*****"Why hasn't he arrived yet?" Grace abruptly mumbled nervously, standing beside her sleek black car.Today, she was dressed in a formal attire of lemon-green palazzo and matching blazer, looking so stunning, like the goddess of the business world she was known for.She glanced around once more, for what felt like the hundredth time, and when she still couldn't spot the person she was waiting for; she began to fidget anxiously."Could it be he has forgotten?" she suddenly wondered after which she swallowed hard. "Or... could—could it be he wants to go back on his word?"A whirlwind of thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, and each one only increased her tension.Beside her, Dorothy, also elegantly dressed in formal attire, silently observed Grace, momentarily questioning whether this was still the same composed boss she knew—someone who would never lose her cool or panic, regardless of the circumstances. Finally, she sighed inwardly, understanding the reason beh
*****Inside a luxurious, spacious CEO’s office, a majestic elderly man with a head full of grey hair was currently seated on a sofa, his face heavily etched with a frown.Accompanying him was a young man of 22 to 23 years old, excluding an aura of arrogance and superiority, seated in an ergonomic chair behind the executive desk in the office, and a lady of about 25-year-old with an overtly pampered demeanor, seated beside the old man, both of them dolled up in expensive and limited-edition designer wear.The tension in the office was so thick at this moment that if an unrelated person were to enter, they would feel overwhelmed to the core.“Grandfather, are you truly certain that b!tch will surrender this company today?” Mason, unable to mask his anxiety any longer, suddenly broke the deafening silence in the room, focusing his attention on the old man.The old man, upon hearing his only grandson’s question and seeing his hopeful gaze, his lips curved into a faint smile.“Don’t
*****“You’re definitely going to love this news!” Honey began, casting an excited glance at Grace after dismissively addressing Xavier, but then a small frown appeared on her face after which she returned her gaze to Xavier.“Is it that you’re deaf or what? Did you not hear me ordering you to get your worthless self out of this room?” she growled harshly, causing both Grace and the previously unbothered Xavier’s eyes to harden immediately.In the following moment, Honey, who was staring at Xavier as though he were not a human being suddenly felt a cold sweat break out on her skin.She was so unnerved by the coldness in Xavier’s eyes that she almost broke down.“You…” She swallowed hard subconsciously in fear, but in the next second, her eyes turned aggressive. “How dare a lowlife entity such as yourself look at me in such a way?!” She barked in fury before looking at her grandfather, acting as though she had been bullied.“Did you see that, Grandfather? It must have been her wh
*****The inside of the office is so quiet at this moment that if an ant were to crawl by, its sound would be clear for all to hear, and in this suffocating silence, every pair of eyes was currently gaping at Xavier.This lasted for what felt like an eternity before suddenly;“You—you did not just address my grandfather like that, did you??” Honey exclaimed, asking the question on everyone’s mind and jolting them awake.‘This…’ Even Grace was stunned at this moment. In fact, she was the most flabbergasted, never expecting Xavier to utter the bold words he just did.She instantly shot him a chastising look, wondering why he had spoken and just at that moment, a mocking laughter exploded through the room.“I’ve always told you, Father, that we should have expelled this arrogant brat after her father decided to sever all ties with the family. I warned you that her ambition is to take over the entire family and become its leader. Did I lie now?”“She even dared to bring an outsider
*****Despite Grace’s and Dorothy’s attempts to unravel what her family was hatching, their brainstorming yielded zero to no clues.Eventually, Grace exhaled deeply, letting her expression revert to its usual calmness after which she glanced at Xavier.“Let’s go,” she said before turning towards the door, about to leave when;“Bo—” Dorothy raised her hand and started to speak, but Grace, understanding her concern forced a small smile.“I have everything under control,” she assured her, though her tone suggested that she was merely trying to convince herself more than anyone else, but since Dorothy knew there was little to nothing she could do, she forced a helpless sigh before abruptly narrowing her eyes at Xavier.“If you mess this up for my boss again… hmph!” she growled before storming out, leaving Xavier bewildered.‘What a two-faced girl,’ he thought speechlessly before glancing at Grace when he felt her gaze on himself.“Please, don’t mind her,” She said softly, and Xavi
*****“This…” Lucius, his entourage, and Xavier were left utterly stunned by Honey’s sudden words, while Mason, noticing Lucius’s bewildered expression quickly jumped in."Young Master Lucius, how do you know my cousin has always dreamed of getting an alpha male—someone who would take full control of her life?" he asked, his voice trembling with excitement."She hasn’t married all these years despite the large number of suitors because every man she’s met has been trying to treat her like a queen, something she dislikes with passion,” he added upon seeing Lucius’s furrowed brows.Mason acted as though he were the one receiving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.Well, in his mind, he was the one receiving it, knowing fully well that with Grace out of the way, not only would he gain full control of the Sky family and its assets—but he’d also be in complete authority over the multi-million-dollar project Lucius was going to buy Grace with.Thinking this, a shiver of excitement ran d
*****For a moment, everyone stared at Grace in a stupor, but then the Sky family, who had already anticipated her refusal exchanged a knowing smile.‘I would have thought you had been possessed or switched body if you had agreed straight away,’ they mused silently, smirking to themselves.Lucius, however, was frowning right now, his eyes locked expressionlessly at Grace.“You said the deal will not go through?” he asked, his tone seemingly to turn slightly dark, but as though she hadn’t heard him, Grace remained quiet and expressionless.“You heard the young friend’s question, don’t you?” The old man of the Sky Family, frowning with dissatisfaction inquired, and only then did Grace internally heave a sigh before finally focusing her icy stare on Lucius.“Because I’m already married,” she announced firmly, making sure everyone heard her clearly, and in the following second, it was as though she had thrown a bomb.No one other than Xavier had expected this response from her—Not
*****“This—how… how is this possible?” Everyone mumbled dazedly after staring in a trance for what felt like forever.They continued gaping blankly at the red certificate in Xavier’s hand, hoping it wasn’t real, but the official stamp of the city’s marriage office boldly on it, only made it undeniable, as it was one of the most impossible to forge in Riverton City.“You—you…” the Patriarch of the Sky family, Grace’s grandfather, who had maintained his calm thus far, even when Xavier interrupted and held Grace’s hand stuttered, pointing a shaky finger at Grace.Of all the things he had planned and prepared against, Grace getting married out of the blue was not one of them.His face turned red from fury and his breathing grew labored as though he would explode at any given moment.“Father…” Nico, seeing the old man’s present state spoke with concern, but then a thought abruptly crossed his mind, making a smile instantly cross his face.“The situation is not that dire though,” he