“If not, please marry me. Register right away. It’s not far from the marriage registry office, and I’m familiar with the process, so it won’t take up too much of your time.”
Carrie stated her purpose in the shortest time possible.
Rafael gave a light smile after listening, “Not a small feat, coming up with the idea to hit on the president?”
It was still nice to be admired, and it had eased his annoyance these past two days.
“If you can’t hold onto this position, you won’t be president for long,” Carrie said expressionlessly.
“…”
Rafael froze at the corner of his lips.
“This is a report I’ve prepared. Please take a look.”
Carrie handed over the document in her hands with both hands, ‘You are already 32 years old, and having a family will help your image in public. And marrying a commoner will show the public your determination to change the class divide in Country A.’
She explained concisely and succinctly, without a single piece of nonsense.
Now Rafael understood. This person wanted to help him win the election with marriage.
He set down his coffee cup, took the document, and flipped through the two pages. His gaze gradually grew cold. “Is this what Paige wants you to do?”
“I have been instructed by Sister Paige to support your re-election,” Carrie said with a pretence of calm.
“Pop.”
Rafael slammed the document on the table, stood up from the sofa, and looked at her coldly. “The future of a country does not need to be obtained at the expense of a girl’s marriage.”
After saying that, he buttoned his shirt in front and turned to leave.
“The president has sacrificed girls before, hasn’t he?” Carrie said coldly as she sat there.
“…” Rafael turned his head back sharply, his eyes flashing with coldness.
The old butler standing by was shocked, but Carrie looked at Rafael calmly and composedly, “The President still remembers how much suffering Sister Paige endured at Gangnam Hall, right? As far as I know, it seems that Mr. Gustin still doesn’t know how many pills you actually fed to Sister Paige.”
She had heard some of that story from Angie and some from Paige.
It seemed that Enrico had thought that Paige had only been given one pill, and that even the gunshot wound was only a scratch, a superficial injury. So Enrico had only bothered Rafael for a while, and then, after Enrico had had a stroke and three years had passed, that incident from the past had been forgotten.
Upon hearing this, Rafael laughed instead of getting angry. “Are you threatening me?”
“President, you, the Gustin Group, Temple in Heaven, and Wind Island are all accomplices. We all hope that you can win the election. In that case, what reason do you have to refuse my proposal?”
Carrie also stood up from her chair and looked at him with an unyielding expression.
“Bang bang.” There was a sudden noise.
Carrie turned her head, and the walls of the dining room were made of glass, completely transparent. She looked over and saw Nick in his regular clothes, wearing a serious expression and looking at her with displeasure. He gave her a beckoning hand, asking her to come out.
“President, please excuse me. It’s not even ten minutes yet, so please don’t go yet,” Carrie said as she walked out the door and all the way outside.
Nick pulled her over, his face ugly, and said, “I saw the backup files on your computer. Are you crazy to come up with such an idea?”
“Is there a problem?” Carrie had already made up her mind and would not change it.
“There are problems. Sister Paige will not let you do this. Come with me!” Nick grabbed her arm and was about to go.
“Haven’t we lost enough people in River Town?” Carrie said.
This remark hit Nick right where it hurt, and he froze in his tracks. Carrie looked at him and said, “Nick, we have to defend Temple in Heaven, we have to win the election, and we have to rebuild the slums. If a marriage can bring so many benefits, why isn’t it worth it, and why does it have to be so dramatic that it costs lives?”
“This is your marriage!” Nick glared at her.
“This is just a fake marriage. After a few years, when Rafael steps down, I can leave, or even earlier, once he wins the election, the partnership can be terminated.”
Carrie thought it through clearly and spoke logically, “Nick, I don’t want to see any more casualties. I just want to help Sister Paige rebuild the slums smoothly and fulfill Angie’s last wish.”
Angie was Nick’s fatal wound. As soon as she mentioned her, he completely fell silent and just grabbed her arm.
In the dining room, Rafael’s face was dark with anger. He sat back down on the sofa and said, “This Paige is a difficult person to deal with, and the people she has brought under her command are also difficult to deal with.”
This is not a marriage proposal, it is clearly a quest for revenge.
“…”
The old butler stood by and did not dare to speak.
“Go check out this Carrie’s information,” Rafael said with a loose tie and a bad mood.
“I probably know some of her information. She is a typical commoner. She went to the most ordinary school since childhood, and then she was admitted to The Capital University on her own merits. She was spotted by Miss Paige and admitted to the Peak Club, and since then she has had the opportunity to make a name for herself.”
The old butler told the story in a flowing manner, ‘She also won an international competition at the time and was received by you. With her qualifications, she could have pursued an academic career, but instead she entered the entertainment industry.’
“…”
“The entertainment industry is a place where capital gathers, and she has been approached, but she has not aligned herself with any capital for the past three years, so since her debut, she has only had supporting roles.
The old butler continued, “But it’s strange to say, although she only plays supporting roles, because her acting is so good and there are no scandals, she has a very good rapport with the audience and her popularity even exceeds some of the so-called first-tier actors. Plus, not long ago, her saving someone’s life in River Town was made public, and now she is in the minds of the public as an image of a civilian goddess, and people will follow her no matter what she says.”
“…”
“Now that public opinion is in such a state, whoever speaks for you will have their dirty laundry exposed, causing panic among the people. Only she has not had any dirty laundry exposed, and she is exceptionally clean.”
As Rafael listened, he felt that something was wrong. He looked up at his old and calculating butler and said, “What do you want to say next?”
The old butler looked apologetic. “I think this is a good proposal. At this critical moment, announcing that you have married a commoner will definitely do you more good than harm. Moreover, Miss Carrie has a particularly positive image. Raising her to a certain height will give her words more weight.”
“Do you know why I didn’t get married after several relationships?” Rafael looked at him coldly.
“The president is dedicated to the national ideal and doesn’t want to be tied down,” the old butler said immediately.
“Then do you know that once a woman is married, she can become very clingy and won’t let go, no matter what? What am I going to do then? Where can I go to take back the medicine of regret?” Rafael leaned back against the sofa.
The old butler stood there and thought for a moment, “I saw the look on Miss Carrie’s face when she was talking about the suffering of Miss Paige. She didn’t want to eat you. She shouldn’t cling to you, she just wants to cooperate.”
“Shut up,” Rafael said darkly. How could he not like hearing that?
“…” The butler was silent.