Reborn, I Refused the Man I Once Forced to Marry Chapter 05

I explained that I’d merely been passing through and hadn’t done anything to Adrian.

But nobody believed me.

Chloe looked ready to tear me apart with her bare hands.

“My brother was crying! When has he ever shed a tear? What the hell did you do to him?!”

Adrian clearly didn’t even recog

I was getting a headache. Once again, I was experiencing what it felt like to be falsely accused.

“Chloe, Miss Hayes didn’t do anything to me.”

Adrian stepped out from the side and nodded politely to Margaret.

“Mrs. Ansford, since this is your birthday gala, we’re here on behalf of the Governor’s Office to ensure your safety.”

“The garden was wide open, so I was conducting a security sweep with my men near the pavilion. Miss Hayes mistook us for assassins sent by someone else, and there was a little misunderstanding.”

He hadn’t mentioned Alexander.

Was he covering for me?

I stared at Adrian in surprise.

Yet his expression remained as cold as ever.

“Evelyn.”

Margaret’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I hurried forward.

“I’m sorry for disrupting your birthday celebration.”

She smiled gently. “It’s not your fault.”

Then she pointed toward Adrian.

“What do you think of Adrian?”

I froze.

“Mr. Bennett seems like a very good man.”

Margaret nodded approvingly.

“He’s in need of a wife. Would you consider marrying him?”

I instinctively glanced at Adrian.

His expression remained indifferent, but there was no sign of rejection or disgust.

I quickly looked away and lowered my head respectfully.

“Thank you for your kindness, but I’m afraid I’m not worthy of Mr. Bennett.”

…

I politely declined for quite some time before finally managing to talk Margaret out of playing matchmaker between Adrian and me.

The Hayes family had some standing in the business world, but we were nowhere near as influential as the Bennett family, which Margaret favored so highly.

Why had she suddenly decided to arrange a marriage between us?

I walked along, lost in thought.

Then someone suddenly grabbed my wrist.

I turned around instinctively.

It was Adrian. He’d already left, so why had he come back?

He stared at me, his expression serious.

I’d assumed he’d come to blame me for disrupting his assignment.

But what he asked was completely unexpected.

“Why don’t you want to marry me?”

Today was getting stranger by the minute.

Adrian was reserved and particular about manners. Grabbing an unfamiliar woman in public and asking her something like that was completely out of character.

I looked at him and spoke softly.

“Adrian, we’ve never even met before. Marriage is something that deserves careful consideration.”

His lips pressed together. Slowly, he loosened his grip on my wrist.

“…I’m sorry.”

He seemed to want to explain something, but in the end, he simply turned and walked away.

I stayed where I was, watching him disappear into the distance.

Adrian had been born into one of the most notorious Mafia families in the country. He’d received the strictest education from childhood and had grown into a man of impeccable manners and elegance.

He’d started participating in family affairs at thirteen and entered the family’s operations division at seventeen to gain experience.

Now, he was the Bennett family’s Underboss and one of the most influential figures in the family alliance.

In my previous life, if I hadn’t deliberately schemed to trap him, he would’ve married an aristocratic woman whose family connections benefited the Bennetts. They would’ve had children, and eventually, he’d have inherited his father’s position and lived out a smooth, comfortable life.

This time, I’d make sure everything returned to the way it was supposed to be.

Let all those love, hatred, and grievances become nothing more than the past.