Chapter 140 The wedding planner

Chapter 140 The wedding planner
He never expected to see her again, but he did, and Declan felt that something had changed about her from the last time he met her at the mall with her husband, yet he could not put a finger on it.

“Declan,” Gracie forced a smile, her head lowered slightly. “What are you doing here?”

A chuckle escaped Declan as all attention focused on him and Gracie. “Stop the pretense. You’ve seen and heard the announcement, and you know about my family.”

Pain sat in Gracie’s eyes, but she replaced it with a fake smile. “Good for you. I have work.”

A frown creased Declan’s brows. “You are the wedding planner?”

“You have it figured out, and we have a little situation,” she pointed at Pearl, eager to avoid conversing with Declan further. After dumping him, she never set eyes on him until at the mall.

Just recently, she found out it belonged to his family. How ironic.

Then, he was dressed casually, just as he used to do when they were dating, but now, his aura was magnetic, domineering, and enigmatic. Somehow, she hated him for hiding his identity from her. If he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have broken up with him.

“What’s going on?”

Wade glared at Pearl before replying to Declan. “She spiked some of the wines for tasting.”

In that moment, Declan’s expression was reminiscent of his father, Giovanni Dawson. “And who is the target? If I may ask.”

“No one,” Pearl quickly said, but Roger slapped her, sending her to the floor. Gracie’s heart thumped, afraid of what might happen next.

The Dawsons were known to rule the mafia, but for decades, they were labeled as business prodigies. Matters like this should be reported to the police.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Dawson, even if my assistant is guilty, shouldn’t we leave the matter for the police to investigate?”

Roger glared at her, and she shivered slightly. “That depends on which Dawson you are talking about. We are all Dawsons here,” he said, referring to himself and Declan.

The atmosphere turned awkward due to the serious way Roger made light of the matter, indirectly refusing to address the issue of involving the police.

Crouching in front of Pearl, Roger asked coldly, “Who the hell are you, and what do you want with my wife?”

Pearl was shaking violently, remembering how this man almost killed her. She tried to crawl away, hoping to reach her sponsor and find freedom.

“No, it’s not like that. Trust me, it was a mistake.”

“No, it's not. You wanted me to come for the wine tasting, and if I had, I wouldn’t have known the drink was spiked,” Karen interrupted, Roger’s heart squeezed in his chest as she added, “had it not been for Wade, she could have got me.”

“Wade, let me have the drink,” Roger demanded. Wade handed the drink to him. “Here, drink it if it’s so good.” He offered it to Pearl, but she refused. “No, I’m allergic to alcohol.”

Gracie’s gaze narrowed. “You drank wine a few days ago at the governor’s birthday party,” she exposed. Pearl was at a loss. She had to find a way to escape, or she might die a second time.

“Drink it,” Roger insisted. She took the drink but instantly dropped it, causing the glass to shatter. Roger’s expression was cold, but as he looked into her eyes again, he smiled.

“It’s okay. Just leave before I change my mind.”

Everyone was stunned, including Karen. Roger never showed mercy, but he was showing it to Pearl. Wade was disappointed but couldn’t speak against Roger.

As Pearl scrambled to her feet and out of the wine tasting room, Wade finally asked, “Are you going to let her go?”

“Not a chance.” Seeing Wade’s confusion, Roger explained, “Use the mouse to catch the cat.”

He rushed outside instantly, with no one able to follow him. “What’s going to happen now?” Gracie asked, shivering from the recent events. The Dawsons could make their lives miserable for this mishap.

“Well, just find a new assistant,” Karen informed her. Gracie froze as Karen’s words began to sink in. Roger was going to kill Pearl.

“The police could have handled it,” she insisted, but Karen informed her,

“This isn’t a police matter, and no matter how Pearl tries, she can never hide who she is.”

“What are you talking about?" Delanie asked. Karen smiled. "I figured it out a little late, but Pearl is my sister, Tonia. Her fears stole her fake voice in the end."

Realization dawned on everyone that at the last moment, Pearl’s voice had changed. They thought it resulted from fear, but as it stands now, Pearl was not smart enough.

"Thank you, Wade, for seeing through it faster than us," Karen said honestly. Wade sighed with relief. "I’m glad no one thinks I’m a freak anymore. Even my wife lost trust in me," he pouted. Delanie felt slightly guilty.

"Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you with a special dish."

"Make it a Taco," Wade shrugged. Everyone laughed but couldn’t miss out on the tension between Declan and Gracie.

"I came as soon as I received the message, Lani. What would you have me do?" Declan asked. Delanie excitedly informed him. "The cake. I want you to choose the best flavor for me."

"Copy that," he shrugged and asked, "where is it?"

All gazes pinned on Gracie before she suddenly came to her senses. "I’ll show you."

She walked ahead, and Declan followed her, his steps calculated, as he avoided gazing at her back.

He used to admire everything about her. The way she walked, talked, her wit, and all, but now, all he felt was the pain from her ruthless betrayal. "These are the various samples. Vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, lemon…"

"I know them all," Declan cut her off, picking up a fork as he began to taste the samples. His cologne scent when he walked past Gracie was mesmerizing, and his elegant way of doing things made her wonder if this was the guy she once dated.

He was far from the man who used to be at her beck and call. Lost in thought, she didn’t realize when Declan finished tasting the samples. "I’ve made my decision. Let’s go back."

Walking past her, he didn’t spare her a glance, as if she didn’t matter. Gracie was disheartened by the way Declan suddenly withdrew like they were strangers. Her heart could not take it anymore.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t keep her eyes off him when he was discussing his choice of cake flavor with Delanie and Wade. Unable to take it anymore, she walked to them to have a word with him but Roger’s return ruined the moment for her.

He was not looking like someone who had been stressed, making them wonder if Pearl escaped. Karen embraced him, asking, "How did it go? Did you find her?"

As soon as the question left her mouth, she noticed the little bloodstain on his shirt, which the suit’s button could not hide.