The door creaked open, revealing Lucas in a casual all-ck attire.


    "I heard from your right-hand man that you...wanted to see me?" asked Melody warily.


    Lucas stayed silent, coldly turning and heading inside. Melody reluctantly followed.


    The interior of the house was elegantly simple, yet it exuded an expensive aura that outshone anything the Sanders'' residence owned.


    Melody stood in the living room, keeping a cautious distance. "Why did you bring me here?"


    "Sit." Lucas ced a folder on the table. "If there''s anything you''re not happy with, we can still make changes."


    Melody picked up the folder, confused. When she turned to the first page, the bold words left her dumbfounded.


    "Marriage agreement? What does this mean? Who''s getting married?"


    "You and me." Lucas casually sipped his coffee as if his words were perfectly reasonable.


    Melody nced through the agreement. In essence, it outlined her marrying Lucas and maintaining the marriage for a year in exchange for an annualpensation of one million dors.


    ''Does he want to turn me into his sugar baby? He really sees me as someone willing to sell myself for money,'' Melody thought with a mix of frustration and disbelief.


    "Excuse me. When did I agree to marry you?" Melody found the whole agreement to be ludicrous, so she closed the folder and ced it back on the table. "I have no interest in what''s written here. If there''s nothing else, I''ll be going now!"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    As she stood up to leave, her phone rang. It was a call from her mother.


    Lucas observed coldly as Melody walked away, neither making a move to stop her nor uttering a word. After all, if it were not for the need to appease his grandparents, he would not even consider marrying someone like her.


    After Melody left the hotel that morning, Beatrice''s nagging phone call about marriage came flooding in, apanied by another round of scolding.


    As Cedric and Beatrice aged, their concerns about Lucas'' marital status grew. They would find potential matches for him at every opportunity, hoping he would marry soon.


    At first, Beatrice used to consider Lucas'' opinion before setting up these meetings, but she began notifying him of the date and location without bothering about what he would think. "Grandma, I''ve told you. I''m not ready for marriage yet," said Lucas.


    Beatrice''s expression darkened. "Are you trying to give us a stroke by vexing your grandpa and me so much? We''re not getting any younger, and our biggest wish is to see all of you kids settled down. Otherwise, I won''t be able to rest in peace, and neither will your grandpa."


    Whenever Lucas mentioned not wanting to get married, Beatrice responded with dramatic threats of her demise.


    "Lucas, be honest with me. Are you...into guys or something?"


    Lucas'' calm demeanor finally cracked for a moment, but just as swiftly, he regained hisposure. "No, Grandma. I have a fiancee. I''ll bring her around to meet you in a few days." "Fiancee? Seriously?!" Beatrice clearly doubted his words.


    Lucas nced at the 200 dors on the floor and came up with apromise in his mind. "Well, Grandma, you''ll know I''m serious when I bring her in to visit you."