Chapter 498: Chapter 498 – I’m Sorry for Being a Coward, but I Had My Reasons

"Will you marry me?" Robert asked seriously. Giselle’s heart stopped. Suddenly, tears stung her eyes and she was so stiff, she couldn’t answer him.

Robert came to his senses. He brought out a ring and went down on one knee, but Giselle was shaking with tear-filled eyes. He was disheartened. Where did he go wrong? Thinking that she would be happy, all he saw in her eyes was sadness.

"I can’t marry you. I’m sorry," she murmured regretfully, even though it was all she ever desired. Robert stiffened, rising to his feet and pulling his chair to sit right next to her.

"Why can’t you marry me? Aren’t I handsome enough? Or am I not good enough for you?" Giselle smiled through her tears, captivated by his handsome features and amusing words.

Robert thought it was because he was too straightforward and had not expressed his emotions to her.

"Giselle, I’ve loved you for years. Do you know how hard it has been to keep it all in?"

A pool of tears fell from her eyes. Robert was upset with himself, feeling that he had done it wrong.

He wished he had been a little more patient and taken some time to learn how to woo a woman before he embarked on his mission. But the truth was, because they had been childhood friends and she had confessed her feelings for him, he never thought it would be this hard.

"You... you loved me? For... years?" Giselle was so shocked that she stammered, and her expression was sorrowful. If Robert loved her, then why didn’t he say it? Was it because she was his secretary? He was the reason why she refused all other job opportunities.

"Yes. I’m sorry for being a coward, but I had my reasons. Please, you have to tell me why you can’t marry me. I can change," Robert pleaded helplessly. Giselle was lost for words. She had never seen him in this light before.

"It’s not you," she said lifelessly. She had the man she wanted, asking for her hand in marriage, but there was something standing in her way.

Robert was embittered. Perhaps he had misunderstood her when she said she had eyes for her boss. Could it be one of the other executives?

"Do you love somebody else? You said before that you had eyes on someone," Robert asked in a desolate tone. But this time, Giselle was honest.

"That someone was also you."

Robert’s heart regained its rhythm, and he felt like he was back in the game. "Me? Since when?"

Giselle’s head lowered shyly. "I don’t know. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember."

Robert’s heart danced, but his thoughts were interrupted by worries. "Then why can’t we get married? We’ve known each other long enough. Since childhood and even as work colleagues."

"I don’t want to talk about it," Giselle bit her lower lip, almost rubbing her flat belly. She was enjoying their conversation, as it was great to hear the man she loved confessing his love for her.

Mentioning her pregnancy might ruin everything, and Robert was equally anxious. "Please, Giselle, open up to me, and I promise to find a solution to any problem you have."

He knew the problem and indeed had the solution, but he wanted her to say it. Only then would he be able to confess.

Giselle thought deeply, but no solution came to mind. "There is nothing you can do about my situation."

Robert disagreed, asking, "Why don’t you tell me first?"

"I..." Giselle opened her mouth but shut it again. Her mouth felt too heavy to utter the words. Robert was frustrated.

How could she say that she loved him and not trust him even once? "Trust me, Giselle. Please tell me."

"You will hate me," she murmured. His heart sank. She might be the one hating him if she found out the truth.

"I can never hate you. I can’t even let you out of my sight. I will never leave you. I won’t stop chasing or trying to make you my wife."

Ever since Giselle had known Robert, he always kept his word, so she couldn’t doubt him and revealed,

"I’m pregnant, and I don’t even know the child’s father. It would be irresponsible of me to marry you with someone else’s child."

Robert sighed with relief. Now he was certain that she would never hide anything from him again. "Is that all?" he asked, tensing up as he readied himself to confess.

Giselle was surprised by how lightly he took her words. "Is that all you are going to say?"

Robert smiled, staring at her with admiration. "What else do you want me to say? The child you are carrying is precious, so why can’t you marry me because of it?" he asked teasingly. Giselle felt that she didn’t deserve him and began to explain.

"It happened during the party, and I don’t remember how. The man left his WeChat account, and we have been chatting. He is interested in being in the child’s life. Everything is complicated."

Robert was smiling all through as he spoke with certainty, "There is no complication. I will still marry you."

Giselle let out a bitter smile. "No. He’s not willing to let go, and we would have a third party in our life. It isn’t right."

"So what do you want to do?" Robert asked, his arm wrapped comfortingly around her shoulders, his warmth encompassing her.

"I have to meet him over the weekend, and then I can decide what to do, but..." She paused.

"What?" Robert urged her on, buying as much time as he could.

Giselle was suddenly upset. "If you had told me earlier that you loved me, this wouldn’t have happened. You asked Aliya out, and I got drunk because of you. Why did you ask her out when you claim to have been in love with me?"

Everything that happened that night hit home. Giselle was equally drunk because she was jealous. "I thought I could get over you," Robert spoke honestly before recalling something and saying, "Wait."

He picked up his phone and sent a message through his Passion Fruit account. ’Hi, how are you doing? I miss you. You didn’t tell me if you liked the flowers.’

He pressed the send button and dropped the phone on the table. "I will be right back."

Giselle’s phone beeped, so she picked it up as Robert walked out. Her lips pursed, and she wiped a tear before responding, ’You didn’t have to send me flowers.’ As soon as she pressed the send button, Robert’s phone’s screen lit up.

She ignored it and sent another message, ’Can we meet earlier than over the weekend?’

Robert’s phone lit up again, and she thought it was a message from an investor or family, so she picked it up. Robert had always been transparent with his phone whenever she was concerned, and she didn’t see it as a big deal.

Seeing the notification, her heart thumped wildly, and she pressed it to see all her chats with Passion Fruit. At the same time, the door pushed open.

"Did you get the message?" Robert asked, but Giselle was boiling with rage.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read