Chapter 20 The price of patience
The next day.....
Dandelion.
"What?!"
The word exploded out of me before I could stop it.
My phone nearly slipped from my shaking hands as I stared at the headline blazing across the screen.
MALCOLM WILLIAMS NAMED NEW CEO OF WILLIAMS CORP
Below it was a photo: Malcolm in an expensive suit, standing in front of the Williams Corp building, that smug smile plastered across his face like he'd earned it.
Like he deserved it.
My mother's company.
My birthright.
Handed to him like a participation trophy.
My vision blurred. I scrolled frantically, reading the article through tears I refused to let fall.
"In a unanimous board decision, Malcolm Williams has been appointed CEO of Williams Corp, succeeding his late stepmother Genevieve Williams. The board cited his dedication and vision as key factors in their decision..."
Dedication and vision?.
Lies. All of it are lies.
He had done nothing. He was a spoiled, lazy man-child who had spent his entire life coasting on other people's work and playing around.
And now he had everything that should've been mine.
Because they destroyed me first.
The scandal, the photos, the public humiliation.
It wasn't random neither was it bad luck.
It was....planned.
They'd orchestrated my downfall so Malcolm could rise.
And I'd been too broken to see it.
I thought father would eventually change his mind when he said I was being disinherited.
"Those bastards," I whispered, my voice shaking with rage. "Those absolute bastards."
My hands clenched around the phone so hard I heard the case crack.
I wanted to scream, To call Margaret and tell her exactly what I thought of her and her pathetic excuse for a son.
But I couldn't.
Because I had no power, no proof.
Just rage and helplessness and a burning, consuming need for revenge.
You will pay for this, I thought, staring at Malcolm's smug face. All of you. I don't care how long it takes. But I will make you pay.
.........
At breakfast.
I sat across from Alexander, No, my.... husband, I reminded myself bitterly, and picked at my food without tasting it, lost in thoughts.
He hadn't said a word since sitting down. Just eating silently, his expression unreadable.
But I could feel him watching me, assessing me, and it made my skin crawl.
"Did your brother's promotion upset you?"
His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
I looked up sharply, meeting his gaze.
He was smirking..
Actually smirking, like my family stealing everything from me was amusing.
"What do you think?" I bit out.
"I think," he said slowly, setting down his knife, "that you're angry, even furious, Which is good."
"Good?"
"Anger is useful. It focuses the mind." He leaned back in his chair, studying me like I was a puzzle he was solving. "But if you let it consume you, it becomes a liability."
I wanted to throw my coffee at him.
"They stole my mother's company," I said, my voice shaking despite my best efforts. "They ruined my career, froze my accounts, and handed everything that should've been mine to that useless—"
"I know."
"Then what's with that look?" I snapped.
"Because you finally look like you're ready to fight back." His eyes glinted. "That's what I've been waiting for."
I stared at him, my chest heaving.
"You promised," I said quietly. "You said if I married you, you'd help me get revenge. Help me get back my mother's company."
"I did say that." He picked up his wine, taking a slow sip. "And I'm a man of my word."
Relief flooded through me....
"But," he continued, and my stomach dropped, "it won't be easy, taking down a person who is already made CEO."
"What does that mean?"
"It means," he said, setting down his cup, "that if we're going to take down Malcolm, we need his weakness as evidence of his incompetence. Proof of embezzlement, if he's stupid enough. That the only strong leverage."
"I can't wait till then to get back what's mine"
"You'll have to be patient." His expression was maddeningly calm. "You're smart, so you should know that you can't just protest against him with your recent issue"
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it.
He was right.
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.
If I just waltzed back in and demanded my position, they'd laugh in my face.
So I needed to be strategic, solid evidence against him, Gosh evidence again, I'm starting to hate that word.
"But first," Alexander continued, his tone turning serious, "you need to lay low. Focus on your new role as my wife. Let the scandal fade allow people to forget."
"And my career?" My voice came out smaller than I intended. "What about my comeback?"
"That comes later." His gaze was steady. Unyielding. "If you rush back into the spotlight now, every tabloid will drag up the scandal again. You'll undo everything we've accomplished. Be patient, Dandelion. Slow and steady wins the race."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him I couldn't afford to wait, that every day Malcolm sat in that CEO chair was another day my mother's legacy was tarnished.
But I couldn't.
Because deep down, I knew he was right.
"Fine," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'll wait."
"Good." He stood, straightening his jacket. "We leave for the Graham Estate on Friday."
I blinked. "What?"
"My grandmother's birthday. Remember?" His smirk returned. "She's moved it up. We'll be attending. You'll meet the family. Play the dutiful wife. Convince Noona we're the perfect couple and in love."
He scoffed at the mention of the word 'Love', like he had never ever imagined himself being in love.
My stomach twisted. "This Friday? As in... three days from now?"
"Yes."
"But I...I'm not ready—"
"You don't have a choice." His voice was cold and final. "This is what you signed up for. So get ready, and besides you're an actress."
Then he left without waiting for a response.
I sat there, staring at my untouched breakfast, my mind racing.
Three days.
Three days to prepare to meet his grandmother. To pretend to be in love with a man who looked at me like I was an inconvenience.
Three days to become someone I wasn't.
I can do this, I told myself. Like he said, I'm an actress. I've played harder roles than this.
But even as I thought it, doubt crept in.
Because this wasn't a movie.
This was my life.
And the man I had to convince to love me?
He couldn't even stand to be in the same room with me for more than five minutes.