The Unveiled Rose

Sasha rolled her eyes. "I'm seriously speechless. Why do you think he's so weird?"

However, I was more concerned about something else. "Did your parents agree to the marriage?"

Sasha replied haughtily, "My parents respect my opinion. Knowing that I didn't like him, they rejected him on my behalf!"

Just then, a cold, masculine voice rang out, "But it won't be long before you'll be forced to marry him."

Sasha couldn't comprehend why Zane would say so.

"Why?" she asked.

He replied calmly, "The answer is simple. There are problems with every single one of the projects that your father is recently preparing to take on."

She stood up abruptly at that.

Zane continued, "There are also problems with the projects that he's currently working on. If I were you, I'd quickly request leave so I could give them advice. Otherwise, your family really will be hovering on the edge of bankruptcy.

"At that point, as long as the man you speak of can provide help, you'll end up marrying him whether you like it or not."

Sasha looked ill at the mere possibility of that happening. Although she didn't like Zane, it was undeniable that he possessed a relatively accurate judgment of the market.

She blurted out, feeling rather panicked, "I'll go immediately."

"Have Richard drive you over," Zane said calmly. "You're quite agitated right now, so I'm afraid you might get yourself into trouble on the road."

"Alright."

Only after Sasha had left did I dare ask Zane, "How did you know about all this?"

Zane's tone became much gentler as he explained, "In our industry, pretty much everyone knows which company produces what project and which company eventually wins the bid for it. However, nobody knows the specifics, and that goes for me as well. "But what sets me apart from the others is that I've handled many projects throughout the years. Due to this fact, I'm sometimes able to judge whether a project is a scam or not, even if all I know are the project's general direction and the other party's line of thought." He continued half-heartedly, "Sasha used to pursue me. I don't like her. So, naturally, I felt no obligation to remind her. However, she's your friend now. If she suddenly goes bankrupt, she'll definitely be bullied for it, considering her personality.

"You'll definitely end up feeling upset because of it, and I don't want you to be sad."

There was no waver in his voice.

I felt deeply moved. I used to think that after getting married, my husband would be the closest man to me in the world, but Steven had never shown consideration toward me. On the other hand, Zane and I weren't even husband and wife, yet he constantly thought of me. I chuckled, saying, "Thank you."

Zane replied nonchalantly, "You're welcome."

...

I happened to be on the way to pick Willow up when I received a call from Sasha.

Before I could even say a word, she hurriedly asked, "Could you hand the phone to Mr. Huxham?"

I handed my phone to him as she asked.

Zane accepted it casually, asking into the phone, "Is something the matter?"

"Do you have any time?" Sasha asked, sounding a little distressed. "My parents would like to meet with you. I told them your assessment after I got home, but neither of them believed me. It's so frustrating!"

She wholeheartedly wanted what was best for them, yet they only knew to doubt her!

"Sure," replied Zane concisely, sounding as cold as usual. "Make a reservation at a winehouse later, and remember to order dishes that our family likes. Annalise likes spicy food, I like fresh produce, and Willow prefers dishes on the sweeter side." Then, he added, "But not too sweet, or it won't be good for her teeth."

After listening to everything he said, Sasha asked dumbly, "Am I paying?"

"Who else?" Zane retorted coldly. "I'm taking time after work to help you solve your problem. Are you expecting me to pay for the meal instead? Don't push your luck."