Chapter 249

Chapter 249

What Alice hadn't expected was that her impulsive decision would actually pay off.

Samuel satisfied her in every way—his looks, his personality, and even their sex life left her completely content.

Sometimes Alice felt like she must have hit the jackpot to find such an amazing guy.

Meanwhile, seeing that Eric showed no signs of leaving, Bianca glanced at the time and spoke up hesitantly, "It's getting late. Let me walk you out."

Despite Bianca's obvious hint for him to leave, Eric had no intention of going anywhere. He lifted his head and looked at her earnestly, "You got a minute? There's something I need to tell you."

Meeting his gaze, Bianca felt her heart skip a beat. For some reason, even though he hadn't said anything yet, her pulse was already racing.

Bianca stood up and closed the bedroom door. The kids were already asleep, and she didn't want their conversation to wake them.

Settling back onto the couch, Bianca gave Eric a faint smile, "Okay, Supervisor Allen, what's on your mind?"

Hearing such a formal title, Eric frowned, clearly uncomfortable.

"We're not at the office. You don't have to call me supervisor. I'd rather you just use my name."

Eric's tone carried a hint of intimacy. Bianca's heart fluttered, and she awkwardly looked away.

"It's late, Supervisor Allen. Just say what you came to say. I'm worried the kids might wake up and look for me."

Late at night, a man and woman alone together—the whole situation felt too awkward.

And the way Eric was looking at her seemed to carry something... more. Could what Alice said actually be true?

The moment that thought surfaced, Bianca immediately pushed it away.

She was a divorced woman with two kids—how could Eric possibly be interested in her? He was young and talented, promoted to supervisor after just two years at the company. He had his whole future ahead of him, and plenty of pretty, single young women in the department had crushes on him. There was no way Eric could be interested in her.

After that thought, Bianca couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment.

Eric stood up and moved closer to Bianca, looking at her seriously, "Bianca, what I actually wanted to tell you is that I like you. I want to take you out. I want you to be my girlfriend."

At those words, Bianca's eyes widened in shock, disbelief written all over her face, "What did you just say?"

Her emotions surged. She seriously wondered if she'd just imagined it. Had Eric really just confessed to her?

She must have had too much to drink tonight—that's why she was hearing things.

But Eric's gaze remained steady as he looked at Bianca, "Bianca, I said I like you. I want you to be my girlfriend. Will you go out with me?"

Confirming she hadn't misheard, Bianca's heart pounded wildly, completely unable to process that Eric had actually confessed to her.

It took her a while to calm down. She looked up at Eric, "Are you serious, or are you messing with me? Because today isn't April Fool's Day."

Even though she'd heard him clearly, Bianca still couldn't quite believe it. After all, someone as great as Eric could easily find a pretty young girl. Why would he choose her?

Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Eric took both her hands, his amber eyes locked on hers, "I'm completely serious. I'm not messing with you, and I'm not the type to joke about something like this."

"You..." Bianca's eyes flickered as she finally asked the question weighing on her heart, "Why would you like me? There are several young women in our department who have crushes on you. You'd be way better off with them."

"When it comes to feelings, it's only about whether you like someone or not—there's no such thing as being 'better suited.' I don't have feelings for them. Should I force myself to be with someone I don't care about? That wouldn't make me happy."

Hearing Eric's explanation, Bianca felt a secret thrill, but thinking of her failed marriage, she had very little confidence in herself.

"But I'm divorced and have two kids. No guy would choose me."

Before Bianca could finish putting herself down, Eric cut her off, "Says who! So what if you're divorced? So what if you have kids? That's just part of your past. You didn't do anything wrong."

Any other guy would definitely not want to be with a divorced woman, let alone one with two children. But Eric didn't seem to mind at all—his words were even filled with sympathy for her.

Bianca looked at Eric with some surprise, her eyes slightly red, "Do you really mean all that?"

"Of course I mean it. Bianca, can't you tell how I feel about you? I really like you, so I don't care about your past. I like your two kids too. If I like you, then I'll like your children as well. If you're with me, I promise I'll treat them right."

Eric tightened his grip on Bianca's hands, his eyes filled with determination.

Bianca's heart trembled. She admitted to herself that she liked Eric, but having already been through one failed marriage, she didn't dare jump into a new relationship. She was afraid of making the same mistakes.

Holding onto a thread of rationality, Bianca pulled her hands back and looked away, unable to meet Eric's affectionate gaze, "I can't answer you right now. I've already been through one failed marriage. I can't take that risk again, so I can't give you an answer just yet."

A flash of disappointment crossed Eric's eyes. He could sense that Bianca liked him, but because of her previous failed marriage, she had her guard up.

If only he'd met her a few years earlier—then she wouldn't have had to go through all that pain.

Though he felt disappointed at not getting the answer he wanted, Eric's face still held a faint smile, his gaze still gentle.

"That's okay. I can wait. You can also put me to the test. If you feel that I'm good to you and the kids, and you like me, then say yes and let me take care of you all. But if I can't pass your test, then turn me down. I absolutely won't bug you about it."

Bianca had expected him to be upset or even storm off, but she hadn't expected him to be willing to give her time to think. This made her warm up to Eric even more.

Bianca nodded. She didn't turn him down again.

She knew very well that she liked Eric. The only reason she hadn't said yes right away was because her past experience made her afraid to rush into things.

If Eric could make her feel safe, she would definitely choose to be with him.

Not getting the answer he wanted left Eric feeling a bit let down, but he didn't push it, "Alright, it's late. I should head out. Get some rest. I'll see you at the office tomorrow."