Upon arriving at her apartment, Bella threw herself onto the bed. She couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face. Lying on her back, she stared up at the ceiling, her heart still pounding wildly. She touched her lips, and the warmth of Dev's lips lingered freshly in her memory. She still couldn't believe it—Dev had kissed her first! Bella recalled how intensely Dev had bit and sucked on her neck earlier. She got up from the bed and walked over to her vanity.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her gaze locked onto the red mark on her neck. Overwhelmed with a sudden burst of happiness, Bella began to dance around.
"Tomorrow, I'm going on a date with Dev!" Bella said, beaming.
Bella opened her phone and took a selfie. She angled it to show the love bite on her neck, snapping several pictures. After picking the best one, she uploaded it to her personal Instagram account. She typed out a caption:
A mark from my husband-to-be ❤️
Then she tapped 'post', and the photo immediately joined the others on her Instagram profile grid.
Bella tossed her phone back onto the bed and walked cheerfully into the bathroom. After washing up and changing into her pajamas, she buried herself under the covers and drifted off to sleep.
"Miss Bella, good morning." Tere's voice woke Bella from her deep slumber. Bella checked the time; it was 6:00 AM.
"I've only slept for four hours, Tere. I'm still sleepy," Bella grumbled, refusing to get up. She pulled the blanket over her head.
"Miss, Mr. Hirawan is already waiting outside," Tere said.
Instantly, all traces of drowsiness vanished.
"Grandpa is where?" Bella demanded, making Tere repeat herself.
"Mr. Hirawan is outside, in the living room of your apartment, Miss," Tere replied.
Bella threw off the covers and walked out of her bedroom. She saw her grandfather sitting in his wheelchair, facing the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. Hearing the bedroom door open, the old man turned around. Bella ignored him and walked straight to the four-door refrigerator in the kitchen. She grabbed a glass, filled it with water from the dispenser, and took a sip.
"Good morning, Bella," Hirawan greeted.
"Isn't it a bit strange for you to be here at this hour, Grandpa? What's going on?" Bella asked, bypassing his greeting. She sat on one of the bar stools in her kitchen, nursing her water.
"I believe you have already found the man of your choice. Who is he?" Hirawan asked, getting straight to the point.
Bella immediately thought of the selfie she had posted last night. She fought with all her might to keep from looking ecstatic in front of her grandfather.
"My future husband. You'll find out soon enough, Grandpa," Bella replied in her usual cold tone.
"Do I know him? What does he do for a living?" Hirawan questioned.
Bella smiled as she pictured how her grandfather would react if he knew who Dev was. "You don't know him. His job is the absolute best of the best."
"In that case, when are you going to bring him to meet me?" Hirawan asked, eager to meet the man Bella had chosen.
"As soon as possible. Did you really come all the way here, this early in the morning, just to ask me that?" Bella asked, shifting the subject.
"Actually, someone proposed to you last night."
Bella knitted her brows.
"Who?" she asked.
"I was initially planning to accept the proposal, considering you already know him quite well. But then I saw your post last night, so I wanted to make sure. Is the man who proposed to me the same one who left that red mark on your neck?" her grandfather asked.
"Who on earth are you talking about, Grandpa? I already know him?" Bella asked, losing her patience.
Hirawan raised an eyebrow.
"So it's not him. Does that mean there are currently two men pursuing you?" Hirawan deduced.
"Grandpa, speak clearly! Who is the man that proposed to me?!" Bella raised her voice, frustrated at not getting a straight answer.
Hirawan looked directly at her and said, "Kris."
Bella didn't react immediately. Hearing the name, she mentally reviewed all the men who had ever approached her, but none were named Kris. Finally, it clicked who her grandfather was talking about.
"Kris?! My bodyguard who has been protecting me for the last seven years?!"
Hirawan nodded slowly.
"That's impossible." Bella shook her head in disbelief. How could a 30-year-old man, whose only job for the past seven years was to monitor and protect her security, have the audacity to propose to her grandfather for her hand in marriage?
Bella also recalled Kris's behavior last night at Dev's boarding house. Usually, whenever Bella struck him, Kris would remain completely unfazed. But last night, Kris had dared to grab her hand roughly.
"I didn't believe it at first either. But considering he has always looked after you all this time, it seems entirely possible that feelings developed between the two of you."
"I don't feel anything for him, Grandpa. Where does he get the nerve to propose to me? And you said you were going to accept it? Did I hear that right? Isn't Kris just from an ordinary family? Do you really want me to marry a guy from a common background like him?" Bella asked, remembering the incredibly high standards a man had to meet to become her husband.
"His family might be ordinary. But Kris holds a substantial amount of shares in Xander Corp. Did you know his shares are actually larger than Stuart's?"
"Kris has more shares than Stella's older brother?! How is that even possible?"
"When he wasn't working as a bodyguard, he used his salary and bonuses to invest in stocks and property. He did this for years, to the point where he now owns shares in various companies, including Xander Corp."
Bella was stunned into silence. She could smell a heavy scent of a business transaction behind Hirawan's explanation. The man she knew as a robot-hearted bodyguard had transformed into an ambitious man who wanted both her and her company.
"And? So you think marrying me off to Kris will bring you more profit? And the one who benefits even more would be Kris, since he could become the CEO of Xander Corp. A mutual symbiosis?"
"The fact that Kris managed to amass such wealth through investing deeply impresses me. I am certain Xander Corp will thrive under his leadership. Kris is the right man for you, Bella," Hirawan said, his eyes gleaming.
Bella let out a heavy sigh. "Listen to me, Grandpa. Your wish will never come true. I am never going to marry Kris. I already have my own candidate, and he is far better than Kris," Bella stated with absolute conviction.
"Which is exactly why I want to hear about this man you call your future husband. Who is he?" Hirawan asked inquisitively.
Bella smiled again, imagining her grandfather's reaction when he finally found out about Dev.
"Be patient. I will bring him to the Main House this Saturday night. Until then, don't try to look up any information about him," Bella warned, anticipating that her grandfather would immediately start digging into Dev's background.
Hirawan nodded his head, considering Bella's request to bring her suitor.
"Very well, I shall wait for his arrival. I will invite Hendra, Lidya, Stuart, Stella, and Kris to meet this man. Together, we will decide who is more worthy to be your partner—Kris, or that man."
Bella merely smirked with amusement, already anticipating her grandfather's absolute fury when he finally faced Dev.