Marrying

‘No way he’s got the guts to do that,‘ Matthew scoffed inwardly. Still, he couldn’t just come out and say that, especially not in front of this sincere- looking woman. 

His typically stoic expression seemed even more guarded than normal. After a moment of restraint, he finally mustered up a reply through gritted teeth. “Fine.” 

Over at Grant Group, Charles had never seen such a conflicted expression on Matthew’s face before. Matthew had seemed perfectly fine when he left the day prior, but his demeanor had shifted dramatically by the next morning. It was clear to Charles that Miss Warren must have done something to elicit this reaction. Charles found himself increasingly intrigued by and admiring of Valerie, now more determined than ever to find a way to get in her good graces. 

Given they were at the office, Charles didn’t dare dive into Matthew’s personal matters. Shifting to a more pressing issue, he reported, “Mr. Grant, got the news from the butler last night. Mrs. Sophia has been found.” 

Matthew’s expression softened slightly. “That’s relieving to hear.” 

“Would you like to give her a call to check in on her?” asked Charles. 

Matthew continued working steadily as he replied, “No need. Whenever I speak with Grandma, it tends to be an unpleasant exchange. Whether I can console her or not, I may only end up aggravating the situation further. Just instruct the butler to get two more bodyguards to protect her.” 

Sophia’s singular focus was pushing for marriage arrangements. If she didn’t get her way, she would throw a tantrum in private. Matthew had long grown weary of her theatrics. 

“But…” Charles hesitated. “The butler also mentioned she almost had an accident yesterday. She’s been really on edge since she got back and was tossing and turning all night. Mr. Grant, why don’t you touch base with her, see how she’s holding up?” 

At the mention of his grandmother nearly having an accident, Matthew furrowed his brows with worry. The pen in his hand stopped moving across the paper as he urgently said, “Get my phone.” 

Charles hurried to pick up the phone. 

At that moment, they heard the sound of the CEO’s private elevator opening outside the office. A kind yet authoritative voice suddenly reached them from a distance. “Well, look who’s finally checking up on me! Color me surprised.” 

Matthew’s expression shifted dramatically as he quickly got up to greet the visitor – the grumpy Sophia, supported by Nathan as she came storming 

1. in. 

“Grandma, what brings you by?” Matthew had just started to say when Sophia cut him off, dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, Mr. Grant, so you do still remember you have a grandma! Shocking, I know, considering how you haven’t bothered visiting me in over a month. I figured you’d probably forgotten all about me. If I hadn’t hauled myself down here today, I bet you wouldn’t have given me a second thought!” 

Matthew replied in a solemn voice, “Grandma, you should be clearer than anyone else as to why I don’t want to go home.” 

He hated being pressured into marriage. To be more exact, he hated anyone interfering with his personal matters. 

Sophia was taken aback, and a hint of grievance immediately flashed across her face. 

Noticing it, Nathan quickly stepped in. “Easy there, Matthew. You might want to cool it a bit today. Grandma’s been through the wringer since yesterday, so why don’t you cut her some slack and show her a little love, yeah?” Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Matthew finally recollected himself at those words. His expression turned grave as he asked with concern, “Alright, what happened yesterday?” “Well, Grandma heard you were meeting at Newtown Tower. It’d been over a month since she last saw you, so she wanted to surprise you. But she nearly ended up getting hit by a car on the way there,” Nathan explained. 

“““What?“” Matthew’s face fell, a look of concern washing over him. He immediately turned to Sophia, relieved to see she was physically okay, but the worry was still etched on his features. “So what the heck are the bodyguards doing? How are they not keeping a tighter lid on things?“” 

The Grant family had hired many bodyguards, yet they couldn’t even protect the one person who needed it the most. 

Seeing the tension rising, Sophia jumped in with her usual dramatics. She puckered her lips and whined, “The weather was just awful yesterday. Even at nine o’clock in the morning, the roads were socked in with fog. I sat at that intersection forever waiting for the light to change. But as soon as I started to cross, this huge truck came barreling towards me without even tapping the brakes. My old bones couldn’t keep up, but thank goodness some young girl swooped in and yanked me out of the way. You boys would’ve had to scrape me off the pavement if she hadn’t been there!” 

2:43 PM