chapter 3 : we get married

Ava An had no intention of hiding anything from him, so she confessed openly: "The Ava An sitting in front of you right now is no longer the heiress of the An Group. The current Ava An has nothing, no money, no connections, no backing. You, Ethan Ye, have everything. So, I need to borrow your fiancée's identity to get back what I want."

The naked truth came out of Ava An's small mouth, word by word, making Ethan Ye's usually expressionless face show a hint of complexity. His eyebrows, barely visible, furrowed slightly.

If he remembered correctly, Ava An was the pampered heiress of the An Group, showered with thousands of favors. How could she have fallen into such dire straits in just fifteen years? What had happened to her?

"You don't have to worry that I won't be willing to annul the engagement later. It's clearly stated in the agreement: one year from now, you can request the annulment. Just give me a year; I won't occupy the position of your fiancée forever," Ava An added when he remained silent.

Ethan Ye still didn't speak. He stared at Ava An with his indifferent eyes. This girl's appearance was completely different from what he remembered. He didn't know what her personality was like when she was younger, but he was certain it wasn't like this now.

Hidden in her eyes was an imperceptible sense of helplessness. She looked at him with a glimmer of hope that even she didn't seem to realize. It gave Ethan Ye a strange feeling that if he refused her, she would truly have no way out.

Ethan Ye remained silent the whole time, and Ava An's small hand involuntarily clenched into a fist. She had come prepared with a lot to say, but now, facing this Ethan Ye, she had forgotten the lines she had rehearsed.

Time passed second by second, and the spacious CEO's office was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. In this silent standoff with Ethan Ye, Ava An was the first to surrender. She took a deep breath and stood up slowly.

"I'm sorry for putting you in a difficult position."

Although Ava An wanted Ethan Ye to agree, she wasn't someone who would force anyone into a difficult situation. In retrospect, she realized that no man would likely agree to such a thing.

"No need to apologize."

Finally, after a long silence, Ethan Ye's voice sounded again in Ava An's ear. This made Ava An, who had just started to move, pause.

"You..." Ava An wasn't sure what those four words meant—was it a yes or a no?

Ethan Ye raised his hand, and his slender fingers pointed at the chair: "Sit."

Ava An sat back down, her ears perking up as she waited for Ethan Ye's final answer.

Ethan Ye picked up Ava An's engagement agreement once more and, under her watchful gaze, fed the thick, dozens-of-pages-long document into the shredder, systematically turning it into confetti.

Ava An's heart sank completely; she had failed, and this was his answer. Her fists clenched tightly as she struggled to control her emotions. She consoled herself; it was okay. Hadn't she already anticipated this answer when she came? This path was blocked; she could just find another way. If she hadn't been driven to the brink of madness in the mental hospital, could she not survive now that she was out?

Comforting herself this way, Ava An regained her composure. She stood up again, turned around, and headed towards the door.

"We'll get married."

Ava An's hand rested on the doorknob, and just as she was about to pull open the heavy office door, Ethan Ye dropped four words like a bombshell.

We'll get married!

Ava An secretly gasped. Ethan Ye had refused her proposal of a fake engagement but had voluntarily suggested marriage! Had she heard it wrong, or had Ethan Ye gone mad?

Considering both possibilities were highly unlikely, especially the latter, Ava An turned her body around once more, not entirely sure, and asked, "Fake marriage?"
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