Chapter 5

Vanessa didn’t bother asking the intern who it was. Driven by curiosity, she strode toward the door and stepped into the hallway.

Curious, Jason followed Vanessa and the intern outside into the hallway.

Vanessa barely made it three steps before stopping abruptly. A frown formed across her face as she saw what was happening.

A crowd had already formed. Employees and staff whispered among themselves, drawn to the scene unfolding before them.

Standing at the center of the commotion was a group of men in suits. They formed a semi-circle, each holding a bouquet of red roses. 

And at the center of it all was a young man, in his mid-twenties, well-dressed, with the polished look of someone who came from a good background.

Vanessa's expression turned into a bigger frown as she recognized the man, Elvis Montgomery. 

He was the son of a wealthy banking family. 

He was known for being entitled, arrogant, and persistent to the point of being insufferable. Unfortunately he is incapable of realizing that she didn't share the same feelings for him.

He had been trying to court Vanessa for a few months now. Despite her rejecting him, he was so persistent. In fact he always found new ways to annoy her. Though in his mind, he probably thought he was impressing her.

But his attempts to impress her never worked, because she knew exactly what kind of person he really was, a bad one who just pretended to be good whenever she was around. 

Vanessa wasn't just not interested, she disgusted with him. He had been accused of all kinds of crimes, from sexual assault to other disgusting things. But he always got away with it, thanks to his rich family. 

The public didn’t know this, and the few who did? They didn’t care, because he was wealthy, and that was enough for them.

Jason, watching from beside her, didn't know who the person was, or what his deal was, so he asked Vanessa. “Who’s that?”

Vanessa was too preoccupied with the spectacle going on to pay attention to Jason's question. 

However Jason could tell. Judging by Vanessa’s expression, Elvis was an unwanted presence.

“Elvis,” Vanessa said, her frown deepening as she strode towards him. “What is this?”

Elvis flashed a cocky smile and, in one practiced move, he dropped to one knee

He was glad he had perfected the move, he’d spent weeks rehearsing this exact moment, planning how he would propose to Vanessa Smith, the woman he had always tried to impress… yet never seemed impressed.

"Vanessa Smith," he called out, his voice loud enough to draw the attention of nearby employees.

With a flourish, he opened a velvet box, revealing a diamond ring. The beautiful ring was large, flawless, and undeniably expensive. But to Elvis Montgomery, it was nothing, not when it came to her.

“Marry me Vanessa.” He said confidently.

Jason blinked, as he saw Elvis on his knees. What the hell is this? Was this a proposal or a school play? He looked like a performer in a badly rehearsed play, one where the lead actor had no idea his audience wasn’t buying the act.

However the staff were more than entertained, in fact they saw Elvis' actions as romantic. Some whispered excitedly, while others exchanged stunned glances. 

Elvis grinned arrogantly. Seeing how the onlookers were impressed, he could only imagine that Vanessa was more impressed than them. 

In reality, he couldn’t have been more wrong. Vanessa wasn’t just uninterested, she looked like she was fighting the urge to strangle him. 

If sheer frustration could kill, Elvis would’ve dropped dead on the spot.

“Vanessa, this ring cost three million. It's a testament of my wealth and how much I can do for you. Accept my hand in marriage and I'll fix Smith Royale’s financial problems,” he promised, his voice filled with self-assurance.

Vanessa rolled her eyes at his proposal.

He wanted her to marry him? Vanessa breathed in and out slowly, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. Of all the days, of all the ways, Elvis had chosen this spectacle to push his arrogance on her again. Did he really think he could buy her?

She wanted to say something to him, but she heard the conversation's behind her.

“Wow, what a romantic way to propose.” 

Two ladies discussed among themselves.

“She’s so lucky. Elvis’s family controls major banks. If she marries him, their company’s financial problems will be solved instantly!”

The more he heard the impressed murmurs, the more Elvis's confidence was boosted to the point where he felt arrogant and entitled. He felt like Vanessa owed it to him, to say ‘yes’.

This time, Elvis believed Vanessa would finally accept him, since he was one of the few who could save Smith Royale. 

His family was one of the wealthiest families, with a net worth estimated to be in the hundreds of billions. So it would also be dumb if Vanessa would reject him now, she needs him.

Jason took it all in, his gaze shifting between Vanessa and Elvis. Listening to the murmurs around him, he finally understood who the man was and saw for himself that he was here to propose to Vanessa.

But…. Vanessa was his fiancee. Because of that Jason didn't want to just stand by and watch this, he wanted to do something about Elvis, so he would leave her alone.

However, on second thought, he did not. He was curious to see how Vanessa would deal with this, she was so irritated by this, he could tell. 

After a little hesitation, Vanessa finally spoke, “Mr Montgomery.” Vanessa sounded irritated already, “I thought I made it clear the last time that I'm not interested!” 

Surprised that Vanessa would dare to reject Elvis, especially given Smith Royale’s current situation, whispers echoed  in the air, growing louder with each passing second.

Someone said, “What is miss Smith doing? Elvis's family has a networth of billions, and she is going to reject him like this?” 

“My god is she out of her mind?”

“Poor Elvis,” a woman muttered, shaking her head. “A man like him, offering everything, and she turns him down.”

According to them, Elvis Montgomery was the perfect man for Vanessa, romantic and rich. Many onlookers felt a mix of envy and secondhand frustration. 

To them, Vanessa had everything to gain. How could she turn him down so easily? For what?

Elvis was also stunned by that response. He felt a mix of embarrassment and anger. After all his efforts, after getting down on one knee and putting on a show, she still rejected him, just like always? He didn't know what else to do to convince her.

With Smith Royale in financial turmoil, he had assumed Vanessa would finally come to her senses.

His family controlled the banks, marrying him was her only real solution. It should have been a simple decision.

Elvis was losing his patience. Plus he heard some of the onlookers whispering about him. Some even called him pathetic for failing to convince Vanessa, even with his background.

“I can’t believe he thought she’d say yes to him,” one of them whispered.

“He really thought a ring would do it?” another scoffed.

Each word only fueled his embarrassment. 

How dare Vanessa humiliate him like this? Didn’t she understand? He was offering her everything, the one thing that could save her company, her legacy. And she turned him down. Again.

Hearing the whispers of disdain was the final straw for Elvis. His pride shattered, and in a fit of frustration, he grabbed Vanessa’s hand, his grip almost bruising.

“I’m doing you a favor,” he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “A bitch, like you should be grateful that I’m even interested.”