Sereena stared at her grandfather as if she was determining whether he was joking or not. But it turns out, Sergio was 100% serious.
"And you say that I can't give you what you want. If grandpa wants me to get married, I'll do it" Sereena said with a casual tone.
If that is something that would make her grandfather happy then she would do it. In this life, the only person that she deeply cares about and the only person she viewed as her family is Sergio.
Now that her grandfather is getting weaker and there was no saying how much time he has left, Sereena wanted to do her best to give Sergio whatever he wants even at the cost of her freedom.
"Aigoo, you brat, do you think marriage is a simple matter? Promise me that you wouldn't marry someone that you don't love! You should only marry the person you want to spend the rest of your life with! If you marry someone just because I said so, I will be angry!" Sergio said sternly while staring at his granddaughter as if he was afraid she'll really marry someone just to make him happy.
Marriage has never been in Sereena's mind. She doesn't have any particular plan of ever marrying someone. For her, marriage is just marriage, it's not something to desire for.
However, knowing that her grandfather would never force her to do something she doesn't like, Sereena could only try to lie.
"That's not it. I am actually dating someone and since you brought marriage up, I might as well get married to him"
With the way Sereena spoke, no one would think that she was lying. She was speaking calmly and confidently and people would unconsciously think that she is not the type of person that would lie.
However, no matter how convincing her acting was, her grandfather still knew her too well.
"Hahahaha!" Sergio burst out laughing as if he just heard the funniest joke someone said to him.
It was to the point that he started coughing from laughing too hard and Sereena poured a glass of water for him.
Sergio was not stubborn and he drank the water to stop himself from coughing and when he recovered, he turned his head to Sereena again.
"You? Dating? Pfft, do you think I don't know what people call you?" He said with a chuckle. "They are calling you names such as female casanova, heartbreaker, or the woman that can't be moved! You treat men as disposables, once you had enough fun with them, you'll mercilessly throw them away as if nothing happened without the slightest bit of remorse!"
At that, Sereena cannot defend herself as it was the truth. It's not like she doesn't date anyone but the point is, she doesn't date these men seriously. Once she gets bored, she'll discard them as easily as one would discard random useless items.
"It's not my fault that those men are assholes" Sereena muttered with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I don't really care how many guys you date. That's your life, who am I to meddle with your business when you are already an adult that knows what you are doing? There's no need to marry someone just because I want you to have a happy family" Sergio said sincerely but the more he is like this, the more Sereena would want to do something for him that will make him happy.
"Still..." Sereena insisted but Sergio shook his head before she can even say anything.
"If you really want me to be happy, you don't need to get married. You can try dating people seriously and see if you like them. Who knows, you might give me a surprise by meeting someone you genuinely want to marry" Sergio said as she knew her granddaughter really well. She might really do that just to satisfy him.
"I doubt that will ever happen" Sereena replied with another shoulder shrug and they moved on to the next topic.
However, it didn't take that long before Sergio started coughing again. They didn't talk for long but it already puts a strain on the frail old man. In the end, Sereena tactfully excused herself to give her grandfather time to rest.
After walking out of her grandfather's private room, Sereena met Sergio's personal doctor outside.
"Miss Sereena" the doctor greeted and the woman nodded her head.
"Doctor Smith, how's my grandfather? Is his condition getting better?" Sereena asked and the doctor, unfortunately, shook his head.
"Patients that have to stay long term in the hospital often experience depression. Whenever you visit, your grandfather's mood will improve but soon after you were gone, he will become down again"
"If he is still at his prime then the situation wouldn't be this bad but your grandfather is already old. It pains me to say this but I believe you have to ready yourself and try to make his days happier and more memorable. If his mood improves, he might last longer"
Sereena thanked the doctor before staring at the door of her grandfather's room. Truth be told, Sergio already lived a life he wouldn't regret. He grew up in a rich family, met a woman he greatly loves, and married her.
Sergio already did the things he wanted in his youth and there's nothing to regret even if he were to pass away today.
The only remaining thing that he wanted to see is Sereena's happiness. And because Sergio experienced great happiness with the life he had with a wife she loves very dearly, he was hoping that Sereena could do the same.
However, he loves his granddaughter very much and he wouldn't want to force her on anything especially marrying someone that she doesn't love. The relationship between the two was that pure.
While thinking about her grandfather, Sereena clenched her fist while nibbling on her bottom lip. After some time, she closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, they were already burning with resolve.
——-
Alferra Cosmetics
After the short visit to her grandfather, Sereena returned to her office but instead of dealing with work as usual, she just stayed seated in her chair
She stayed in that position for a few minutes before nodding her head. She used the intercom in her office and called for someone.
"Secretary Cruz, please come to my office" she said before hanging up.
It didn't take that long before her secretary knocked on the door and he entered after receiving the permission.
"You called for me, Maam?" Secretary Cruz said in a very professional manner. If one wants to work with Sereena for a long time, one must be professional.
"I want you to compile a list for me. Since this is a personal matter, I'll give you a bonus for it" Sereena ordered and Secretary Cruz narrowed his eyes a bit.
His boss rarely gave her orders for personal reasons. Most of her orders are related to work and Sereena never asked him to do something that is not within his job description.
Naturally, this matter piqued Secretary Cruz's interest. He adjusted the shades he was wearing before asking. "What kind of list?"
"A list of people that could potentially be my husband" Sereena answered with a casual tone and Secretary Cruz nodded his head.
"I see, a list of prospective hus— huh? Pardon?"
The secretary was stunned and he believed that he must have misheard what his boss was asking him to do.
"D-did y-you just s-said potential h-husbands?" He asked in disbelief.
Secretary Cruz has been working with Sereena for two years already. In these two years, although their relationship was not as tight as close friends, he still understood his boss's personality fairly well.
The word "marriage" and the person "Sereena" never entered the same sentence in his mind. The two are completely unrelated to each other.
One can imagine the shock that the secretary had after hearing such a thing from his boss that gives everyone the impression that she will never marry someone.
"You heard me correctly, I want a list of prospective husbands. Make sure that at most, they came from a middle-class family. I don't want to marry the snobs and jerks of those rich families. I want a list of guys with good reputations"
"And oh, you know me, right? The second most important thing is personality but the most important is face value. Choose only handsome men with high face value"
"I prefer it if they look soft and vulnerable. The type that would easily cry. Now that I'm saying this, make sure that they look good while crying"
Although Sereena wouldn't marry for love, it's not like she planned on playing around while she was legally married. The marriage might not last for a long time but she might as well choose someone that is kind and is her type.