Self-promotion

Time was short and he had a bride to find that would please old Mrs. Grant, which was no easy task.

Orlando stared at me for a moment and teasingly said, "Is that a self-promotion, Dr. Bates?"

His low voice, thick with flirtation, added later, "Give me a reason to choose you."

I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Old Mrs. Grant likes me, that's why you chose me."

After thinking about it, I added, "If you don't think that's enough, I can add one more reason. I don't have any feelings for you, don't adore you nor will I pursue you, unlike those women who covet your wealth. If we can get married successfully, I won't interfere with anything after the marriage, and you have absolute independence and privacy. Of course, if you need my cooperation when necessary, I will try to help you."

I paused for a few seconds and said firmly, "If you need me to perform my duties as husband and wife, I will cooperate."

Immediately after I said that I dropped my head, not daring to look at him any longer.

God knows how much courage I had to muster to say those words to a man!

It would mean that I was going to sell myself to the man in front of me, including my body.

And of course, the only bargaining chip I had right now was my body and what I was trading with him for.

I don't love him, and I don't covet his fortune, I just want to raise money for my mother's surgery.

I had thought it was a deal that wouldn't be hard to strike, but Orlando fell into a long silence after hearing me.

His silence made me feel unusually anxious, and I began to continue my persuasion.

"Mr. Grant, you are in charge of the Grant family, and the Grant family is the head of the nobility, which equates to you being at the top of the pyramid."

"Simply put, you simply don't need to rely on taking a wife with a strong family to cement your position and career."

"It's true that my family isn't good enough, but I was raised as a noble lady and grew up in the noble circle. I know the etiquette and rules of the aristocratic circle very well, and I will definitely not disgrace you."

"Besides, I'm twenty-five and you're thirty-five, plus old Mrs. Grant is very fond of me. I don't think you'll lose anything on this deal."

In terms of age, a ten-year gap, a loss for me!

Of course, I only dare to say these things in my mind, I definitely don't dare to say them directly.

What I didn't expect was that despite acting humble enough and giving up almost all my pride, I still didn't impress Orlando.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at me intently for a moment when suddenly he cupped my chin in his hand and forced me to look up at him.

"You're right in your analysis, and the terms are tempting enough, but unfortunately, I'm not interested in women who offer themselves up."

He smiled contemptuously at me and left without mercy.

Watching his back as he left, I finally couldn't help but sit down on the floor.

It had taken all my courage to negotiate with a man like Orlando, his aura was just too powerful!

Actually, the rejection was expected, I just didn't expect it to be so soon.

Orlando Grant is, as rumored, a stubborn and arrogant man!

After sitting dumbfounded for a long time, I got up from the floor, straightened my clothes, and reentered the office.

In the afternoon, I did three consecutive surgeries and by the time I walked out of the operating room, it was 9:00 pm.

I returned to my hospital quarters, exhausted.

I was just about to lie down and get some rest when I got a call from the hospital, Dr. Reid telling me that my mother's condition had worsened and that I should get to the ward immediately.

I grabbed my jacket and hurried out of the dorm and reentered the hospital ward.

Dr. Reid was just coming out of the ward door when I got there.

"Dr. Reid, how is my mother now?" I asked anxiously.

Dr. Reid sighed heavily, " Elizabeth, I know it's hard for you, but your mother's surgery can't be delayed any longer, it's going to be tomorrow at the latest, and you better get it ready as soon as possible."

"Okay ... I understand! Tomorrow, I'll pay for the surgery." I said firmly.

I don't have enough money for the surgery yet, but whatever it takes, I'll get my mother through it!

Dr. Reid gave me a compassionate look and gently patted me on the shoulder, "Now that you're ready, I'll arrange for your mother's surgery tomorrow afternoon."

After Dr. Reid left, I stood in the doorway of the hospital room and saw my mother asleep in her bed.

I hesitated for a moment, but instead of going in and disturbing her rest, I sat on a bench in the hospital corridor.

At this point, I felt unusually helpless and confused.

Selling myself to Orlando was my last chance, and unfortunately, he turned me down.

Now, where am I going to get $600,000 to come up with the money for my mother's surgery?

I buried my cheek in my palm and closed my eyes in dismay.

At that moment, a low voice sounded above my head.

"If I agree to make this deal with you, how much do you want?"

The first moment I opened my eyes, a pair of black leather shoes came into view through my fingers.

I subconsciously looked up and Orlando's handsome face appeared before me in surprise.

I stared at him blankly, not even reacting to what he had just said.

Is he really ready to agree to marry me?

Does this mean I no longer have to worry about paying for my mother's surgery?

"Say, how much do you need."

Orlando looked straight at me, no expression on his face.

His words were obvious enough. And I knew he was helping me.

Showing up out of the blue at my toughest time and agreeing to pay for my mother's surgery, just that alone made me so grateful I wanted to cry.

In fact, I literally cried uncontrollable tears.

"What? Don't want to raise the money for your mother's surgery?"

His voice sounded again. Although it still had a flirtatious tone, it had a touch more warmth to it compared to before.

I finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"It's ... going to be a total of eight hundred thousand ... Orlando, thank you ... very much... ... "I thanked him as I cried.

Orlando's body became very tense as he was held by me, but I was so focused on venting my emotions that I didn't think too much about his feelings.

After a moment, Orlando pulled away from my arms and freed himself from my embrace.

"There's a million in here, and the code is six ones."

At the first sign of him pushing me away, I had an extra bank card in my hand.

I stared blankly at the bank card in my hand and said with mixed emotions, "I only needed 800,000 and you gave me 200,000 more ..."

Orlando's face hardened a bit, "There's absolutely no way I'm taking back what I gave away."

I hesitated for a moment and didn't continue to insist on returning it to him. There was still a sum of money needed to pay for medical bills and care after the surgery, and those were about it.

"Thank you, Orlando." I said sincerely, and after that, I had a new question, "Do you really want to marry me? Didn't you tell me earlier that you weren't interested in me?"

Orlando was reluctant to answer the question and said coldly, "You don't need to know why. Take care of your family business first, and in two months, we'll go get a marriage license."

After saying that, as if remembering something else, he added, "And remember, other than money and fame, nothing else is part of our bargain, and especially you must not expect anything from me, such as ... expecting me to fall in love with you."