Chapter 6: Engaged to the Wrong Man

I tore up the project files and threw them under the bed. “Go to hell.” I watched the papers flutter and land in a sad little pile.

Dylan was watching anime at the computer. He immediately paused, picked up the crumpled papers, and read them quickly.

“True, the property rights here aren’t clear. It’s cheap, but who knows what disputes might come up later.”

I pinched my nose and exhaled. “Yeah, such an obvious flaw and my staff didn’t see it. Even dared bring it to me—just to annoy me.” I shook my head, frustrated.

Dylan thought for a few seconds. “But it’s not impossible. Ma’am, look…”

He pointed at the file and explained. I listened, watching his profile thoughtfully, surprised by his insight.

Since that day, Dylan seemed to have taken a chill pill—he no longer hid his edge in front of me. That aura and sharp insight weren’t from an ordinary family. And he understood business, too. If he hadn’t learned systematically from a young age, he was a genius. It made me wonder.

Dylan was interrupted by a phone call. He picked up, frowned slightly, didn’t avoid me, and answered directly.

“Yeah?”

A man’s voice said something—I didn’t hear clearly, but it sounded like a drunk guest causing trouble. Dylan listened, sneered coldly, “If they’re causing trouble, throw them out. You, as the manager, can’t even handle this?”

He hung up, picked up the file, then smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, ma’am, where was I?”

I reached out and pinched his earlobe, watching it flush, then suddenly asked, “Dylan, who are you?” My heart thumped, waiting for his answer.

The boy stared at me for a few seconds, then lowered his eyes, long lashes casting a shadow across his cheeks. “I’m your puppy.” His voice was soft, almost flirtatious.

“Then when you’re not my puppy, who are you?”

Dylan tossed the file aside, hugged my waist, and pulled me onto the bed, rubbing his chin on my shoulder. I felt the warmth of his skin, the weight of his arms.

“Do you really want to know, ma’am?”

His breath was hot against my ear. I shrank my neck. “Yeah, I do.”

I’d secretly investigated him before, but found nothing. There was only one possibility: his power was greater than mine—maybe much greater. A rich heir pretending to be a down-and-out fighter, just to be kept by me. Interesting. Even Savannah was probably a plant by him.

“Ma’am, be my girlfriend. If you do, I’ll tell you right away.”

I blinked. Getting bolder, huh? In the blink of an eye, a few pieces of clothing were on the floor. I closed my eyes, speaking intermittently, “Then… then don’t tell me. I like pets, especially… especially puppies.”

The boy said nothing more, focusing on the moment. Soon, I couldn’t think of anything else. My mind went blissfully blank.

---

Lately, I’ve often sighed about how everything’s going so well. Love is smooth, business is booming, life is great. But usually, this ‘smoothness’ is just fate blinding you before a big blow. I know how these things go.

Sure enough, today I learned I was ‘getting engaged.’

“Dad, are you kidding me?” I asked, expressionless.

Dad sat across from me, over sixty but still energetic, barely a gray hair. But as soon as he spoke, his stubbornness as an old man showed on his face.

“Of course not. You’re already twenty-seven, not dating or marrying. As your father, I have to help.”

“But why Harrison Whitmore?”

“The Whitmore kid came to me, offered a lot of favorable terms for our company. He clearly likes you. If you’re with him, I’ll be at ease.”

Ha. People like us are taught from childhood to put ‘family’ first. Everything we do, every step, even marriage, is for the family’s interests. Even after I took over the company and expanded it, I still couldn’t escape. It was always about the family.

I nodded, said nothing more, took an invitation, and left the old house. Whatever. I’d handle it my way.

...

Back in the car, I dialed a number. After one ring, it was picked up. A man’s voice sounded happy: “Ava? I thought you’d take longer to call me.”

“Harrison, getting parents involved is a trick I stopped playing in elementary school. You’re something.”

Harrison had chased me for a long time, but I wasn’t interested, rejected him countless times before he gave up. I hadn’t expected, after a quiet period, he’d go through my dad. Some people never quit.

Harrison sighed. “I had no choice. I really don’t want to see you with that snot-nosed brat. He has nothing, only mooches off you, can’t help you at all. But if you’re with me, your career will go higher. Why not, Ava?”

I sneered, “So noble, Mr. Whitmore. Fine, since you say so, I’ll go along. See you at the engagement.”