Semua Bab A Marriage of Convenience: Bab 31 - Bab 40

 Grace’s mind went completely blank, her body melting into Raphael’s warm embrace. He casually wiped the moisture from his lips with the back of his hand before leaning in again to kiss her cheek.The thought of how quickly she’d lost control in front of him sent a ripple through her lower belly. She never imagined their arranged marriage would ignite this kind of intensity right from the start.As he continued pressing soft kisses to her cheek, she lifted her hands to cradle his face, pulling him in for a deep kiss. He paused for a heartbeat, then responded, and the kiss quickly turned hungry and heated.Sensing the moment, Grace suddenly flipped over and straddled him, her gaze locking with his. Her tone was more direct than usual, a playful pout on her lips as she murmured,

 An hour later, Gavin texted again: "Meeting’s over."No reply. So he sent another one: "This one’s serious, promise."Grace raised an eyebrow, "Talk first. Depending on my mood, I might say yes.""So here’s the thing..." Gavin laid out a plan and asked if she could fly over to Berlin. Grace blinked—Damn, this was a big deal. She had to snoop—no, help.

 Late in the afternoon, Raphael’s assistant Andrew knocked lightly on the office door and stepped in quietly, waiting as Ethan finished delivering his report.Raphael gave a brief instruction, then glanced at Andrew and signaled for Ethan to leave first. Once the door closed behind him, Andrew handed over the folder in his hand."Boss, you asked me to track down any fine jewelry piece from that studio—turns out a collector’s open to selling one of their bracelets. It’s from two years ago, never been worn. Would make a great gift."Raphael flipped through the documents, pausing on a photo of the bracelet—an Élan G design, set with sparkling pink diamonds. Flashy, luxurious… exactly Grace’s kind of style.&ldqu

 “You wicked girl. I sent you an invite and you said you couldn’t make it, and now here you are—trying to surprise me?”Grace didn’t even need to turn around. She could tell who it was from the very first syllable—Dana. Her lifelong rival. They’d been competing since they were kids, always trying to outdo each other. On the surface, they looked like friends, but every little thing between them was a contest.It only hit Grace then—of course. Dana had married into the Whitmore family. They were the ones hosting this private champagne gala. She vaguely remembered receiving an invite for her and Raphael. Exclusive to financiers, top artists, royals, and other VIPs… no wonder the building had been locked up tighter than a vault.

 This was the second time Andrew had been asked about today's schedule. Raphael had already called him last night after hours to confirm Thursday’s agenda once. And then again this morning, his very first message was—once more—about the day’s itinerary. For someone with such an exceptional memory, Raphael never repeated questions without reason.So Andrew asked, “Is there something new we need to add?”As usual, he was standing by the elevator at exactly 8:45 a.m. to greet his boss coming up from the garage. They walked toward the office while Andrew began his daily briefing.Raphael adjusted his tie with one hand as he walked, his expression unreadable. “Cancel everything after the meeting with the regulators.