"Ow, Ow!" Miya howled, as the taller man needlessly dragged her down with him. They both fell, and his body crushed over hers. Her chest hurt so bad, she was sure she had broken her ribcage.Jim was alarmed.
He had made sure the woman didn"t hurt herself, when he realized that he had unconsciously grabbed onto her. He had wrapped his arm around her head, but had paid no attention to how small she was. Or what a giant he was, for that matter. When he heard her howl, he quickly wanted to get off her chest, but his legs won"t move.
He looked at her helplessly.
"My legs are numb," Jim announced. Miya looked at him in anger.
Until then, he hadn"t realized how close they were. To the point that he could smell the scent of her cheap soap. Which felt like smelling lilies right then, considering that he still stunk. He raised his head, looking into her eyes again.
Such a striking black. He really had seen those eyes somewhere before.
And instantly, he recoiled.
The dreaded arousal had begun to stir in him once more. He looked at her, horrified.
This close, she would definitely be able to tell!
Jim was so mortified in that moment, he felt like crying. What was wrong with him?! He swore. He needed to visit a d.a.m.ned psychiatrist soon!
Pushing against the floor, he pulled himself off her with some effort. Even though his legs still felt numb, he quickly stood up. Beside him, Miya stood up too.
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded, feeling her sides.
"Kind of. Thanks for protecting my head. That could"ve hurt."
Jimmy sighed.
"Yes, the skull. It is extremely important," he said.
Miya didn"t know what to say.
"What?" she asked, somewhat confused.
"The skull," Jimmy explained, "It protects the brain. It"s very important. It mustn"t be hurt."
She looked at him nonsensically, and then finally decided to ignore him.
Jim huffed and began to dust himself. Why, he didn"t know. His clothes were still wet from before. Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out, glad that it was still functioning, and saw that the call was Mr. Park"s. He picked it up.
"Hey old man," Jim greeted pleasantly, feeling like that call was the best thing that had happened yet.
"h.e.l.lo, Jim," Mr. Park"s soothing voice came over the phone, "I just called to check on you. It"s past noon. Is everything working out fine?"
Jim had the urge to roll his eyes.
If he could tell Park exactly what had happened in his hunt for the "perfect" bride, it would become a story told through generations. Not that he would, though.
"Yeah," he replied instead, "It"s been… adventurous down here. But I"m on it. It"s not a hopeless end."
"Well, I"m glad to hear that. Good luck. And um, don"t be mean to the girl."
Ha! If only Park knew.
And then the call ended.
Miya, who had begun putting away the pieces of rope, heard Jim"s side of the conversation intently. Annoyingly, she learnt nothing new from it. The man was here for a purpose and he was hopeful to achieve it.
Huh. Like that was news.
She looked at him once again, rewinding all the information that she had learnt on him, in her head. And no matter how much she let her imagination run wild, she still couldn"t get what this man was doing at her house.
Could she risk asking? Because for someone that the internet deemed so smart, the man was kinda slow.
Jimmy watched her trot about in her shabby room, collecting pieces of rope. He had no idea why she"d do that, but he didn"t care. The thing was, he had barely eleven hours left to reclaim his inheritance.
As soon as the thought fixated in his mind, he looked sharply at the girl and called out loud, "Lady… Sit!"
Miya looked at all six feet of him. Then quietly dumping the rope on the bed, she sat down. Thankfully, Ben was still asleep.
Jim stood directly before her, frowning.
"Wilsons" Family Meals," he began, "you work there?"
Miya nodded, "Yes."
"Is that your only job?"
"No. Why?"
"No questions. How much do you earn? Annually, or per month, whichever you"re comfortable revealing."
"None."
"What?"
"I"m comfortable revealing none."
Jim glared. She was staring at her knees though, so obviously she didn"t notice his glower. This woman…!
"Fine. What cla.s.s is your son in?"
"Cla.s.s?"
"Grade. School?"
"He"s five. I haven"t admitted him in a school yet. Mr Hunter, if I may ask –"
"No, you may not. Tell me why the child doesn"t go to school."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why should I tell you that, sir?"
Jimmy"s face hardened.
"Let"s just say, everything I ask Ms. Miya, you"re obligated to answer owing to the fact that I might not sue you if I"m content."
Miya shot him a dirty look.
"I don"t have the time to take him to school and back again. None of the primary schools are nearby."
Jim was not satisfied.
"I saw one right across the street."
"It isn"t very good."
"It"s better than not going at all."
"What the f*** do you want, Mr. Hunter?"
Jim almost smiled.
"Just to estimate if you would be able to pay the damages, compensation I mean, when I drag you to court."
"You just said you wouldn"t sue me!"
"If I was content."
Miya clenched her fists.
She was getting angry.
F*** you b.i.t.c.h. F*** you a thousand times over.
Jim saw the hate written all over her face and thoroughly enjoyed the relief. It was a small payback for what he had endured.
"Miya," he then began again, this time a bit softly, "I"m just here with a proposal. And I want you to accept it. If you do, all charges against you are laid off."
Miya raised her brows.
"What kind of proposal?" she asked.
"Let"s say it"s a deal. I"ll educate your kid, at the finest school in the country if you want, and I"ll even provide you with a monthly allowance. A handsome amount, I swear."
Miya"s frown deepened.
"Why would you do that? What"s the deal?"
Jimmy breathed.
Giving his circ.u.mstances one last thought, focussing only on the Hunter Corporation, convincing himself that it had to be her, he blurted out, surprising even himself:
"Will you marry me?"