“Sorry?” I repeated, because my brain was still lagging behind.
“For leading you on,” he continued gently. “I should’ve been honest sooner. I just… I didn’t know how to say it.”
I stared at him, waiting for the rest. Surely this was the preamble. The part where he confessed everything and then slid the offer across the table like a winning hand. When nothing came, I frowned.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “And?”
His brows knit together. “And… I have to get married soon.”
My pulse kicked up, excitement fizzing in my chest. This was it. This was the moment where the universe finally decided to stop playing with me. I leaned forward. “Right. So when were you planning to ask?”
He blinked.
Once. Twice.
“Ask… what?”
I studied his face, searching for the teasing glint that wasn’t there. “Me,” I clarified. “To enter into a marriage of convenience with you.”
He stared at me as if I’d just told him the sky was green. “You thought…?” He stopped, shook his head. “Evania, no. I wasn’t— I didn’t think you’d want something like that.”
I sat back in my chair, genuinely confused now. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well,” he said carefully, “for starters, I didn’t even tell you about… all of this until now. And I figured you might feel deceived. Or offended.”
“I’m not,” I said immediately. That earned me another stunned look.
“You’re not?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
His mouth opened, then closed. “You’re… not upset that I hid the fact that I’m—” He paused, lowering his voice. “That I’m wealthy?”
I tilted my head. “Are you asking me if I’m upset that you didn’t tell me you’re a billionaire?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely not.”
Something shifted in his expression then—uncertainty giving way to something closer to disbelief. “Most people would be.”
“Well, most people don’t think like me,” I said, shrugging. “And for the record, I’m definitely interested in becoming a billionaire’s wife.”
The words landed between us, solid and unapologetic. Why would I back down when this was exactly what I'd wanted for years now? I was finally about to live my dream. But the way he stared at me in disbelief had me questioning everything.
“I didn’t even consider you a possibility,” he admitted.
I waited to feel offended by his words, but I didn't. Maybe I should’ve felt insulted. Maybe I should’ve crossed my arms, demanded an explanation, thrown his words back at him. But all I could think about was how billionaire echoed in my head, how my wife followed it like a promise.
“That’s okay,” I said breezily. “You can now.”
His eyes searched mine, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. “You’re serious.”
“Completely.”
He leaned back, exhaling slowly. “I need time to think.”
“Of course you do,” I said. “Big decisions and all that.”
