Billionaire In Disguise

Grace walked out of her room with a weight on her head that didn't seem to want to leave. Over and over again, she thought about the marriage her parents were talking about, and no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't find anything that could save her—except Cody, who was now sitting in the waiting room.

Grace could clearly see that despite their distance, he was her only choice. At least she wouldn't feel forced if she still had Cody as an option, rather than having to obey her father, who would appoint someone Grace didn't recognize as her husband. Just imagining it was enough to add to the burden on her mind, which was already filled with various things.

“Good afternoon. M'lady,” Cody called out to her.

Grace immediately frowned. She closed her eyes, muffling her annoyance at Cody's call, which reminded her of the cause of the marital problems she needed to deal with.

Yes. Her age was the one that was the problem of the already existing issues in her life.

She would love to not add any more burden to her mind and life, but it seemed that her parents, with their great concern, did not allow her to embrace the celibate lifestyle, though she was quite keen on adopting that style and focusing on her career.

Grace took a deep breath before she sat down, trying to compose herself. “Grace,” she called to Cody. “No frills in front of her, ma'am or whatever. Enough Grace.”

Cody pursed his lips. Although he had called her by name before, he never got used to it, especially when he remembered Grace's status as the person who had hired her as an impromptu model.

Grace stared at him intently, taking in the face that would not give away the disappointment of her certainly exceptional features. She was willing to bet that face could be a valuable asset to anyone who prioritized appearance as a basis. “Do you know why I asked you to come again?” Grace scanned that face intently, as ifrv she didn't want her gaze to miss any of the man's expressions.

Cody stared nervously. He thought he came here for the same job as the last time Grace asked him. But he somehow felt tongue-tied to say so, especially since Grace seemed more serious than ever. “M'lady-”

“Grace!” cut Grace off firmly.

“You want me to continue being a fake boyfriend?” he said bravely.

Grace felt terrible for him, considering her request this time would surprise him a lot. “More than that,” Grace said cautiously.

Cody knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. “More than that?”

“Marry me!” Grace, with her loud voice, surprised Cody in his place.

Even Grace, who said the proposal, was surprised at herself. The girl laughed. She had lost her faith in herself, who had easily proposed to a man to marry her. “Let me laugh for a minute,” she said, asking for permission.

She laughed crazily, wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes, then slowly stopped and tried to control herself. Her face regained its calm look, and she looked at Cody with a gaze that was now much kinder than before. “Marry me, yes.” She made a light smile with her sweet face.

Cody looked at her coldly and stiffly; Grace, who laughed in front of him and then asked him to get married, looked like she was playing with him just because he wanted to be asked to be her fake boyfriend. “I refuse,” Cody said firmly.

Grace nodded. She had already imagined Cody's reaction to her proposal, and the rejection was the least of what she could imagine. The most extraordinary thing she could have imagined was Cody accepting her marriage proposal. That was what surprised her the most. “I knew you would say that,” Grace replied with a smile. She had a pen in her hand, and her eyes were as spiritless as ever, expressionless and lifeless.

Earlier, she was just making up expressions in front of Cody to persuade the man to look more memorable and hit, but it turned out to be useless.

Grace's attitude caused a strange look in Cody's eyes as that saw her. He could not interpret the current situation; he felt that he had just been proposed to, but the one who proposed had already guessed his reaction. Then what was the point of asking her about the proposal? He thought Grace had a strange habit of involving other people as part of a joke to amuse herself.

Cody shrugged it off. “Then I'll excuse myself,” he said as he got up from his seat, and Grace's hand quickly held his so he wouldn't leave her there.

She smiled—much different from the one she had laughed at moments ago. “Sit down. Listen to my explanations until the end. I know you might think of this as another silly thing I did. But please, give me a chance to explain. Only then can you decide whether to accept or reject this offer?” Grace looked at him intently; she sounded desperate.

Cody removed his hand from Grace's grip. He obeyed her by returning to his seat with a puzzled look. “I'm still going to reject it. Even if you explain.” He firmly gave Grace his answer.

Grace returned to her laughter again, but this time in a way that was better to look at. “Yes. I would appreciate it if you would listen to me first,” she said, tapping her finger on the table.

He silently watched her with apprehension. “Okay.” Ultimately, he agreed to listen and stay in the room longer.

Grace smiled. “Thank you. So here it is,” she said, pausing in her speech. My parents asked me to get married.” Cody listened intently; his eyes locked on Grace's, and it was hard for her to continue.

The girl repeatedly took a shaky breath and then exhaled to calm down. “You know, it's not that I can't get married. It's just that I don't think about it at all. I was busy with my work for one reason or another. I guess getting married isn't my priority, so I don't mind if I don't live a married life in the future. It's not a bad idea either.” She spoke confidently, smiling in front of Cody.

Cody looked at her with his eyelids slightly lowered, making the corners of his eyes slightly sharp. “If that's what you're thinking. That day, you don't have to pay me to be your fake boyfriend. You can honestly say that you have other things that are more important than marriage. I think being honest is better than living a forced life.” Cody argued plainly and innocently.

Grace nodded in agreement, but she then looked at Cody seriously. “The problem is with my parents. They worry about me. You know I'm fine.” She thought so. “But they turn me around so perfectly. Their worry hurts me. I can't let them worry about me for the rest of their lives, so please!” Grace said pleadingly. She put her hands together. Putting them together in front of Cody, who felt uncomfortable with that gesture. Grace ignored her pride in front of Cody; for some reason, she felt fine if Cody saw her that way, while not in front of the others.

Cody looked at her reluctantly and lowered his head. “No. I'm not marrying you, and I'm not getting involved with this game anymore!” he said, getting up from his seat and walking away from the waiting room.

Grace, who saw his departure, immediately followed Cody. “Wait a minute, you haven't heard the whole story!” she prevented Cody from chasing after Cody, who was about to walk out.

Without even turning around, Cody continued his steps. “I'm done listening!” he asserted with his soft face and innocent expression.

Grace stopped, realizing that speaking nicely would likely be pointless. “You might be forced to marry me!” she exclaimed, sounding threatening. She looked at Cody with a different gaze, while Cody seemed troubled by her gaze.