He Proposed… Three Years Too Late

But the next morning, I was woken not by an alarm, but by an onslaught of messages.

[Alexa, are you getting engaged to Grayson?!]

Confused, I clicked the link my friend had sent—a trending topic on social media.

The moment I saw the headline, my brow furrowed.

[The Caldwell and Hartman Families Unite in a Grand Marriage! Childhood Sweethearts' Love Becomes Reality!]

Below it, a flood of clueless netizens gushed over our supposed romance.

[I'm dead from this cuteness!]

[So the prince-and-princess love story is real!]

[Turns out I'm just an NPC in this world…]

I was about to contact the media to have it taken down when Grayson's call came through.

"Did you see the trending topic? Happy now? I knew you cared about your image. Feeling better?" His voice oozed self-satisfied arrogance.

"Did you leak this?" I asked coldly.

"What's with that tone? Our engagement was already set in stone," he said, his words dripping with condescension. "Let me tell you, agreeing to this engagement is me giving you face. The Caldwell Group is about to enter the international market and become the leading enterprise in the country."

Impossible. Caldwell Group's finances had been shaky for years. I had come back precisely to take over the company!

Feigning casual curiosity, I probed, "Oh? I didn't realize Caldwell Group was doing so well. But I heard from my father that there might be some financial trouble recently?"

"Hmph." Grayson let out a short, dismissive laugh. "Let me be honest with you. I've already contacted internationally renowned investors—they're willing to collaborate with Caldwell Group."

He actually found investors for the Caldwell Group?

If he succeeded, my acquisition plan could be completely ruined.

My pulse tightened, but I masked it with flattery. "I see… so the Caldwell Group is really about to reach a new level. Is there any chance I could meet this investor?"

"Of course," Grayson replied without hesitation. "I've already made the engagement news public. Caldwell Group's stock price has stabilized, and the investors just informed me they'll attend our engagement party in three days."

His voice dropped low. "So, three days from now, you must attend the engagement party. Otherwise, I can't guarantee how it'll affect your company. That's someone you can't afford to provoke."

Hearing the threat in his tone, I pondered silently. A plan began to take shape in my mind.

After a long pause, my voice came out steady and controlled. "Grayson… I'll be there on time for the engagement party in three days."