Chapter 7

As if something had just occurred to him, Jim's eyes flickered. He lowered his voice and asked,

"Why didn't you tell me that your mom passed away?"

I found the question almost laughable.

My mother had always thought highly of Jim as her future son-in-law. She used to tell me that marrying him was the luckiest thing that could have happened to me. She had spent years looking forward to the day he would finally become a family.

Instead, she got to watch Jim marry someone else.

I answered calmly, "There was no need, Mr. Carter. Does headquarters really need to know about an ordinary employee's family matters?"

Jim suddenly felt as if the situation was slipping out of his control. The uneasiness inside him kept growing until he could no longer hold it back.

His jaw tightened, and his temper flared.

"How could there be no need? I'm her damn son-in-law!"

"Whose son-in-law are you?"

Everyone froze. Before anyone could react, the office doors swung open.

A middle-aged man walked in. The fine lines at the corners of his eyes only made his sharp gaze more intimidating. He had the kind of presence that commanded respect without him having to say a word.

It was Jim's father, Tate Carter, the man who ran the Carter Group.

Everyone finally realized who had arrived and greeted him in unison.

"Good morning, Mr. Carter!"

Tate nodded. Then, he turned to Lucia with a smile.

"Lucia, I asked you and Jim to make the rounds at the different branches and introduce yourselves. What happened? Did you two run into some trouble?"

Remembering what Jim had just said, everyone suddenly fell silent. No one dared to say a word.

Lucia's face went pale, then red. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she forced a smile.

"Rose's husband is Jim's best friend. Jim only wanted to stand up for his friend after hearing that Rose was being sent overseas."

Tate's sharp gaze fell on Jim.

Jim pressed his lips together and said nothing. He lowered his head and clenched his fists.

Tate's expression hardened.

"Someone violated company policy? I'd like to know who was bold enough to do that."

I stepped forward and spoke calmly.

"Mr. Carter, there’s been a misunderstanding. I'm not married. My ex-boyfriend and I ended things peacefully a long time ago."

Tate raised an eyebrow and looked me over before turning to Jim.

"I've seen Rose's file. It clearly says she is unmarried. Are you sure you haven't made a mistake? She's leaving for her overseas assignment today. Don't make her miss her flight."

Her flight?

Jim's pupils suddenly contracted as he turned toward me, but I remained completely calm. For a moment, his heart seemed to skip a beat.

For the first time, panic appeared on his face. Jim was usually the picture of composure at the office, but now he blurted out,

"Dad! It's not my best friend. It's me! I'm Rose's husband! How could I possibly be mistaken? We registered our marriage on November 3rd. She's obviously lying. I personally went with her to register that day!"

Everyone swallowed hard. No one had expected to witness this kind of Carter family drama.

Jim visibly relaxed, apparently convinced that I could no longer leave on the overseas assignment.

Tate's brow furrowed even deeper. His gaze moved between Jim and me.

After a moment, he reached his conclusion.

"What are you talking about? I've kept your identification documents locked away in my office this entire time. So tell me, how exactly did you manage to marry her?"