บท 6: A CRAZY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
Dahlia glanced at the wall clock behind the bar. It was already 6pm, and none of her flings had shown up. She twirled her wine glass in her hand, trying to keep herself busy. It was possible that the Sinclair family had used this dinner as a way to pull one of their dirty tricks.
Truthfully, she couldn't blame them. If she were in their shoes, she'd probably do the same thing. But she hadn't done anything wrong - Papa Anthony had willed her the position of chief executive officer, and it was her duty to take care of it. The Sinclair family saw her as a threat, and it was only natural. She wasn't going to let them intimidate her, though. In fact, she felt a little smug at the thought of them trying to get under her skin.
As she took another sip of her wine, she smirked, amused by the situation. To an outsider, she might have seemed confident, almost arrogant. But she knew the truth - she didn't have a plan. Not yet, anyway. She had faith that the solution would present itself in due time. After all, she wasn't about to lose the company over something as trivial as a citizenship certificate.
She dropped the wine glass, already tired of waiting for those losers. As she was about to stand up and leave, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eyes. When she side-glanced, she saw someone approaching the table. He sat down at the chair across from her, crossing his long legs in front of him. He looked out of the window, his eyes fixed on the city skyline.
Dahlia couldn't help but stare at him, taking in his appearance. His hair was neatly combed, his thick eyebrows perfectly shaped, and his nose was straight and sharp. Even though she could only see his profile, she thought he was breathtakingly handsome.
She recognised him. He was William Anderson, the CEO of Harmony Solutions. She had watched his presentation the day before and now he was sitting across from her.
And when he spoke about not being interested in getting to know her and that she shouldn't try to impress him, everything clicked into place. He thought she was one of the dates his grandmother had set up for him, interesting.
Suddenly, it came to her. The solution she needed was right here in front of her. William Anderson, was the man she needed on her side, not those losers.
He finally turned to look at her when he didn't get any response from her. She looked him straight in the eyes and said. "Let's get married."
"What?" William finally managed to choke out, still shocked by her sudden proposal. "Why would I marry you?"
"Hmm." She hummed, leaning her arm on the table. "Because we are in the same predicament."
He scoffed, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. "What predicament?" He asked, his voice laced with skepticism.
Dahlia sat up straighter, a small smirk playing on her lips. "I may not know you well, but from what you've said, your grandmother is forcing you to go on blind dates in order to find a wife." She replied. "Well, I share a similar situation."
He looked at her in disbelief, his eyebrows raised. "And that situation is what prompted you to propose to me?" He asked. "Despite the fact you don't even know me?"
She gave a small shrug.
William's jaws dropped. "Is marriage some kind of game to you?" His tone incredulous.
"Isn't it?" Her tone teasing as she responded. "Don't tell me you're a believer in that ridiculous thing called love?" When William didn't respond, she laughed - it didn't reach her eyes. Her laughter sounded cold and hollow. "This is hilarious."
William eyes narrowed, and he felt a flare of anger rising in his chest. "Love is not ridiculous." He said, his voice firm. "It's a real thing, and it's what makes life worth living."
His words were met with a skeptical look from Dahlia.
"If you're such a believer in love, why are you here, on blind dates?" She asked, a mocking smile playing on her red lips. "You said it yourself that you're not interested in marriage."
William let out a loud sigh. "Listen, Ms.." He paused, realizing he didn't even know her name, he knew nothing about her.
"My apologies." She pulled a business card from her purse. "I should have introduced myself, I'm Dahlia Sinclair." She held out the card. "I'm sure you must have heard of me."
He took the business card, his eyes scanning the text. "Sinclair?" He echoed, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. He had heard of her, who hasn't? She was the mysterious young woman who inherited the Sinclair company from the late CEO. However, he had never met her or seen her before. He looked at the business card again, turning it over in his hands. "I don't understand why my grandmother would set me up on a date with you."
