*****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
*****“Take care of that so-called husband,” Lucius, who had seemed playful, smug, and arrogant a moment ago suddenly commanded indifferently, his eyes icy cold and filled with murderous intent.The bodyguard at the back, as though he had already expected the order hurriedly nodded his head respectfully.“Yes, boss,” he responded without asking any questions, and with that, Lucius entered the car the door held open by a nervous old man.After settling in, he thought for a moment before glancing at his secretary, who sat beside him, pouring his wine.“Attack her company from all sides until she comes to me for a way out,” he instructed, a sinister and cruel smile breaking out on his face.“Consider it done, boss!” the Secretary replied eagerly, her eyes brightening with viciousness, and Lucius, satisfied with her response, sneered.“Once I, Lucius Scoan, set my sights on someone, even if they are goddesses directly from heaven, they will belong to me and no one else,” he growled
***** “Father, we had the perfect chance to push her out just now—why give her another opportunity to fix things again?” Nico, who had been seething since they left the conference room finally couldn’t help but ask once they were inside the elevator. The old man glanced at him for a moment, and finally, a slight disappointment flashed in his eyes as he wondered why his son couldn’t grasp such a simple thing. He let out a small sigh and decided to explain when, Honey, who had been grinning with glee from the side, rolled her eyes at her father. “Grandfather giving her her one last chance wasn’t so she could redeem herself, it was part of the process to get the company back from her,” she reported, but Nico was not convinced. “And what if she comes up with another scheme to sabotage us just like she had always done in the past?” he asked helplessly, and at that moment, the expressions on the faces of the old man, Honey, and the still-enraged Mason darkened. Both Mason a
*****“Do you think our son has already registered his marriage with our daughter-in-law?” Laura, whose excitement hadn’t settled since Xavier had left, suddenly asked, and David, who was currently massaging her legs on his lap looked speechless and helplessly at her.“How many times would you ask this already?” he asked exasperatedly, massaging his temples, making Laura‘s face redden.“I just can’t wait to feel like a proper mother-in-law,” she mumbled under her breath with embarrassment, causing David to roll his eyes.“Well, our son has already promised to come here once he’s done, so, there is no need to worry” he advised and Laura nodded her head, however, David, seeing the look on her face that only suggested she only heard but would not listen, smile helplessly.“You…” He wanted to continue but eventually decided against it since he was sure Laura would most likely not listen and soon show her worries again.“I’ll go check if the water’s warm enough,” he said with a sigh,
*****“Do you just deliberately enjoy getting on my nerves or something?” Xavier finally asked, utterly frustrated and helpless, still unaware that his parents had already been captured.In response, Dorothy’s eyes only narrowed, her lips pressed tight as she ground her teeth in barely restrained anger, but she refused to answer his question, instead, she angrily demanded. “What do you mean by what you were saying to my boss?”Beside her, Grace, who has also somehow reverted to being cold stared emotionlessly at Xavier, also curious about what he meant, and finally, Xavier, looking at the two ladies, one with pure detachment and the other with anger, let out a resigned sigh before smiling bitterly.“How else are we supposed to convince your family that our marriage is real if we don’t live together?” he questioned, showing a look of helplessness while deeply aware in his heart that this suggestion was purely for his own case, to convince his parents of the marriage.Grace and Dor