Ding-.
‘I should at least greet him.’
With just the two of them left in the narrow space, she thought she should at least say good morning, but as she was contemplating, the elevator stopped.
“Vice….”
Before Alice could even say the ‘Vice’ part, Ryan turned and walked to his spot without looking back.
He was consistently a man who showed no interest in anyone but himself. Of course, she didn’t expect him to be interested.
Alice watched Ryan’s broad shoulders as he walked away.
Yes, people probably couldn’t even imagine.
They wouldn’t think.
That Ryan Iglis, the man who could make Cinderella fall into a deep sleep, was already a married man.
That he had entered into a contract marriage with the ugly secretary, Alice.
***
This absurd marriage began on an ordinary day four months ago.
It was the time when the harsh winter had passed and the warm spring was approaching.
Around that time, Alice’s fatigue was at its peak.
Since the first digit of her age changed to ‘3’ this year, her mother had been pushing her.
How many times had she been pushed into blind dates by her mother’s urging?
She had even gone into hiding for a brief rebellion, but it was useless.
The sad story of finding the blind date sitting in the store run by her parents when she visited her hometown… and the fact that the store was a tray Preston place was a perfect problem.
Rather than going through the same situation again, it was better to quietly go on a blind date, get rejected, and come back.
“It’s gotten worse lately.”
Her mother’s obsession had intensified day by day.
It seemed she expected that if Alice met a good man, she would change. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her mother that she had no intention of ever getting married.
Thinking that she should contact her younger brother, Matt Wesley, for help soon, Alice set off for work.
Despite having spent a tiring weekend, her steps felt lighter than usual.
As soon as she arrived at the office, she turned on the air purifier in her office, tidied up a bit, watered the plants, and sat down in her chair to stretch and start the day.
Adjusting her glasses that had slipped down her nose, Alice checked her reflection in the mirror.
The black sesame seeds settled in the middle of her cheeks were stubbornly holding their place.
Today, everything was progressing smoothly, and she felt like humming a tune.
“Secretary Alii.”
“Hello, Vice President.”
Ryan’s deep voice calling her felt refreshing, like the sound of a clear glass.
With a brief gesture to come in, Alice stood up and followed Ryan into the office.
Ryan, who had asked her to come in, silently hung his coat on the hanger.
He did say to come in, right…?
As the silence continued, she wondered if she should step out and come back in a bit, when she felt his gaze on her.
When had he taken his seat? Ryan was sitting there, staring at her intently.
Then, his voice lowered.
“Let’s live together, us.”
The ordinary happiness of a Monday that had felt particularly good shattered with Ryan’s words.
What kind of unexpected proposal was this?
No, I must have misheard.
“Excuse me? I didn’t catch that.”
“You heard me correctly. Let’s live together, you and I.”
It was too serious for her to dismiss it as a joke. And he had specifically pointed out, you and I.
But if it wasn’t a joke, there was nothing to explain.
Ryan and Alice had maintained a strictly professional relationship for nearly three years.
Was her boss the kind of scoundrel who would say such things to just anyone? Alice barely held back her rebellious gaze and replied.
“I don’t know why you’re saying this all of a sudden, but I refuse. I have no intention of getting married. I don’t understand why you’re proposing all of a sudden…”
At the word proposal, Ryan’s eyes narrowed.
“You should say it plainly. I’m suggesting that we live together in the same space.”
If ‘let’s live together’ and ‘proposal’ have different meanings, isn’t that an even stranger situation? Alice’s pupils shook violently.
“…”
“Even if they mean the same thing, their usage is different.”
Ryan, who had been leaning back in his chair, stood up and took a few steps forward, then perched himself on the desk.
“I feel the same way. I have no interest in marriage or in you, Secretary Alii.”
“Then why are you suddenly proposing to me?” Once again, the word that bothered her made Ryan’s eyebrows twitch.
“Secretary Alii is suitable.”
“In what way?”
“The conditions I want: desirable appearance, someone who can understand our views on marriage.”
Desirable? Appearance…?
Alice turned to examine her reflection in the glass door closely.
It was an absurd suggestion with an equally absurd reason. No matter how she looked at it, she seemed far from a desirable appearance. Alice adjusted her crooked glasses and asked.
“So you really mean my appearance…?”
“Then let’s live together, me and you.”
It was a demand she had never experienced since meeting him.
Alice accepted her boss’s unreasonable proposal.
