Chapter Sixteen
“Why wear long sleeves? Aren’t you more used to wearing sleeveless?” Uno questioned as I exited the fitting room wearing the same dress I measured earlier but in a smaller size. Uno, thankfully, hadn’t gone insane yet, so he left the fitting room before the female staff returned. The only issue is that my lower abdomen hurts! Not to mention how sticky I am down there. My panty is a total mess, and I want to get change. I feel so filthy.
“I just want to try something new,” I responded to Uno, who was now sitting on one of the couches. I turned around to show him the full length of the dress I was wearing. “Well, how do I look?”
“So-so.” I rolled my eyes as he shrugged. I already asked him inside earlier, and he said it looks good, but it’s better without it. If Dos were the one I was asking, I’m sure he’d compliment me right away. Well, what else would I expect from someone like Uno? He’s nothing more than a pervert
“Will you die if you compliment me even once?” I snarled, looking at the staff that was standing on the side. “We’ll take this one, miss.”
“How about your mask, ma’am? Have you chosen anything yet?”
“I’ve already chosen for her,” Uno said as he stood up. I was about to go back into the dressing room to change, but I looked at Uno before doing so.
“What about your suit?”
“I’ve already purchased it yesterday,”
“What? Then why did you come here?”
“To accompany you, of course,” he replied as if it were the most natural thing to say. I mean, it’s only right for him to accompany me since I’m doing him a favor, but I didn’t expect him to make time for this despite his busy schedule.
Come to think of it, this isn’t the first time he’s made time for me; in fact, he even postponed his meeting the last time.
Hmm, I guess he’s serious that he wants us to forget about our unrequited love, which is why he’s so invested.
“Siegren, return to the office and call me when you need me there,” Uno said as we approached the car in which I had ridden earlier.
“Noted, sir,” Siegren replied briefly before returning to the car while Uno and I rode the two-seat Ferrari.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he started the car engine and I was buckling the seatbelt.
“Aren’t you uncomfortable? I know you want to change your underwear,” he says casually, causing me to choke on my saliva. I coughed several times and patted my chest before returning my gaze to him.
“You’re insane!” I scolded him, even though I wished the earth would eat me in shame.
“Why? Am I mistaken?”
“N-No,” I said shyly before regaining my composure and taking my phone from the sling bag I was carrying when it vibrated.
[Where are you?] Reo sent me a message.
[I’m with Uno, what’s the problem?] I tapped my phone before leaning back and closing my eyes; I could feel the wind when Uno began driving because his car is a convertible.
“Ah, the wind makes me sleepy,” I muttered, but when my phone vibrated, I immediately opened my eyes and answered it as soon as I saw the caller ID.
“What’s the matter, babe?” I asked Reo.
**“First, breathe deeply,”** he said, raising my brows, puzzled as to why he said that.
“W-Why?” I stammered, a little nervously.
**“I overheard Dad on the phone with his business partner.”**
“And?” I asked, anticipating his response before glancing at Uno and noticing that he was already wearing sunglasses.
**“I heard your father was planning to marry his daughter to the son of De Guzman Corp’s owner.”**
“What?!” I couldn’t help but scream when I heard that bullshit. Uno was surprised, so he turned to me and asked what was wrong, but I just shook my head in response.
“Did you hear that correctly?” I inquired of Reo.
**“I heard it loud and clear.”**
I closed my eyes tightly and bit my lip before looking up at the blue sky. Now it all makes fucking sense, I already have an idea why there is a family dinner later and who the guests are.
I’m not sure how much longer my worthless father will torture me. He no longer treats me well, and now he makes decisions in my personal life as if I were a puppet. He didn’t even consult with me, he just put me into an arranged marriage for the sake of his business.
Ugh! This is getting out of hand; my future is on the line, and I can’t just let my father dictate me what I should do with my life. I need to knock some sense into him. I don’t care if he beats me; I’ll do anything to keep him from taking over my life.
**“What’s your plan?”** Reo wondered aloud, but I simply shook my head, even though he
couldn’t see it.
“Marry me,” I teased him, even though I actually wanted to swear. I know Reo is concerned, but I don’t want him to worry about my problem. I don’t want to add to his stress right now.
**“Ugh, come on,”** he grumbled, and I laughed.
“Just kidding, let’s talk about this later, okay? Thank you for providing that information,” I said with a smile that vanished when I hung up the phone and took a deep breath.
“What’s the problem?” Uno inquired, but I simply shook my head, not looking back at him.
“I don’t want to go home, Uno. Take me anywhere.”
“Tell me the reason first,” he said, and I turned to face him, lightly smiling.
“Dad put me in an arranged marriage,” I replied before touching my face as tears streamed down my cheek. Uno was obviously taken aback because he hadn’t expected me to cry all of a sudden. He came to a complete stop and closed the roof of his car when the stoplight turned red.
“With whom?” he asked with a serious tone as he extended his hand and wiped away my tears after removing his sunglasses. I was still taken aback by his gesture, but I didn’t give it much thought. Uno may be a jerk, but he’s not heartless. We argued and irritated each other countless times, we’re frenemies, with 90% of the time enemies and 10% of the time friends, depending on the situation.
“What makes you want to know?”
“Just tell me,” he said making my brows furrow slightly. Normally, he is uninterested in my personal life, but lately, I’ve noticed that he is gradually becoming interested in mine. In the end... I still responded to his question.
“To the son of De Guzman Corp’s owner.”
“I see,” he nodded while rubbing his chin and he didn’t say anything afterward. As soon as the light turned green, he drove quickly until we arrived at his house. I hadn’t been here in a while, and I was surprised to see so many men in suits in the garden of his house.
I had the impression that Uno was already in charge of the Del Roman Mafia, which scared me.
“Why are your men scattered outside?” I wondered as I sat on the couch.
“Are you uncomfortable that they’re here?” he asked back.
“Well...” was all that came out of my mouth, and I followed him with my gaze when I saw him step out. He soon returned, and I nearly screamed when he suddenly carried me like a newlywed.
“W-What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” I asked as he began to walk while carrying me. He gave me a look before grinning and responding.
“In my room, where else?”
And I was too stunned to speak.
I just bit my lower lip until we got to the second floor, where his king-sized room was. It’s the first time I’ve been able to enter here and to be honest, his room has a manly vibe to it. The interior design is simple but elegant in black and white, it is pleasing to the eye.
He gently placed me near the bed, and I looked at him, puzzled.
“You can use the shower,” he said, and for some strange reason, I became embarrassed. Are we going to pick up where we left off earlier? I swallowed hard, and he seemed to notice my nervousness, so he laughed a little.
“What?” I asked, my brow furrowed, and he shook his head.
“I’m not going to eat you, Kharris, so relax and feel at ease; I’ll be out in a moment.”
“Where are you going?” I asked as he prepared to turn around. We both look at my hand because I hadn’t realized I was already holding his suit to stop him from leaving.
“I’ll buy you a new underwear, or do you want to use mine?” he casually answered, and I simply pursed my lips, embarrassed.
“No way in hell.” I muttered.
“I’ll be right back, don’t miss me too much,” he smirked, and I just rolled my eyes before releasing my grip on his suit.
“In your dreams.”