The Vanishing Vows

Chapter 3 ; The Calculated Proposal

The tea house was bustling with people of all kinds, sitting at different tables. Some were engaged in lively conversations, while others were absorbed in their phones or laptop screens. Meanwhile, Elara sat alone at a table in the far corner, staring blankly at the menu in front of her.

After the brief phone call the previous night, Elara was finally sure that her desperation hadn't been a figment of her imagination, and Thorne Crowe hadn’t changed his mind at all. The man she was about to marry was indeed the one who had contacted her suddenly the night before. Elara remembered how nervous she had been when the man briefly introduced himself and asked when he could meet her to discuss their upcoming marriage. Elara had only managed a dazed response before the call ended abruptly.

Thanks to her confused and hasty reply from the shock of the previous night, here she was now, waiting to meet the man she was about to marry in the near future.

“Miss Elara?”

When Elara looked up, she saw a tall man dressed in a plain black shirt and matching trousers, gazing at her with one eyebrow raised.

Seeing that the young woman in front of him did not respond, the man with jet-black hair repeated, “Miss Elara?”

Elara quickly swallowed her nervousness and stood up casually, replying, “Yes, please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.” The handsome man with sharp eyes nodded decisively before moving to sit in the chair opposite Elara. He then casually placed his phone and wallet on the table while keeping his gaze fixed on the pale face of the young woman before him.

As if she had never felt nervous or surprised before, Elara managed a polite smile and decided to break the ice, saying, “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elara Westwood.”

Hearing Elara's last name being different from Thorne Crowe's, Caspian secretly furrowed his brow in confusion but said nothing, thinking it was none of his business.

“Caspian,” the man replied casually, then continued, “Caspian Ashford. Thank you for meeting me today.”

“Likewise.”

Caspian gave a slight nod at the response before saying, “I requested this meeting today for two reasons. The first is to get to know you formally, and the second is to see if you have any requests.”

Elara paused for a moment before asking, “Requests?” She continued calmly, “Mr. Caspian, I don’t understand, as Mr. Thorne Crowe didn’t mention anything about this.”

Caspian frowned slightly at the way Elara referred to her father so bluntly, but since it wasn’t his concern, he chose to ignore it. He raised his eyebrows slightly and explained, “What I mean is your requests after our marriage. However, let me clarify one thing first. Unlike my previous wedding plans, where the ceremony was going to be a grand event, the marriage we're about to undertake will be purely formal without any celebration. I only need the status of a husband and have no desire to create any news that would embarrass me, such as reports that I've married a different person.”

Hearing that, Elara calmly replied, "I don't care about such things either."

Slightly satisfied with the response from the woman in front of him, Caspian continued, “But I want to let you know that you can make any requests of me later, such as living expenses, the environment you wish to live in, the type of car you prefer, and so on, as long as it is within my means.”

Elara’s mind went blank for a moment upon hearing this series of statements. She wasn’t a fool and even had a relatively high level of intelligence, but she couldn’t react for a while.

Seeing this, Caspian impatiently glanced at his watch. He then leaned slightly forward to look at Elara's face from a closer distance. Although Caspian appeared somewhat impatient, he kept his tone calm as he said, “Miss Elara, Mr. Thorne mentioned that you had personally agreed to marry me, but given your current reaction… is there some incorrect information?”

Elara's palms began to sweat. The man in front of her seemed distant yet very close, faint yet very clear. At this moment, Elara felt her mind freezing suddenly, losing her ability to think. She felt all her emotions vanish in an instant, and what was happening right now felt unreal.

While Elara appeared to be a bit unfocused, Caspian remained seated calmly, staring at her expressionless face.

Once her composure was regained, Elara clenched her fists and tucked them into the pockets of her blazer. She spoke softly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to say that, so I was momentarily shocked.”

“You didn’t expect that?” Caspian repeated the sentence with a slightly amused smile on his lips.

Elara, feeling embarrassed, wanted to find a hole to hide in because of that gaze. The man seemed incredulous about her words, but Elara was telling the truth and was not pretending to be clueless.

“Do I not seem capable of saying something like that?”

Elara hurriedly replied, “No, no. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then, let’s return to the previous topic.” Caspian smiled gently before continuing, “What will you ask for after we get married?”

After taking a deep breath, Elara answered calmly, “I still don’t quite understand the meaning of your question, but I know that there will be results after effort. So, what should I do to make you willing to grant all my requests?”

“I want you to sign a few agreements before we marry that will benefit both of us. Don’t worry, these agreements will clarify the properties and various rights you will have later. After we are married, I want you to be a regular wife who remains humble, faithful, and aware of your limits.” Caspian spoke very quickly but clearly.

Elara nodded.

Caspian nodded back with satisfaction before continuing, “Don’t worry, I won’t disadvantage you. I will have my personal lawyer explain everything in more detail.”

After saying that, Caspian straightened up and signaled to the man sitting at a table not far from them to come over.

The formally dressed man politely nodded to Elara before sitting down calmly. He pulled out a folder and placed it in front of Elara before starting to explain in a calm manner.

After his personal lawyer finished explaining, Caspian said again, “So, what do you want? I will provide you with very comfortable and complete living conditions. You don’t need to feel humble because you deserve it. You can also request a luxurious residence in the future. So, have you thought of anything you want?”

Elara glanced at Caspian, who was checking his watch for the umpteenth time, and suddenly felt empty. Sitting with the man who was going to marry her and currently discussing prenuptial agreements made Elara secretly feel disappointed. She was shaken by such an offer, which seemed to have brought a storm into her world. Elara was prepared to dedicate her life to her future husband, but to the man in front of her, this marriage was only a brief meeting handled as simply as a routine job.

Elara had initially promised that she was only marrying to pay off her debt. However, after seeing the man’s face and posture for the first time, Elara started to play with her emotions as she realized that her future spouse was a handsome and very composed man.

In Caspian’s view, this marriage was not a ‘lifetime vow together,’ but a ‘cooperation that brought benefits to them.’

The storm in Elara’s mind gradually subsided as she realized that Caspian at least set clear boundaries from the start, so she would not place any expectations later. Caspian was right; this was just a cooperative marriage.

After a while, Elara calmly looked at Caspian and asked, “Where will I be living later? Will it be far from my workplace here?”

Caspian appeared surprised by this and immediately asked, “You still want to keep working?”

“Is it not possible for me to continue working?” Elara seemed hesitant, as her job was very suitable for her.

“You can,” Caspian said with a slight smile, continuing, “I won’t prohibit you from doing what you want.”

Elara immediately sighed in relief.

“Alright, Miss Elara, you can discuss the details with Attorney Noah. You are also free to ask any questions and make any demands you might have. I have other work to attend to, so I must excuse myself for now.” Caspian grabbed his wallet and phone and then stood up.

Elara stood up as well and replied, “Yes, Mr. Caspian.”

As they stood facing each other, Elara finally realized just how tall Caspian was. The man seemed like a towering wall that overshadowed her. Elara looked at the man in front of her and felt a sense of oppression from him, even though he appeared polite and very relaxed.

Caspian nodded politely before leaving, and Elara could only let out a soft sigh.