Chapter 2047
Hearing the word "disdain" escape her lips, Abner's brow furrowed deeply.
He had never thought this way before; Shirley was incomparable to him, her significance towering over everyone else's combined. Just the thought of her marrying someone else was enough to turn his inner world into a barren wasteland. Shirley held a place in his heart that no one else could ever occupy, having dazzled him time and again throughout the years.
"Shirley..."
He pulled her into an embrace, "All I care about is whether or not you like me."
Shirley swallowed hard, the word "like" circled her mouth before being swallowed back down.
Abner felt uncertain, wanting to ask again, but knowing some questions were better left unasked. He guided her to the dining table, serving her some food.
"Let's eat something first."
Shirley's legs were weak, and seeing his contented expression made her cheeks flush with color.
Abner hardly ate, spending most of the time watching her. She ate quietly and elegantly, and her cheeks reddened further upon noticing his gaze.
After the meal, Abner pulled out his household registration book.
"What about yours? The civil affairs office is still open; we could go and register."
On impulse, Shirley fetched her own household registration book too. As he led her to the civil affairs office, she felt like she was walking on air. And then they had their marriage certificates in hand.
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"Hmm?"
Was this it? She wanted to ask but hesitated, fearing it might seem like she was having second thoughts.
A shadow of disappointment crossed his eyes. "If you're not happy, we can go and get a divorce right now."
"That's not it," Shirley quickly replied, feeling everything was just too rushed.
She and Maja were friends, and Maja had seemed to be setting her up with Abner. Shouldn't she at least tell Maja and the others?
But it was clear Abner had no such intentions. He didn't want to notify anyone
not wanting to be like lan,
who paraded his catch as if wanting the whole world to know.
Shirley was Abner's treasure, one he wished to hide away for his eyes only.
Shirley felt insecure, fearing her being six years his senior might be a concern for him, or perhaps fearing the marriage was just a spur-of-the-moment decision for Abner.
Either possibility was distressing.
Three days post-registration, Abner asked if she'd like to go out with him. Shirley thought it over and quietly submitted her resignation.
Some might criticize her for being too love-struck, quitting her job right after getting married as if wholly dependent on a man.
But Shirley didn't care. She had been working as a freelance translator and had grown her business into a small company; she had enough to support herself.
She didn't want to miss out on any more time with Abner.
At thirty, she wanted to be reckless for once.
Whether Abner was acting on a whim or joking, she wanted to give everything she could offer.
Stepping onto the cruise ship, she was greeted by a sea of flowers, with only Abner and herself aboard.
Abner led her across the flower-strewn deck to the grand hall inside, where he slipped a ring on her finger and kissed her gently on the lips.
"Abner, what's all this?"
"I don't want others to know."
Abner lowered his lashes, leading her to a table by the window.
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"This is the deed to my estate. I want you to see everything I've achieved over the past five years, and I want to share it all with you. Shirley, I may not know how much you like me, but I do know how much I like you much so that I don't want anyone else to know you exist. I'm selfish enough to want to keep you all to myself."