His Reluctant Bride

Introduction

"W- What?" Aira stuttered wondering what her, so far, perfect date partner was saying.

It sounded weirdly close to M-

"I want you to marry me next month," He repeated simply as if he was talking about a second date.

But no! The man was going straight from the first date to marriage! Wasn't talking about marriage on a first date taboo or something?

Her brain raced, was he some kind of believer in matrimony? Or was it just her luck to be meaninglessly proposed to every time she starts dating someone?

Hell, she just broke her engagement with her cheating ex. And the way THAT prick had proposed looks exactly like what this guy was doing here.

Although perhaps less flashy and minus the ring and the audience...

"It's a bit too early to talk about marriage don't you think?"

Yes! That's it! She managed to sound calm without asking him if he had lost his freaking mind...

Not that things would have ended well for her if she'd Asked Vincent Valory if he had lost his mind.

God, this was THE Vincent Valory... CEO extraordinaire and technically her boss for the time being.

She knew she should have refused the blind date even when her mother insisted...

"I think blind dates Are designed so that people could find a marriage partner. I may be fast-tracking things a little bit, but it's not all that unusual for people in our families to decide to marry after the first date." He responded his direct gaze trained on her.

Damn, why did he have to be so handsome?! And perfectly her type on top of that!

And there was no denying his wretched logic. Their families had arranged marriages all the time. Her brother was supposed to have an arranged marriage pretty soon.

But, she was under the impression that this was different. Their date had been great so far. Carefree, fun, and enticing.

There was no denying that she was attracted to Vincent.

Damn her cursed female hormones, but the man was hot!

"Still... I wasn't aware that this was that kind of situation," Aira defied looking at him straight in the eyes.

But, then again, who wouldn't be attracted to someone like him?

He had talked about her illustrations as if he genuinely cared. She'd noticed his interest in art when she met him for the first time for their project, but this was different. More personal, more intense.

He smiled as if he was thoroughly enjoying the situation.

"Although I see why you could have been confused. It doesn't change the fact that I am proposing to you," He said

Aira sighed and closed her eyes trying to clear her mind then opened them looking straight at the man before her.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept your offer. As you know, I just got out of a failed engagement and it's a bit too early for me to think about marriage."

"I wouldn't call it failed..." He said pensively then smirked darkly, "I wouldn't even call it an engagement, myself." His smile widened.

That bastard! He was provoking her! He was practically saying "God, what were you thinking, agreeing to be with someone like that?"

Well... He was right....

"But nonetheless, Are you sure you want to be so reserved about this?" He asked his sharp green gaze zeroing on her.

"What do you mean?" Aira asked

"What I mean is are you sure you want to refuse my proposal after what your family is going through?" He asked again his cool features never wavering.

That's when Aira realized it. This was a negotiation for him, just like those he did every day in the boardroom.

Vincent Valory never entered a negotiation where he could lose. She knew that, he told her that earlier on their date...

"What do you mean by my family?" She asked too afraid to hear his answer. Although she already knew it.

Vincent already held the trump card in his hands. She was going to lose.

"Well, why don't you ask your brother about that? It seems like he decided to break his engagement with a certain influential family resulting in a few lost deals for your family business,"

"No, it can't be."

"But it is... Your family will be going bankrupt within the next few days. That is... Unless you agree to marry me next month," Vincent smiled and a chill ran down Aira's spine.

She knew now why everyone called him THE SHARK. She could see it in his emotionless grin right then, as if he was getting ready to devour her.

Leaning forward, he whispered into her ears as his lips gently fluttered over her cheek,

"You don't have to worry about anything. Just be mine"