Roselin raised her gaze and met a pair of narrow, sharp eyes, reminiscent of an eagle’s.
William Bran, with a high-bridged nose and a face with harsh lines, exuded an air of aloofness and lacked warmth.
Mark Goden, while not particularly talkative, had a somewhat more sunny disposition.
Roselin furrowed her brows.
She decided to leave the venue.
Her driver had taken the night off, and Aaron had dropped her off. With a pile of pending work at the company, she instructed Aaron to leave the car keys and return first. Planning to drive back after the event, she reconsidered due to the alcohol she consumed. Opting for a designated driver, she waited at the entrance, attempting to clear her mind in the chilly night air.
The early winter wind seeped through her thin dress, making her shiver.
Rubbing her ice-cold arms, she glanced at her phone. The designated driver was still a bit far away, and she had no intention of re-entering the venue. Instead, she decided to find shelter behind a massive pillar to escape the biting wind.
Suddenly, a well-dressed man, an obvious business elite, hurriedly approached.
It took a moment to recognize him as William Bran’s assistant, named Frando Leti.
“Miss Cecy, Mr. Bran instructed me to take you home.”
Roselin glanced at the Ferrari that had just left the garage, passing not far from them. Through the partially lowered window, she caught a glimpse of William Bran’s indifferent profile.
It seemed strange. Wasn’t William Bran always disliking her? Why would he arrange for his assistant to take her home while he drove away himself?
Roselin was not one to be hesitant or coy. If someone was willing to be her driver, she wouldn’t stop them. Tossing her car keys to Frando Leti, she said, “Please convey my thanks to Mr. Bran. Thank you for your trouble.”
Afterward, she cancelled the designated driver order on her phone and sent a red envelope as a token of appreciation.
She then provided Frando Leti with her address.
Frando Leti remained silent throughout the journey, fulfilling his duties diligently. He drove her all the way to her doorstep.
After getting out of the car, Roselin expressed her gratitude to Frando Leti.
Returning the car keys to her, Frando Leti was polite, “Miss Cecy, goodbye.”
–
After the event, Roselin didn’t see Mark Goden for several consecutive days, presumably deeply upset. Occasionally, she would catch glimpses of him in the news, seen together with Elizebeth Snow, captured by paparazzi. She was too busy to investigate further, unlike before when she would hysterically insist on finding out the truth.
The next time she encountered Mark Goden was a month later when he came to deliver the finalized transfer agreement. She expressed her thanks with an exceptionally polite smile. After all, he was bringing money to her, so a gracious response was appropriate.
“Kindly ask Mr. Goden to make the trip personally,” she requested.
This time, Mark Goden’s demeanor wasn’t as furious as when he left the previous party, but he still didn’t look pleased. “Grandfather wants to see you,” he informed her.
He was referring to Old Master Jerrif Goden. Although they were divorced, their relationship hadn’t been made public. Thus, they still cooperated in attending essential family events like banquets.
Despite the embarrassment caused by their previous confrontation, Grandfather Jerrif had always treated Roselin well. During this unavoidable period of continued interaction, she didn’t find it difficult to get along with the members of the Goden family.
Roselin nodded, “Alright, when?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll come to pick you up,” Mark Goden offered.
“No need, Aaron will take me,” Roselin replied.
While she had learned to drive, her skills weren’t great, and luckily, there was always a chauffeur available.
Mark Goden paused, his cheek twitched slightly, lost in thought. After a while, he said, “Okay.”
Roselin sat back in her own car, and the driver closed the door for her. She hadn’t expected that, after two years of marriage with minimal contact in their daily lives, they would see each other more frequently after the divorce.
The Goden family was a large one, and the atmosphere inside was lively as soon as she entered. They rarely gathered so completely.
Having a brief encounter with Mark Goden, Roselin pretended that nothing had happened in front of the Goden family members. She greeted them with a radiant smile, “Finished work?”
He responded with a simple “Yes.”
“Today, I did you a favor. The termination agreement has been submitted to Goden Group. Please ask Mr. Goden to sign it as soon as possible.”
Keeping their divorce a secret wasn’t just her reluctant decision; Mark Goden, like her, needed to manage the Goden family’s reactions first. So, today wasn’t about mutual benefits. She calculated it well; during the previous event, he embarrassed her publicly with Elizebeth Snow. Therefore, accompanying him to the family banquet required compensation in its own way.
Mark Goden initially wanted to use the opportunity to ease the recent tension between them. However, as soon as he spoke, he received a sharp retort. Despite their clear separation of assets, their two companies still collaborated. Recently, she had sent several drafted termination agreements through her lawyer, leaving the detailed discussions to Cecy Group’s deputy general manager.
This was the last point of cooperation between their two families.
She was planning to cut ties completely.
The pent-up anger over the past few days suddenly exploded in Mark Goden, “Without Goden Group, what is Cecy Group? You know it well. If you want to sign a contract, sign it. If you want to terminate it, do it. What do you take Goden Group for?”
Roselin was stabbed in the heart by his words. The coerced marriage arranged by her grandfather haunted her with unspoken bitterness.
After a moment of silence, she spoke, “Our union was forced, but the cooperation between the two families was based on mutual consent. Let’s part amicably. Please, Mr. Goden, don’t make it difficult.”
“Part amicably? Make it difficult for me?” Mark Goden found it laughable. The words sounded like she wanted to sever all ties with him and Goden family completely.
“If you want to terminate, then terminate. Organize all the business dealings, and send them over. If we’re cutting ties, let’s do it cleanly,” he said, his tone cold.
He was gambling-whether Roselin dared to do it, and also whether her professed feelings for him over the years were true.
Apparently, she didn’t know he was genuinely angry, still attempting to provoke him.
She responded with a simple “Okay.”
Mark Goden’s face turned stormy. He offered to drive her home since she hadn’t brought her car, and the driver from Cecy Group hadn’t arrived yet.
Seeing her dialing Aaron’s number with the contact labeled ‘Aron’ on her phone, he composed himself and said in a softer tone, “I’ll take you.”
Roselin was briefly surprised.