MARRY THE BILLIONAIRE MAN

Chapter 3: Meeting Aiden

Aiden's POV

Tahimik akong naka-upo sa isang corner ng café habang hinihintay ang meeting na ito. Honestly, hindi ko alam kung anong aasahan ko. Hindi naman kasi ako sanay sa mga family arrangements or anything like this. Growing up, I always did things my way—my own choices, my own rules. Pero ngayon, parang biglang may ibang taong involved sa mga desisyon ko sa buhay.Maya-maya pa, may pumasok na babae sa café. She looked around, tila hinahanap kung sino ang dapat niyang lapitan. Hindi ko mapigilang mapansin siya. She’s… different. May aura siya na hindi ko maipaliwanag. Elegant pero may pagka-simple, and the way she carries herself tells me she's not someone who’s easily swayed.

"Are you Aiden?" tanong niya habang nakatayo sa harapan ko. Her voice was soft pero may confidence na kaakibat.

"Yeah, that’s me," sagot ko, standing up para magpakilala. I offered my hand, and she took it, giving me a firm handshake. Interesting, I thought. Usually, sa mga meetings na ganito, people would be stiff and overly formal. Pero siya? There’s something genuine about her.“Nice to meet you, Isabella,” I said, looking directly into her eyes."Likewise," she replied, sitting across from me. Kitang-kita ko ang slight nervousness sa mga mata niya kahit sinubukan niyang itago. Parang hindi rin siya sigurado sa sitwasyon namin."So," I began, breaking the silence. "Alam mo ba kung bakit tayo nandito?"

She nodded. "Yes, I was informed by my family. It’s... an arrangement," she said, obviously uncomfortable with the word.Napangiti ako nang bahagya. At least we're on the same page. "Right. Alam mo, hindi ko rin akalain na darating tayo sa ganito. It’s not really my thing, but here we are."

"Same," she said, smiling a bit. "Honestly, I thought these things only happen in movies."That made me laugh. At least she's honest. "Yeah, ganun din iniisip ko," sagot ko. "But I guess our families see this as a good opportunity."Tumango siya. "They say it’s for the benefit of both our families. Pero, hindi ko alam kung ano ba talaga ang mapapala ko dito, you know?"I appreciated her honesty. “Look, Isabella,” sabi ko, leaning forward a bit. “Hindi ko rin alam ang magiging kalabasan ng arrangement na ‘to, pero kung nasa parehong sitwasyon tayo, why don’t we make the most of it? We can take it slow, see where it goes.”

She looked at me, tila nag-iisip. “You mean… try to make it work?”

“Exactly,” I replied, nodding. “We don’t have to force anything, pero maybe we can get to know each other muna, and figure it out along the way.”She smiled a little, at nakita kong medyo nabawasan ang pag-aalala niya. "That sounds fair," she said.

Medyo gumaan din ang pakiramdam ko. This girl—she’s different. She’s not someone who would simply follow without question, and I like that.“Alright then,” I said, reaching out my hand again. “Here’s to a… partnership.”She took my hand, and this time, she smiled a bit wider. "Partnership it is."