Chapter 29 Intimidated

Her dad did not stand from his seat, so did her mom. But Bianca's mood did not change. She was like a little girl who had just come back from kindergarten after a day of activities. She ran to her dad's side and, with him in his seat, sat up straight. Without a smile on his face, Bianca hugged him from his side.

"Appa, na watteoyo,"[Dad, I'm here (in a childlike tone)] Bianca playfully greeted her dad before she kissed his cheek to her side.

Bobby Han cleared his throat. His eyes never leaving Asher's face with a stern gaze.

Asher's nervousness augmented. He didn't know what to do. He cannot blame Bianca for being excited to see her parents and forgetting him, so he was pinned to his feet. He was thankful when Bianca's mom noticed him and warmly welcomed Asher to the table.

"Young man, come and join us for breakfast," Bianca's mom stood up from her seat to guide Asher where to sit.

"Dad, Mom, this is Asher Collins," Bianca left her dad's side to stand beside Asher's. And Asher stood up when Bianca introduced him to her parents.

Asher was astounded at how fluent the lady spoke to him in his mother tongue. His face was not able to hide his surprise.

"What did you expect? Having a language barrier to speak with us here?" the man gave Asher a calculative stare. He was intentionally intimidating the young man in front of him—a very typical dad towards his daughter's suitor. Bianca did not mention having a man in her life, so they assume these two are still in their very early stage of getting to know each other.

"I am so sorry, Sir, my apologies," Asher timidly replied. He was terrified to see Bianca's dad's face looking too serious like he knew Asher slept with his daughter and the father was about to persecute him. Asher was holding his breath the whole time.

"We are businessmen who deal with different people from different countries. It is only polite and wise to be able to speak and understand what language can connect us well," Bianca's mom explained with composure, also with a faint smile.

"Dad, mom... we're hungry..." Bianca whined playfully.

"I can't be mad when my princess is angry, so, okay, let's eat first," Bobby Han waved his right hand in the air to forget things first and have their meal.

"How have you been?" Asked Bianca's mom, Yoon Shin Ji, to her daughter as they were having their meal.

"We have come to warn you," Bianca did not beat around the bush. "Sue Jin went all the way abroad to ruin me, this time. Thanks to Asher, I am safe," she added with calmness.

"We actually have sent people around to watch over your safety," Bobby became serious. "They have become too bold to attack even in the open and in broad daylight."

"What do you mean?" Asked Bianca.

"We didn't want to bother you, so we were going to tell you all about these later when you return, but since you're here now, I think you should know what you want to know," her dad answered. The severity in his tone cannot be denied. It was a matter of life and death, a matter of his family's safety being at risk.

"They have tried to sabotage a few of our transactions in aim to ruin our name and change their distributors, from our company to their newly founded business," Shin Ji casually stated. She is like a person who does not have the word anger in her vocabulary. She is calm and very approachable with her serene smile, but Asher can see a similar characteristic with Bianca and her mom. They are both introverts. They can make friends but not with them approaching others. They welcome friendship but do not initiate it.

"We also know what happened to you last Friday, but the reports were so inconclusive as the people we sent to watch over you could not get as close as to see the situation clearly. But we know that Asher Collins here took the spiked wine for you without knowing it was drugged. By the way, you both looked lovely at that party," Bobby smiled by the end of his sentence.

Asher choked on the food in his mouth when he saw Bobby smiling. The young man looked at Bianca by his side to see an equally smiling face, just like her dad. Asher was confused.

"Stop it, you two!" Shin Ji squinted her eyes at the father and daughter.

Bianca and Bobby looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Asher's mouth gaped. He was really lost in what was going on. They have been speaking English the whole time Asher's presence was invited at the table. He did not see the father and daughter talk secretly. He did not notice them being playful, but the mother seemed to reprimand them for doing something silly, and when they were told to stop, they roared in a burst of laughter.

"Asher, never mind them. They are both silly. So can you tell us why you're here with our daughter all of a sudden?" Shin Ji rescued Asher from feeling out of place. Shin Ji even glared at her husband and daughter, so they bite their lips and continued eating.

"I..." Asher looked at Bianca. But Bianca did not look back at him. She was also waiting to hear what he was going to say. She did not want to make him feel she was dictating to him what he should say by not looking at him, even though she felt his gaze was on her.

"I would like to ask for your consent to marry Bianca Han. I would like to take responsibility for what happened that Friday night," Asher stood from his seat and stood properly with his head down in respect to Bianca's parents.

Bianca has also had her head bowed down. She did not want to see how her parents were going to react. She was scared they would oppose, so she kept her silence, and with her eyes closed, her ears were wide open to clearly hear her dad's answer.

The elder couple looked at each other with a faint smile on their faces.

"What do you say about that, Bianca Han?" Asked Bobby.

"I like this man, But if you disagree, I will respect and obey your decision," Bianca softly answered.

Asher's heart took a leap hearing Bianca's words. He was willing to fight his dad had he disagreed, but Bianca was not. He felt dreadful as if extreme fear were crawling from his feet to his heart. He felt cold all of a sudden.

"Marriage is a lifetime commitment, our law prohibits divorce, but we do not want to tolerate such things with our daughter. Are you sure you are willing to live a life alongside her no matter what happens in the future, Asher Collins?" The father asked seriously. Aside from Asher, Bianca was also a bit nervous, but she kept eating slowly. She missed homemade food after all.

"I understand, sir, and yes, I would love to live a life along with Bianca till death do us part," Asher sincerely answered.

"I have made a background check on you. I hope you don't mind. I have known you are a very active player with women..."

"That was...." Asher wanted to explain, but Bobby raised his right hand to stop him.

"But according to my PI, it had changed ever since you became roommates with Bianca. And I admire you for that," Bobby continued.

Asher exhaled deeply. It was as if his fear was within his breath, held as he listened to Bobby Han speak.

"Thank you, sir!" Asher remained in his stand. He was willing to wait until the elder couple invited him to join them at the table again.

"So, when do you plan for the big day?" Bobby Han cheerfully asked.

Asher looked up to check everyone's face at the table. Bianca was now smiling wide, just like her mom.

He felt like he was on a rollercoaster ride. His fear and joy come in waves unexpectedly. He did not know how to react, so he was quiet for a while. Bianca looked at him and noticed he was still standing.

"Dad, he can sit down now, right?" Bianca asked her dad.

"Of course, how can I let my son-in-law just stand while we eat?" Bobby answered.

But before Asher sat down, he kneeled on one knee and took a tiny box out of his pocket. It was the ring his mom wanted Asher to give to his future wife.

"Bianca Han, will you marry me?" He boldly asked in front of Bianca's parents.

Bianca was overjoyed. It comforts her to know that despite Asher's fear of facing her parents, he was brave enough to ask for her hands in marriage in front of her mom and dad. This may not be too fancy for a marriage proposal, but she was happy her parents were their witnesses.