At 8 o'clock...
Lazing in the room and playing with her cell phone, that's what Steffi does. The beautiful girl was ready to welcome her guests by wearing a dark blue evening gown and styling her hair in a half updo, and wearing natural make-up.
'If Liam wasn't having an affair with Gea, maybe I wouldn't have had that guest. I don't need to think about the answer to accept him or not... This will be very complicated!" Steffi exhaled harshly then lay down staring at the ceiling of the room. "I don't even know what his face looks like... Mommy says he's very handsome and dignified but he's 29 years old. There must be some wrinkles on his face ... And if I were his wife then I'm 29 years old, then he's almost 40 years...I'll look like a young lady dating a sugar daddy!"
"Steffi..."
Steffi looked towards the door and saw her mother who had just entered. She immediately looked away.
'She must have asked me to meet that man,' she thought.
"Steffi, he has come," said Grace.
"I'm so lazy, Mom," she said wearily. "Just say that I don't want to accept him," she continued.
"You can't say that.. you can't reject someone before you see that person," Grace said, then sat on the edge of the bed. ."At least see him and welcome him properly... Mommy won't force you to accept him, but meet him," she continued.
"What if I reject it immediately?" asked Steffi.
"You're an adult, I think you already know how to reject someone without causing deep disappointment," Grace said resignedly. "After all, he didn't come alone... He was with his parents and also his sister..don't embarrass him by rejecting him directly, especially since he came with good intentions," she continued.
Steffi was silent, so curious about the man. Her mother's explanation made her think that the man was really mature and very mature-minded, and very ready to marry her.
"Come on, don't embarrass our family because you ignore our guests, especially since our guests have come just for you," Grace exclaimed.
Steffi exhaled roughly, then put her phone in any direction. She sat down and fixed her slightly messy hair. The girl immediately left the room with her mother, down the stairs to the ground floor.
"Look at him in the white shirt," Grace whispered, gesturing to the man who was chatting with her husband.
Steffi walked while watching the man, and immediately thought of the man who almost collided with her at the intersection.
"He?"
"Isn't he very handsome? He doesn't even look like he is 29 years old!" Grace whispered enthusiastically.
Steffi was just silent, unable to believe that the man liked her and wanted to marry her, whereas yesterday it seemed he didn't recognize her.
'There seems to be something wrong here,' she thought.
Arriving on the ground floor, Grace invited Steffi to get acquainted with the Miller family. They chatted casually, then continued with dinner together. After that, Steffi and Bill chatted privately while looking around every room in the house.
Steffi walked down the white aisle, occasionally glancing at Bill who was walking beside her. 'A person like him will marry me? But even now he doesn't talk about love or marriage!' Steffi protested silently, watching Bill who was so handsome and dashing that he didn't even look like he was 29 years old.
"So, what's your full name?" asked Bill, breaking the silence.
Steffi smiled slyly. "So you don't know my full name yet?"
"Yeah, I don't know," Bill said as he continued to walk casually hand in hand with Steffi. "So far I only know your nickname, the name of your social media account..."
"I'm Steffi Zoe Rodriguez," said Steffi, holding out her hand to Bill. "How about you?"
"I'm Bill Davin Miller," Bill replied, shaking hands with Steffi.
Steffi quickly withdrew her hand nervously. Bill's intense gaze and charming face made her nervous.
Bill took a deep breath and continued walking.
"Anyway, when we met because of yesterday's incident, it was as if you didn't recognize me," said Steffi with a sinister smile. "This is so weird. You don't know me, but mommy says you have a crush on me."
Bill smiled faintly. "That's because I panicked...I'm so annoyed. But when I got back to my car, I realized that I just scolded the girl I've had a crush on."
"Since when?"
"I have had a crush on you since a few months ago... I often see your photos on social media....I started to find out about you about your family and it turns out that my father's company has a joint project with your father's company. It makes me feel that I have a chance to get closer to you."
Steffi frowned. "But we have never met before….how can you have a crush on me just by finding my picture on social media... This is so weird..."
Bill stopped on the porch, leaning against a white pillar. "We already met a few years ago. Perhaps you forgot….we met when you joined your family to attend a festival. You were so cute, young…"
"Do I look old now?" asked Steffi, crossing her arms.