There was a spark of amusement in her eyes. "Actually..." She began, but was cut off by two people approaching their table - the manager and the receptionist.
"Please excuse us for interrupting." The manager said, a look of apology on her face. "But one of my employees has made a mistake."
The receptionist bowed deeply, facing William. "I'm so sorry." She apologised. "I led you to the wrong table."
William raised an eyebrow, a questioning look on his face. He turned to Dahlia, who was watching the whole scene with an amused expression.
The receptionist bowed again, this time even lower than before. "I'm so sorry." She repeated.
"You may leave." Dahlia said, her voice calm and measured.
The manager and the receptionist both bowed once more, then left the table.
William bit his lower lip, feeling embarrassed at how he had assumed her to be his date.
"I'm sorry for saying all that." He apologised, his voice sincere. "I really shouldn't have."
"You don't need to apologise." Dahlia said in a light and teasing tone. "After all, it was fun watching you."
William's brow furrowed as he considered her response. "Was that why you suggested we get married?" He asked, his voice filled with uncertainty. "To make fun of me?"
Dahlia shook her head. "No, it wasn't."
"Then, why?" He asked, waiting for her to elaborate.
But she remained silent, stalling her response on purpose as she played with her fingers. "I've told you already."
"Because we're in the same predicament?"
"Exactly." Came Dahlia's response.
"You're crazy." William said, shaking his head in disbelief. He had never met anyone like her.
She just smirked, not offended in the slightest. "That's my specialty." Her tone light and playful. "Driving people crazy."
William couldn't help but laugh, a little in spite of himself. He could not believe this woman.
As he laughed, Dahlia noticed the appearance of a pair of dimples on his cheeks, making him look even more charming. She found herself wanting to reach out and touch his cheek, but she managed to restrain herself.
"You're quite the character." He said, his laughter subsiding. "But I'm sorry to disappoint you." William continued. "I'm not interested in marriage, and certainly not to someone like you." He paused, letting his words sink in. "You should try your crazy charm on someone else."
Dahlia's smirk turned into a full - blown wry grin. "I think you're being a bit hasty, Mr. Anderson. Why don't you think about it?"
"There's nothing to think about, Ms. Sinclair." He said almost immediately. "My answer still remains." His tone firm. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He rose to his feet. "I enjoyed our conversation." He added sincerely. "It was.... interesting."
William turned to leave, but was stopped by Dahlia's voice.
"Mr. Anderson." She called, and he turned back to face her. "You're forgetting something." She said, pointing to her business card still sitting on the table. She picked it up and walked towards him, holding it out. "In case you change your mind." She placed the business card in his jacket pocket, their faces only inches apart. Her hand lingered on his chest for a moment, and he felt a strange warmth spread through him. Then she turned, picked her purse and walked away, leaving him to watch her go. He was strangely intrigued by this mysterious woman.
As William exited the restaurant, he noticed Henry standing by the car talking on the phone. When Henry saw him, he ended the call and opened the car door for William to get in.
As they both got inside, Henry asked. "Where were you? Grandma called me and said you stood up your date. I tried to explain to her that you were there, but you know how she is." He paused, an outspoken question in the air. "What were you doing in there?"
William leaned back in his seat, looking up at the car's ceiling. As he thought about the evening's events, he found himself chuckling. It was so ridiculous - a woman he'd just met had proposed to him, without knowing anything about him. It was like something out of a movie and weirdly, he didn't find it bad but rather, it was pleasant.
Henry must have noticed his laughter, because he spoke up, sounding confused. "What's so funny?"
"I met a crazy beautiful woman." He answered, a smile playing on his lips.
Henry raised an eyebrow. "A crazy beautiful woman?" He asked, intrigued. "Who is she?"
But William just shook his head, already starting to doze off. "It's not important." He mumbled, his eyes closing.
Henry only sighed and gave up on his attempt to get the story out of him. He started the car and began driving them to William's house.
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