บท 1: Rumor Has It
The thick smell of coffee permeated the suffocating atmosphere. The silence lasted for a few minutes before it was interrupted by the sound of her long, perfectly manicured fingers drumming against the circular coffee table. Finally, she looked up, removing her gaze from the steaming cup of coffee in her hand.
"Mr. Lan, you say?" Sera Zhang asked, lifting her eyebrow.
"Yes. I am Lan Xing, the executive secretary of— "
"And you are here because your boss wanted to marry me?" Until now, Sera still couldn't believe her ears. She had already pinched her legs earlier, but even then, it took her a few minutes to realize this wasn't a dream at all. "Mr. Lan, I have watched a TV series about CEOs proposing marriage to their assistants and women whom they have met before through fateful circumstances. But this… I don't even know who your boss is!" Sera had heard of Quinn Media before. In fact, she had heard about their sinister CEO's harsh way of handling the matter of his talents, but she had never met this man, not even once.
"Miss Zhang, this is not important anymore. Just read the terms of this contract and you — "
"Stop right there!" Sera lifted her palm before she narrowed her almond eyes. "Are you trying to scam me?"
"Miss Zhang, you already saw my card and even— "
"And you think I don't know how to make a card like that? Mr. Lan, with all due respect, but the card you gave me was something that a small elementary student could make. You really want me to believe that you work with Quinn Media with that kind of card?"
"Mr. Quinn designed that card himself."
Sera nodded and smiled. "Right… Truly believable." Quinn Media was the biggest Entertainment Agency in the western regions of Xu Country. How could she believe that the CEO would design such a lousy card? Sera leaned against the wooden chair as she exhaled. The smooth sound of jazz from the background was the only thing stopping her from laughing at this scammer. "So, why would your boss want to marry me?" She crossed her arm against her chest and watched as the man opened the white folder.
"Here…. Everything is here. Mr. Quinn is interested in— "
"I just graduated from college." Once again, she interrupted the man. "I don't have a job. So I can't give you money. If you could just leave me alone, then that would be better for both of us."
The man sighed and shook his head before he leaned closer, resting his elbows on the coffee table. "Miss Zhang, I am very serious. My Boss, Mr. Quinn really wants to marry you. Please take this matter seriously."
Sera snorted in response. Mr. Quinn was someone that no one saw. Not even his staff saw him. They said that he hated crowds and that he had an extremely antisocial personality. He was also an introvert and didn't like to even show himself at board meetings. However, they said that he was adept at reading people.
Rumor had it that this man would just read the files of people and analyze their data, and then he would be able to read them like a book. Of course, Sera knew this was all bullshit. To her, someone who didn't even show his face to the people working for him was really suspicious. Was this man a criminal who was trying to hide his identity from everyone? Maybe even a wanted international criminal?
"Alright, since you won't read the papers, then I will read it for you." Mr. Lan said before sighing. "This marriage is between Party A and— "
Sera only pursed her lips as she listened to the scammer. Today was supposed to be her birthday and the day that she would receive her graduation certificate, and yet she was actually unlucky enough to meet someone who wanted to scam her out of her money. She sighed inwardly.
All she had wanted was to eat her small cake and have coffee in this small cafe, and yet this man had just appeared out of nowhere, declaring that his boss wanted to marry her. Just what kind of scam was this? Sera started eating her strawberry cheesecake.
She then opened her phone and started checking her nonexistent messages. So far, except for her roommate who was also her best friend, Cross, no one had sent her any birthday greetings. But what did she expect? For the past five years, she had been celebrating her birthday on her own.
Logic dictated that she should have gotten used to this.
"And, the boss wanted to greet you with a "Happy Birthday". There will be flowers and cakes in your rented apartment as well as a gift. We already delivered this a few minutes ago."
"Hm? What did you say?" Sera frowned.
"The Boss said Happy Birthday, and he hopes he can celebrate this with you next year."
Sera blinked. Then she blinked again. She could feel goosebumps all around her body. Seeing Mr. Lan's serious expression, Sera started playing with her long black hair, using her fingers as she tilted her head and studied the middle-aged man in front of her.
"Mr. Lan, I am not looking for a sugar daddy," she said after a few seconds of silence. First and foremost, she wasn't that beautiful. She wouldn't stand out in a crowd of supermodels. Now that she thought about it, Sera immediately got confused. "Mr. Lan, I think you got the wrong person. Did you mistake me for an escort?" she asked. Today, she had specifically worn some light make-up and a pale blue dress that hugged her body as it was her birthday. Was that the reason Mr. Lan had mistaken her for an escort? "I'm sorry, Mr. Lan, but I am really not an escort." She uttered.
She might not be considered rich, but she had enough money to survive. She would never marry some rich old executive just to survive!
"Miss Zhang, I think there is a misunderstanding. I am not mistaking you for someone else." Mr. Lan said before letting out another sigh. "Mr. Quinn of the Quinn Media really wanted to marry you. He doesn't want an escort. He wants you."
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