Xander looked baffled at the young woman with reddened eyes, looking pitifully at him as if she was expecting him to reject her proposal.
He closed his eyes briefly before snapping them open.
He looked deeply at her, who was fidgeting in her seat, and unbuttoned one button. He was feeling a bit stuffy, not knowing that his usual action caused the woman sitting opposite to scold herself for being fickle once again.
"You …. Are you sure that you want to marry me?" Xander's lazy voice sounded in the office, bringing Gloria back to her senses.
She nervously clutched the hem of her skirt and nodded. "Yes. Didn't he sell me to you so that you can marry me? I understand that you don't plan to marry me and never had such thoughts, but ….. I …. I must marry you if I need to avenge myself!" she mustered her courage and explained her bold reason.
When Xander heard that, he merely smiled faintly as he tapped the table, his thoughts invisible to her.
"And why should I marry you? What can you … a divorcee brings to my table? By marrying me, you become the Frost's clan matriarch. You need to convince me, Gloria, if you want me to marry you. I only take profitable deals and not ones with losses!" and who said that he was willing to accept such a deal just because she took his words out of his mouth by asking for marriage?
"You … I …" Gloria deflated when she heard that.
Why was he becoming so difficult to handle? Was she truly that undesirable that she should lay a card that she didn't have on the table before coaxing him to agree to marry her?
Gloria, for a moment, felt like an idiot. She couldn't help but recall how those people scolded her when she left the clan and how her parents mocked her when Sia and Simon got married.
Was she going to let herself remain useless for the rest of her life?
Was she truly willing to remain mediocre, without any shining points that anyone was willing to push her to anyone just for the sake of it?
Gloria found herself shaking her head. If she remained that way, not only would she suffer in this life, but that nightmare might indeed come true. She didn't want to end up dead without anyone remembering her.
But now comes the question. What could she bring to the table for him to accept her?
And the answer seemed to flow to her that very moment after all the inward admonishing she had just done earlier.
Suddenly she was filled with confidence as she raised her head to look at the man who, if she succeeded, she might be spending the rest of her life with.
"I can help you nurture the flower of life. As long as you give me the seed. I will make sure that you will see it bear fruit. Don't you need the fruit?"
Badum. Badum. Badum.
'How did she know?' Xander's heart raced as he thought about that, his gaze penetrating Gloria's soul as he looked at her.
That was a secret no one was supposed to know except for that person. So how did she know about that?
Gloria shivered at how piercing his gaze was, but since she had already blurted it out, there was no way she was going to take back her words. She could only hope that Xander would fall for that.
There was a moment of silence in the study and after a while, Xander's voice rang.
"What gives you the confidence?"
Gloria sighed with relief when she heard that. Not just because Xander agreed, but because she also confirmed something from that nightmare. Since the nightmare was spot on, then it meant that she had a lot of bargaining chips she could use when dealing with Xander. Moreover, her life might not be taking the worst turn as long as she corrects the mistakes made in that nightmare.
Talking about bargaining chips, she couldn't help but want to reveal one of her greatest secrets to Xander as a way of acquiring trust, though that might be dangerous and she might regret doing so.
"Let me prove it to you first!" she confidently said as she rose to her feet.
Xander amusedly watched as she swayed her hips, walking towards the window, curious about what she was up to.
Although he brought her here in the first place for many reasons, which included nurturing of exotic and mystical flowers. Something that he was going to bring in the conversation later and not now. He was curious to see if Gloria was related to that person. The person who made him target her in the first place from the start.
Meanwhile, Gloria nervously stood in front of the window, stretched her left hand and revealed her forefinger. A butterfly-shaped birthmark tattoo lay dormant there. It's been ages since she touched it. Touching it always results in unexpected strange happenings which she didn't want to reveal previously.
But to fight for the right to marry Xander, she could only show that and hopefully, Xander would be attracted to her ability and keep her by his side.
She closed her eyes as she gently scratched the birthmark, and a familiar warm current coursed through her veins, making her involuntarily moan.
While she was enjoying the warm moment, Xander who was once seated, stood to his feet in a hurry, his eyes widened in shock as a phenomenal scene appeared in front of him.
Several butterflies and colorful birds were flying towards the window. If it wasn't closed, Xander was certain that they would flock over to her and do all sorts of things just to be close to her.
As if that wasn't shocking enough, in his study, there were potted plants which were dutifully taken care of by the servants.
Xander's jaws nearly dropped to the floor upon seeing these flowers swaying towards Gloria as if they wanted to do nothing but jump out of the pots just to reach her.
Inside the study, a delicious scent, very intoxicating and refreshing to the mind, enveloped her and Xander knew that this was all caused by Gloria.
He couldn't help but take several steps towards her, a smile on his face as he pumped his fists victoriously at the thought of finding the right one.
'Jackpot!' his eyes greedily shined as he looked at the young woman he had several thoughts about.
Thankfully, he had agreed to Simon's conditions. Above all, he was thankful to Simon's PUA methods.
Without them, how could such a treasure land in his hands so easily like that?
If only Simon knew what he had lost. He would go crazy by the time he realizes it, but when he does know, she would be his heart and soul like he intended before he confirmed that she was gifted the way he suspected.
Gloria took in the scent of flowers and the mumbling whispers of the surrounding animals and felt at peace. She was at home and the feeling was truly indescribable but fulfilling.
She had never felt so much peace like that very moment.
'He is coming!'
'He smells good!'
'I like him. He has a scent that matches the fairy!'
'He is handsome. Is he your mate?'
Gloria couldn't help but open her eyes with a hue of flush on her cheeks, listening to the naughty birds fluttering their wings while ogling the man who was coming towards her.
And why were these animals speaking that way?
Gloria in her shy mode, couldn't help but turn around to face the man who was approved by the birds and flowers.
Even when she was at the Willow clan, she had never heard them complimenting Simon at all. Could it be that Simon was never her fate but this man, here?
Suddenly, she didn't know what to think as she came face to face with the man whose eyes were filled with pride and full of praise. Something that she had barely received from Simon or her parents.
Gloria nearly choked in tears upon seeing that.
Xander didn't say a single word to her but wrapped her in his broad arms the moment he was in front of her.
Gloria didn't fight this embrace, but placed her head on his broad chest, which felt good to touch, and wrapped her arms around his neck, sniffing and inhaling his delicious scent, that the animals and plants even recognized.
'He smells really good!' she couldn't help but compliment inwardly, feeling at ease in the arms of a man who was supposed to be a stranger and yet now, she couldn't figure out what exactly the two of them were supposed to be.
Xander hugged Gloria for a while, feeling her graceful body she always hides beneath those big and ugly clothes and took in a deep breath and exhaled with satisfaction.
There were any scents, fragrances and odors in the world and yet only her …. she was the only person he could smell who didn't repulse him.
If he was living in an ABO world, he could say that her pheromones were true to his liking and being greedy for them ….. um …. He did what any man in the world could do to get what he wanted.
Being creative, or in this case, a bit manipulative.
Either way, with a great bonus thrown at him, Xander knew the second he saw those birds and flowers being enchanted by her that he would never let her hand go no matter what.
Even if she didn't want to be with him, he would rather lock her up and let her live the life of a canary than let her be with another man.
He didn't scheme to this point to watch her being embraced by another man.
Filled with so much possessiveness, he buried his head in the crook of her neck and a bountiful scent hit his nostrils. He greedily inhaled it and like a blood-sucking vampire, he sank his teeth into her flesh earning a coquettish moan from Gloria, which only excited him.