บท 4: He's About To Swallow Her Whole.

'Is he talking to me?' Ann thought with a blank look on her face as she checked left, right, and even behind her. 'I don't see anyone else nearby.' Her mind was running a hundred miles per hour, and she was unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, it dawned on her with a rush of realization. This moment presented an opportunity she had been waiting for, the very reason behind her presence at that specific place and time.

When an opportunity knocks, open the door widely and let it enter. She exhaled slowly, feeling the release of tension as she turned around to look at him. Her eyes lit up with the warmth of a genuine smile, creating a soft and endearing expression on her face.

"Perhaps I am feeling that way. How about you? Are you free?" she responded with a sense of self-assurance, even though she was feeling nervous inside, right to the very depths of her soul.

Jeff gazed at her with intense eyes, his expression hinting at an overwhelming desire to engulf her completely.

'What a beautiful smile! Her eyes...green like the rarest stunning emeralds...are so deep I feel like I'm being dragged into the ocean, unable to resurface but still wanting to drown,'

As he stood there, his thoughts raced as quickly as his heartbeat. It was pounding so rapidly that he had to avert his gaze for a moment, pausing to collect himself and catch his breath.

As he felt his heartbeat finally steady in his chest, he couldn't resist stealing another glance at her flawless face. With a rush of emotion, he summoned up a heart-stopping smile that seemed to captivate her in an instant.

"I am delighted to confirm that I am indeed available and ready to assist, I'm at your service."

Ann was caught off guard and rendered momentarily speechless by the stranger's unexpected reply. As she tried to process what she had just heard, her mind raced, searching for a suitable response.

As her eyes locked onto his, she felt her thoughts scatter like leaves in the wind. At that moment, all she could focus on was the sight of the handsome, approachable man standing before her.

Yet, beneath the surface, her mind raced in search of the right words to express her unusual request.

Hesitating for a brief moment, she internally wrestled with her nerves, summoning the courage to articulate her thoughts.

After some contemplation, she made the bold decision to seize the opportunity and take a risk.

"I am seeking a partner. Are you open to the idea of marriage with me?" She was utterly shocked by her words. She simply couldn't believe what she had just said.

"No! I said that the wrong way; that's not what I meant." She hastily took her words back while looking down on her feet.

'God! What is wrong with me? I sound like a pervert in disguise. This will not do, I need to explain, I can't let him think otherwise.' She took a deep breath before continuing.

"What I meant to say," she began, her voice trailing off as the man's interruption cut her off mid-sentence.

Jeff interjected without blinking, "Sure! When do we get married?" as he gazed at her.

Ann was shocked to her core. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; she stared at him blankly.

'That's it? That was easy! Here I am going crazy, worrying about how to approach the subject, and he just answered, 'Sure,' she thought to herself, still in disbelief.

"When do we get married?" she stuttered, unable to find the right words. "But...you don't want to know why I need to get married?" Ann asked Jeff in disbelief once she gathered her wits about her.

"Alright, why don't you tell me? No matter what, my answer is still yes!" Jeff stared at Ann's angelically beautiful face with hunger in his eyes. His heart was beating so fast, running a thousand miles per hour.

Jeff couldn't fathom what was happening to him, for the first time in his life he was interested in a woman. A very young woman at that. There's something about her that's different from all the other women he had ever been associated with in his whole life. It's like a magnet that pulls him towards her, he couldn't understand it even if it's to save his life.

Ann didn't think it would be right to hide the reason from him when he would be doing her such a big favor. She didn't have any choice other than to tell him the whole story from the beginning.

"You see…"

As soon as she finished telling him everything, Jeff knew that the CEO that she mentioned was none other than himself.

After carefully thinking about the consequences, he mentally made his decision.

'Am I losing my mind? I still want this girl in front of me after hearing what she just said? God, I've never felt this way in my whole life. Is this what they call love at first sight? If it is, I don't mind it at all.' He smiled, contentedly at the thought.

He didn't realize that Ann was watching him the whole time he was thinking and that she had seen the smile appear on his face while he mulled it over.

She suddenly hesitated, all because of that smile.

'What if this guy is a lunatic or a pervert? How can someone agree so quickly to my unreasonable request without an ulterior motive? What have I just gotten myself into?' Her mind was telling her to not go through with it, she needed to figure out what to say.

She stared at him for a moment, starting to panic. She was about to tell him to forget it ever happened when he realized where her train of thought was going.

"What? You're not going to change your mind, are you? Well, it's too late for that now; we have a verbal agreement. It's as good as any signed contract, I can sue you if you change your mind," the man said with a mischievous grin plastered over his face.

Ann was stunned when she heard that. She thought for a moment then replied, "No! No! That's not it, I came with a friend. I need to find her then we can go, alright?"

She started looking around for Lea, who was busy flirting with some boys instead of helping her scout out a fake husband.

'There's no way I will change my mind. I may never find the courage to do this again in this lifetime. You're my savior, and on top of that, you're a fine specimen.' Ann began to laugh at her thoughts.

When Jeff saw her smile, his heart skipped several beats. He put his hand to his chest, trying to feel how fast it was beating.

*Thump Thump Thump* "Stop it before I have a heart attack!" he mumbled to his heart.

Ann looked around everywhere on the dance floor, but Lea was nowhere to be found.

'Lea, where are you?' she thought to herself while trying to figure out what to do next.

She tried calling first, but the music was so loud that Lea probably couldn't hear her, so she sent her a text. Unfortunately, after a couple of waiting minutes, Lea hadn't texted back or returned her call.

"What the heck happened to her? I can't believe that she vanished just like that. Where the heck are you, Lea....?" She was mumbling to herself while gazing everywhere in the whole room full of people.

After searching everywhere and still unable to find her best friend, Ann was at a loss for what to do next while Jeff waited for her next move, willing to go along with whatever she wanted to do.

When Ann couldn't get a hold of Lea, she had no other choice but to go ahead and go on with their deal... A quick marriage and annulment asap. She needed to get out of there or she would lose the courage to go through with it.

"Shall we go?" She shyly asked the handsome man in front of her, unable to look him in the eye as she spoke, barely audible. She was hoping and praying that he would not change his mind.

Jeff got up and grabbed his jacket that was on the top of the bar, "Let's go! Let's do this, the sooner, the better!" He said excitedly, as he ushered Ann out of the club into the nearest wedding chapel.

*****

Two people who are as different as day and night accidentally met at a club and made an arrangement that would change their lives and themselves forever...

The agreement was...a fake marriage.

As CEO Jeff Go and Ann Wen walked down the Las Vegas strip towards the mini chapel to get married, Ann couldn't help herself from being afraid and began questioning herself if she was doing the right thing.

She didn't know anything about the man walking in front of her, and she began to have second thoughts. It seemed that Jeff could sense that she was having second thoughts and stopped walking.

*Thud* She bumped right into his hard as steel abs.

"Oh, I'm sorry! My mind was wandering and didn't realize that you had stopped walking." She said while he was still holding her, preventing her from stepping back.

He gave her the sweetest smile she had ever seen, "It's alright, I stopped to let you know that you have nothing to worry about. I'm not a criminal. I'm single and available and don't worry, I know that this is not a real marriage." He assured her.

After hearing what he said, Ann let out a sigh of relief before smiling back.

"Thank you!" That was all she said before she pushed his hands away and continued walking towards their destination.