"You see how many suitors I have. It's really troubled me, so I could use a wife to ward them off. If you agree, I'll return the pendant. How's that?"
Blanca didn't think much of it. Just being rumored to be with her was enough, but now marriage? Wouldn't she just get time bombs delivered to her door?
The key part was, as the head of the Empire Group, he could have taken any woman he liked, so why her?
There had to be something else going on. Blanca didn't feel like Matthew had given a solid reason.
"Why does it have to be me?"
Matthew smiled faintly. "The way you don't fear death is suitable for being a meat shield, and you don't have any family background, which saved us a lot of trouble. Are you satisfied with that answer?"
"…"
Blanca didn't feel like the first half of that statement was praising her, but that last half did make sense.
For someone like Matthew, even love and marriage was a complicated net of interests and profit.
Maybe it really was like how he'd put it, and that marrying a girl who had absolutely zero background would actually bring him the least trouble.
As for Blanca, there was also a huge benefit to marrying him…
She stood up straight and looked at him. "I can give you my life and be your wife, but in addition to the pendant, I also want one thing more."
"Name it." Matthew looked at her, intrigued.
"I want some money."
She'd given up on treatment and come to Oakshire to look for her parents precisely because it was expensive and she didn't have the money for it. She just wanted to see her birth parents before she died.
Now that she had an opportunity to marry into a rich family, the first thing to do, of course, was to use his money for her treatment and extend her life as much as possible so she could buy more time to search for her parents.
Blanca was afraid that he wouldn't agree, and added, "Don't worry, I won't ask for much. One million will do. It's just pocket change to you, and compared to the value I bring you, it's more than a fair deal!"
She spoke like she was an expert salesman, but she'd forgotten that she was selling herself.
Matthew didn't even think about it and said right away. "It's more than fair all right. Deal."
With that, he cut a check for one million and placed it before her along with the pendant.
"When can we go get our marriage certificate?"
Blanca's eyes gleamed. She didn't think a one-night-stand could have had such a reward, and that she could have gotten money for her treatment this easily!"
"It's fine whenever! I've got my identification on me!" When she'd come to Oakshire, she'd been prepared to never go back, so she was carrying all her documentation on her.
"Then let's do it now. With the certification done, I'll hold a press conference and go public with our relationship, and you can step up officially to shield me from suitors."
"No problem!" Blanca put the pendant happily around her neck, placed it into her clothes, felt for it, and then put the check into her wallet.
But then, as she got into Matthew's limo and thought about how she was going to marry him, it didn't feel real.
She'd married herself off just like that?
The man was handsome and rich, but it wasn't the marriage she had in mind. She wanted to marry someone she loved.
But considering that she probably wouldn't live out half the year, forget romance. Having family was lucky enough.
They reached civil services, and then Blanca's phone rang. It was her doctor.
"Wait for me. I need to take this."
She left Matthew, then walked to the side to listen to what the doctor had to say.
Five minutes later, she hung up, her heart fluttering.
She felt like her life was a roller-coaster. This was way too much excitement. She wanted to laugh and cry all at once.
The doctor had told her, very guiltily, that her brain cancer had been a misdiagnosis. The hospital was very sorry if it had troubled her.
"Are you done?" Matthew's voice rang out from behind.
Blanca turned around slowly and smiled at him. "I'm done, I'm done. Go in and wait for me. I'm thirsty, and I'm just going to go buy a bottle of water."
Matthew glared at her impatiently. "Hurry up, then."
He turned and walked into civil services, while Blanca grew conflicted.
With her pendant back, she didn't have to worry about Matthew threatening her that way, so she was left with one choice – flee.