Chapter 7
The atmosphere felt unbearably heavy.
Kieran let out a mocking laugh, then took slow, deliberate steps toward Graysen, his voice cold as he said, “Do I need your approval? This is a decision from higher–ups. It’s an announcement, not a request for your opinions. If you’re unhappy… well, tough luck.”
“If getting injured meant earning merit, our entire team would already be decorated with
first–class awards,” he added.
Kieran’s voice was like a hammer, each word ringing out clearly, and Graysen’s face slowly drained
of color. Caroline could even see a slight tremor in his posture.
She could feel Graysen’s gaze lingering on her, and she knew he was asking for her help to diffuse
the situation.
But this time, Caroline wasn’t about to speak up.
Kieran’s words kept coming, his tone sharp. “Graysen, aren’t you supposed to be Caroline’s fiancé? Why are you stepping in to defend someone else’s merit?”
The room fell into a deadly silence, and Graysen’s face turned bright red with humiliation.
After a long pause, he cleared his throat, trying to maintain some dignity. “Let’s keep personal
matters out of work. Our team…”
“This matter is settled. I don’t want to hear any more complaints.” He was cut off by Kieran’s angry
shout.
After the meeting was dismissed, Graysen hung his head low, ignoring the confused and judgmental looks from the others. He rushed to stop Caroline as she tried to leave.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I just felt that Marlene, being a young girl, had it rough, so I wanted to speak up for her.”
He glanced at Caroline, hesitating for a moment before he muttered in a barely audible voice, “Kieran embarrassed me in front of everyone. Why didn’t you help me out? I feel like you’ve been
colder to me lately.”
Caroline couldn’t help but feel a mixture of disbelief and anger.
The anger that had been simmering inside her for so long flared up, her eyes sharp and filled with
cold understanding as she stared at the man before her. He was so familiar, yet so distant.
“I don’t understand. Why did you help her, but not me?”
Graysen froze, his lips pressing into a thin line.
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But Caroline wasn’t done. “Was it her who defused the bomb that day?”
Graysen shook his head.
“Who did then?”
“It was you…” Graysen finally whispered, his voice so faint it could barely be heard.
“Then why are you helping her steal the credit?” She emphasized the last three words, her gaze piercing him like a dagger. Graysen visibly flinched.
If he were advocating for the whole team, she might have understood. But she couldn’t accept Graysen betraying his teammates, especially when he’d silently skipped over them to claim merit for Marlene.
Marlene didn’t deserve that.
With a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, Caroline looked at him and said, break up.”
“Graysen,
let’s
Graysen froze, his face a mask of shock and disbelief. It took him a long moment to process her words,
Then, furrowing his brow, he asked, “Caroline, we’re getting married next week. What are you talking about?”
He paused, as if gathering his thoughts, and then spoke more gently. “I know you’re angry about what happened earlier. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Please, can we talk about it?”
Caroline sighed, unsure of what to say.
She knew she couldn’t get through to someone who was deliberately turning a blind eye. No matter how much he played the fool, it didn’t matter. She was leaving him.
“Just let him do what he likes.” With that thought, Caroline nodded stiffly, her face set in a blank
expression.
Graysen, relieved that she wasn’t visibly upset, squeezed her hand tightly and casually added, “My mom’s coming over today. Let’s go to my place for dinner.”
Caroline paused mid–step, a feeling of quiet resistance stirring in her chest.
Even though she and Graysen were about to get married, his mother, Eleanor, had never liked her.
Eleanor had always been polite in public, but behind closed doors, she’d often made passive–aggressive comments, implying that Caroline was a jinx. She had constantly tried to drive a wedge between them.
Over the years, Caroline had tried every way she could think of to mend the relationship, but
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nothing worked.
Eventually, she gave up. She wasn’t money. She couldn’t buy love or acceptance.
A bitter smile tugged at Caroline’s lips as she thought, “Well, looks like Eleanor’s wish is finally coming true.”
After work, Graysen drove Caroline home at a brisk pace.
But when the door opened, it was Marlene who greeted them.
“Welcome back! Eleanor has made so much food tonight,” she said with a beaming smile,
Caroline’s confused gaze shifted to Graysen, who awkwardly scratched his head and muttered, “Marlene’s been helping out with my mom today. She’s staying for dinner.”
Caroline didn’t respond, silently changing her shoes and walking into the house.
Graysen, seeing that she wasn’t angry, seemed to relax and headed into the kitchen to help.
Soon, the four of them sat down at the table. Eleanor was as cool and aloof as ever, but whenever
she spoke to Marlene, her coldness melted away into warmth, her voice bright and welcoming as she urged her to eat more.
Eleanor didn’t stop there. She constantly piled food on Marlene’s plate, even subtly gesturing to Graysen to take care of her.
But when her gaze landed on Caroline, the smile immediately faded, and Eleanor said curtly, “A
woman’s primary responsibility after rriage is to take care of her family. If you can’t even take
care of my son, then there’s no point in getting married.”
Chapter 7
