During a company dinner, I overindulged in alcohol and mistakenly addressed my boss, Brogan Sheppard, as "husband" in front of everyone.

My coworkers laughed it off. "She’s gone crazy trying to chase the boss."

Brogan shot me a cold look. "If you can’t control your mouth, maybe you shouldn’t be drinking."

In the brief silence that followed, the most difficult client in the room, Leon Williamson, let out a low, mocking laugh. "She was calling me. So why are you getting so worked up?"

It was no secret that I liked Brogan Sheppard.

When I went to deliver some documents, I heard voices inside the office.

"She’s basically a rich girl, lowering herself to be your assistant. You really don’t care?"

Brogan clicked his tongue. "She insisted on coming. What was I supposed to do?"

Someone nearby laughed. "True. She’s always liked sticking close to you. After all these years, nothing’s changed."

"So, Brogan, you're not planning to get together with her? She probably dreams about being with you every night. Last time her family set her up on a blind date, you called us out for drinks late at night. I thought you actually cared."

The moment that sentence landed, Brogan’s mood shifted. His voice turned ice-cold. "She’s just a clingy nuisance. Why would I care?"

Outside the door, my hand froze mid-knock, then slowly lowered. Instead, I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.

Everyone inside paused for a second at my sudden entrance for just a second. Then they went right back to their usual teasing smiles.

"Ava, bringing breakfast for Brogan again?"

Like clockwork, every single day, Brogan didn’t even look up, as if he’d already expected me to show up. He just tipped his chin lazily toward the desk. "Put it there."

I shook my head, then placed the documents—and my resignation letter—on the table together.

"It’s not breakfast. It’s my resignation. Mr. Sheppard, please review it."

The room went silent.

A few of them rushed over, bending down to read the letter. When they saw the words clearly, their expressions shifted to disbelief.

"Wait, Ava, you’re serious?" Brogan finally looked up, frowning. His gaze landed on me. "What’s this supposed to be?"

I nudged the resignation letter closer to him. "I’m resigning. I’ve emailed you the digital copy too. Don’t forget to check it."

Brogan glanced at the letter, irritation creeping into his voice. "Is this because I made you stay late yesterday?"

I shook my head. "No. I just don’t want to do this anymore."

His expression darkened, inch by inch. Just as I turned to leave, he called out, "Ava, if you walk out now, don’t expect to ever come back to my side." It sounded like a threat or maybe a warning.

I didn’t even turn around. "I wouldn’t want to."

The atmosphere in the room instantly dropped to freezing.

As I pushed the door open and stepped out, I heard cautious voices behind me.

"Brogan, she’s just throwing a rich-girl tantrum. Don’t take it seriously…"

"Yeah, you know how much she likes you. She’ll probably regret it by this afternoon and come running back…"

Brogan stared at the closed door, then let out a cold laugh. "Who cares?"

I cleared out everything from my desk. In the end, there was nothing left. Looking at the empty workspace, I almost laughed.

Then my mind drifted back to last night. When I’d been stuck at the office working overtime, I received an anonymous video.

In a dim, neon-lit private room, Brogan had his arm around a stunning woman, listening lazily as people around him talked.

"So Ava’s still playing the obedient worker bee at your company right now?"

"What did you expect? Brogan’s got his ways. Despite being a rich girl, she hasn’t shown up to any of our gatherings in ages."

That was true.

It was the undeniable truth.

For years, I had been relentless in my pursuit of Brogan. Despite my wealthy background, I had lowered myself to the point of exhaustion, laboring tirelessly just to please him.

At his slightest request, I would sacrifice my time staying late at the office or attending endless business functions. I pushed myself to the brink, ignoring the toll it took until my health began to fail.

What did all that devotion earn me?

In the end, I was nothing more than the punchline of a joke shared among his circle of friends.

"When you think about it, Ava is basically Brogan’s most well-trained dog," one of them remarked.

Brogan simply stood there, swirling the liquid in his glass, offering no defense on my behalf.

Instead, he merely let out a soft, dismissive laugh.

"What are you talking about? If she’s a dog, then she’s just a dog. Where’d you get ‘most’ from?"

The room burst into laughter.

As the room erupted in mockery, I felt as if a pail of ice water had been poured over me, chilling me to the bone.

The sensation was freezing, yet it provided the sudden clarity I needed to wake up.

After reflecting for a moment, I reached for my phone. I navigated to the contact information for the blind date my family had arranged—someone they insisted was a perfect match for me.

Previously, I had been so preoccupied with Brogan that I constantly delayed the introduction and even attempted to undermine the arrangement, but that devotion had clearly been misplaced.

However, maybe it wasn’t the most ethical move right now.

Still, everyone knows the fastest way to get over someone is to start something new.

I tapped the screen.

"Want to meet tomorrow?"

I didn’t expect a reply almost instantly.

"Sure."

My blind date was a gentleman who told me to pick the time, and he’d handle the place.

The problem was that when my parents brought it up before, I hadn’t listened to a single word, so I knew absolutely nothing about him.

