Chapter 454

His eyes turned scarlet. He clutched Gwendolyn’s wrist, not noticing that he was gripping her so tightly that her skin was turning pale.

Cedrick shoved him away, wrapped Gwendolyn in his arms, and massaged her wrist.

Gwendolyn sighed. Her tone was stern as she said, “You acted rashly tonight, Treyton. I understand how you must be feeling, but I don’t agree with you giving away fifteen percent of the company’s shares to the Newton family.”

Treyton gaped at her in disbelief. “For all your talk about being sisters with Jennifer, you won’t even save her when she’s in trouble. When have you become so unfeeling, Gwendolyn?”

“Me, unfeeling?”

Gwendolyn was incredulous. Her rage began to boil.

As Treyton had had a traumatic night, she did her best to remain patient. “I don’t want to hold a grudge against somebody who can’t think straight. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

Treyton’s gaze grew cold.

Everything that had happened at the party had lost him his wits. “I’ll do it myself if you won’t. My shares, my call.”

He turned to go, but Gwendolyn had enough. Done with coddling him, she dashed forward and slapped him across the face.

Smack!

The crisp slap echoed in the air.

As she had used her full strength, Treyton’s face tilted to the side, and a red imprint of her hand appeared instantly on his cheek. He stared at her, dumbstruck.

Cedrick, too, was stunned. He remained rooted to the spot.

Massaging his stinging cheek, Treyton fumed, “How dare you hit me, Gwendolyn?”

Faced with his accusatory glare, Gwendolyn raised her chin defiantly.

“I’m not hitting you as your little sister but as the head of the Harris family. Now would you calm down?

Can you listen to me?”

She looked stern, like the head of the family she was.

Although Treyton was fuming, he did not say a word in retaliation.

Seeing that he had regained some control, she continued, “You’re a smart man, Treyton. I’ll give you some time to cool down and reflect on your actions. Before you think things through, you’re not allowed to get out of your house.”

Treyton was in disbelief. He gazed at her, somewhat hurt. “Are you placing me under house arrest, Gwendolyn?”

“We’re family. How could I place you under house arrest? Think of it as grounding. It’s your punishment for speaking so rudely to the head of the family.”

Before Treyton could say another word, Gwendolyn turned to address Cedrick. “Could you marshal some men who aren’t on active duty to surround this villa? I don’t want even an ant to get out.”

Cedrick nodded decisively. “Very well, Darling.”

Gwendolyn added, “Remember to arm every single one of them with batons. You have my permission to beat him up if he tries to sneak out.”

“Sure.” Cedrick suppressed his laughter. If it came to that, she would still be the one feeling sorry for him.

After giving her instructions, Gwendolyn gazed once more at Treyton. “I am now the head of the family, and everybody must obey me with no exceptions. If you won’t, we’re going to the ancestral hall and I will have you tried according to our family law. Feel free to test me, but don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

Treyton snorted. “You think I’m scared of a little beating?”

Gwendolyn raised her eyebrows coldly. “You should be. If you piss me off, I will have you beaten up so severely that you pass out and spend the next two weeks in bed. By then, you would only be able to watch the broadcast of Jennifer’s engagement party. Would you like to experience that?”

Treyton’s jaw clenched. He refused to say another word.

With her arm around Cedrick’s, Gwendolyn left.

Before departing, she turned around and said, “Call me when you’ve calmed down and thought things through.”

Remaining where he stood, Treyton watched as she and Cedrick entered the car.

However, the car did not start.

Fifteen minutes later, an orderly march of footsteps sounded. The smart-looking soldiers surrounded the villa as if they had rehearsed it and left no corner unmanned.

The soldiers were not predisposed to negotiations but preferred to strike first instead. Forced back into his villa, Treyton shut the door behind him.

Only after Treyton was securely inside his house did Gwendolyn and Cedrick disappear into the pitch-

black night.

Like most other days, Inez showed up early the following morning at her office at Mossey Corporation, Fairlake.

Since talking things through with Kieran, their relationship had lost some of its stiffness. Though far from being on good terms, they would exchange a greeting when they bumped into each other at the villa.

For health reasons, her secretary had taken a medical leave.

She was to spend the following two days coaching her new temp.

Half an hour later, the manager of the HR department arrived with the new secretary and knocked on Inez’s door.

“Come in,” she said without taking her attention off the documents in her hand.

With her permission, the two figures entered.

The man behind the manager had an imposing poise and a handsome face. He had a presence that could not be ignored.

However, Inez did not so much as look up.

Unctuously, the manager placed the secretary’s resume on her table. “This candidate is very well qualified, Ms. Mossey. You’ll like him.”

Inez grunted in response, engrossed in typing. She did not look at the documents beside her.

“It won’t be easy working for me. All of my appointments have to be made one week in advance with the exception of special circumstances. You cannot arrive at the office later than me. When I come in in the morning, I expect a fresh cup of coffee on my desk…” She went on for over a minute without even looking up. “Got it?” she asked as she typed.

The man nodded. “Understood, Ms. Mossey.”

His voice was deep and pleasant.

Inez froze, her hands hovering over the keyboard.

Where have I heard this voice before?

Incredulously, she turned around and, without warning, found her gaze meeting his. Kieran looked at her quietly with a smirk.

“It’s you!” She regained her composure a few seconds later. “So, you’re my new secretary?”

Kieran did not speak. He did not know what else he could do to expedite his quest for a wife.

Although he had texted Treyton the night before, he still had not gotten a response. He wondered vaguely what the latter was busy with.

It was Madelyn who came up with that idea earlier that morning.

He remained silent while the enamored manager giggled as she addressed Inez, “Are you happy with him, Ms. Mossey? With these looks and qualifications, he is the gold standard of secretaries. I would be happy just having my daily peep.”

Inez did not express any exuberance. She swept a glance at the manager. “Your work here is done.

You may go.”

“Yes, Ms. Mossey.”

After the office door closed, Inez picked up Kieran’s resume and studied it intently.

Kieran, on the other hand, stood straight and waited quietly for her questions.

Inez took her time to peruse his academic qualifications and employment history.

This fellow began interning at Salinsburgh’s Grand Valley Hospital at the age of sixteen and performed surgery, breaking the hospital’s record at the time.

Since his prodigious performance with the scalpel, his name had become a famous one in the medical world.

As she neared the end of the document, she gulped.

This guy’s accomplishments in the medical world are simply ridiculous. No wonder his emotional intelligence is so low. He has given everything he has to medical research.

“Are you done, Ms. Mossey? I can pour you a glass of water if you’re feeling thirsty.”

Kieran’s voice snapped her back to reality.

Trying to remain calm, she pointed at his resume in an effort to nitpick. “All of your work experiences are related to medicine; you have zero experience in business. Why do you think you are qualified to be my personal secretary?”