Cornered 2
Garrett knew he was pathetic. But what could he do? Just meeting Elice made him feel messed up; he didn’t want to add to the chaos.
The idea of approaching Elice and marrying her Garrett put out of his mind. He didn’t want to use Elice for his own interests. Though in reality Garrett wasn’t sure. Did he really just want to use her, or was this just like a spark of gasoline on a flame?
Indeed, Garrett couldn’t forget Elice from that night. And the fact that he had to get married soon made Elice’s image even stronger in his mind.
There are several reasons why I shouldn’t consider marrying Elice, apart from those two things. Elice is Ariel’s ex-girlfriend and she has no feelings for me.
Garrett closed the subject by lying down on his bed. He still had six months. And in six months, he knew. Anything could happen. Either he would find another woman or the opposite.
That morning, Garrett, who had just come down from the second floor where his room was, was surprised by Amber’s arrival. Followed by Daphne and Norah. The expressions on the faces of the three women were equally panicked.
“What’s going on?”
Amber immediately pulled Garrett to her and handed him the tablet in her hand. It showed a photo. Blurred indeed. But Amber was one hundred percent sure it was Garrett. Especially with the unit number on it.
“It looks like we’re going to have to have a second conference soon, sir.”
Garrett’s face turned pale. Unable to contain his shock, he immediately asked, “I’ve been known as the new owner of Pacific Energy for less than twenty-four hours, and now my life is being investigated like this?”
Amber swallowed. She seemed to feel guilty. However, she was aware that the photo was to some extent her fault. If she hadn’t given Elice’s address to Garrett, none of this would have happened.
“So that’s Elice?”
Garrett turned to find Daphne approaching. Norah was at his side, staring at him with an unreadable expression.
“The woman you mentioned as your friend?” Daphne asked again. “Is that her?”
A sudden tightness in Garrett’s throat. He struggled to swallow. The air seemed reluctant to enter his lungs.
“Is she the woman, Garrett?”
Garrett was truly cornered. There were two pairs of eyes, curious and inquisitive, boxing him in. And he was sure that any answer he gave wouldn’t be helpful at this moment.
Daphne took a deep breath. Her wise eyes behind the lenses understood. She nodded once.
“Because she just started working at Metro Magazine, so she doesn’t want to marry you?”
Garrett froze. He realized how effortlessly his grandmother, who now knew about Elice’s job, had connected the dots.
Daphne chuckled briefly. “She should know. Marrying you could make her the owner of this magazine in no time.”
With that, Daphne turned her body. Her hand waved to a household assistant and gave instructions.Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.
“Prepare the car. Tell Carolus to be here in half an hour.”
The household assistant. “Certainly.”
When Garrett heard his grandmother mention the name of his personal assistant, his body instantly froze. He ignored Norah and Amber. He hurriedly chased after Daphne.
“Nana.”
Daphne continued to walk with her health companion toward a special elevator. It was reserved for her since her medical condition didn’t allow her to use the stairs.
“Calm down, Garrett. Let me talk to Elice. It’s between women. I know a little bit about what she’s thinking.”
“Not like that, Nana. But…”
Daphne paid no attention to him. She stuck to her decision. And Garrett knew there was nothing he could do about it at that moment.
Resigned? Not exactly. Garrett didn’t want to quit. But it was clearly too late. Not only in the eyes of his family, but also in the eyes of the public. Because, of course, the photo quickly went viral, along with several paragraphs of the accompanying article.
So, it wasn’t surprising that Elice noticed that something was wrong in her office when she arrived that morning. The atmosphere seemed tense. All eyes were on her. And eventually she found out why.
When Elice was called into the manager’s office and found an older woman waiting for her, she steeled herself. Prepared for all the bad things that could happen. Especially if it was a clear photo that Daphne presented to her.
No stickers to cover, no blur to hide. The photo vividly showed a portrait of Elice and Garrett embracing. And anyone who saw it could guess. A hug that deep, with both sets of hands tightly clasped, would undoubtedly be interpreted as more than just an ordinary hug.
“Are you Elice? Garrett’s girlfriend?”
*