“Where are your achievements?!” My voice broke from shock. “You’re nothing but achievements! You’re so accomplished in your business, your net worth… everything! If someone like you has nothing to show, then we plebs are basically…”
I paused for a moment before saying more quietly, “Human slop.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing! I was just saying your standards for yourself are little too high!”
“No, they’re not. The ‘achievements‘ you mentioned aren’t really mine, are they? They’re simply somethin
inherited. I was lucky–not skilled,” he replied earnestly.
My heart skipped a beat. Here was a man who remained self–aware despite the privilege and blessings he had been showered with.
How perfect could this guy be?!
“So in Mom’s eyes, I have no achievements to show,” he added.
I
I shook my head. “You’re too humble… though, I agree with Madame Kenway on one thing. You are a seriously -exceptional guy. You should get married and pass on your exceptional genes for the good of humankind!”
We laughed.
“Oh, right. While I was taking measurements at the estate, the women in your family were conducting a full–on selection process like you were on The Bachelor-“I stopped myself.
Damn, I was getting too relaxed, starting to speak whatever was on my mind.
“I mean, they were helping you find a good wife. Do you seriously care for none of them?” I asked.
“They’re wasting their time,” Soren replied noncommittally. “I already have someone in mind.”
I froze. “You do?”
“Yeah.”
“Do they know?”
“They do.”
I stared into his eyes. He looked composed–except for that small hint of sadness and longing in them.
I thought I understood something.
“They don’t think the two of you should be together, do they? Why else would they keep scouting for you?” I said.
I felt bad for him. It occurred to me that even the most privileged man who seemed to lack for nothing could still possess desires he couldn’t fulfill.
“They… didn’t say we shouldn’t be together,” he replied ambiguously.
I was confused, but maybe I shouldn’t dig any deeper.
After some hesitation, I asked sheepishly, “Are the two of you secretly together now?”
He looked at me and shook his head. “No. She doesn’t know I… I’m too shy.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 55
“Whaaat?!”
Suddenly, he held my chin and pressed my mouth closed.
“Come on! It’s not that shocking now, is it?” he protested.
We froze.
1 stared at his hand.
He noticed my gaze and realized he might have done something inappropriate. He withdrew his hand but remained largely composed.
Meanwhile, I was not so calm.
I
I didn’t dare reminisce on that momentary intimacy. Instead, I forced myself to joke, “Was I drooling?” “No. But you’re adorable when you look dumbfounded. Sorry for acting on a whim,” he chuckled. What? Was that a backhanded compliment or what?! 1
My silence probably made him worry. Either way, he returned to our previous topic. “Were you stunned because you found it impossible?”
“Yeah! You’re Soren Kenway! You can’t possibly be the type to not get the girl you want! In what universe would that girl ever say no?”
I forced myself not to dwell on the little panic in my chest.
“So what? I’m just a dude. I have things I can’t have too. This is great because if I were the main character of a story, it would give me a goal and a plot.
I laughed at his ridiculous joke. Any awkward feeling I had dissipated along with my laughter,
I couldn’t help but notice it–I enjoyed being with him. It was exciting to talk to him.
And my heart? Well, it simply refused to stop racing.
