Burden

"As I was saying, you should tour me in this city. I am not— "

"I'm sleepy," she interrupted him. "And both of us are busy. I have deadlines too." Her company was just a start-up. And Startup means fewer people. Right now, she is the only head developer and is the only one leading a team. Obviously, she was really busy.

"But I already told Lan Xing to invest."

"What does it have to do with my workload?" She turned towards him. Chris smiled, his eyes were on the road.

"You can use it to hire more experts. Then, you can work for me."

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the side of the road where the pedestrians were. To be honest, this relationship that she had with him only made her more confused. She already liked someone else, but obviously, she couldn't control her lustful self and was attracted to another guy.

Shameless.

No, she was more than shameless.

"My grandfather would introduce me to everyone five days from now. This will be the engagement party of my cousin."

"He will introduce you as the heir?"

She felt him tensed.

"Eyes on the road." She said when she felt his gaze boring towards her.

"Why did you agree? I thought you didn't want trouble?"

"I didn't," she said. "He said, the world needed to know the truth."

"The truth?"

"Zhang Xin had been crying to everyone about the incident in Pane City. Most people, socialites knew that I slapped him and is calling me ungrateful and colorful names."

He nodded and stayed quiet.

"He said, I will become the primary holder of the shares after his death. He wanted me to start working for the company. I refused." She doesn't have any knowledge of the business industry and would always prefer to stay in the background.

"So— "

"My grandfather doesn't have long." She stated. "After his death… I want you to acquire the company."

Silence descended in between them. Sera noticed his face darkened, but she refused to ask him why he was upset.

Isn't this what he wanted?

The shares?

Until they reached the house, Chris didn't say anything. He parked the car and opened the door for her.

Suddenly, his silence made her wonder if she said something wrong. He wanted the shares, and she was planning to give him that. So…

What's wrong?

Seeing that he wasn't planning to say anything, she just shrugged and walked towards her office. Before she could open the door, she felt his hand wrapped around her wrist. "Is there a problem?" she asked, frowning.

"After your grandfather's death, you will become the majority shareholder?"

She nodded.

"Thirty percent?" he asked.

"I will own forty-eight percent of the company. My uncle's family would own twenty-five percent combined. If I sell you my shares, you can acquire the company."

"And after you sell the shares?"

"What do you mean, after I sell the shares?" she chuckled. "Obviously, I don't want to involve myself in the matters of the Zhang Family."

"What about your mother?"

She stared at his eyes. "What about her?" She heard her mother's story and thought that everything happened because of her mother's choices. It was the consequence of her actions.

"You won't do anything against your uncle? Didn't he treat you— "

Her shrug interrupted him. "No." Again, she wasn't the type to stir some drama just to have some revenge against someone. She was the type that would just sit on her computer and earn money while watching them succumbed to the consequence of their actions.

He shook his head as a sigh left his lips. "What will happen after you give me your share?"

"I live happily ever after?" Isn't that everyone's goal? Living happily ever after?

"What about me?"

She deadpanned. So, he was curious about them and their current relationship.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Are you leaving? What about us?"

She angled her head as she tried to understand the gentle expression in his eyes.

She wanted to say that there was actually no 'us' but she chose not to say anything that she would regret later. "You still want me to marry you?" she chuckled as she swallowed the nervousness inside her.

This conversation is inevitable. Tackling it head-on was always better than… refusing to say anything and being confused for a long time.

"What's wrong with marrying you?" he asked.

She chuckled in response. Actually, everything is wrong in marrying someone like her. After all, her heart already belonged to someone, a man that she might not have in this lifetime.

At the end of the day, she was still a woman. Someone who is attracted to good-looking people, someone who fell in love, someone who cheated because of some undeniable attraction.

"Why do you want to marry me? I thought you just wanted the shares?" This man was rich, handsome, and single. Many girls would flock around him and he could sleep with anyone that he wanted to, anytime. So, what the hell is this marriage thing?

Why was he so adamant about marrying her?

"You are my fiance and marrying me … has its own advantage."

Again, she laughed. Funny how this man— someone that could probably marry anyone because of his status— was trying to tell her how marrying him has its own advantage. "Why don't… we stop talking about marriage first and just… " for a few seconds she hesitated. "And just focus on what's going to happen right now?"

Why does her word sound suggestive?

She couldn't help but wonder if her brain finally left her head.

"I mean… let's enjoy the moment and take it from there," she immediately clarified.

Someone like her who had been damaged by experienced had a lot of burden— she was a lot of burden. She had traumas and is just considered a damaged good.

"But what if you marry someone else?"

She fought the urge to laugh. If she would marry someone else, it would be Cross. But she was already sleeping with Chris. Marrying Cross was just one of those things that she would think about without any possibility of happening. "I won't," she smiled. "That won't happen."

For a few seconds, he turned quiet. Then he nodded, hesitation disappeared in his eyes. "Then follow me... I need to tell you something. Something important."