Chapter 4: Marry Me

Gary pushed open the door of the room and said, "Mr. Beckham, no one is inside."

"Come in," Joaquin glanced at Aylin and walked in.

Gary looked at her. "Miss Lovelace, please."

Aylin followed him inside.

Gary entered and closed the door.

Joaquin sat down on the sofa, his long legs crossed, exuding a strong aura of dominance that overwhelmed others.

If it were any other woman, she would probably be trembling in fear from this oppressive aura.

But Aylin remained calm and composed as she sat down across from him. Although she wasn't afraid of Joaquin, she didn't want to provoke such a powerful figure and cause trouble for herself.

After a moment of contemplation, she spoke first, "Mr. Beckham, I apologize for last night's incident. It was disrespectful of me. And leaving directly was not the best decision. If you are not satisfied with how I handled it, we can discuss it further."

Joaquin didn't show the anger she expected. Instead, he spoke with grace and composure, "I also had some drinks last night and couldn't resist the temptation. So it's not entirely your fault."

When she heard the word "temptation", Aylin's ears turned slightly red.

"However, you left after sleeping with me and left behind a check. I am truly dissatisfied with that."

Aylin remained silent.

If she had known his identity, she would never have left that check behind.

"So, Mr. Beckham, what do you want?" she finally asked.

Joaquin looked at her silently, seemingly contemplating his response.

Perhaps it was because he had been staring at her for too long or because his words were too straightforward, but beneath Aylin's calm exterior, there was a hint of shyness like that of a young girl.

After a moment of silence, Joaquin suddenly spoke up, "Marry me."

Upon hearing this, Aylin immediately froze and questioned if she had misheard him. "What did you say?"

Gary, who was standing nearby, almost dropped his jaw in surprise. Wasn't this about settling the score? Why marriage?

What was his boss thinking?

"You didn't mishear me," Joaquin said seriously and earnestly. "I said, marry me. A fake marriage for only two years. After that, we'll be even."

A fake marriage?

Gary quickly understood his boss's intentions after a brief moment of thought.

As Aylin looked at the man in front of her, she suddenly recalled something.

Rumors had it that Joaquin was being pressured by his family to get married, but he wasn't interested in women and had always been single.

So he intended to use her to deal with his family and as a cover-up?

To conceal his true sexual orientation?

But why choose her?

With these thoughts in mind, Aylin asked, "Why me?"

Joaquin responded calmly, "Do I need to remind you of what happened last night?"

Aylin blushed slightly but maintained her composure. "Is that the only reason?"

Joaquin replied simply, "It's one of the reasons."

He didn't like unfamiliar women getting close to him, and at least Aylin wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him.

"The two men who caught me before coming to Vintage were sent by you?"

"Yes."

She was right!

Aylin pursed her lips. In the end, it was her fault for barging into Joaquin's room and provoking him.

Two years wasn't too long, and it was just a fake marriage with no substantial relationship. This request wasn't too unreasonable compared to the trouble he could cause her.

When Joaquin made a move, it wouldn't be an ordinary trouble.

And as she looked at his captivating face, she thought it wasn't a bad idea.

After thinking for a while, she stated her conditions. "I have two conditions."

Joaquin responded, "Speak."

"Firstly, you can announce our marriage publicly but cannot reveal my identity."

"Secondly, I will cooperate with you if necessary. However, during other times, you cannot interfere with my privacy and freedom. Of course, I will also not interfere with yours."

She didn't want to expose herself too much or become known as an abandoned wife from a wealthy family after two years.

"Okay," Joaquin replied readily.

He agreed quite readily.

Aylin nodded slightly. "Alright then."

"I will pick you up from school tomorrow afternoon," Joaquin said again.

"Tomorrow?" Aylin was slightly surprised. Did it have to be so urgent?

"Yes, tomorrow," Joaquin confirmed decisively before asking if there were any questions.

Whether they got married early or late didn't make much difference. Aylin didn't dwell on it any longer. "Okay then."

And so they reached an agreement.

"I will contact you before I go," Joaquin took out his phone. "Give me your number."

Aylin recited a string of numbers before her phone rang.

It was Joaquin calling her. "This is my number."

"Okay," Aylin looked at her phone screen and saved the number while adding the character "Beckham" as a note.

After a pause, she stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll leave now."

Joaquin looked at her and said, "Gary will drive you to school."

"No need. The school is nearby. I can walk there in a few steps."

Aylin turned around to leave but stopped when she heard his voice again from behind her. "Wait."

She halted her steps and turned around. Joaquin had already approached her with his cold aura surrounding him. He raised his hand and handed her a check. "Take it back. I don't need your money."

Aylin took the check back and walked away without saying anything.

Her footsteps quickened involuntarily.

As Aylin reached the entrance of the dormitory, she received a message on WhatsApp. She took out her phone to check its contents.

"Visage, a wealthy man is looking for his long-lost sister with a hefty reward. Will you take the job?"

Aylin replied directly, "No, I'm busy lately."

"No way! Is that kind of job right up your alley?"

Aylin responded, "Yes, it is."

"Is your boss super handsome? Are you mesmerized by his looks?"

As she saw the words "mesmerized by looks", Joaquin's face suddenly appeared in Aylin's mind.

She shook her head immediately and didn't reply. She then put away her phone and pushed open the door to enter the dormitory.

At Vintage.

Frederick answered a phone call and his expression immediately darkened. He had been rejected.

The hacker known as Visage refused his offer!

What kind of strange temperament was this? Wasn't money what everyone wanted?

Only Yasmine Metford was in the dormitory.

When Aylin entered, Yasmine greeted her with a smile. "Aylin, you're back."

"Yes," Aylin replied with a smile as well.

"By the way," Yasmine continued, "why did you suddenly leave last night's gathering? And why haven't you returned to the dormitory?"

"I had something come up suddenly," Aylin looked towards the innermost bed space. "Where did Lailah go? Do you know?"

Yasmine shrugged. "She went on a date with her rich boyfriend. She probably won't come back tonight."

A hint of coldness flashed through Aylin's eyes, but she didn't say anything more.

The next day in the afternoon.

In the woods on campus grounds stood Aylin and Lailah Allerton. Lailah's eyes flickered with guilt when Aylin confronted her. Aylin intended to ask about what happened at the party earlier. "Aylin... Why did you call me here? What is this about?"

Aylin's gaze turned icy as she said firmly, "It was you!"

"What? What do you mean?" Lailah played innocent