At that mont Maria let out a slow breath, tapping her fingers against the wooden table. Her eyes flickered with sharp calculation as she took in the restless energy filling the Office.
"I know everyone will be busy making sure Valentina returns," she said smoothly, her voice carrying a weight of authority. "But Liam, you don’t need to worry—the wedding will take place as planned. It will happen on the date that was set."
Imdiately Liam’s jaw clenched. His patience was running thin, but he kept his tone even.
"That’s exactly why I’m suggesting this," he countered.
"You should postpone it."
Hearing what liam just said Maria narrowed her eyes at him, but he didn’t stop.
"The family should focus all of its energy on getting Valentina back first. Right now, that is the priority. The wedding can wait," Liam said, his voice unwavering.
Chloe scoffed, crossing her arms. "You’re overreacting. Everything is under control."
Liam shot her a cold glance but ignored her, keeping his attention on Mr. Callum instead.
"Valentina deserves sothing better," he continued.
"She deserves to be brought back properly. And once she’s back in this house—then we resu the wedding preparations. Not before."
The office fell into a tense silence.
Liam leaned forward slightly, his expression sharp, unwavering.
"Postpone the wedding," he said again. "Focus on getting Valentina back."
At that mont Maria’s lips curled into a tight, practiced smile—one that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
She was angry but she couldn’t show it. Not here, Not now.
Instead, she played the role she had perfected over the years—calm, understanding, reasonable.
She let out a light chuckle, shaking her head slightly.
"Liam," she said, her voice smooth, almost amused, "why would you want to postpone the wedding over this Valentina situation?"
However Liam didn’t respond imdiately.
He knew her ga, She wasn’t as composed as she pretended to be.
Maria continued, tilting her head slightly.
"There’s no need for that. Give us a day or two—we’ll have Valentina back in the family before the wedding even happens. You don’t need to stress yourself over this."
Her words were carefully chosen, casual yet dismissive. But Liam wasn’t fooled.
He could see through her perfectly controlled mask.
His jaw tightened slightly before he responded, his voice cool, deliberate.
"I know how things work here," he said. "I know what you’re all thinking."
Maria’s smile didn’t waver, but a flicker of irritation passed through her gaze.
Liam leaned back, exhaling slowly.
"That’s why this is my proposal," he said firmly.
"The wedding should be postponed. For now. Until Valentina is back in the family."
His words settled over the office like a heavy weight.
He wasn’t asking.
He was stating, And he wasn’t backing down.
At that mont Maria’s smile faltered—just slightly.
Liam saw it.
He knew his words had struck a nerve.
She could play it off all she wanted, but she understood the reality as well as he did.
This wasn’t just about bringing Valentina back.
This was about saving the Callum family’s reputation.
"If we don’t get her back," Liam continued, his voice asured, "this will bring nothing but sha to the family."
Maria’s fingers curled into a fist at her side.
"We all know how the dia works," Liam went on. "Once word gets out that Valentina Callum—the first daughter of the family—was married off to an unknown nobody, it won’t just be a stain on her na. It’ll be a stain on ours as well."
At that mont nobody dared to argue.
Mr. Callum’s expression darkened. He already knew the truth in Liam’s words.
Liam leaned forward slightly, pressing his point ho.
"The best course of action," he said, "is for us to all work together to bring Valentina back. If we get her before the wedding, good—everything continues as planned. But if we don’t—"
He let the weight of his words settle over them.
"Then we postpone the wedding. No questions asked."
A long, heavy silence filled the room, and then—
"I agree."
All eyes turned toward Mr. Callum.
His voice was firm, his expression unreadable.
"We’ll get Valentina back," he stated. "But until then, the wedding will be postponed."
Maria’s silence stretched for a mont too long.
Mr Callum was calculating, weighing his options, trying to find a way around the obvious truth.
But there was no way around it.
If the dia got hold of this information—if the world found out that Valentina Callum, once the most beautiful woman in the country, the sharpest mind in business, the woman who once had suitors lining up for her hand in marriage—had married a nobody...
It would be humiliating.
Not just for her. For all of them.
For the Callum na.
For the Liam family, too.
Liam’s jaw tightened as he watched Maria struggle to keep her composure.
He knew she understood.
She had no choice.
And after what felt like an eternity, Maria exhaled sharply, the tension in her shoulders barely easing.
"...Fine."
Her voice was clipped, reluctant.
She turned to Mr. Callum.
"We have to get her back," she said. "No matter what it takes."
**
Valentina stiffened slightly at the sound of her na.
She turned slowly, her eyes scanning the familiar face that had called out to her.
Serenity. An old classmate from university.
Standing beside her was Daniel.
Her heart clenched, but not from excitent—no, those days were long gone.
Daniel had once been one of the most sought-after n on campus. Rich, confident, and from a prominent family—his father being one of the heads of the Importation Association in the city.
The Daniels were a tier-two family, not quite at the very top, but wealthy enough to wield influence.
And once upon a ti, he had been interested in her.
Back when she was still the Valentina Callum that everyone wanted.
Now...
Serenity tilted her head slightly, her voice laced with a mocking sweetness.
"Well, well," she said, her tone deliberately light but carrying an unmistakable edge of mockery.
"I didn’t expect to run into you here, Valentina."
However Valentina remained silent, her grip tightening slightly on her purse.
Imdiately Serenity’s gaze flickered to the scarf still covering Valentina’s face.
Then her lips curled into a smirk.
"And here I thought you’d be... enjoying your marriage life," she added. "Or is this where you’ve been hiding all along?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)