Grace's POV
"ME?!" I jerked back in shock.
This guy was absolutely unpredictable—never in a million years did I think he'd single me out as his chosen woman.
I couldn't tell whether the booze was doing the talking or if he was just playing games with me.
I studied him with sharp, probing eyes and realized this guy was completely serious—every single word that had just left his mouth was genuine. He actually wanted me as his woman, though I had no clue why.
The guy laughed watching my reaction. "What's with that expression? You really shouldn't be shocked."
"What the hell—You just said I'm your chosen woman. Of course I'm shocked!" I snorted. "Stop screwing around! Seriously, I'm not mentally prepared to listen to this garbage."
"I'm not screwing around," the guy declared firmly, his gaze locked onto mine. "And it's not garbage."
"Then you're an idiot!" I shook my head and laughed bitterly, thinking this whole situation was absurd. "And you've probably got some moronic reasons for picking me."
"My reasons aren't moronic. You shouldn't put yourself down, Grace," the guy said. His eyes swept over me from top to bottom, and he smirked like he'd found his answer.
"I'm drawn to a woman who takes action. You hurled that ring away and held your ground against his insane open relationship proposal. I'm attracted to that boldness, and I want someone exactly like you."
"Ha, how charming!" I sneered. "Do you feed that line to every woman you encounter?"
I tried acting hostile toward this guy—I refused to come across as some pushover who could be easily swayed.
Strangely enough, his words didn't actually anger me. Truth was, I found them appealing, mostly because Charles was the complete opposite of this man.
Charles was your typical controlling guy who had initially demanded I become a devoted housewife and mother to our kids. But when time dragged on and he wasn't bringing home any income, that's when his tune changed. Then he commanded me to be an obedient wife who followed her husband's orders, and his order was for me to bust my ass working so we could survive.
"Hahah! Well, you've got a point," the guy burst out laughing. "I've been involved with plenty of women—I'm quite the catch. But I never told them I was attracted to them because of their character."
"Really? And what did you tell them? That they're adorable and sweet?"
"Nope," the guy smirked as his gaze focused on my full lips before traveling down to stare at my chest. "I told them I'm into gorgeous women with kissable lips and great tits, and you happen to possess both."
"You—Creep!" I tugged my blazer tighter around my chest. I attempted to display outrage at this shameless man, but my body had other plans.
Heat flooded through me completely, especially my face, turning me bright red as a tomato. The guy chuckled as I struggled to appear furious despite my flushed cheeks.
"Hey, don't get so worked up—I was simply responding to your question, wasn't I?" the guy taunted. "Plus, I do have another motive for choosing you."
I stayed quiet, just folded my arms across my chest to signal I didn't want to hear any more of his nonsense.
But he gazed back at me with those intense green eyes and said, "Because you're right here with me. You're the only person who's actually listened to my story, and I believe I'm also the only one who's listened to yours. Doesn't that suggest we belong together?"
"T—That's the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard!" I protested. But my thoughts began wandering, questioning whether this guy might actually be onto something.
He was the only person who'd ever asked about my story. I hadn't planned on sharing it with anyone, not even my mother, since she had a fragile heart and was constantly on medication.
I definitely couldn't tell Charles's mother either, because that woman despised me above all others due to my inability to have children.
This guy was my only confidant. He was the sole person who'd even cared enough to ask. Out of everyone on this planet, it took a complete stranger to show interest.
I also didn't have to stress about his judgment, since we were strangers who'd forget each other come morning, and I figured it was mutual.
He must've been carrying a heavy burden considering his parents could so easily control who he'd marry.
So this entire encounter felt like destiny—I'd bumped into him by chance, and fate had woven us together, two strangers, to become entangled with each other.
'—At least for tonight,' I thought, not wanting to create any tension between us.
We locked eyes for an extended moment after our exchange, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
It brought comfort—I felt at ease and we appeared to share an unspoken understanding of each other's troubles and how to address them.
The room remained quiet until the guy shattered the silence with a question I never saw coming.
"You're making it impossible for me to hold back when you keep looking at me like that. Why don't we just put all our troubles aside for the night and do something wild?"