CHAPTER 27: NO HONEYMOON!

"This is your honeymoon ticket with Bianca, Adrian."

Thud...

It felt like Adrian’s heart hit the floor. His guess had been right. Grandpa had given him and Bianca a ticket for their honeymoon. The sparkle in Grandpa’s eyes made it even harder to refuse. Adrian didn’t know how to turn it down.

"Uh... Bianca and I decided not to go on a honeymoon, Grandpa. Things at work are really busy right now. I have to oversee a new project. It’s just... not the right time for a honeymoon. Maybe later," Adrian tried to explain logically.

"Isn’t your project almost done? Let me take over at the company while you’re away. Just focus on your honeymoon with Bianca," Dean, Adrian’s father, chimed in.

Dean had no idea that his good intentions were only making things worse for Adrian.

"Your dad’s right. Go enjoy your honeymoon, Adrian. Let him take care of things here for a while," Grandpa added, sounding even more determined.

Adrian’s head pounded. He was completely cornered.

"I really want to hold my great-grandchild, Adrian. And you promised me, didn’t you? You said you’d give me a great-grandchild. I don’t want to wait too long... I’m afraid I might not live to see the day if it takes too long," Grandpa said softly, eyes downcast.

Bianca, who had been quietly listening, froze in place.

What? A great-grandchild? Oh my God...

Bianca felt like passing out. How could they give Grandpa a great-grandchild when their marriage was only a contract?

The request was simply impossible. And how was Adrian supposed to explain that?

Bianca panicked, sneaking a glance at Adrian. He could clearly see the worry in her eyes. He understood her reaction. Even before the wedding, she had already expressed how uncomfortable she was about the whole honeymoon idea.

Just as Adrian was about to come up with another excuse to decline, Grandpa suddenly began to cough.

Adrian’s heart softened. He looked at Bianca briefly and gave her a small, apologetic smile.

Bianca’s uneasiness only grew. She had a terrible feeling about what he was going to say.

Finally, Adrian gave in and said,

"Okay, Grandpa. I’ll go on the honeymoon with Bianca. But you have to promise to take care of your health. I’ll try to give you that great-grandchild. So you have to stay healthy long enough to meet them, alright?"

What???? Bianca screamed internally.

***

Adrian and Bianca were now back in their room. After seeing Grandpa, Bianca felt completely drained. Her body was sluggish, her soul practically floated away with the words Adrian had just said. His promise to Sean had left her stunned. Her mind was in total chaos.

What? A baby? A honeymoon? Was he insane? That was never part of their agreement.

How could he?

How dare he?

Bianca wanted to scream. No—she wanted to curse. Actually, she wanted to curse him.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it...

Hadn’t they agreed from the beginning that there would be no honeymoon? And now this? They weren’t even a real married couple. For God’s sake, this was just a performance, a contract!

She shot Adrian a sharp glare from the corner of her eye. Her face was practically glowing with emotion—anger, confusion, despair, and irritation all mixed together. She didn’t even realize this was the first time she’d ever dared to look at her former boss with such a scornful expression.

Feeling the intensity of her stare, as if she were burning a hole through his soul, Adrian closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He tried to ease the headache pounding behind his temples. A long, frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He felt trapped. For goodness’ sake, it wasn’t like he knew Grandpa would surprise them with a honeymoon ticket. So don’t blame him—he was just as much a victim here.

"Stop looking at me like I just committed a crime," he muttered, opening his eyes again.

"Seriously, Adrian? What the hell were you thinking saying something like that to Grandpa?" Bianca snapped, her voice rising with fury and disbelief.

"Calm down. I can explain everything."

"Calm down? I can’t calm down! My head’s about to explode. A baby? Oh God. Sir, how could you even say that?"

Without thinking, Bianca had slipped back into calling him "Sir," the way she used to when she was still his secretary.

Of course, Adrian caught it instantly. His eyes narrowed.

"Adrian," he corrected firmly.

"What?"

"Call me Adrian."

A frown formed on Bianca’s smooth forehead. "Huh?"

Her confused expression made Adrian close his eyes again for a second.

You’re being too sensitive, Adrian. Let it go. Let it go, he told himself.

"Look. First of all, I’m sorry if what I said upset you. Second, that whole baby comment wasn’t serious. I just said it to lift Grandpa’s spirits. And third, like I told him earlier... we’re still going on the honeymoon."

"What did you just say?" she asked sharply.

"I said I’m sorry—"

"Not that," Bianca cut in quickly.

Adrian blinked. "The baby part?"

"Your last sentence. What did you just say?"

Ah. And in that second, Adrian understood.

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"We’re still going on the honeymoon."

"No! We both agreed we wouldn’t do that!"

Bianca’s rejection didn’t surprise Adrian. Even so, a long, heavy sigh still slipped from Adrian’s lips. How was he supposed to convince her to go on a honeymoon with him? Adrian racked his brain, trying to find a way.

"I’m not going. End of story. You need to come up with a better excuse so Grandpa will let us skip the whole honeymoon thing," Bianca insisted stubbornly.

"I didn’t know you hated me that much," Adrian finally said, letting his real feelings show.

"That’s not it," Bianca replied quickly, her voice rising in panic.

"Oh really? Then why do you act like the idea of a honeymoon with me is so unbearable?" Adrian crossed his arms over his chest.

He was leaning casually against the wall, his expression unreadable, while Bianca sat on the edge of the bed, staring at him.

"It’s not that I hate it. It’s just, this marriage is fake, right? So why bother with a honeymoon?" she deflected, trying to sound rational.

There was no way she could admit the truth: that being close to him, spending time alone with him, terrified her. That man had the power to mess with her head and heart and she wasn’t sure she could survive that.

***