I arrived early at the agreed location, hesitating outside the entrance. What if I didn’t recognize him later? That would be awkward.

As I paced back and forth, I accidentally bumped into someone.

I looked up to see a sharply tailored suit. Then, as my gaze traveled higher, I saw features so refined that it almost felt unfair. The man wearing that face was looking at me with a calm, gentle expression.

"Why aren’t you going in?" His thin lips were perfectly shaped and almost dangerously kissable.

I swallowed before I could stop myself, then immediately realized how inappropriate that was.

I knew who he was. Leon Williamson. A major name in the industry.

I had seen him countless times on Brogan’s company’s target partnership list. Rumor had it that he was ruthless, cold, and nearly impossible to approach. Not a single collaboration had ever succeeded.

I quickly stepped back to give him space. "Sorry, sorry. I’m waiting for someone. I spaced out a little. Please, go ahead."

The man in front of me let out a soft laugh. "Miss Bennett."

I froze, surprised. How did he know my name?

There was a smile lingering in his eyes. "Is it possible… that I'm the person you’re waiting for?"

I was stunned. My family had only said they were setting me up with someone significant, but I never imagined it would be someone on Leon’s level. Not until I was sitting across from him in the private room he had arranged.

On the surface, I kept a polite smile. Under the table, my hands were flying across my phone, texting my mom like crazy.

"You set me up with Leon Williamson? Are we seriously at the level where we can marry into his family now? Have you been secretly getting rich behind my back?"

My mom replied instantly with a question mark. "What? What are you talking about? Are you daydreaming in broad daylight? We set you up with Leon’s distant nephew. Did your aunt not explain that properly?"

I glanced at the man sitting across from me, smiling calmly.

Could there really be two faces like his in the world?

When our eyes met, I couldn’t pretend to be busy anymore. I had no choice but to speak, a little awkwardly.

"Um… Excuse me, are you… Mr. Leon Williamson?"

He nodded, then gave an apologetic smile.

"Yes. It's my fault. I haven’t properly introduced myself yet.

"Hello, Miss Bennett. My name is Leon Williamson. I’m your blind date this time. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Short and straight to the point. It was also completely different from the information my mom gave me, so I was thrown off.

"But… the person they arranged for me wasn’t—"

Leon raised an eyebrow. He picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. "That guy isn’t good enough for you. So I came instead."

He looked up at me. "What’s wrong? Do you prefer him?"

I froze.

The way he said that…

Why did it sound like he already knew me?

My heart started pounding, but Leon remained perfectly composed, his calm, deep gaze fixed on me without blinking. He was clearly waiting for an answer.

I had no choice but to get over my nerves and speak, "Of course not… I don’t even know him."

He let out a soft laugh. "Then it’s fine if I take his place?"

I swallowed. "I… don’t mind."

Of course I didn’t. If anything, he was the one getting the worst end of this deal.

Leon appeared truly gratified by my response. Reaching out, he presented a thick booklet and placed it on the table before me.

"Excellent. This is my personal dossier," he explained. "It details my history, interests, professional skills, career path, earnings, and financial holdings. Please, feel free to go through it at your own time.

"To be perfectly frank, my objective for this meeting is marriage. My social circle doesn't have many women, which allows me to promise absolute fidelity. Once we wed, I intend to uphold every commitment I make today, and that includes a non-compensatory transfer of all my individual assets to your name.

"I have no intention of imposing any burden upon my partner, so she will enjoy total freedom as long as our marriage remains intact. If you are alright with these terms, it is my sincere hope that my proposal..."

He paused slightly after saying all that. Those striking eyes locked onto mine again, almost deliberately drawing me in.

"…can be considered."

His voice was warm and low, naturally magnetic. Combined with that face you couldn’t look away from, and the way he was staring straight at me, I was completely dazed. I felt like I was practically floating.

Was this some kind of hallucination after being driven insane by Brogan?

Under the table, I pinched my thigh hard.

Ow.

That hurt. So it wasn’t a dream.

My face must have gone increasingly vacant, because the flicker of amusement in Leon’s eyes told me I’d once again lost my cool.

Trying to recover, I grabbed my glass for a tactical swallow of water before forcing out the question: "Mr. Williamson, are you actually suggesting... that you want to marry me?"

He met my gaze, his nod both solemn and resolute. "Indeed. Miss Bennett, I would be honored to be your husband."

There was no mistaking his stance. He was firm.

I was left utterly reeling.

Who exactly asks for marriage the very first time they meet?

And for that person to be Leon, a man I had always considered to be in an entirely different league.

Nonetheless, he was now sitting across from me, saying sincerely and gently that he wanted to be my husband. It felt unreal.

"But… why me?"

He seemed to have expected that question. Leaning back casually, tilting his head slightly. "A woman as capable, strong-willed, and beautiful as you is one in a million. Do I really need a reason to want to marry you?"

He even raised a brow at me with a faint smile after saying it. He sounded so serious and sincere that I ended up feeling a little embarrassed instead.