Chapter 414: Grace’s Attempt To Bring Aiden

At noon, Grace arrived at the NextEra Corp headquarters in a rare edition luxury car, demanding to meet CEO Aiden Handrix.

She didn’t even have Justin’s private contact number. She had been given only one number, which connected her to his personal assistant, Noah. It was infuriating—but she had to bear it.

When Justin was informed that the daughter of businessman Collin Hartz was there to meet him, he denied the request.

She was told the CEO was busy and that she could book an appointment only if it was for business purposes.

"Do you know who you’re talking to?" Grace snapped. "I’m the daughter of the Hartz family—the richest business family in the Eastern country! You dare ask me to wait for an appointment?"

"Ms. Hartz, I’m sorry," the security head, Trevor, responded, calm and firm, "but here, we follow our boss’s orders. At this hour, he’s unavailable to attend to any guests."

Grace clenched her fists as she stood from the reception couch. "I’m his fiancée—your CEO’s soon-to-be wife. And you’re asking me to book an appointment?"

Trevor, completely unaffected by her anger, replied, "Ms. Grace, Mr. Handrix is already married. We know our lady boss very well—Mrs. Natalie Handrix. There’s no way Mr. Handrix has any other fiancée."

Trying to control her temper, she shifted her tone. "Then get me today’s appointment."

"Ms. Hartz, all appointments are fully booked for the next two weeks. It’s not possible today. But I can ask the secretary to book a slot two weeks from now," Trevor replied professionally.

Grace wasn’t stupid—she could clearly see what was happening. She knew she wasn’t going to meet Aiden anymore.

Grinding her teeth, she turned to leave. Just as she stepped out of the building and walked toward her car, another vehicle passed by—and she happened to catch a glimpse of a familiar figure inside.

She recognized Justin instantly.

Grace got into her car and ordered the driver, "To the Riverdale Estate."

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Grace arrived at the Riverdale estate, where she met Aeldric.

"Mr. Riverdale, I was wondering if I could take Meira with me for wedding dress shopping," Grace proposed. "That way, I can get to know her well—since we’re going to be family soon."

"She is not adept at these things, as she’s been kept away from the world," Aeldric replied.

"I understand, Mr. Riverdale, but trust me—I’ll take good care of her, and maybe help her learn a few things," Grace said, refusing to back down. "Since Aiden is busy and refused to come with me, I could at least have his sister accompany me."

That last line struck Aeldric—his grandson was denying the woman he had chosen for him. He looked at Kawin. "Call Meira here."

Meira soon arrived in the drawing room, with Lana following close behind.

"You’re going with Grace to help her with the wedding preparations," Aeldric said as if delivering a decree she had no right to refuse. "She’s your sister-in-law, so you’d better behave and help her."

The poor girl could only nod. There was no way she would speak up in front of this terrifying old man.

"Let’s go," Grace said, smiling pleasantly at Meira, though the younger girl couldn’t shake the bad feeling in her chest.

Lana began to follow them, only to hear Grace ask, "Who are you?"

"I’m Ms. Meira’s personal caretaker and bodyguard," Lana answered, holding Grace’s gaze steadily.

"Oh! You don’t need to follow us," Grace said with a dismissive wave.

"I’ve been ordered to remain with Ms. Meira at all times. I must follow those orders," Lana replied firmly.

"As the soon-to-be mistress of this house, I’m ordering you not to follow us," Grace snapped.

"I take orders only from Mr. Aiden," Lana responded coldly and without hesitation.

Grace looked at Aeldric. "Mr. Riverdale, this woman—"

"She is following my grandson’s orders," Aeldric cut her off, making his stance clear. He was siding with his blood.

Grace had no choice but to give in and allow Lana to accompany them.

Aeldric smirked as he watched Grace leave.

On the way to the wedding dress showroom, Grace sent a message to Noah’s number:

She smirked and put her phone aside.

Justin was in his office when Noah informed him of the situation.

"Is Lana with her?" Justin asked.

"Yes, Mr. Harper."

"Keep in touch with her," Justin ordered. "Send a few of our strong bodyguards there—just in case."

A while later, another message came from Grace. This time, she had sent pictures of branded dresses—most of them provocative and far too exposing for a young, sheltered girl like Meira.

One image showed a short, glittery white dress with thin straps. It barely reached the mannequin’s thighs, and the neckline was dangerously low.

Below the picture, Grace had written:

Justin’s gaze darkened instantly as he stood up. Noah saw the change in his demeanor and didn’t wait for further instructions—he had already asked the driver to keep the car ready.

Justin arrived at the grand wedding dress showroom. He was led to the private trial area, filled with numerous bridal gowns and an elegant fitting zone, all of which had been booked exclusively by Grace.

The moment Justin stepped in, his gaze swept the space, searching for Meira. He didn’t spare even a glance at Grace, who was lounging on a luxurious couch, sipping coffee and chatting with the designer.

Lana noticed him and quickly walked over.

"Where is Meira?" he asked.

"She’s inside the trial room," Lana replied.

Grace stood up with a smile. "Oh, you’re here? Good. You can help me pick out a dress for our wedding—and maybe one for yourself, too."

Justin didn’t respond. It was as if she didn’t exist. He turned to Lana. "Go get Meira."

"She’s in the middle of changing. She was excited to try something new," Grace interjected. "Are you really going to upset your sister? Let her try it on first—then you can decide what’s good for her."

Just then, a staff member stepped out of the trial room and said, "Ms. Grace, she’s ready."

With that, she pulled back the curtain. "Ms. Meira, you can come out."

Justin looked up just in time to see Meira stepping out from behind the curtain—and his anger immediately surged to see what she was wearing.

"Brother..." Meira gasped, clearly shocked to see him. She quickly moved to hide behind the staff member to hide herself, utterly embarrassed to face him.