Chapter 1
I'd been working nonstop for half a month to secure our share of the European market.
But before we could even celebrate, a video of Edward hooking up with some D-list actress went viral online.
Grant Corporation's stock took a hit, and I had to cut my meetings short and fly back home to clean up the mess.
As soon as I landed, that fake innocent was already waiting at my front door.
"You're just some country bumpkin from the mountains. You're not good enough for Edward. If you know what's good for you, you'll call off the engagement," she sneered.
I walked right past her and instructed the bodyguards behind me.
"Throw this woman out. And let Edward know he's on his own this time."
Vivian was fuming. "He loves me! Who do you think you are, you bitch, acting like you're Mrs. Grant?" she shouted.
I laughed, giving her a look like she was completely clueless.
"Girl, if you want to get ahead, try using your brain," I said.
Love? What a joke. She just wants to climb the social ladder.
Edward's only worth to me is as my ticket into the Grant Family, to give them their first grandson.
Who he loves? Like I care.
*****
After closing the door, I dug out a bottle of painkillers from my bag and tossed back three pills.
The cramping in my stomach eased up for now.
I opened my laptop, and the screen was a sea of red. Grant Corporation's stock had tanked in the last hour before the market closed.
The comments under the hotel video were a dumpster fire, and now they were dragging me into it, calling me the ultimate doormat of the rich and powerful.
I pulled up the PR team's emergency playbook. If we didn't get this under control, the stock would keep crashing when the market opened tomorrow.
The electronic lock beeped, and Edward walked in, carrying a huge bouquet of red roses.
He walked over, looking uneasy. "Nancy, let me explain."
He set the flowers down on the kitchen island and tried to take my hand.
"That video was just camera angles. I just happened to run into Vivian, she was drunk and couldn't stand straight, so I just steadied her, that's all," Edward said.
I sidestepped his hand, not even looking up from the screen.
"You 'happened' to run into her in a hotel elevator? Edward, do you really think everyone online is blind?" I shot back.
Edward got flustered. "Nothing happened, I swear. I walked her to her room and left right after."
I cut him off, spun the laptop around, and jabbed a finger at the stock chart.
"Your job right now is to retweet the official account and make sure your Little Miss Innocent shuts up. If she dares to post any more of her fake innocent crap online, I'll have the legal team teach her a lesson," I said.
Edward was stunned for a moment. "Nancy."
He suddenly raised his voice. "Is that all that's on your mind? Only the stock price and damage control?"
I looked up at him with tired eyes.
"What else do you expect from me? Sit here and play your little soap opera, acting like you can just cover your ears and ignore reality?" I shot back.
Edward's face turned red as he reached over and closed my laptop.
"I'm your fiancé! After something like this, you're not even a bit jealous?" he snapped.
I pushed him away, my voice weak.
"I've been working nonstop for half a month, Edward. I'm exhausted," I said.
As soon as I finished speaking, a sharp pain tore through me, and I couldn't help but curl up in agony.
"Nancy?" Edward rushed over, panic in his voice as he tried to help me. "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"
The pain was so intense I couldn't get a word out, just gasping for breath.
"My stomach..." I gasped.
"I'm taking you to the hospital," Edward said, lifting me up bridal style. The jostling only made the pain worse.
Just as he reached the car parked outside the villa, his phone started ringing.
He stopped, helped me over to the passenger side, and propped me up against the car.
"Edward, I'm so scared... There are so many reporters outside... They're pounding on the door..." Vivian sobbed.
Edward's hand holding the phone froze.
"Edward, they're coming in! Ah!" A scream came through the phone.
Edward's face went pale. He rushed me to the side of the road, flagged down a cab, and shoved me into the back seat.
He pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. "Sir, take her to the nearest hospital. Now!"
Before the door closed, he leaned in and said, "Nancy, you go on ahead. Something's happened with Vivian. I need to check on her."
The cab driver, with the hundred-dollar bill in his hand, looked back at me, clearly bewildered.
"Miss, which hospital should I take you to?" he asked.
I curled up in the back seat, barely able to speak. "The nearest one... emergency..." I managed to say.
When we got to the hospital, the driver helped me out, still looking worried. "Hey, do you want me to call a nurse for you?"
"No... thanks," I said, barely holding myself together as I shuffled toward the front desk.
Everything went fuzzy, my knees buckled, and I hit the floor hard.
When I came to, I was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV.
Simon Shaw was gently dabbing my dry, cracked lips with a cotton swab dipped in warm water.
When he saw me open my eyes, he paused for a second. "Nancy, you're awake?"
He pulled his hand back, tossed the swab into the trash, and went right back to his usual all-business self.
"Where's Edward?" I blurted out without thinking.
Simon poured some warm water, put a straw in the glass, and held it to my lips.
"Vivian was really shaken up, so she's getting a full examination. Simon's still with her," he said.