Rejected Bride：Bumps into my CEO

Chapter 4 - Proposal

Valerie didn't care anymore how she was alone with Warren Wang when she rushed to the bathroom, letting out everything she had eaten and drank early.

The bad taste filled her mouth, as the man followed her into the room, walking toward the bed to leave her stuff there. But, without truly looking after her, something that soon crossed her mind.

Sadly, Valerie found herself comparing Mr.Wang to her ex, thinking how Allan would be there, holding her hair or patting her back as he usually did when we drank too much.

Yet, who did she want to fool when he wasn’t hers anymore?

Stupid tears started to run down her face, and even if Valerie wished to pretend they were due to how bad she was feeling, the young woman couldn't hide her emotions well enough, bringing back her broken self to full display.

The worst of it all was how it left her exposed to Warren of all the people, and she could even imagine all the downgrade things he should be thinking about her at that moment, letting his gaze take in her figure from the bathroom door.

His powerful presence effortlessly made her think less about herself, even if all he had done was sigh.

“You should rest for a while. I don't think it will be appropriate if you leave right now, looking like this.” wouldn't it be appropriate to who? You or me? - Valerie thought to herself, feeling a cold towel being dropped at the back of her neck before she was taken into his arms and raised from the floor while she was still surprised by the towel's coldness.

“… Th-thank you…” whispering, Val thanked him after Warren put her down in the bed, and with a simple ‘you’re welcome.’ The man glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, and Valerie quickly moved to hide her embarrassment, using the wet fabric to wipe herself before she lay down…

Valerie was a little animal while doing so, scared of everything and everyone around her, but as she saw Warren sitting at the corner of the room… leaning back with closed eyes… a vision that made her decide to hope her father’s intuition was better than her at least.

He had several times tried to recruit the famous Mr.Wang to work for them, and not to be only one of Splendor’s shareholders.

The man was definitely much more mature than her or Allan altogether, although his introverted personality was something none of them shared. Warren Jaroenchai knew his way through business and when he needed to be more social around others.

He was a charming figure, yet! A dangerous one as well.

Warren was someone hard to read, and even right now, Valerie didn't know if he was sleeping or not, while she stared at him, lost in her own thoughts.

Could she convince him? Could she be able to bring him to her side? Could she make him help her?

There were so many things that made Valerie Bennet insecure about herself, falling deeply into her thoughts until she slowly gave space for the dazedness that made her fall asleep, just for Warren to open his eyes up.

He was pretending to doze off as he didn't want the young woman to feel more uncomfortable than she already was.

But, as he went to the balcony, Warren put it aside, lighting his cigarette, he watched Valerie from afar, thinking how on the same night, less than a couple of hours apart, she had made him remember some things… things that happened years ago.

She didn't remember him, of course. But, he was still remembering her very well.

Nevertheless, unlike Val, Warren wasn't the kind to get lost in his thoughts.

He always had more important stuff to do that he didn't have any time to spare, and even now, the ringing phone made him go back to his business mood, despite the late hour.

“Hello,” and putting his cigarette out, he spoke in a monotone, as if the name on his cellphone display wasn't his grandfather. “No, they didn't take the deal yet. They want to wait to see how things will turn out, especially now as the Splendor group is very unstable.”

Like he wasn't in the same room with the heir of said group, Warrer informed his family’s patriarch.

“Don’t be a fool, and make us lose a good deal!” Forgetting how it wasn’t his first business deal, the older man kept instructing him before he brought up the real reason behind his call. “Did you meet Madam Tang’s granddaughter? She was supposed to be at today's party as well. Her English name is Sienna, and the Chinese one was Yien-something, but I can’t remember it well right now.”

Once more, his grandfather was trying to play the matchmaker, setting Warren up with someone from another Asian family.

Truth be told, the man had already lost the account of how many daughters and granddaughters he had already met like this in the past week alone.

Suddenly, Warren understood why his grandfather was so curious and pushed him to join today's event, and, as he went back inside, Warren informed him how he hadn't met Miss Tang.

Maybe, he did. But, he didn’t care about her enough to recall her name, so it was just easier to lie and pretend, taking a beer from the mini-bar.

Warren already knew what was going to be the following words of his grandfather. The endless arguments about how stupid he was for missing a chance to meet with a nice girl like her were not something new for him.

However, the same couldn't be said for Valerie, who woke up while such a discussion was happening.

Val pretended to be still asleep, as she listened to each one of the words that Warren Wang said back to his grandfather, begging him to stop with all the matchmaking dates that he was forcing him to go.

“You are more than old enough, you should start a family already! Instead of allowing people to keep sharing stupid rumors about you!”

The older man spoke so loudly that Valerie could hear him clearly when Warren walked closer to her, making Val turn around to the other side while closing her eyes more tightly to not get caught.

She tried to remember what were those rumors that his grandfather was mentioning.

She was sure she had heard them at least once before, but Valerie just couldn't remember them until they finally came back to her mind when the man ended the call, annoyed as this issue was far from being gone.

Asexual. Eunuch. Little ****. Bad in bed.

There were several of those rumors going around as no one ever saw Warren with anyone in the last couple of years.

The man himself didn't care about any of them. However, the same couldn't be said about his family’s patriarch.

Upon hearing about them, his grandfather became obsessed with the idea of getting married in that same year. He didn't want to hear anyone else talking about his grandson like this anymore.

And that was extremely annoying for Warren, but a gold chance for Valerie!

“I can be your fake girlfriend to stop the matchmaking dates! NO! Better! I can be your fake wife!” in a rush, she proposed to him, almost falling from the bed, forgetting how she was supposed to be sleeping. “I need the power of your shares and your name, and you need me to stop your grandfather. It would be perfect and on paper only!”

“… Didn’t anyone ever teach you that you shouldn't hear someone else's call?” eyes meeting hers, the man walked closer, scaring Valerie with his words before holding her chin up with a hand. “Yet, I can see how this wedding could help both of us. Although… I don't understand why it should be on papers only… it would be bad if one of us was caught with outside partners during this time.”

Their height difference was cut short as his nose brushed against hers, whispering the final part against her lips, almost as if they would kiss at any moment, causing Valerie’s heart to beat faster while she knew Warren was referring to her with such words as his rumors crossed her mind again.