Library
Search
Home / Romance / Patent Pending / Chapter 4

Share

Chapter 4

Author: Luna King
"Simon? How's the engagement party shaping up? Still happy with the setup?" Natalia's soothing voice floated out of the phone.

"I'm actually calling to talk about calling off the engagement. Ms. Jones's assistant wouldn't let me through to the venue and had the security guys get rough with me.

"Ms. Jones herself didn't even try to sort things out–just brushed it off and demanded I apologize to Mr. Holmes.

"I guess I'm not cut out for the high standards of the Jones family. I'm staying out."

The line went dead for a beat.

"What?!

"That troublemaker! Just wait till I get my hands on her..." Natalia's grumbling trailed off, replaced by the roar of an engine.

"Mrs. Jones, don't fall for that schemer's lies. She's pulled the wool over your eyes!"

Elias lunged for my phone, looking like a kicked puppy.

"I was just trying to welcome Mr. York at the door, and he wouldn't come in, just stirred up a scene.

"After all my years of dedication to Jones Group, is an apology too much to ask for?"

Natalia's voice turned icy.

"Mr. Holmes, huh.

"You're done here. Go clear out your desk with HR."

Elias's expression stiffened.

"Why are you messing with my daughter's wedding? You think I'd fall for those lies?"

To my surprise, Natalia took my side. Elias's face gave a little quiver, his fingers tightening around his phone.

He blinked hard, fighting back tears as he turned to face Tania.

"Mrs. Jones, if you don't care about your own daughter, can't I be the one to care?

"Are you really okay with using Ms. Jones as a bargaining chip, just to cozy up to some professor? You're setting her up with an orphan who's got no connections. Do you see her as nothing more than a pawn in your game?"

The line went dead silent.

It took a while before Natalia let out a weary sigh, her voice suddenly sounding older.

"Tania, is that what you think, too?"

"Do you believe... Is it my fault? Is that why you've done all this, refusing to get engaged to Simon?"

Tania shot me a look, then quickly looked away.

"If Simon is willing to sincerely apologize to my assistant, I'm still open to the engagement," she said.

A sharp scratch echoed as nails dragged across the phone case. I glanced over and saw Elias's face twist up.

"So... Simon... what's your take?"

There was an expectant pause on the line.

What were they waiting for? An apology from me to Elias?

I had dealt with Natalia on the patent deal before, and I had pegged her as someone fair.

I trusted the values she was supposed to have instilled, so when my mentor, Melissa, said Tania was to be my fiancee, I came with an open heart.

As it turned out, a businessperson was always just that.

They stepped over the line to get what they wanted, even if it meant bending the truth.

I had to wonder: did she really think Tania was the only one for me?

The thought struck me as funny.

I reached out and gave a light tap on the shoulder of the person in front of me.

Cecilia shivered ever so slightly.

She was seething with anger over Natalia's words, ready to lash out with a biting comeback, but I cut her off.

Her anger melted into curiosity as she turned to me, tilting her head up a notch, blinking, and giving me her full attention.

"Cecilia, I've decided to look for a new fiancee."

"Are you throwing your hat in the ring?"
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Patent Pending   Chapter 10

    The call ended.My mentor was in high spirits, lifting my own mood."As you can see…" I turned to Natalia. "My mentor really cares about me. she's given me her blessing to call off the engagement. Why would someone who truly loves me want to throw me into harm's way?"Tania walked up, her face etched with defeat, her eyes a mix of regret and hope."Is there really no chance for us? I realize my mistake, and I'm truly sorry."I just got caught up in Elias's deception–"I cut off her pretense right there."Tania, if I were just a regular person, what just went down would haunt me for life."Cecilia's in your league, a real high-flyer, but she's nothing like you."Years back, Cecilia and I hashed out a deal. After we shook on the profits, she showed me where my prosthetic tech was making waves.I figured we would hit some fancy rehab center.It turned out it was a no-frills but spick-and-span orphanage.The head honcho, a guy with a disability, was sporting one of my prostheti

