The Billionaire's Promise
Chapter 45: Marry me

Chapter 45: Marry me

"Marry me!" Erik said to her nonchalantly.

Aryana was dumbfounded. She looked at him with big eyes and mouth wide open as if he has grown two heads.

’Did I hear him correctly? Maybe I am still in shock from the abduction and what I experienced earlier.’ Aryana continued to look at Erik in a daze.

Erik felt uncomfortable. He coughed to clear his throat. "Silly girl. Why are you looking at me like that? You think I am crazy?"

Aryana nodded her head and then she shook it. "Ahem. Maybe I am the one who has a problem with my brain. I might have knocked my head earlier and heard you wrongly." She scratched her head at the back.

Erik looked gloomy.

"Aryana Jones, I am being serious. Do not mess around. Marry me." Erik sounded domineering.

Aryana blinked. Then she looked at Erik with a complex emotions reflected in her clear eyes. She has dreamt of a special place where the man she loves would propose to her. It can be a romantic dinner in their favorite restaurant on top of a hill overlooking the city scape. She was okay with that. She also envisioned a proposal done on a beach while watching the beautiful sunset as she rests her head on the shoulder of her beloved, or maybe on top of a mountain while looking at scenic view below.

’But this...’ She looked at her pitiful state in a hospital gown and her arm still bandaged. She can’t believe that the man that used to be her crush, hated and forgiven has asked her to marry him out of the blue in the most unromantic place... in a hospital ward.

She sat motionless for a minute still staring at Erik.

Erik cleared his throat and Aryana was brought back to reality.

"Are you crazy?" She asked hoarsely. Never in her wildest imagination did she thought that Erik would ask her to marry him. She was a nobody and just a chauffeur’s daughter.

Erik thought she looked cute in those big eyes that almost bulged out of their sockets.

"I know what I’m doing. It will benefit both of us. Consider it as a business proposal." He said coldly, hands on his pockets.

His nonchalant attitude bothered Aryana.

"But... don’t you have someone you love? Aren’t you engage to Julia Lopez?" Aryana protested.

Erik looked at her sourly.

’What’s wrong with her. So many women are throwing themselves at me and would be the happiest to become my wife yet here she is looking at me like I have gone mad. Maybe I was too hasty. She just has gotten through a horrible experience. But I am running out of options.’

"I don’t believe in love." there was a fleeting look of sadness in his eyes at a sudden recollection of a one of a kind proposal he made 5 years ago to another woman. Aryana saw that look but it was gone before she could grasp what it was.

"If I marry you, I can now legally protect and help you as my wife. And should we end up divorcing, you’ll get a lot from me as alimony." He said indifferently.

"But I am not in love with you Erik." Aryana looked away as she said coldly. It took her every effort to mask her voice so her emotions will not betray her.

"I just treat you as my guardian." She whispered.

’Isn’t this what he always say to me and to others?’ Aryana kept her thoughts to herself.

Erik did not know why but he felt a pain in his heart when she said she doesn’t love him. ’So I am just really a guardian to her.’ He smiled bitterly.

"Marriage is a lifetime commitment. If you are worried about the promise you made to my father, I no longer hold you accountable for that. The help you have given me is more than enough. You saved me twice, no three times already." Aryana added in a serious tone.

Erik looked at her sharply. How dare she reject his proposal. His face became even colder. He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned close to her. Aryana shrunk back.

He gently cupped her face. His face just inches away from her upturned one. He tucked a strand of the stray strands of hair behind her ear. He then traced the outline of her face with the back of his hand. His action was very gentle.

Aryana’s heart was thumping very loudly. She could feel the blood rushing to her face. She was looking at a pair of deep brown eyes as she tried to gauge the emotions behind those but she cannot. She also tried to look away but an unknown force from those eyes held hers helplessly captive.

"But I am holding myself accountable Yana." He whispered softly in her ear. His gaze lingered for a moment on her slightly parted lips and he has the urge to conquer those lips.

He stood and placed his hands back in his pockets.

"My Dad is adamant of getting me married. I’d rather marry just anybody than the one that he chooses for me." he added in a formal tone like he was just discussing a business proposal.

"So you are marrying me to spite your father?" She asked feeling disappointed.

"I told you, it’s a win win. I get you to be my side and it will be easy for me to protect you and since I am married, I cannot marry another woman."

"Why me? You have a lot of women worming their way to get to you." Her voice trembled and Erik noticed that.

"And why not? Any man will be lucky to have you as a wife. You are beautiful both outside and inside. I’d rather marry you than Julia." He said matter-of- factly.

Despite the way Erik said that, Aryana still blushed.

"Can I think about it?" She asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Silly girl. Don’t think about it. Just say yes and you’ll do me a favor and give me peace of mind." He patted her on the head. " You rest now. I’ll wake you up once breakfast arrived."

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