Now or overnight?

Dominic suddenly coughed after hearing his grandfather's question. He hadn't been thinking about marriage at all; all that occupied his mind right now was what the right reason to tell his grandfather that his relationship with Gwen had ended.

Gwen felt the same way as she patted her boss's back. She contemplated what it would be like to marry someone as cold as Dominic. She also thought about her friends' reactions when they found out she was having lunch with both bosses.

"Isn't it better to get it over with quickly?" the grandfather continued. "Honestly, I'm very disturbed by that rumor."

"I've told you how many times, Grandpa, if you trust me, there's no need to worry about that gossip," Dominic replied.

"I've gone from trust to doubt and back to trust. I've tried hard to explain to our clients about you, and I've closed my ears tightly, but that doesn't seem to be effective. It looks like they need to see you married."

"There will be a response from them, saying I'm getting married just to cover up that gossip," Dominic argued with his grandfather. "So let us date first; talking about marriage is complicated, you know."

"We'll make it easy. I'll take care of everything. Just mention the date, concept, and place you want," the grandfather said.

Dominic looked at Gwen with a gaze she didn't understand. Then he spoke to his grandfather again, "It seems like Gwen isn't ready to get married yet, Grandpa."

"Is that true, Gwen?"

She was certainly surprised to get such a sudden question. She was confused about how to answer, and Mr. Charles seemed to be waiting for her response.

"Well, Mr. Charles, I have some things I still want to achieve before getting married. So, I don't want to rush into marriage, and besides, marriage requires comp—"

The big man spoke again, "What do you want to achieve? I will help you get it after you get married. Gwen, you need to become Dom's wife as soon as possible."

"Grandpa can't force Gwen like that," Dominic retorted. But his actions only angered his grandfather; the man suddenly left the room. Gwen, in panic, tried to chase him but was stopped by her boss.

"Shouldn't we apologize, Sir?"

"Just let it be. If we apologize to him, Grandpa will set the date for us," Dominic said. "Are you done eating? Can we go home now?"

"Yes, Sir," Gwen replied briefly. Although she still wanted to try other foods, it was not possible for her. He walked towards the cashier and paid for all their meals. Gwen opened her mouth in surprise when she learned the amount Dominic had to pay.

Now they were on their way home, just like before. There was no conversation between them. Gwen thought about the big man's feelings now, but there was something else. Tuan Charles was forcing his granddaughter to marry, but he didn't inquire about the background of his future grandson-in-law.

"My grandfather is a selective person; he's quite strict in choosing my partner. But since I broke up with my girlfriend and the rumor spread rapidly, he just said to marry any woman," Dominic revealed. He seemed to hear Gwen's inner thoughts.

Of course, she was shocked to hear Dominic's recent confession, and her question received an immediate answer. She felt that Mr. Charles truly cared for his granddaughter. She then reiterated the question that troubled her. "So, from any background, it's allowed?"

Dominic nodded in response to Gwen's question. There were many other things she wanted to ask her boss, but she felt uneasy. Now they were almost at the office, and Gwen had prepared an excuse for her friends' inquiries about her late arrival; lunch break had ended an hour ago.

The car was parked again, and Gwen and Dominic were waiting for the arrival of the elevator. "I'm sorry for involving you," he said as he entered the metal box.

"Apologies if I didn't help, Sir. I hope the problem can be resolved quickly," she said sincerely, and Dominic smiled.

Fortunately, when the elevator opened, there was no one inside, avoiding potential new gossip if someone saw them arriving together. They parted ways midway; Gwen headed to her workspace, while Dominic went to the financial department.

As she suspected, Tsuri was already waiting for her, and the woman's face looked displeased. "Where were you?"

"Sorry, Tsuri, I wasn't feeling well earlier, so I went to the health room and took a nap. I apologize for not informing you," Gwen lied to her boss.

"Next time, you can't do that. You have to ask for my permission first. Also, make sure your phone is always active so I can easily reach you," Tsuri said. After uttering those words, Tsuri returned to her office.

Now Gwen could breathe a sigh of relief because her boss didn't get angry with her. She sat in her office chair, then charged her phone's battery, which had run out, causing her to be unreachable by her friends.

She tried to continue her activities, although her mind was busy thinking about other things. Gwen tried to focus on her tasks. Time passed quickly, heading towards the end of the workday.

Some employees began to queue for the elevator to go downstairs, but Gwen was still working on her report because Tsuri asked for it suddenly. Even when the office was empty, Gwen continued her work.

"Go home, extra working hours aren't counted as overtime," Dominic whispered.

"Alright, Sir, I'll leave as soon as I finish this," Gwen replied without looking at her boss.

"Go home now, or you'll stay overnight."

Checkmate.

There was nothing Gwen could do except tidy up her desk and shut down her computer. Luckily, she had already finished her report. What surprised her was that Dominic stayed there; it seemed like he was deliberately waiting for her.

Curious about Dominic's strange behavior, Gwen asked him, "Is there something you want to—"

"No, if I go down first, you might not be able to leave, so I'll wait until you're done," Dominic explained in a manly voice. This time, he didn't look cool at all; instead, he seemed very attentive to her.

"Thank you very much," Gwen replied. She chose to leave first because she was afraid Dominic would be uncomfortable if they left together. However, this action only made Dominic angry with her. He chased after Gwen and grabbed her hand; now they stood facing each other.

"I'm trying to get closer to you, but you're not responding well to me," he said. Gwen could see her boss's face holding back anger. Unbeknownst to both of them, someone was secretly taking pictures of them, ready to spread the news.

"There will be new gossip tomorrow."