner with my parents since my sister was away on a business trip.

“What was that?” I asked, taking a sip of wine and playing dumb.

“About getting married to Mr. Frederick’s daughter.”

“Not yet,” I said, taking a bite of my steak.

“What do you mean by not yet? Melanie is a well-rooted girl.”

I set my fork down. “Dad, I thought Mariel was the daughter of your main business partner. Why do you refuse her?”

“Mariel is a cheeky one. She’s flamboyant,” my dad scoffed. “I want someone who is normal and knows how to manage finance. Mariel seems to be a gold digger.”

“Dad! How will someone who has all she wants be a gold digger?”

“Bryan, I think this conversation is gonna end here,” he yelled, slamming his hand on the table. “You will marry Melanie and that’s final. I’ve decided!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll see to it.” That was all I could say just to please him and stop the shouting.

“My son, listen to your dad, okay? He only means the best for you,” my mom, who was silent earlier, finally spoke up. Great, even she supports his decision.

“Mom, even you support this?” I asked, totally surprised. She usually had my back in these things.

“Of course, because he is right. Melanie is a nice one,” she said. I was already completely tired of this conversation.

“How I wish my sister was here. She would support me,” I muttered, hoping for a miracle.

“That reminds me, your sister called and she was happy when I told her you were getting married to Melanie.” Fuck, everyone supports it. How is it going to feel when our one-year contract expires?

“Ughhhhh,” I sighed heavily.

“Bryan, whether you like it or not, it’s approved,” my dad stated coldly. “It’s rather you marry Melanie or you can forget about having Dills Corporation.”

Like, seriously. My entire marriage is being tied to me being the CFO and heir of Dills Corporation. My dad’s company is a massive deal; I couldn't just walk away from it.

“But dad, mom... what if she doesn’t even like me?”

“I’ll surely find a way to make her like you. My son is a good boy after all,” my dad said. He can really do anything to force this marriage. He was way too confident, and I was just completely fed up with all of this.

Early the next morning, I woke up feeling a rare burst of energy, ready to just head straight to work. But each time I remembered what happened two nights ago, I felt a weird tingle in my veins. How possibly am I going to get away with that mess?

I hadn’t even broken things off with Mariel properly yet. I was just about to do it yesterday before that strange girl, Melanie, suddenly breached my office. Today, I just prayed I’d summon the courage to end it cleanly.

After a quick shower, I grabbed breakfast. I wanted to get to the office early today.

JK Group is my most reliable company, the one under my direct control and management. I actually have a whole network of companies that I’ve left almost unattended for a long time—BB, J&J, BM, and many more. I only visit those branches once every two weeks, and whenever I show up, everyone completely freaks out. Ever since my business trip to Japan, I haven't had time for them. I’m definitely gonna have to create time soon, especially now that my dad promised me Dills Corporation. That one is a massive game-changer.

The moment I stepped off the elevator at JK Group, my secretary rushed over looking incredibly pale.

“Chairman... Miss Mariel is waiting in your office. I’m sorry, I tried my best to stop her.”

“It’s okay, leave her to me.”

“Okay, I’ll take my leave now, sir.” He made a quick bow and hurried away.

I pushed the heavy doors open. “Hey, Bryan,” she said the second I walked in.

“Hi. What are you here for?” I walked past her straight to my desk.

"Is that how you should talk to me?"

“I repeat, what are you here for?” I said, my voice rising close to a yell.

Mariel took a step closer, her eyes flashing. “Bryan, I gave you my first time!”

A massive wave of guilt hit my stomach. Two nights ago, I was completely wasted on whiskey. I remembered being in that dark hotel room—room 402. I remembered a girl coming in, whispering that she loved me, and the absolute blur of passion that followed. Since Mariel had been aggressively pursuing me for months, I figured it had to be her.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” I said, rubbing my temples.

“You’re sorry? Is that all you could say? I have loved you for a long time to the extent I had sex with you just to please you, and now all you could say is you're sorry?!” she was completely yelling at me now.

Unable to handle the screaming, I pulled open my drawer, took out one of my ATM cards, and pushed it across the desk to her. “This is my card. It’s worth 20 million pounds. The password is 0845. Take it and don’t disturb me about anything else.”

Mariel looked at the card and suddenly giggled. What the hell for? Wasn't it enough?

“Isn’t that enough?” I sighed, pulling out another card. “Fine. 40 million, password 0778. That should be more than enough.”

She giggled again, tossing both multi-million pound cards right back onto my desk.

“What for?” I snapped.

“You know what? I don’t need your money, Bryan. I have plenty of my own.”

“So what do you want? A villa?”

She walked right up to my chair, leaning over me until she was inches away. “I want you!”

“You want my life,” I muttered.

“MARRY ME.”

Boom.

I got the greatest shock of my life. How possibly am I going to marry someone I don’t even love a single bit?

“What? What did you say?” I asked, my voice completely cracking.

“I said marry me, Bryan. I don’t need your money and villas, they aren’t worth what I gave you.”

“See, Mariel, I don’t think it’s gonna work between us...”

“I don’t want to hear those shits!” she cut me off fiercely. Before I could stop her, she sat straight on my lap, her fingers softly stroking my hair. “You haven’t even tried being with me, that’s why it’s hard for you.”

I felt uncomfortable and suffocated. I tried to pull away calmly. “Mariel, stop. I’m getting married to Melanie in one week’s time.”

She didn't even flinch. She just smirked, leaning closer to my ear. “I know, it’s all over the internet. But you can still just make a contractual marriage with her. All she needs is your money anyway.” She ran her fingers through my hair again, spitting those words. “No buts, Bryan. I know you don’t love her. But with time, you will love me. She is impossible for you.”

She finally stood up and walked out, leaving the room dead silent.

I leaned back in my chair, my mind racing. Could she be right? I didn't love Melanie, and Melanie clearly didn't love me either. But as I sat there, the phantom memory of that intense night in the dark room flashed through my head again. Mariel was claiming it was her... so why did the mere presence of Melanie yesterday make my chest tighten in the exact same way?