Kimberly was always excited about the weekend. After playing around with Olivia, she couldnât sleep at all.
With nothing else to do, she logged on to Skype.
She hadnât logged in for a while.
After returning to Dellmoor, she changed her phone number and uninstalled. WhatsApp.
However, she did not uninstall Skype as it contained many of her memories. She didnât expect her notifications to ring non-stop the moment she logged in. Other than a few system notifications, all the other messages were from Daniel. They read: âWhere are you, Katherine? Have you really divorced Christopher?â âWeâre all trying to contact you but canât reach your phone number.â
âPlease reply if you see these texts.â
âOur familyâs currently in a hot mess. Christopher canceled all the collaborations with Xander Group.â
âI understand that weâve wronged you in the past. For the benefit of our family, we made you marry Christopher.â
Waves of messages flooded in non-stop.
Kimberly briefly skimmed through a few of them.
Daniel Xander was her brother.
In her memory, he was kind to her and treated her well. At least he was not like the other members of the Xander family who tend to bully her.
She e remembered that when they were in high school, she was bothered and harassed by a male classmate.
When that happened, Daniel would appear and protect her from him.
However, Daniel became quiet and moody ever since their mother passed away. situation became worse when Lucia joined the family.
The Currently, Kimberly was no longer a member of the Xander family.
153 Mon, 22 Jan Therefore, whether they were facing a crisis or not had nothing to do with her.
She was curious what the Xander family would do now that Kristinâs pleas were rejected by Christopher.
Marriage of convenience was a trick that Gregory loved to use.
However, given how scheming a lady Lucia was, she probably would not sacrifice her own daughter in a marriage of convenience. Especially not now that the Xander family had fallen from grace.
Her daughter wouldnât be able to marry into a good family if the Xander family was in a bad state.
Thus, they would most likely sacrifice Danielâs happiness instead..
In the study of the Xander residence, Gregory seemed more cheerful than usual.
He had never thought much of his son. Before this, he didnât even like Daniel all that much. However, now he felt like Daniel was a rare and precious gem.
Daniel was smart enough to know that something was off.
Gregory was not usually this warm toward him.
He shot Gregory a look and asked coldly, âDad, itâs already late. Why did you call me? Is there something urgent?â
Gregory grabbed him, and the both of them sat on the mahogany couch.
âIâm sure you know about the state our company is in. If we donât find a solution soon, Xander Group will vanish from Norhamâs business industry. Iâm already more than 50 years old and have lived more than half of my life. However, you and Kristin are still young. I donât want you to live in poverty in the future.â
Daniel could tell that Gregory was beating around the bush, paving the way for what he was about to say next.
It was obvious he wanted Daniel to be me ntally prepared for what was about to come.
Danielâs patience was running thin. He interrupted Gregory, âDad, please get straight to the point.â
Gregory felt grateful that Daniel knew what he was thinking. âLucia and I have been thinking. It appears that only you can save Xander Group.â
âMe?â Daniel was baffled.
Gregory looked at him and nodded. âThatâs right, you. I plan to have you marry someone from the Coleman family. I hear that Marissa, the daughter of the Coleman family, likes you. I think that we can kill two birds with one stone. If you marry her, you can save Xander Group as well as finally start a family of your own. Marissa is beautiful, well educated, and of high status. You two are a match made in heaven.â
âAs expected of you, Dad. First, you sold Katherine off. Now, youâre planning to sell me off as well.â
Daniel was upset at how pretentious Gregory acted.
âI know youâve already made the arrangements anyway. You can go ahead with it!â With that, Daniel strode out of the study.
At that moment, he felt emotionally drained.
When he heard that Katherine had divorced her husband and disappeared, he was pleasantly surprised.
The news was like a spark that ignited a glimmer of hope in him.
Although he knew that the spark might turn into a fire and harm him, he couldnât help. but feel happy for her.
He was still frustrated when he returned to his room.
He lit a cigarette and turned on his computer.
Inside, there was a secret folder. He would open and look through it whenever he felt unhappy. It never failed to make him feel better. It was like an instant drug that could cure him whenever he needed it to.
Inside the folder were pictures of Katherine. They were photographs of her at different stages of her life.
Indeed, Katherine was the person who occupied the space in his heart.
At first, he refused to come to terms with the fact that he liked Katherine romantically. Therefore, he was distant toward her.
At times, he couldnât help but ask others to secretly take photos of her for him.
He was lost in his thoughts and did not notice that the cigarette between his fingers had already burned to the butt.
The sensation of the cigarette burning his finger drew him back to reality.
These past few days, he had been calling that familiar phone number non-stop. Alas, it was always busy.
No matter how many messages he sent her, he received no reply. He had no news of her at all.
He could only smile bitterly.
After all, she was determined to leave this place. There was no way she would let anyone find her that easily.
While Daniel was troubled about the marriage, someone under the same roof was clated about it..
Gregory and Lucia were overjoyed after they got Daniel to agree to the marriage. They were so excited that they couldnât sleep.
They acted as if Xander Group had just received a contract worth billions of dollars.
Lucia picked up her phone and dialed Roxyâs number. She knew Roxy from her social gatherings with the other socialite housewives. Roxy was the only person she knew who could connect her to the Coleman family.
These women usually showed off their husbands, family backgrounds, and connections. to each other whenever they gathered.
Gregory listened intently to the call. Lucia said very politely, âMrs, Falcon, itâs me, Lucia. I talked to you about mecting the daughter of the Coleman family yesterday. May I know if youâve contacted them?â
Lucia was an emotionally intelligent woman. She once helped Roxy come up with a plan when the latter was battling her husbandâs mistress.
Therefore, Roxy was willing to help her with this request of hers.
Roxy also knew that if this marriage went well, it would benefit her as well.
She replied politely, âDonât worry. Iâve already made the appointment. Sheâs free tomorrow. You should choose the venue and send it to me. Letâs allow the two young ones to meet first. Then, we can discuss further after that.â
Gregory had already gotten extremely excited as he listened. It seemed like his plan. would go smoothly.
As long as Marissa married into their family, she could help Xander Group survive this crisis.
They would treat her well and never wrong her in any way.
O