Chapter 4
On a deep winter night, streetlamps cast a yellowish glow, illuminating the fine snow falling from
the sky.
Clarissa stood with her hands tucked into her coat pockets, visibly shivering from the cold, yet remaining motionless at the roadside. Several taxis passed by and even stopped briefly, but she just shook her head aimlessly.
Suddenly, the phone in her pocket vibrated.
Clarissa pulled it out with delayed reaction and saw a WhatsApp message from her project manager.
[There’s an issue with the Middle Bay new district project. Recalculate the quote and partnership
proposal, and send it to me by the end of tomorrow… no, tomorrow morning. This is a collaboration
with the Los Angeles government, and the boss considers it important.]
Clarissa finally snapped back to reality and replied expressionlessly: [Received.]
After sending the message, she hailed a taxi. “To Aurexon Group.”
During the short ride, her phone kept buzzing. Clarissa felt like her head might explode.
She responded to her manager’s WhatsApp while dealing with her aunt’s probing questions.
“So? Will you bring your boyfriend home tomorrow?”
Boyfriend.
Hearing those words, a bitter feeling belatedly washed over her.
Clarissa gripped her phone, feeling like something was stuck in her throat, unable to respond.
The other party quickly noticed. “You couldn’t get him to commit, could you? If that’s the case, listen to me and meet the blind date I arranged for tomorrow. Your uncle and I had dinner with him. yesterday. He’s a nice man–even gave me a Hermès bag!”
16:42
Agreed to Marry for Convenience. But Ha Craved Me Every Night
Chapter 4
Clarissa’s heart sank.
“You took money from him?”
The woman thought she was overreacting. “What’s wrong with that? We’ll be family eventually. Why
so distant?”
Besides, it wasn’t just one Hermès bag.
If Clarissa didn’t marry him, it would be difficult to resolve.
“You’ll marry him whether you want to or not. Your uncle and I raised you for so many years–it’s time for you to repay us. Besides, we carefully selected this man for you. Marrying him is your good fortune; we wouldn’t harm you. Understand?”
Clarissa took a deep breath and remained silent.
After listening to the nagging all the way, she arrived at the company. Head down, she exited the car, walked to the elevator lobby, and pressed the button.
A tall man unhurriedly followed her inside, but Clarissa barely glanced at him, simply standing with
her back to him in the corner near the elevator buttons.
Her head pounded as if under a spell, so much that she didn’t even notice she’d pressed the wrong
floor.
The man standing behind her narrowed his dark eyes, his gaze fixed on her.
“Anyway, women should prioritize marriage and family. Stop burying yourself in that worthless job! You’re already twenty–five–practically an old maid. In a few more years, who will want you? Wealthy men with good conditions all prefer young and beautiful women.”
“Listen to me–quit your job this month. Make time to properly date this man.”
Clarissa had always been someone who kept her emotions beneath the surface, habitually burying, everything inside. But years of accumulated feelings, like fine snow on tree branches–initially weightless, suddenly became unbearably heavy.
She finally snapped.
“My job–I won’t quit.”
16:42
Agreed to Marry for Convenience–But He Craved Me Every Night
9.3%
Chapter 4
“Did your boss save your life in a past life? Is that why you’re slaving away for him? Working until midnight several days this week, and whenever I call, you use work as an excuse to brush me off.”
Clarissa deliberately said: “It’s my choice. I love working. I want to spend my life here, devoting myself to my boss.”
Hearing this, the man behind her let out a soft, amused snort.
But Clarissa remained oblivious.
“Why are you so stubborn?” The voice on the phone grew louder. In the confined space, even
without speakerphone, the person standing nearby could clearly hear: “What’s more important–your husband or your boss? Do you plan to spend your life with your husband or with your boss?”
Clarissa: “I’ll choose my boss then.”
The caller continued ranting angrily, but Clarissa stopped responding.
Soon, the elevator chimed and arrived at a floor.
“I need to work overtime now.” Before the other person could speak, Clarissa abruptly ended the call
and stepped out.
But looking up…
Something was wrong.
This wasn’t her office floor.
She instinctively turned around, not noticing the person behind her, and her head collided solidly
with the man’s chest–like hitting a wall of bronze and iron.
She frowned and let out a muffled groan.
I
‘Sorry, did I hurt you?”
In that dizzy moment, a deep, magnetic voice sounded above Clarissa’s head.
16:42