Chapter 2: The Proposal

I asked Yvette to investigate Elias after I went back.

Elias Silva, twenty-five years old, 6'2" tall, occupation unknown, currently living in a rented house in the 12th district.

I had observed Elias. His clothes were indeed cheap, but he had an outstanding temperament and the cheap clothes looked expensive on him.

A few days later, I arrived at the 12th district where Elias lived.

The environment of this district was poor. The pavement was uneven. Even the stairs were shabby and they squeaked when I stepped on them.

I walked to the third floor covering my nose.

The wall around the door was plastered with advertisements, but the door was clean and out of place in this mess.

I knocked on the door, but no one answered.

After about half an hour, I worked on some business on my phone before I heard the sound of steady footsteps coming from the hallway.

I didn't know why, but I was sure it was Elias coming back.

He wasn't surprised to see me standing in the doorway, but he simply ignored me. He opened the door and went it without inviting me in.

I blocked the door with my hand to stop him from closing it: "Won't you invite me in?"

"My place is too humble for you." He refused me.

"I don't care." As I spoke, I had already entered forcibly.

The house was small, unobstructed, clean, and tidy. There was even a pot of jasmine fluttering in the wind on the windowsill.

He had a good sense of life.

Elias did not reject my presence in the house and went to the kitchen to get two glasses of water, one of which he handed to me, "There's only plain water in here."

I reached out and took it, "Thanks."

"How did you... find me?" He asked calmly.

I took a sip of water and joked, "Using the money." "That girl hasn't bothered you anymore, has she?"

He paused and nodded.

I supposed she didn't have the guts to annoy him any longer.

"Did you just go grocery shopping? I happened to miss my lunch. I don't eat spicy food and I hate food with strong smells. Remember not to put chili, onions, and cilantro."

He said in a deep voice, "I don't think I have invited you to dinner."

I crossed my legs calmly and looked at him with a smile, "I have helped you out, so it makes sense for you to treat me to a casual meal."

He said in a deep voice, "I don't think I have invited you to dinner."

I crossed my legs calmly and looked at him with a smile, "I have helped you out, so it makes sense for you to treat me to a casual meal."

"Wait a moment", he said after a short silence and then turned to the kitchen to cook.

While he was cooking, I was watching the room out of boredom when my eyes were drawn to an upturned picture frame. I thought to myself, "Who would put a picture frame like this at home?

Was it blown down by the wind?

But according to my observation, there was no wind blowing over where the frame was placed.

Out of curiosity, I walked over to turn the frame over.

"What are you doing?" The sudden voice scared me and I almost couldn't hold the frame.

I was about to explain, but he had already taken the frame away with ease. He looked unhappy, "Who told you to touch my things?"

"I didn't..."

"Did you see the picture?" He asked cautiously.

I was so startled by him that I didn't even see it, even though I was trying to look at it. But his asking aroused my curiosity instead, and I asked, "What's so special about this picture?"

"Nothing special." He replied coldly and took the frame away.

I shrugged and thought to myself, "What a temperamental guy."

After this little interlude, Elias finished cooking.

I couldn't help but give him a compliment when I saw the three dishes and a soup on the table, "I didn't expect you to be so good at cooking."

He didn't go for it. After eating quietly, he showed me the door, "You can leave now."

"Elias...," I called him by his first name.

"We don't know each other that well." He said unfriendly.

I thought to myself that this guy was so relentless, but I'm not the grumpy young lady who could be pissed off by a word or two.

"Well, Mr. Silva, I actually looked for you for something I wanted to discuss with you today."

He looked up and stared at me.

I slowly spoke, "Let's get married."

At that, Elias' beautiful eyes widened abruptly. I knew that my sudden "proposal" had shocked him.

"Don't panic. Hear me out before you comment."

"I know my proposal is so sudden, but I am sincere. I need a marriage, and you..." I used a euphemism, "You probably know you look somewhat attractive. I guess a lot of people have hit on you before."

"I think we can work together amicably and make a contract of marriage for three years. During the marriage, I will play the role of a good wife as well as I can, but I have to say explicitly that I may not be home from work a lot because of my job."

"It would be best if you would like to have a child. But if you still want to divorce me after three years, the custody of the child must be mine, and I will be responsible for all the costs and expenses of his or her upbringing."

Elias finally spoke up, "Are you done?"

"Probably, that's all of it." I concluded.

Elias put down his chopsticks, stared straight at me with a mirthless grin on his face, "This is the first time I've seen someone take marriage as a trifling matter."

He stood up, leaned down close to me, and his moist thin lips opened, "Don't think that you can just make unreasonable demands on me after helping me. Marriage is a lifelong matter but you made such a hasty decision. Is there any essential difference between you and that rich girl?"

I had no idea why there was exasperation in his eyes when he said this.

Or to be more precise, disappointment.

Disappointment?

What was he disappointed in me for?

"Of course there is an essential difference. I fell in love with you at first sight, so I want to marry you. And we can develop our relationship slowly, can't we?"

He froze when he heard the words "love at first sight" and his ears slowly turned pink. He couldn't find a word to refute me for a while.

I took the opportunity and said, "Besides, I have everything that other women have. You don't lose out by marrying me, do you?"

There was a flash of confusion in his eyes.

I thought I was winning, but when I was pleased with myself, his eyes regained their clarity and he said coldly, "You have finished your meal and you can leave now."

I was not willing to go, but at least I had tried today. He had such an indifferent attitude that he would have been resistant if I had forced him.

In that case, what would be the difference between me and that rich girl?

I had to give the matter further thought.

I never thought that God would give me a pillow when I wanted to doze off.

Yvette bumped into Elias when he came to our reception desk to deliver milk tea. She told me, "Mr. Silva delivered milk tea to the office, but he's gone now."

Elias was working in a milk tea store?

I tapped on the desk and said, "Yvette, go to the receptionist and ask for Elias' phone number."

"Boss, you..."

I smiled, "You haven't had milk tea for a long time. Let me buy you one."

I ordered two dozen cups of milk tea, one of which had to be delivered by him personally to the president's office.

Elias came over when I was reprimanding a manager, and his arrival was a lifesaver for the manager.

"Okay, get out." I straightened the hem of my shirt and sat back in my seat.

The manager wiped his sweat as he fled.

"The milk tea you ordered will be paid on arrival, plus the delivery fee, for a total of eight hundred dollars." Elias was wearing the uniform of the milk tea store, which was ordinary, but looked quite special on him.

I held up my phone, "Can I pay with WeChat?"

"You don't have cash?"

"No." I lied through his teeth.

He struggled for a moment before finally pulling out his phone. I scanned the QR code and a thousand dollars was transferred to his WeChat.

He glanced at it and frowned, "It's too much."

I looked out at the hot sun, "Not much. It's for your hard work."

He put the milk tea on the table and said, "Enjoy it." Then he turned around and left, seemingly not bothering with the extra two hundred dollars.

"Hey, Elias."

As he walked to the door, I called out to him, "The milk tea is very sweet today, thank you."