"What are you even saying, father?! How come marriage comes into the picture?

" Shawn can't help but rebel to this point. From where did the wedding talks come into the fact when he wasn't the one who initiated this?

"You can be a disciplined person only when you have a family, Shawn. Tell me, shall I do what I shouldn't? If that girl is becoming your distraction, it would be better to remove her from your place.

" Elder master Johnson was very blunt but this brought the harsh reality in front of him already. Knowing that he can't act against his father, being powerless already, there was no option in his hands.

Taking a deep breath, Shawn's hands went back to his body where he lifted his gaze to glance in his father's direction,

"You don't need to do that. I will take the position of the CEO from next week then…

"

Hearing this, Elder Master Johnsons' eyes lit up even more. There was no denying that this is what makes his father's heartbeat once again race,

"You aren't kidding…

"

"No, I'm not kidding. But you have to keep your words to not hurt the girl. Nothing…means nothing..

" he is serious with his words regarding Alice's security. She is a businesswoman, a lady who lives away from her family in this new place. After spending so much time with her, he could already sense the attachment from his side.

Despite the failed attempts, he knows he is attracted to her beauty, her laugh, her sense of humor, and her nature. There was no denying and neither will he act like a loser for her sake.

For her, he is willing to compromise and that doesn't even matter to him if he has to turn into a responsible one. Mr. Johnson gave his warning to Shawn and in the end, the treaty was very simple.

Shawn will take over the things from next week and in return, Alice will be left unharmed.

But the first thing that Shawn did when he left his father's place was to make a call at Alice's home. It wasn't pricked by anyone but later on, he did hear a scared voice,

"he-helo..

"

"Alice, can we meet? Somewhere?

"

"SHAWN!

" She yelled his name as a big relief washed over her entire face when he nodded his head

"I will be waiting for you near the empty building which I showed you on that day. Come near eleven in the night, please…

" With this, he hung up before making his way to his car…to reach the destination.

.....

It was already night with a slight fog as well. But Shawn was waiting in his car for the lady to arrive. He was doubtful already since it was his texts telling him that she must have asked someone about him. 'A lady like her…would have already done research on my background…'

And that was what he was afraid of. He was afraid of falling down in her eyes where he would be left with nothing in his hands… the feelings will once again crash under the rock. With all the bad possibilities that kept on crossing his mind, his eyes caught the sight of a car coming near.

The lights of the front blinked twice when Shawn got out of the car to come close to the white car. There was the lady...whom he was in await to see.

Alice got out and the first thing she did was to throw a question on his face,

"You aren't any simple guy, are you?

"

Her face was serious where her funny aura had disappeared already. The way her eyes shined gave Shawn a few surprising feelings as well.

"No. I'm far from being a simple guy.

"

"Was that the trick to meet me or a pure coincidence?

" she asked again when he knew that she was again getting alarmed about them being together.

"It was a pure coincidence to get together with you.

"

"Look, I never wanted to hide things from you. Neither was I wish to get involved in anything but…things were out of my control now..

" he answered honestly which made Alice's lips go down slightly. She was disappointed but more than that, she had no words to describe her inner feelings too.

Alice didn't show her expressions. Rather, she wrapped her hands around her shoulders to lower her eyelids. Whatever that is going on inside her mind, it was hard for him to even guess. But one thing's for sure and he has to give her an explanation.

"Alice…I...I don't want to lose our friendship. This is beyond everything. I'm taking my father's position as a CEO from next week and yes, I know that we will meet less now..but can we continue this offer for more?

" because the thought of going away from you makes me feel hollow already.

Yet he left the second half in the back of his mind to avoid any wrong saying. In such a short span, he has already felt himself getting close to his lady whom he barely knew. But now? After noticing her so much, he has gotten used to her habits easily.

Meanwhile, Alice kept her lips sealed but her eyes lifted to see the man,

"Would you mind telling me what happened with your ex-girlfriend?

" out of nowhere, he knew she asked about a sensitive topic but her heart was curious to learn the same.

At least, there won't be any more barriers between them..in their friendship.

Shawn cleared his throat before he tugged his hands into his pocket,

"I was in a relationship with a girl for five years. But the day I met you in the bar was the day when I found out that she was double dating me with a different man. For everyone, I was her boyfriend but…behind my back…she was together with my friends who only laughed at my actions..

"

"She's the one because of whom I wasn't taking up the position of this..CEO because she didn't want to be involved in this. But now, after the time I ended things, I was completely blocked out by everyone, even my family…until I met you. I wanted to accompany you to get my mind out of her memories and successfully did..

"

Alice stares at the man with sparkling eyes without even muttering a single word. Her lips felt heavy but she herself was in any position to say anything. Yet, she somehow felt some kind of feelings which were hard to define… the thought that he was in love with his girlfriend …it irked her for the reason she couldn't comprehend herself.

"So....now that you have overcome everything...shouldn't we just end this deal as well? You got what you wanted…so did I…let's just end this now, Shawn Johnson.

"