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Desperate

Deep set gray eyes hiding storms beneath the surface, neatly arranged black hair, a straight nose and thin pink lips, chiseled jaw, bearing strong yet elegant facial features— the man was indeed a feast for the eyes.

His body was hugged by the navy blue suit, showing off his well-maintained and powerful body. Her eyes trained on his slender fingers stretching to his hands which was covered by the sleeve for longer than intended.

He was too attractive.

If not for this circumstance, she didn't think she would have an issue with having crush on him.

But unfortunately, she valued character more than good looks and wouldn't consider anyone who touched her bottom line.

If he worked with her dad, he would be the same type of man as her dad— the type that cared about materialistic gain over human life.

Adrianne surely wasn't a completely moral person but knew that there were lines that couldn't be crossed as a human.

Adrianne next shifted her gaze on to her dad and could see the slight dissatisfaction in his eyes. That made the corner of her lips curl up in pleasure.

"If the purpose for the discussion is to talk about my marriage, unfortunately I will let you know that you have to return home empty-handed. I have no intentions of getting married, no matter what the reason behind it lies," Adrianne formally and coldly expressed, making her stance clear.

Her dad's sharp eyes fell on her, and he stated, "I will be the one to decide that. Sit down."

His stern eyes made her purse her lips into a thin line. She rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest before sitting down opposite to the attractive man.

Her senses urged her to take another glance at the man, but her pride didn't her lose her composure.

"This is Sebastian Wright. He—"

Before her dad could carry on, Adrianne interrupted, "Dad, since both of us are supposed to get married, why don't you let me have a talk with him one on one?"

Her eyes lit up with mischievous glint.  The ideas she had in her head were obvious on her face.

Her dad looked at Sebastian.

The man who was silent until now nodded.

"That works fine."

And Adrianne almost swooned over his husky and magnetic voice.

Why did she feel it was a pity that she couldn't marry him?

Reminding herself that she couldn't be that shallow, she stood up and indifferently swept her eyes over the man.

She ordered, "Follow me."

°°°

Adrianne led him to the garden where there was not even a soul in sight. Her expression hardened and became solemn before she turned back to look at him.

But noticing the proximity between them, she gulped in nervousness and took a step back. She gained back her momentum in less than a second.

Creases formed between both of her eyebrows, and she raised her finger, pointing at him.

"Look, I don't know what sort of deal you have with my dad, but I am not getting married to you no matter what. My dad is insane and wouldn't listen, but you, can you at least be sensible?

You do know that you can't just forcefully marry someone in this day and age. It's absolutely wrong. You get it, right? It also looks pathetic," Adrianne said as calmly as possible, so that he could see the point.

"Ms. Adrianne, my deal is with your dad, William. Therefore, there is no use in trying to convince me," he pointed out.

This made Adrianne frustrated.

"What do you mean? Are you playing me? Aren't you the one to get married? Could it be that you're that desperate?" Adrianne raised her voice.

"See it as you like, but, Ms. Adrianne, don't you think it's time you act mature?"

Adrianne almost felt as though he looked at her in derision, and this irritated her.

What does he even know about her to judge her in this manner?

"Are you seriously saying I am in the wrong? Did I ask anyone to interfere in my life?" she asked. Her hazel eyes glared at him.

But his calm, unmoving expression that was very much reminiscent of her dad only ignited fury inside her. They were the same type of man.

"I will be leaving if you have nothing else to say."

Adrianne didn't stop him as he turned his back on her. She went down on her knees and hugged them, resting her head within her hands. She didn't care about what others would think about her.

She bit down on her lip.

And just then, the sound of gun being shot snapped her to senses. She almost jumped in her position, and her eyes widened.

She raised her head about to see what happened when a wrist grabbed on to her wrist securely and pulled her. The next instant, she was standing on feet and face slammed against a man's chest.

A refreshing yet tantalizing scent invaded her senses, but the situation was too chaotic for her to be mesmerized by that.

Her heart beat rapidly against her chest. A strong hand was wrapped around her slender waist, holding her fixedly in the position, and her body moved with him.

She raised her head, and the view of his sharp jaw fell into her line of sight followed by that solemn and attractive face. Those gray eyes narrowed at the opponents, and murderous glint passed through them.

It made her feel protected, and her heart beat rapidly against her chest. Her lips parted before she looked back to get a view of the surroundings.

It appeared that they were under attack. Many men in black surrounded them, and Sebastian efficiently dealt with them even when he had her as a burden.

As both the sides attacked each other, the sight was a brutal one, and it made Adrianne feel nauseous and terrified.

Her body shuddered.

The next moment, she was taken aback by the soft movement of his hand that pushed her face to his warm chest.

"Stay still," he ordered.

And she nodded.

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