5. Last Hope

I sat there frozen. Another ugly truth revealed itself before my eyes today.

So this had been their plan all along. The pieces started falling into place.

They wanted to marry me off so Nicole could safely keep Brandon to herself. They had known about my relationship with him the entire time. But Nicole wanted him for herself, and Aunt Pamela supported her. What a selfish, opportunistic family. Aunt Pamela never hesitated to call me a shameless girl, yet she encouraged her own daughter to go after someone else's boyfriend. Then again, if Brandon hadn't allowed it, they wouldn't have succeeded.

I sighed, feeling utterly defeated. Then suddenly Granny came to mind. After witnessing the way Aunt Pamela had treated her today and everything I had learned, a wave of unease washed over me. I could no longer trust them around Granny, and at this very moment, she was alone with them. The thought made my heart tighten. I immediately pushed myself off the bed and headed to the washroom.

After freshening myself up, I finally returned to the party. My first concern was Granny. I quickly spotted her sitting on the same couch as before and immediately walked over to her.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

I nodded with a forced smile as I sat beside her, glancing around the hall. The party was still in full swing. But there was no sign of Mr. King.

"He left a while ago," Granny said, as though reading my thoughts.

I nodded quietly before my gaze slowly shifted towards my uncle’s family. This time, I looked at them closely.

Their entire family, along with Brandon's family, gathered in front of the cameras, smiling as they posed with relatives, close friends, and other important guests. They were so happy, thoroughly enjoying the occasion. And why wouldn't they be? They had managed to get their daughter engaged to someone like Brandon. Meanwhile, Granny and I remained seated on the couch, silently watching from a distance. No one called us over. We simply sat there like two outsiders, witnessing a celebration that no longer felt as though we belonged in it.

I watched Aunt Pamela greeting the guests gracefully, acting as though she were the true lady of the house. And suddenly, it struck me. We were slowly losing this mansion too, just as we had lost Watson Group to them.

Uncle Matthew and Uncle Benjamin were my grandfather’s brother’s sons. After his brother died, my grandfather raised them as his own children. But when Watson Group went bankrupt because of my father’s illegal activities, every relative abandoned us, including Uncle Matthew and Uncle Benjamin.

After my parents died, Watson Group completely collapsed. My grandfather stepped in and rebuilt everything from nothing. I was only four years old at the time. He was a good man, and despite his son turning out to be corrupt, many of his old business allies came forward to support him. With their help and his brilliant mind, Watson Group slowly rose again. Though it was far from its previous glory, at least it provided us with a steady life. Gradually, it began to grow as well, and within ten years, it entered the top fifty companies in the country.

Then our relatives began contacting us again. My grandparents were devastated by the loss of their only son, so they couldn’t hold any grudges against those relatives and took them back in. They moved into our mansion, joined the business, and gradually took control of everything. Before my grandfather realized it, Uncle Matthew had gained so much power that he began to rebel against him. And after his death, Uncle Matthew took over the company.

It started with the company, and now they took complete control of our home as well. They had never cared about me because I was a bastard child, but now they had started to disrespect my granny as well.

I gritted my teeth as I realized how they had taken everything my grandfather had built through years of hard work. They were basically wolves in sheep's clothing. I was supposed to be the sole heir to the Watson Group. My grandfather had dreamed of making me the next CEO, yet I couldn’t even obtain the position of head designer in the company he rebuilt with his own hands. All they offered me was a junior-level designer position. And now Nicole was engaged to my boyfriend. One by one, they had taken every good thing from us. All I could do was sit in silence, helplessly watching them steal everything that once belonged to me and my grandparents. Right now I felt like a loser.

I averted my gaze from them and joined the conversation with the family Granny was speaking to. The moment my engagement to Mr. King was announced, everyone's attitude toward me changed instantly. Suddenly, they were eager to talk to me. Reluctantly, I engaged in a few conversations, knowing I couldn't leave the party just yet.

Soon, it was time for dinner, and I quietly led Granny inside. I didn't want to sit with the others any longer, so I brought our dinner to my room, where we ate together in peaceful silence. Granny didn't ask many questions. Deep down, I knew she could see the truth just as clearly as I could. It was us against the world now. We only had each other, and if no one else would protect us, then we would protect each other.

..........

"Can I meet Mr. King?" I asked the receptionist.

She looked up from the computer in front of her and gave me a disinterested glance. "Do you have an appointment?"

I cleared my throat. "No, I..."

"Then Mr. King can’t meet you," she cut me off and turned her attention back to her computer.

No. I had to meet him today.

"I’m Oindrila Watson," I said quickly. "Could you please inform him? Maybe he’ll agree to see me."

That immediately caught her attention. Her eyes swept over me carefully before she asked. "You’re Oindrila Watson?"

"Yes." I replied.

She studied me for a few more seconds, as if trying to confirm my identity, before finally picking up the phone.

I never expected her to recognize me in the first place. I wasn't famous, after all. In the viral video, only my side profile was visible. If my identity hadn't been exposed, I was certain no one would have recognized me. I was practically a nobody. The only reason that video had spread like wildfire and turned into such a massive scandal was because Mr. King was involved. His name drew all the attention, and I had simply been dragged into the storm with him. Yes, I was the one who kissed him first. So I couldn't blame him.

"Sir, Miss Oindrila Watson is here. She wants to meet Mr. King." She fell silent, listening to whatever the person on the other side was saying. "Alright."

After disconnecting the call, she looked at me again. "Mr. King is currently in a meeting. You’ll have to wait."

"That’s fine. I’ll wait," I replied, relieved that she didn’t ask me to leave.

"Take the elevator to the fifty-seventh floor and wait in the lounge area," she instructed. I nodded and headed towards the elevator.

After waiting for more than thirty minutes, someone finally escorted me to his office. The moment I stepped inside, nervousness washed over me.

After thinking everything through, I had realized my family would never listen to me. Even Granny wanted me to agree to the marriage. She hadn’t told me directly yet, but I knew she believed this marriage would be good for me. All thanks to Uncle Matthew. That left Andreas King as my last hope. If he cancelled the marriage, I wouldn’t have to do anything at all. So, I came to King Enterprises the very next day after the engagement party to meet Mr. Andreas King.

But the moment I saw him standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the city, my courage nearly disappeared. I was standing before the most powerful businessman in the country, who was also my soon-to-be husband.

I swallowed, unsure how to even start the conversation.

"Good morning, Oindrila."

I nearly flinched when he suddenly spoke. The fact that he addressed me by my name caught me off guard.

"Why did you want to meet me?" he asked as he turned towards me.

It was then that I realized I hadn’t greeted him back.

"Umm…" I cleared my throat. "G-good morning, Mr. King." I tried to sound confident, but my voice still faltered. "I… I wanted to discuss something with you." I managed to utter.

One of his brows lifted slightly before he walked towards his desk and sat down.

"Please, have a seat." He gestured towards the chair across from him.

I slowly walked over and sat down, trying to calm the frantic beating of my heart.

"So, what do you want to discuss?"

I felt my heart thudding loudly as I looked at him, meeting his intense gaze. From this close, he was even more attractive. I shoved that thought to the back of my mind. I was here for a serious conversation, and I had to do this at all costs.

"I want you to cancel this marriage," I blurted out.