Chapter 7 Dion's Plan

• The sound of dance music blared loudly, almost deafening. Yet, it didn’t seem to bother the people in the venue—in fact, they were thoroughly enjoying it. Their bodies moved to the rhythm of the music, which grew louder with each beat, as couples danced together at a bar in California.
• In one of the VIP rooms, three young men were relaxing. Several bottles of wine and snacks were laid out on the table, which they were currently enjoying.
• “Dion, you said there was something important you wanted to talk about? What is it?”
• The voice came from a handsome man named Brandy Bosley, Dion’s close friend. They had been friends since junior high school. Like Dion, Brandy was also one of the most sought-after guys on campus. Because of his good looks, he often changed partners. For example, tonight he had hired an escort to accompany him. The woman was sitting beside him, feeding him light snacks.
• Dion, who was smoking a cigarette, turned to his friend. “Yes, there’s something I want to discuss with you both. That’s why I asked you to come here.”
• “Why here? Why didn’t you just say it back at campus?” This time it was Alvin Bastian who spoke up, a bespectacled man who was also one of Dion’s close friends.
• Dion snorted and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray a bit too harshly. “I just felt like saying it here. Is there a problem with that?” he replied, directing the question at Alvin.
• Adjusting his slipping glasses, Alvin replied, “Yeah, because it’s not comfortable here.”
• “What’s uncomfortable about it?” Brandy chimed in.
• “It’s noisy here.”
• “Huh? Noisy? We’re in a soundproof VIP room. You can’t even hear the music from outside. Just admit it—you didn’t want to come here because you’re scared of the women around. Isn’t that right?”
• Alvin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearly flustered that Brandy had accurately guessed what he was feeling. It was no secret that the bespectacled man had a phobia of women. He would always tremble whenever one came near him.
• “Why is he afraid of the women here?” asked the escort, overhearing their conversation.
• “That’s because—”
• “Shut up, Brandy! Don’t bring that up again!” Alvin snapped, quickly cutting Brandy off before he could reveal his condition to the escort. He then turned his gaze to Dion, who merely chuckled at the argument between his two friends.
• “And you, what are you laughing at? Just tell us what you want to say already! If you don’t start talking soon, I’m leaving.”
• Hearing Alvin’s threat, Dion and Brandy exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. Naturally, their reaction only tested Alvin’s patience further. He stood up and walked toward the door, clearly intending to leave the room.
• “Hey, hey, where are you going?” Dion asked, surprised that Alvin was actually following through on his threat.
• “Home. I told you I’d leave if you—”
• “I’m getting married.”
• The atmosphere in the room instantly shifted to silence. No one spoke after Dion’s unexpected confession—until a second later, when both Brandy and Alvin burst into laughter, assuming it was just a joke.
• “Why are you laughing?” Dion asked, narrowing his eyes sharply. It was clear he didn’t appreciate having his serious words laughed at by his friends.
• “Hah, what kind of joke was that supposed to be?” Brandy replied, then continued laughing loudly.
• “I’m not joking. I really am getting married.”
• “Married? Are you serious?” Alvin asked, needing to confirm he hadn’t misheard.
• Dion nodded firmly. “Yes, of course I’m serious. Why would I joke about something like this?”
• Brandy and Alvin exchanged glances. Seeing the serious look on Dion’s face, they realized he wasn’t kidding at all.
• “Why are you suddenly getting married?”
• Dion chuckled softly at Alvin’s question, finding the reason behind his sudden marriage quite amusing himself.
• “My parents arranged it. The woman was originally supposed to marry my older brother, but since he’s already married, she’s being paired with me instead.”
• “What? An arranged marriage? And you agreed to it?” Brandy looked utterly shocked by Dion’s confession.
• “Yeah, why not? Besides, the woman I’m marrying is actually quite attractive.” Dion replied with a grin, sticking out his tongue and licking his lips playfully.
• “She must be beautiful, huh?” Brandy asked eagerly—he was always excited when it came to women.
• “Yes, she’s beautiful. But what’s even more interesting is that she’s incredibly cold... and a billionaire.”
• “A billionaire?” Brandy and Alvin said in unison, exchanging surprised glances.
• “Yeah, she’s the CEO of a major company. You know Blaire Industries?”
• “Of course! That’s one of the biggest food and fashion companies in California,” Alvin answered enthusiastically.
• “Exactly. The head of that company is going to be my wife,” Dion said, patting his chest proudly.
• “Wait, how old is your fiancée? If she’s leading such a big company, she must be pretty old, right?” Brandy asked curiously.
• “She’s not that old. She’s thirty.”
• “Wow, that’s more than ten years older than you, right?”
• “Something like that.”
• “Since when do you like older women?”
• “Since I got arranged to marry her—Rhea Addilyn Blaire,” Dion replied without hesitation to all of Brandy’s questions.
• “She actually agreed to marry you?” Alvin, who had been quietly listening, finally joined the conversation again.
• “At first, she didn’t want to. She said I was more like a younger brother than a potential husband. But I’m sure she’ll eventually agree, because just like me… she can’t escape this arranged marriage.”
• “So that means the wedding is definitely happening, right?” Brandy asked, and Dion responded with a nod. “Then when is the wedding?”
• “Soon. I’ll let you both know once the date is set.”
• “Ah, we’ll definitely come. Now I’m curious—I want to see your fiancée as soon as possible. Is she really that beautiful?”
• “Yes, you can judge for yourself later.”
• Dion and Brandy seemed enthusiastic as they discussed Rhea, unlike Alvin, who appeared pensive, as if something was bothering him.
• “If you’re going to get married, then what about your relationship with Keily?”
• That single question slipped out of the bespectacled man’s mouth, instantly grabbing the attention of his two friends. Dion and Brandy immediately stopped talking.
• “Ah, good point. What about Keily? Are you planning to end things with her?” Even Brandy joined in the questioning.
• Both Brandy and Alvin stared seriously at Dion, waiting for his answer. But Dion said nothing—he just flashed a wide grin, as if a plan was already dancing around in his head.