Chapter 6 Is My Uncle to Your Liking

This was starting to feel a little too surreal. "Is my appearance to your liking, Ms. Steward?" Christian's tone had a teasing lit, pulling Annie out of her daze. Only then did she realize she'd been openly staring at him. Heat crept up her ears and she quickly looked away, mortified. "Yes. You're very handsome." Annie tried her best to sound calm, giving what she hoped was a neutral answer. Christian nodded slightly, not pushing the topic and sparing her further embarrassment. Instead, he shifted naturally into a brief self-introduction. "I'm currently the marketing manager at a tech company. My annual salary is a little over 300 thousand dollars. My company provides housing and a car, and I've saved up a bit myself, so life is fairly stable." Christian's tone was calm and straightforward. He was merely being honest, neither boasting nor self-deprecating. Annie nodded as she got a good picture of him. Her parents ran a sizable business in Jynston. Family background-wise, Christian didn't exactly fit the bill. But as this marriage was only a mutually beneficial partnership, none of those details mattered as much. Annie replied, "Suzie and I have been best friends for over a decade. I have no reason to doubt someone she introduces." "So does that mean you agree to marry me, Ms. Steward?" Christian asked. Annie shook her head lightly. "A partnership has to go both ways. We can't just consider my opinion. Am I to your liking, Mr. Parker?" She looked up and met his gaze. Christian looked at her for some time, his expression serious. After a while, he replied in a serious tone, "You're exceptional in every way, Ms. Steward. I'm very satisfied." The sincerity in his tone made Annie's heart race. Her cheeks started to burn. A little flustered, she turned her gaze to the window. "Let's head to the courthouse before you miss your flight tomorrow." "Alright," Christian replied before suddenly leaning toward Annie. The space between them disappeared in an instant. In that mere few inches, a clean scent of cedarwood gradually settled around her. Annie instinctively leaned back, fingers curling as if ready to push Christian away. But then, a soft click sounded as he fastened her seat belt in a swift movement. He then pulled back to his side of the car, maintaining a polite distance before starting the car. Annie stared dumbly at Christian's profile, unable to help herself as she marvelled at how smooth he had been. His gestures were natural and perfectly timed. She wondered if it took more than a few ex-girlfriends for him to be trained to such perfection. The marriage registration process was faster than Annie expected. Soon enough, she stood outside the courthouse with a marriage certificate in hand. Christian dug out a silver key from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to her. "This is the key to my apartment. I'll text you the address later. You can go anytime." Before she could react, he pulled out a black bank card as well. "My salary and part of my savings are here. The passcode is six ones. Now that we're married, it's only right for you to keep it." Annie was taken aback by the sudden handing over of important things. She quickly declined. "That's not necessary, Mr. Parker. We're just in a marriage of convenience, so there's no need for all of these." Christian raised a brow. "Even if it's for convenience, we need to get into character quickly. The sooner we get used to behaving like a married couple, the less likely we'll slip in front of our family." Annie found no flaw in his reasoning. She accepted the card after a moment of hesitation. "Alright, I'll hold onto it for now. Just let me know anytime you need the money." Christian didn't say much. He simply opened the car door for her. "I'll send you home." "Okay, thank you," Annie replied. … Back at the Steward residence, they added each other on WhatsApp before parting ways. Christian's profile picture was a slightly blurry silhouette that was likely of a woman. His username was just a single letter "C". Looking at the photo, Annie instinctively guessed that it must've been an ex-girlfriend. For some reason, her thoughts drifted to Sean. He claimed to love only Cecilia, yet still married another woman without hesitation. Thankfully, this time Annie had no expectations from Christian. She wasn't going to fall into the same trap ever again. She had just finished changing his contact name when her screen lit up. It was a call from Suzanna. "How was it? How was it? Did you meet my uncle? Is he to your liking?" Suzanna's excited voice almost pierced through the speaker. Annie smiled faintly. "Yes, I've met him. He's great. We've already registered our marriage." "I told you so! He's truly—" Suzanna choked on her words, as if only registering Annie's words. "Wait, what did you just say?"