"Absolutely not!"
Steffi sighed, sat on the yellow sofa chair, and looked at the side garden. She suddenly thought of Liam who was probably focused on Gea now since she wasn't a hindrance for them anymore.
'Is it possible, I have to be close to Bill so I don't think about them anymore? But it's too soon... I can't get married without love.'
Bill sat on another couch, opposite Steffi, and stared at her intensely.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Steffi, nervous.
"You're cute," Bill replied.
"Don't brag!"
"I'm serious ... .You're cute, even I couldn't stop thinking about you last night," Bill said with a teasing smile. "I remember I took you to the car, then I took you home, took you to your room..."
"Oh, thank you for taking me home last night," said Steffi with a faint smile.
"Yeah... I happened to be at that bar. I saw you with your boyfriend, and you were very uncomfortable with him," Bill said.
Steffi crossed her legs. "Actually our relationship was over in the morning... The morning before we almost collided."
"Why did you guys break up?" Bill asked.
"I found him sleeping with my best friend," Steffi replied, then bent her face and smiled faintly. "He said he and my best friend just slept together….I can't accept any excuses from him."
"He's an asshole, don't think about him anymore" Bill exclaimed with a flat look. "Men like him never be satisfied with one woman, he dares to have sex with your friend... It will continue to be repeated," he continued.
"I think so."
"Are you still thinking about him?" Bill asked.
Steffi nodded.
"You should get over it," said Bill.
"Why?"
"Because there is me... I will fill your heart," Bill said raising his eyebrows. "You already know my purpose for coming here.. your mother must have told you" he continued.
"Ehh..." Steffi was suddenly uncomfortable because Bill started mentioning his original intention.
"Let's get married... I'll make you happy," Bill said with an intense look, making Steffi nervous.
"How can I be happy when I'm heartbroken right now?" asked Steffi bending her face. "You know just yesterday I broke up with my boyfriend... Moreover, it was a breakup over the betrayal. Now I have a trust issue... I can't just trust you," she continued, glancing at Bill.
"I expected that."
"You are handsome, rich….grown up... You can get a woman who is more suitable for you than me. I'm too young for you, maybe even my character is still too childish ... I still have many desires that I want to achieve," said Steffi while playing with her fingers. "I still want to learn to be a professional ballet dancer, I want to hang out with friends... It's like... I'm so afraid that if I get married then I can't achieve all my wishes... I will lose my youth when I should have fun," she continued.
"Did you think I would lock you in the house after marriage?" Bill asked.
Steffi shrugged. "Maybe... Most husbands rarely give their wives freedom."
"Sweetie..." Bill sighed.
Steffi blushed because Bill called her a special name.
"Not all men are of the same mind," Bill said, bending his elbows against his thighs. "If we get married, I won't forbid you to do what you like. As originally intended….to marry is to be happy, it means to understand each other, support, loving cherish..."
"What if I can't love you?" asked Steffi.
"I would do anything to make you love me," Bill replied.
"What if I still can't love you?"
"So I will keep trying until my last breath," said Bill calmly. "I will never give up or leave you just because you don't love me. That's not going to happen... Because I want to get married just once in my life..."
"And you're stupid, you want to marry a girl who isn't even done with her past," said Steffi, turning her face towards the garden. "You better marry your girlfriend, a girlfriend who loves you .... the marriage will be very beautiful," she continued.
"Then let's date first," said Bill.
Steffi immediately turned to Bill.
"We dating for a few weeks. If you're not comfortable, then you can leave me, but if you're comfortable, then we'll get married soon," Bill said.
"Why to rush to get married?" asked Steffi, still annoyed every time Bill brought up marriage.
"Because I'm a grown man... I don't want to date for too long... It's such a waste of time," Bill replied confidently. "I'm so ready to be a husband, father..."
"Father?"
"Yes of course... .we got married, then had children. That means I'm a father," Bill said with a raised eyebrow.
Steffi swallowed her saliva, imagining having to marry without love and having children at the age of 21. .it would cost her the opportunity to have fun with her friends, not even being able to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer.
"You said you'd give me freedom, but if you want to have children right away, that means you can't give me freedom!" She said with a look of disapproval. "You're going too far, I haven't even given the green light to accept you yet," she continued.
.