Chapter 183

I promise to play along with you Vincent opened the passenger door and motioned for me to get in. I didn’t know if he deliberately dressed up today, but he didn’t have that tired, haggard vibe he usually had.

I strode over and ducked into the car. As I spoke, my tone was slightly distant.

“How’s Mrs. Jones doing?”

Vincent got in the car as well and turned his head to look at me. His eyes lingered on my neck for a couple of seconds, and he quickly put on a smile. He tried to hide the gloom in his eyes, but he still let out a sigh and shook his head.

“The scan determined that her cancer is already quite advanced. According to the doctor, she’s not doing great. If the medication controls the cancer well, she’ll probably live for another six months.”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. Mrs. Jones was such a good woman, but her illness was so severe that her days were numbered.

Vincent pursed his lips. “Olive, thank you so much for making this trip. My mother will be very happy to see you.”

I was still exhausted from the flight and didn’t notice the calculating glint in Vincent’s eyes. He suddenly leaned forward, his eyes staring directly into mine.

“Olive, could you do me a favor?”

He leaned in so close that I was uncomfortable. I furrowed my brow and shuffled away, asking with some apprehension, “What’s wrong?”

Vincent sensed my reluctance and smiled bitterly. “You know that my mother’s always adored you, and she always wanted us to get married. So… Olive, will you marry me? I don’t want my mother to leave this world with regrets.”

His idea was so ridiculous that I thought I misheard him for a moment. “Vincent, do you even know what you’re saying?”

“Olive.” Vincent leaned even closer and looked at me with a desperate expression. “I really don’t have a choice. You’re the only one who can help me with this, since my mother likes you so much. Please, will you help me?”

Even though Vincent was basically begging, I could only shake my head and refuse. I thought about Aaron, who was now my boyfriend. I wouldn’t dare to imagine how Aaron would react if he learned I was married to Vincent.

Vincent saw me shake my head and his words grew more desperate in response. “Are you reluctant to say yes because you're worried about Aaron’s reaction?”

I frowned, and I tried to make my voice sterner. “It’s not only that, Vincent. You should know that I would never say yes, even if you’re desperate. This whole thing is ridiculous.”

I was sad about his mother’s sudden illness, but I couldn’t play around with marriage just so she wouldn’t have any regrets. Even if he was a good friend, I wouldn’t agree to such a request, let alone one from that s*umbag Vincent!

He hadn’t forgotten about how he betrayed me, right?

Vincent was still anxious. “Don’t worry, we wouldn’t actually get married. I wouldn’t want to ruin your future with Aaron. Here in Las Vegas, even if we get a marriage license, if we don’t submit the proper documents with the signatures then our marriage certificate would be invalid. I just want us to put on a little show for my mother. She’s been good to you for so many years, so could you please just do this one thing for me?”

He was pleading with me. I knew that if I refused again, he would grovel in the middle of the road and beg me to say yes. Even if he was complete s*um, he was still a devoted son.

But I still felt like something was wrong. Vincent’s mother wasn’t an idiot-she would be able to tell if we were acting.

Vincent didn’t give me a chance to think. I hesitated to answer him, but I saw a tear fall from the corner of his eye.

He covered his face with his hand and his shoulders trembled as he tried to suppress his s*bs. “I’m sorry for making things difficult, Olive. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I want to make her happy before she passes on, but I can’t even satisfy this one small request. It’s all my fault! I lost you, and now I’m about to lose my mother, too.”

The more Vincent said, the worse I felt. I don’t know if it was because he looked so pitiful, but I felt a tiny bit of sympathy for him.

Vincent always had a good relationship with his mother. If I was already feeling upset about her sickness, I could only imagine what kind of pain he was in right now.

I hated Vincent from the moment he betrayed me. I never wanted to speak with him again, so I never thought I would feel this way when I saw him cry in front of me. Maybe I didn’t feel bad for him, but I felt bad for his mother. She was still so young, but she was about to die.

Vincent was still sobbing. He slumped over the steering wheel and tried to keep quiet, but he still sounded so desperate. Just like Vincent, I couldn’t bear to see his mother pass away with regrets.

If it would really be like he said it would, with us just acting for his mother, maybe I could agree.

I sighed, scratched my head irritably, and interrupted his crying. “Don’t cry, I promise I’ll pretend to marry you.”

The next moment, Vincent grasped my hands in his. There were still tears on his face, but his expression was now pleasantly surprised. He held my hands tightly, and his lips trembled as he smiled.

“Olive, thank you so much! I knew you were the kindest girl in the world. My mother will be so happy to watch us get married!”

I was a bit uncomfortable to see Vincent’s joy, and his casual touching irked me even more. Did he seriously forget about his betrayal?

I suppressed my disgust and coldly yanked my hand away. “You’re welcome. I’m doing this to make your mother happy, not for you.”