The soft morning light filtered through the linen curtains, illuminating the wide, silent bedroom.
Lina shifted beneath the smooth sheets, feeling something strange… far too comfortable to be the hard mattress of her tiny apartment.
An elegant scent of wood and a faint masculine, woody perfume lingered in the air.
She opened her eyes slowly.
And nearly jumped out of the bed.
"What…? Where…?" She grabbed her head as the pounding migraine hit her.
That was when she saw him.
Sitting in an armchair beside the bed, impeccably dressed, legs crossed, gaze cold yet focused entirely on her as if studying her every reaction… was him.
The man from the previous night.
The unbelievably handsome CEO.
The stranger who helped her out of the bar when she could barely stand.
Lina's eyes widened.
Then she flushed all the way to the ears.
"D-did we… we didn't… right?" she stammered, clutching the sheet against her chest.
He watched her for a long second, the corner of his lips almost—almost—lifting in something that might have been a discreet smile.
"Don't worry," Adrian finally said, his voice low and firm. "You were completely unconscious. I'm not that kind of man."
Lina let out the breath she had been holding.
But before she could form another question, he leaned slightly forward, eyes locking onto hers.
"But we need to talk."
She swallowed hard.
"A-about what?"
"About you," he said calmly. "And about what happened yesterday."
Lina bit her lip.
Fragments of memory flickered: the rain, the bar, the tequila, the sting of betrayal, his smile… and the gentle way he held her when her legs gave out.
"I… I'm sorry," she murmured. "I must've caused trouble yesterday."
Adrian shook his head.
"That's not it."
He stood, stepping closer to the bed. His posture was flawless, imposing, almost intimidating, yet his eyes held something different. Something Lina couldn't name.
"I have a condition," he began. "A rare allergy. To female skin."
She blinked.
"That's… a thing?" she asked before she could stop herself.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he were resisting a smile.
"Yes. Physical contact with any woman triggers strong reactions—redness, itching, irritation, sometimes difficulty breathing. I've had it since childhood."
Lina nodded slowly, still confused.
"But… what does that have to do with me?"
His eyes locked onto hers.
"You are the first woman in my entire life to whom I had absolutely no reaction."
The silence that followed felt heavy.
Lina blinked several times, trying to absorb the information.
"I… what do you mean? You must be mistaken. I was just… too drunk to notice anything."
"I wasn't," he replied. "Yesterday I held you, carried you, you fainted in my arms. And nothing happened. No reaction. No allergy."
He took a deep breath.
"This changes a lot for me."
Lina opened her mouth, closed it again, searching for words.
"I get that it's… rare, but what exactly are you trying to say?"
That was when Adrian stepped even closer, stopping at the edge of the bed.
He looked at her with such seriousness that she almost forgot how to breathe.
"Marry me."
Lina froze.
Completely. Absolutely.
"WHAT?!" She yanked the sheets up to her chin, eyes so wide they could fall out. "I-is this a joke?!"
"I don't make jokes," he said, expression hard as marble.
"But… but… you don't even know me!"
"That can be handled later." He crossed his arms. "The marriage would benefit both of us. I need you. And you… need someone who can give you stability."
Lina's stomach dropped.
"I… I don't even really know your name," she whispered.
"Adrian Luce."
"And you want… to marry me? Just like that? Out of nowhere?"
"Yes."
She blinked, still stunned.
The world felt like it had flipped upside down. Last night she'd been a betrayed, abandoned, broken girl. And now… an unbelievable CEO wanted to marry her because of some bizarre allergy?
"This is insane," Lina whispered.
Adrian tilted his head slightly, analyzing her expression.
"Maybe. But it's real. And I'm a man who doesn't waste opportunities. You are—" he paused, as if the word wasn't enough, "—an exception. Unique."
Lina felt her face heat.
But her heart? It was a complete mess.
He straightened.
"Think about it. But not for too long."
Before leaving, he added in a low, firm voice:
"I'm not used to being refused, Lina."
And then he closed the door, leaving her alone in the soft bed, head pounding…
and her life on the brink of changing forever.