Mr. Marchantia received a phone call from Rita's father. He felt a little nervous before answering, but as soon as Mr. Helianthus said, "They are ready for the marriage," Mr. Marchantia felt immense relief.
"Congratulations, Mr. Helianthus," he replied. "Now we are not just business partners anymore. And regarding the business, everything will be done as we agreed. You don't need to worry about it."
Gilbert, who was passing by the door, noticed his father's serious expression and assumed he had received news of Rita's rejection. He happily waited for his father to finish the call, thinking he would comfort him afterward.
Mr. Marchantia saw his son waiting outside the room. He ended the call and beckoned Gilbert inside. Gilbert, who had been waiting impatiently, walked in.
Unable to contain his excitement, Mr. Marchantia rushed forward, embraced his son, and said, "Thank you, son. Because of you, we will save our business."
It did not take Gilbert long to understand what was happening.
Furiously, he said, "I don't want to marry her! Why do I have to sacrifice my life for your business? I'm not the one who borrowed money—you did. And now that you can't repay it, you want me to marry her? I don't even like her. Why should our lives suffer because of your mistakes?"
Mr. Marchantia's face darkened with anger. He slapped Gilbert and shouted, "This lavish life you are living was given to you by me, and you dare show me attitude? First achieve something before raising your voice in front of me! I am doing all this to save our family. Only Rita's father can help us now. Or do you want us to live on the streets?"
He continued, "And I don't see any problem with Rita. She is educated, comes from a respectable family, and has achieved far more than you have. Yet you don't even know how to respect your parents."
Gilbert was losing his patience. Not wanting to continue the argument, he grabbed his car keys and stormed out of the room. He immediately called Rita and asked her to meet him.
Rita was reading a book when she received Gilbert's call. Without even greeting her, Gilbert said, "I want to meet you. Now."
She could hear the tension in his voice. It wasn't difficult for her to guess why he was calling.
"Sorry, I can't. I'm busy," she replied calmly.
Gilbert snapped, "I'm warning you—if you don't come, I'll come to your house right now."
That was the last thing Rita wanted—not even in her worst nightmares. Still, seeing him so agitated gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.
"Fine," she said. "I'll be free at six. I'll send you the address."
Without waiting for his response, she ended the call.
Rita could not stop smiling. She kept imagining the stressed expression on his face. She picked up her book again, but she could no longer concentrate. All she could think about was seeing his irritated face.
She placed the book back on the table and thought, I will enjoy this while he worries about our marriage. I don't even have to do anything to break this stupid arrangement—he'll do it himself. In the end, everyone will blame him, and his perfect image will be ruined.
Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly realized it was time to get ready. However, she deliberately took her time because she wanted to make him wait.
When she finally arrived, Gilbert was already there. She spotted him through the café's glass window. Dressed in a black shirt and black jeans, he looked like a prince charming straight out of a novel—except there was a demon lurking beneath the surface.
She had intentionally ignored his calls. Her phone rang again, and she glanced at the screen.
Thirteen missed calls.
She could practically feel his irritation, and it made her smile.
With that, she pushed open the glass door. Gilbert was sitting in a corner, waiting for her. He had already consumed three cups of coffee.
But what bothered Rita was the way the girls in the café kept staring at him. Are they really that blind?