Chapter 8 The Seemingly Aloof CEO

"No, that's unnecessary,"

Robert refused without hesitation. The two men looked at each other and fell silent.

It was apparent that the woman had managed to win a place in Robert's heart. After all, he had taken the initiative to kiss her.

Noah's opinion of Robert had changed. He felt that both his boss and Robert were similar -- the two of them seemed indifferent to everything, while the truth was they were not. Robert expressed his feelings in a subtle way.

Meanwhile, Mandy was glad that she finally got Robert's number. She had planned to have a good night sleep first and get the work done. The prospect of her plans had calmed her agitated mind.

She decided to call Robert and save him from his problems while she escaped from hers.

Mandy got dressed and grabbed her purse to leave the next day. However, a phone call halted her move.

She sighed as the personalized ringtone announced the call from her aunt even before she looked at the caller ID.

Mandy took a deep breath and answered the call. The familiar voice blared through the phone, making her stomach flip with anxiety.

"Mandy, I want you to come home early today. I have found an excellent man for you. I'm sure you will like him. Drop all your work and come home."

Mandy held the phone far from her ear, for her aunt's loud voice was giving her a headache. Being the assistant designer of a large enterprise, Mandy could live the life she wanted. She was smart, young, and successful. However, her parents were blind to her victory. Their only concern was to get their daughter married. They forced her to see men as soon as she graduated from college.

"Women should get married at the right age. You are young now, but you wouldn't stay the same forever.

Mandy, you are 23 years old. Don't you think it's time you got married? The girl next door is the same age as you. She is married and has given birth to a child now.

Look at you! Stop wasting your time, Mandy!" The words were driving her crazy. Mandy wanted to throw the phone and run to a place where no one could find her. She wondered why her parents had entrusted the task of finding her a man to her vigorous aunt. The woman was only making everything worse.

Mandy was both physically and mentally exhausted; she decided to put an end to this once and for all.

Mandy put the phone back to her ear and tried controlling her temper. "Aunt..."

"Mandy, did you hear me? Take the day off and meet this man. He is amazing; I'm sure you will like him."

Anger was surging through her veins, but she tried controlling herself. "Aunt, I need to work. I can't take off whenever I wish."

Mandy was working at an emerging company in G City. She knew that the firm would take the industry by storm within a year. Everyone was working hard toward success.

Mandy couldn't risk her job to meet another man.

"No excuses, Mandy!" her aunt roared. "You have to meet this man. I spoke to him this morning. He is nice and belongs to a rich family. You have to seize the opportunity; otherwise, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Mandy didn't know how to decline the offer.

Her parents were desperate to get her married, and her aunt was helping them. She contacted all the rich and eligible bachelors in G City and forced Mandy to meet them.

Mandy closed her eyes to stop herself from saying anything disrespectful. Her heart skipped a beat as Robert's handsome face flashed in her mind.

"Aunt, don't bother introducing me to random men. I already have a boyfriend."

It was time to use Robert as a shield now.

Mandy couldn't stand the torture every day. The relentless rambles of her aunt were replaced with silence. She checked her phone to see if the woman had disconnected her call.

Mandy smiled and waited for her response.

She heard the whooshing sound of her aunt's breath before she spoke.

"Mandy, don't lie. I know you're saying this to avoid the date." The doubt in the woman's voice infuriated Mandy. The pressure of marrying a guy was draining all her energy. She had dreams and aspirations and didn't want to abandon everything for a guy.

"Aunt, what do you mean? I'm not lying. I have a boyfriend. Anyway, I'm running late. We can talk about it later." Mandy hung up the call and threw the phone on the bed.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. The woman had sucked all her energy by talking about marriage again. Mandy slumped on the sofa and blew out a loud breath.

However, she had found a solution to the problem now.

Mandy wished that she had met Robert earlier. She could have salvaged the problem before it got complicated.

Mandy's aunt couldn't keep the piece of information to herself. She called Mandy's parents and told them that she was seeing someone.

They called her immediately and ordered her to come home with her boyfriend.

Mandy groaned and threw the pillow against the wall. How was she going to find a boyfriend and persuade him into meeting her parents? Things were spiraling out of control. Mandy called Jean, hoping that she would help her.

"I guess you should call Robert. It seems like the only solution to the problem,''

Jean suggested.

Mandy's problems would end if Robert posed as her boyfriend.

Her parents would stop forcing her to meet random guys.

Without thinking, Mandy left for the barbecue stall to meet Robert.

She had already gathered enough information about the opening and closing time of the stall. Mandy knew that they would close up around nine, and Robert would leave half an hour earlier so she went to the stall at half-past eight and waited for him.

As expected, Robert walked out just in time. She ran up to him and smiled. "Hi, Robert. I'm here for you again. Let's go out and have a drink."

Robert stopped as he heard the familiar voice. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as Mandy's face flashed in his mind.

He felt an inexplicable joy whenever he saw her.

In fact, Robert was actually interested in this little woman. He felt a connection with Mandy, but couldn't understand what was in her mind. He didn't know why she was following him.

"Would you like to have a drink?" Robert nodded. To everyone's surprise, he wanted to spend more time with Mandy and understand her better.

Mandy closed her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. She believed that the man might rescue her from the problem.

Robert smiled and ushered her to the bar next door.