FLASH MARRIAGE; CHARMED BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE CEO

"How can capitalism be made less cruel to aspiring entrepreneurs in this country?"

The dominant sound of the professor's thick voice reverberated in the lecture room, followed by the soft clicking of laptop keys, and rustling of papers.

Low discussion among students brainstorming the question filtered through the air before someone finally spoke up.

"Professor, I think focusing on inclusive capitalism, fostering a supportive ecosystem, and mitigating potential risks are key to mitigating capitalism in this country."

A young handsome man in his mid-twenties, with an oval-shaped face, hawkish blue eyes and the cutest dimple that left most of the girls in the class daydreaming, responded to the professor's question confidently.

"Isn't Sebastian, so smart and handsome? I bet all the girls in this class are dying to get into his pants." Annabella, Sarah's seatmate and best friend, poked her in the side, to get her attention away from her laptop.

"Like seriously, " Sarah lifted her eyes from her laptop screen, irritation neatly spelled on her forehead. "I am on a deadline here if you haven't noticed, Anna."

"Look, he is staring at you again. Oh my goodness. You are so lucky." Annabella nudged Sarah with her arm while tucking her hair flirtatiously behind her ear, her twinkling eyes beaming at Sebastian.

"Yes, Miss Dawson, let's hear your opinion." The professor's voice echoed through the microphone.

"Huh!" Annabella stared at the professor blankly completely lost.

"You just raised your hand, young woman. Kindly tell the class how capitalism can be made less cruel to aspiring entrepreneurs?"

Muffled laughter could be heard across the room as everyone turned to Annabella for her response.

"Professor, let me try." Sarah stood up to quickly cover her friend's shame.

"In my humble opinion, I believe creating a system where entrepreneurs have equal opportunities, access to resources, and protection against exploitation, would go a long way to address the issues of capitalism. Also encouraging ethical and socially responsible business practices is an added advantage."

The old professor's face glimmered with pride as he nodded his head. "Absolutely brilliant Miss Hunt. You do not fail to wow me every time you stand up to answer a question."

The professional statement was followed by loud clapping and cheering as Sarah quietly took her seat, slightly uncomfortable with all the attention.

"Thanks for saving me from public embarrassment, Sarah. You are so getting an A+ in advanced economics from professor grumpy, this semester."

"Whatever!" Sarah resumed her software designing project on her laptop, oblivious to the twinkling pair of deep blue eyes staring at her from behind, and taking into account, all his future competitions in the lecture room.

At the end of the advanced economics lecture, which lasted for another thirty, minutes, the class was dismissed but some students who had projects and other assignments to work on stayed back.

One of them was Sarah, who was currently deeply engrossed in a software design for her cousin's company.

"Is the design going to take that long, Sarah? I'm starving." Annabelle complained bitterly while trying to open a pack of chips. She threw the salted crispy flake into her mouth and started munching on it noisily.

"I didn't recall asking you to wait for me, Anna. So stop whining in my ears like a baby. This project is time-bound. You can go to the cafe and order for the two of us. I'll join you when I'm done."

"Fine!" Annabelle begrudgingly stood up, hissing like a little spitting cobra. She was about to pick up her handbag when she noticed Sebastian walking towards them from the right side.

"On second thought, I think I'll just wait for you."

"Whatever!" Sarah continued what she was doing without noticing the hypnotic smile of the young man walking towards her.

Annabelle quickly put her chips away and wiped her lips to remove some of the fallen crumbs. She adjusted the top of her blouse and removed the pin holding her hair in place to allow it to fall freely on her shoulders.

"Ahem!" Annabelle cleared her throat hoping that Sarah would look up from her laptop. But when Sarah didn't respond, she leaned closer and pinched her on the side.

"Ouch! Ann!" Sarah shot her a nasty glare.

"3 o'clock..." Annabella signalled with her eyes, but Sarah was too angry to care or understand what she was pointing at.

"I hope I'm not intruding." Sebastian's chocolate voice resonated in the room, almost making Annabelle melt like butter on heat.

Sarah snapped her head sideways only to see Sebastian standing a few inches away from her. He was holding a laptop bag on his right shoulder and some book on his left hand.

"It depends. I'm doing something time-bound." Sarah tried to mask the irritation in her voice.

"Can I help?" Sebastian offered politely.

"I don't think..."

"Yes, please. We need your help." Annabella interjected before Sarah could decline Sebastian's offer, while stroking Sarah on the thigh pleadingly.

"This project is quite personal and I would like to do it alone. But on second thought, Annabelle did have a problem with the assignment given by Professor Rick in advanced calculus. Since I'm quite busy, I don't know if you can help her by teaching her. I'm sure she'll be more than grateful for your help, Right, Annabelle?"

Annabelle's stomach growled in protest even before she responded. "Sure. You can sit here beside me." She patted on the seat next to her.

"It will be my pleasure."

Sebastian beamed at the opportunity to sit close to Sarah. He had been trying to get close to her ever since she returned from overseas to study business administration at the city university. But for some unknown reason, she didn't seem interested in guys, which felt a bit odd.

While Sebastian was in the middle of explaining a particular calculation to Annabelle while stealing furtive glances at Sarah, a tall intimidatingly handsome dude with a charismatic and authoritative demeanor appeared from nowhere in front of them.

"Hello, Sarah..."

Sarah looked up from her laptop screen, slightly frozen as she instantly recognized the voice behind the disguised young man.

"Henry! What are you doing here?"