*BAM*

Both of them turned towards the source of the sound only to find Ben staring at them with his eyes wide open. He looked so pale…as if he had seen a ghost. But little did they know what Ben had heard was more scary than encountering a ghost.

Trying very hard to compose himself, he quickly picked up all the files from the floor. He then tossed it on the desk.

"I'll postpone the meeting." Ben told Andrew before excusing himself.

The meeting could easily be delayed but the conversation Andrew and Rachael would further have couldn't be paused or delayed.

Ben Petrov had been working under Andrew for almost nine years now. He started working for him when the latter was still in Russia. He also moved with Andrew when he decided to permanently settle down in his hometown to run his paternal family company.

All these years, he had never seen his boss being extra close and intimate with any woman. As far as Ben knew, Andrew never let any woman come close to him.

This is why he was very surprised when he saw him with Rachael.

After Ben left, Andrew looked at Rachael. He was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Her unexpected statement made him question a lot of things.

Rachael on this other hand was freaking out.

Yes, this is what she was here for—to ask him to marry her.

She didn't know if it was wrong or right, sane or insane. And it wasn't one of her impulsive statements. It was something she had given a lot of thought to.

After overhearing her parents' conversation, Rachael thought about everything and Andrew for the entire night. She ruled out all the pros and cons…highs and lows.

And after the intense overnight thinking, she decided to take her father's suggestion.

She decided to marry Andrew.

She had already tried marrying someone for love..but that didn't work out.

After everything she had been through, giving an arranged marriage a chance didn't sound that bad.

"Say something—" Andrew had been staring at her without saying anything and it made her feel very uncomfortable.

Did he think she was crazy? Or did he already have someone he wanted to marry? Several assumptions clouded her mind, making her feel anxious.

"Why?" He inquired. "Yesterday you had no plans to get married, what changed overnight?"

"Hmm—I don't know." She really didn't know what changed. "Look—" She straightened her back, all ready to explain him that no matter what had changed, she was very determined about her decision.

But before she could even start, Andrew startled her with an unexpected statement.

"When do you wanna do it?"

"Huh?"

"When do you wanna get married?" Without waiting for her reply, he added, "Today, tomorrow or day after—pick a date."

"Today?" She widened her eyes in shock.

"You wanna do it today?" Glancing at his watch, Andrew remarked, "We have enough time, I'll make all the arrangements."

When he got up, Rachael grabbed his hand to stop him. "Wait—"

"I was just kidding—" he chuckled. "Take as much time as you need. There is no rush. Think about it one more time and let me know if you really wanna do it."

Inching closer, he removed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I will respect your decision and accept it without passing any comment."

…..