“What did you say?” I was clearly puzzled at his words. With a quizzical look, I asked further, “If so, why did you say that to my mother?”
I still couldn’t find a valid reason to befriend Tobey, even after he disclosed that to me. Things were different from the time I first met Lucas, though. Although Mom had a role to play in my relationship with Lucas, I knew right away that Lucas would be a great friend. It turned out that my intuition was not wrong.
“How about we eat something first? I haven’t had anything yet. Moreover, you’re my guest, so let me have the opportunity to welcome you.” Tobey ignored my question and swiftly gestured me back to the dining table.
I hesitated for a moment before heading to the dining table, as I wanted to know what tricks Tobey had up his sleeves. I took a small bite of the food while waiting for Tobey to say something. Shifting my attention to him, I noticed his inelegant table manners.
“I have poor etiquette, don’t I?” He wiped his mouth. Hearing his confession, I became less irritated for some unknown reason.
“Well, I prefer it that way. At least it’s real. I hate pretentious people.”
“I understand. You’re indeed a genuine and straightforward person who wouldn’t tolerate any fakeness. Me too, actually. Hence, I think both of us should be honest with each other.”
Tobey smiled gently, and I started to see him in a more positive light.
“The Osborn family is not considered a prestigious family. We only managed to make a fortune in recent years and because of that, my family earned a little respect in Dellmoor. However, I was not fed with a silver spoon since young, and I don’t wish to erase the old me just because my life has changed. Anyway, I actually have someone in my heart but she’s merely a kindergarten teacher from an ordinary family. I know she’s the one for me when she offered me tremendous help back when my family was nearly bankrupt. She even went to great lengths to lend me her savings.”
“Why are you not tying the knot with her yet? You are not getting any younger.” I could tell that the woman he mentioned was really a nice girl.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Shrugging his shoulders, he heaved a sigh before continuing, “We like each other a lot, but my family doesn’t approve of our relationship due to her family background. That’s also why I came to Avenport.”
Curiosity flooded me. “Do you mean that the deal you have with my mother is just an expedient strategy of yours? What are both of you up to?”
“Since our families have business dealings with each other, your mother wishes the two of us to get married. Besides, you’re no ordinary girl, as you come from a prestigious family. No one would say no to marrying a girl like you.”
I was momentarily stunned to hear such honesty from Tobey. A brooding expression returned to my face as I replied, “Do you mean that you want to marry me?”
“Why not?” He glanced at me meaningfully and voiced earnestly, “Look, both of us have someone we like, but we couldn’t do anything about it because of the pressure from our families. We actually share the same fate.”
At this point, I had more questions than I had answers. “Same fate? What are you talking about?”
“Ms. Goldstein, you shouldn’t take things too seriously. Think about it: our families want us to get married to a suitable candidate. Why don’t we enter into an agreement and fake our marriage? By easing their minds, we could have the best of both worlds and we don’t have to give up on the people we love. Isn’t that a great idea?”
“Fake our marriage?” My expression turned gloomy after I heard his preposterous suggestion.
“Don’t be angry. What I’m suggesting is just a fake marriage; we won’t interfere with each other’s personal relationships. As you know, many couples from rich families who entered into arranged marriages do this as well. Rest assured that I won’t let you suffer any loss in this. We’ll sign a prenuptial agreement to safeguard our personal assets. Isn’t it a good idea to kill two birds with one stone? With our marriage, our families would also have more business opportunities with each other.”