  • Patent Pending   Chapter 9

    My phone's ringtone cut through the silence. I glanced down and took the call. "Simon? Mrs. Jones tells me you're breaking off the engagement. What happened? Did someone hurt you?" The line crackled with background noise, fading as Melissa moved to a quieter spot. She was at a summit overseas, a last-minute assignment. She had been all sighs before her flight, regretting missing my engagement party and making me promise to snap lots of pictures.Then, after getting a message from Natalia, she did not waste a second to check in on me. Her voice was all concern, no judgment, and I smiled softly. "Prof. Rogers, here's the thing..." I started, but was cut off by a tirade of curses from the other end, peppered with local slang and as rapid-fire as a machine gun. She let out a weary sigh, her voice raspy from the outburst she had just unleashed on herself."Simon, I'm sorry, I should've known better. The Joneses are sly as foxes; they never raise anyone right."Just call off the e

  • Patent Pending   Chapter 8

    "Mr. York, I never realized the extent of your talent."Elias has fooled me, made me think you were just a gold digger trying to get in with our family."I owe you an apology! I'll make it right, and I hope you'll give me another chance."Do you still want to go through with our engagement?"Cecilia's grip on my wrist was tight, her lips pressed together in determination."I never knew you could be so brazen, Tania. You haven't forgotten, have you? Simon's my boyfriend now."Tania straightened her back, calm and composed."We're both looking for a strategic marriage, but I'm sure Mr. York would rather choose someone he knows well instead of someone chosen in a moment of anger, only to regret it later."Mr. York, your savvy has served Jones Group well, hasn't it?"She pulled a ring from her clutch, a rare red diamond that glittered opulently in the sunlight."I'll make sense of today's mess for you, but you better think it over," she told me firmly.Natalia gave a snide laugh

  • Patent Pending   Chapter 7

    Fair arms encircled my arm, cutting off Tania's apology.Cecilia pressed against me, her lips curled in a smile, but her eyes were frosty. "I'll throw Simon a wedding that's out of this world, with a ring to match."She shot a look at Natalia. "I'm considered quite the catch back in the capital. If Simon ever wanted to pick from a lineup of amazing women, they'd stretch all the way to the next continent–not settle for a flattering, unhinged nobody."Elias, who had been silent since learning that the patents of Jones Group were mine, was then seething with silent rage.He lowered his head, letting his hair hide his face, trying to become invisible."He's got no shortage of love, no shortage of people wanting to treasure him."Tania, you've looked down on him from the start for being an orphan with no family name. Then again, didn't you climb over me by clinging to the scraps from this orphan's table?"Mrs. Jones, we're leaving for now. As for today's events, we'll settle up with

  • Patent Pending   Chapter 6

    "How odd. My mother, who couldn't be bothered to show up for my engagement, has suddenly decided to grace us with her presence?"Tania eyed Natalia's surprise arrival, her smile forced and unconvincing. She was met with a seething glare from Natalia.Elias stepped protectively in front of Tania, his voice laced with hurt."Mrs. Jones, you have no idea. That man publicly called off the engagement and chose Ms. Baker from our competitors."He's made a mockery of Jones Group, and you need to set him straight!"With a resounding 'slap,' Elias clutched his face and tumbled to the ground, his designer suit gathering dust.The slap was so fierce that he stayed down, struggling to get up."So you think you can spin lies right in front of me? You really thought I wouldn't catch on to your little games?"Natalia turned to me, her expression softening into a warm smile."Simon, my daughter was in the wrong today. I'm asking you, on my behalf, to give her another chance."We've put so mu

  • Patent Pending   Chapter 5

    Cecilia's eyes snapped wide open.Her lips quivered, and her eyes suddenly glistened with unshed tears. "I'd be deeply honored.""Simon! What on earth are you talking about?!"Your engagement to my daughter was something Prof. Rogers and I agreed upon. Don't you think backing out now is a bit inappropriate?"Prof. Rogers practically raised you, and you were her student. She's nearly a mother to you. Did you even consider how you'll break it to her?"Natalia's initial shock quickly gave way to a calm, persuasive demeanor, though I could feel the pressure she was exerting.She brought up my mentor, which irked me."You seem to have forgotten that I'm making this call to break off the engagement."I laid out my true purpose."My mentor knows that by calling off this engagement, I'm freeing myself from misery, and she'd be nothing but happy for me."She wants me to marry someone truly outstanding and of good character. That, unfortunately, doesn't include your daughter, Ms. Jones

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status