Rosalind Lowell looked at herself in the mirror. Even her exquisite makeup couldn't hide the anxiety on her face.
'It's so nerve-wracking to meet my marriage partner. I have no idea what kind of person he'll be. Everything is a complete unknown.'
Yesterday, all because Faye Lowell had declared she wouldn't marry him, her adoptive parents, who doted on their biological daughter, had forced her to take Faye's place. For so many years, she could only obey. All her painstaking efforts to please them had only resulted in them exploiting her more and more. She couldn't resist, nor did she dare to.
"Marry him. Once the company's operations stabilize, your debt of gratitude for being raised by us can be written off. I've arranged with the other party for you two to meet first. The driver will take you tomorrow."
She had no real family. No one would even notice if she died somewhere. She wanted to fight back, but she felt utterly powerless.
She shook herself from her daze and picked up a tube of lipstick with a badly worn case from her vanity. She applied it to her slightly pale lips, which finally gave her a bit of color.
'What if he's really a greasy man, just like Faye said...'
She took a deep breath and stood up. 'Any slower, and my adoptive father will start rushing me.'
...
She sat uneasily at the restaurant table, waiting in silence while picturing what her marriage partner might look like.
A bald, heavyset man with a shiny face and small, greasy eyes approached. Just as Rosalind Lowell held her breath in despair, the man walked past her and headed toward the back.
Rosalind Lowell was just sighing in relief when her gaze was involuntarily drawn to a man who came up behind the first. He was tall and slender, dressed in a sharp suit and moving with a brisk stride. The man sat down directly across from her, bringing with him the faint, fresh scent of cologne.
She had just recovered, only to be stunned once again.
The man across from her had his hair neatly combed, and his suit was free of a single wrinkle.
His captivating eyes, set beneath sharp, sword-like brows, held a masculine beauty that gave his features a striking definition, as if he were a handsome man who had stepped right out of a painting.
She blinked. To her surprise, her heart began to flutter.
As soon as Alaric Davenport sat down, he glanced at his watch. "My apologies. I was held up and am two minutes late."
His magnetic voice was cool and deep, completely devoid of warmth.
His powerful aura only made her more nervous.
Rosalind Lowell's heart was still pounding with shock. In her fluster, she stole another two glances at the handsome man across from her before tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Then, her uneasy gaze darted to the surrounding tables.
'Did he sit at the wrong table?'
Alaric Davenport finally lifted his eyes to look at her. He seemed momentarily startled, but quickly concealed the fleeting, unexpected emotion in his gaze. Then, he spoke. "Miss Lowell..."
His voice pulled Rosalind Lowell's attention back. She lowered her gaze slightly, not daring to look him directly in the eye.
"Am I that scary?"
'Hearing him address me that way, I can be fairly certain he isn't at the wrong table. But I've never seen this face in the news.'
'I'd heard rumors that the heir to the Davenport Group was a massive playboy, but even so, he was apparently the object of many women's affections.'
'Looking at his handsome face now, he's definitely the dream man for most women. But that handsome face seems to be coated in a layer of ice. The distance he creates is strangely intimidating; I can't imagine him being a playboy at all.'
'Or is he this cold simply because he despises this arranged marriage?'
'Is Faye Lowell insane? To give up a man like this and let me marry him instead...'
"Not at all. I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Davenport. Seeing you in person now, you're truly..."
She tried to think of the right word, but he must have heard compliments like "handsome and dashing" or "a man of striking appearance" all the time. Why add another empty platitude?
"...not what I imagined."