Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
"Mr. Ross?"
Olsen laughed. "There's no need to keep up with the pretense, my dear. Or are you too shy to call Garion by his name when I'm around?"
"Probably the latter." The billionaire was the one who answered for her, and the smoothness of his tone threw her for a loop.
Olsen motioned for Daisy Rae to come forward. "We've the final copies of the contract ready for your signature."
Daisy Rae's confusion grew as the older man handed her a folder. What about Theo? Why were they still pushing through when his son hated her? Or maybe she was reading this wrong, and the billionaire was simply waiting for her to tell Mr. Calder the truth?
Olsen beamed at Daisy Rae. "Would you like to sign them now?"
Daisy Rae squared her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Ms. Calder, but—-"
Garion, seeing the look on her face, knew it was time to speak. "May I have a word with her in private, Uncle Olsen?"
The older man was startled at the request, but after looking at Garion and Daisy Rae, he nodded simply and told them to take their time before leaving his office.
Garion only waited until the door closed shut before speaking. "About this morning..."
Daisy Rae held her breath.
"It was all a test—-"
A test?
She shook her head in bewilderment. "I don't understand. Theo—-"
"He was a part of it—-"
Fuck.
Garion was unable to say the rest of his words, with Daisy Rae already walking out on him.
Chapter Eight
The people working in Calder & Associates were no idiots. The moment they saw a visibly upset Daisy Rae run out of the office, followed shortly by the billionaire, everyone was able to quickly arrive at the same and absolutely correct conclusion.
Garion Ross had hurt their poor little Daisy Rae, and he was not to get away with it!
The billionaire swore under his breath when people suddenly kept blocking his path, and the truth hit him just as he saw Daisy Rae disappear into a corner. Everyone here was helping Daisy Rae escape him, and since he did find their loyalty to his future wife commendable, Garion forced himself to unbend just enough to say five words.
"I'm going to marry her."
A path cleared up in front of him in an instant, and Garion didn't waste another second as he went searching for Daisy Rae.
Since the elevators weren't in use, Garion took a chance on the stairwell and his guess proved correct when he found Daisy Rae with her arms wrapped around herself in one corner.
"I'm sorry, baby."
Daisy Rae couldn't even muster the energy to be surprised at how swiftly the billionaire was able to find her.
She watched him descend the steps, and her heart just ached while looking at him. She hadn't really allowed herself to look at the billionaire earlier, but now it was the opposite, and he was all she could suddenly see.
It had only been a couple of hours since she last saw him, but why did it seem like he was even more heartbreakingly gorgeous than she remembered? His midnight-black hair gleamed under the parking's florescent lighting, and while his tall, powerful form made her feel a lot smaller and weaker, his sleek, dark suit also made her painfully aware of how unkempt she would look next to him, with her old-fashioned hairnet and a juice-stained apron still tied around her waist.
The two of them were worlds apart, and the thought of marrying him suddenly felt crazier than ever. Even if there were no Theo to consider, shouldn't she have realized from the start that it couldn't ever work between them?
Self-contempt lashed Garion's rarely-bothered conscience as he took in the dark circles under her eyes and the stiffness of her posture. Daisy Rae had only been nervous but not uneasy when they first met. But today, she was clearly uncomfortable and wary in his presence, and he only had himself to blame for it.
He had known she was different from the start. He had known that, dammit, but because he had still made the mistake of treating Daisy Rae like she was just another gold-digger after his fortune, he had ended up hurting her without meaning to.
"I'm sorry."
The apology, uttered in a voice that was rough with regret, had Daisy Rae jerking in shock.
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
Daisy Rae swallowed hard. "Was all of this some kind of joke to you?"
"No." His voice was fierce, and his hazel eyes unwavering in its intensity. "I was serious from the start, and I still am. You are the woman I want to marry—-"
"Then what did you mean about this morning being a test?" she asked tremulously.
"My son is remarkably mature for his age. He knows what he wants from a mother," Garion said tautly, "and everything he wants is what I want for him, too. That's why we both came up with the idea of testing whoever it was I plan to marry."