Chapter 29 - Honesty

She'd been constantly staring at the engagement ring on her finger. She smiled bitterly at the sight of her engagement ring and the one who slipped it on her finger. Someone truly said that Fate was like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who brought you things you never asked for and don't always like. She wondered if she could ever get what she always yearned for.

Sigh! the great Xin Zhenyi was nothing but a tool in the hands of fate. Just the way she was in this unwanted marriage.

Her father always said that marriage was salsa dance the more you dance in sync, the more it would flourish but she would refute here because her marriage was more like a kickboxing match and the game, who was going to knock another first.

She looked up from her ring when she heard someone clearing his throat. She guessed right that someone was her to-be husband. Husband. The word was still giving her shudders but she had accepted her fate because there was no benefit in denying anymore.

"Yeah?" She asked him as he stared at her with those enthralling eyes. The man had a strange habit of staring at her. It's not that she minded but he gave her mixed feelings.

"I think we should leave the room. They must be waiting for us" he proposed and She nodded. Her father must be worried knowing her temperament better than anyone present there. He was worried that the negotiation might end with bloodshed. She didn't blame him because If she was given the choice she would surely prefer to kill this bastard rather marry him. Sigh! Fate was such a mean bitch.

He opened the door for her and She looked at his face again. Actually, he was not bad-looking. Quite the contrary, a young man blessed with good looks and a genius brain but only if he was not a Long or the man she was compelled to marry.

She stepped out of the room and thanked him with a smile.

He nodded and left after her. They just stepped out of the room when her father and father-in-law arrived.

" I saw the lawyer just left and wondered if you both were done too? " Her father said. More like curious if his son-in-law was still in one piece. She mentally rolled her eyes.

She was about to reply when her handsome. no correction devil fiance said in his euphonious voice "We were just coming to you, father-in-law. Zhenyi made herself perfectly clear, you won't have to worry more about your daughter suffering any losses in our marriage."

What a pair of father and son-in-law!

The man had the audacity of saying that! Huh! If it was not for her fighting for my rights she would certainly suffer in this marriage.

Her father turned his eyes on her and then it fell on her finger before nodding. He was aware of her allergy to gold but she wondered why didn't he tell Longs about it. The father of hers loved playing petty games with his nemesis.

"And here I thought my son would at least give his wife a massive diamond as the size of sun." Long shaoming shook his head as if he was disappointed.

"Didn't know my brother was stingy?" A voice said half-jokingly. The voice belonged to Long Yuan who came with long wei.

"Come on brother, sister-in-law would have looked more beautiful with a diamond on her finger," Long Wei said.

" Sorry to disappoint all of you, but my wife doesn't need a big diamond to look beautiful more than she already is. And the main point why not the diamond ring I chose for her? That's because she is allergic to gold metal and unfortunately the diamond was embedded in gold," Long Jie said while staring at the woman in front of him with those pernicious grey eyes again.

The way the word wife rolled of his tongue was so sensual that she could help but want to hear it one more time. The man was really bad for her emotional system.

The audience with the exception of her father finally understood why Long Jie gave her a plain ring. The ring might be plain for them but it was not for her. She took an instant liking to this piece of ornament. It was not a piece of ornament for me but a symbol of promise. She might have told Sam that promises were meant to be broken but she believe the opposite.

But for the first time in her life, She was going to break one that she gave years ago. She wondered if it made her a sinner or maybe it was really meant to be broken. Not going down that lane of memories again.

She touched her ring again and said, " He brought me a big diamond, gentlemen but I like this one more." She raise her hand to show them the ring.

They couldn't refute anymore.

"Zhenyi and Jie," Her father said."Go meet your grandfather and take his blessings. He is waiting for you "

She nodded and asked her fiance to follow her to Yèyè's room.

Clearing his throat, he asked, " You seriously like the ring?"

"Why won't I like it?" Her voice smooth and unshaken. Even if he affects her, she was not going to give this man the pleasure of knowing that he affects her in the way he shouldn't.

" I'm told women expect an expensive diamond ring from their husbands." She stopped walking when she heard him and turned towards him folding her arms across her chest.

"Mr. long not all women expect a big ass diamond just to carry on their fingers. Many might love to wear it but I, xin zhenyi neither likes nor cares about it" She replied in a firm tone. It was true even if she was not allergic she wouldn't have preferred a diamond as big as a rock.

He hadn't taken a single step closer, keeping a careful distance of ten, maybe twelve inches between them . She was glad at least the man knows his boundaries.

" I'm sorry I took the liberty to select it without asking your preference," he said. The man could be a gentleman if he wished to.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know about my allergy." She said.

Without pause, he said " Zhenyi, you have to tell me things. I don't know you too well to know what's in your head. If you won't tell me anything, it's almost impossible for me to abide by the contract we recently signed. Let's be honest with each other because it's us who have to spend the rest of our lives together."

He had a point though. Without honesty, it was almost next to impossible to stay in a marriage that was already unwanted in the first place.

She nodded and said, " You are right. Just because we are stuck in this marriage pact doesn't mean we have to suffer unnecessarily."

His brows meet hers. He agreed. Understandably so.