Chapter 261
After coming back to the office in the afternoon, Daron had been stuck in video meetings nonstop.
Marina glanced at the clock. It was almost six o’clock, and Daron was still holed up in his office.
She had arranged to meet Waylon at the Gracefall Dining at 6:30
It was rush hour, and she was worried she might already be running late.
Marina rubbed her temples and decided to shoot Waylon a quick message.
Marina: [Sorry, Waylon. I might be a bit late. I am still stuck at the office.]
72%
Waylon replied almost instantly: [No problem. I haven’t gotten to the Gracefall Dining yet either. Eight o’clock works for me. I’ll time it so I get there right at eight.]
Marina glanced up at Daron’s office. His door was still shut tight. She sighed quietly, thinking, ‘Guess I’ll just have to wait a little longer,‘ and sent her reply: [Should be fine.]
Waylon: [Okay.]
About half an hour later, Marina finally got up from her seat and headed over to Daron’s office. She was just about to knock when the door opened from the inside.
Daron stood in the doorway, raised an eyebrow at her, glanced at his watch, and said in a cool tone,
“Didn’t you say you wanted to leave at six today? What are you still doing here?”
Marina bit her lip and answered quietly,
“I missed something when I was updating you earlier. You have a dinner with Mr. Sorel from StarTech at seven tonight, at the Gracefall Dining.”
Daron nodded, his tone as calm as ever, “Alright. You can leave for the day.”
Marina murmured a quiet “okay” and returned to her desk to gather her things.
Her plans with Waylon were now set for eight o’clock.
Now that she was off work, she had more than enough time on her hands.
“Hurry up,” Daron called over.
Marina paused for a second, then turned and saw Daron standing by the elevator, waiting for her.
She had no choice but to grab her handbag and hurry over.
When Daron saw her approach, he stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the parking garage.
Marina hadn’t driven today, and was about to hit the button for the lobby when Daron took hold of her wrist.
“Ride with me. We’re headed to the same place anyway, so it’s on the way,” he said.
Marina gave a dazed nod and stood in silence in the elevator.
Daron cast a glance down at her, his tone as cool as ever.
1/4
ST
Chapter 261
Took nervous. Didn’t you say you weren’t into Waylon
Marina but her bys and replied softly.
72%
Mrs. Crosby is a really mice lady. As long as i don’t get greedy, marrying into the Crosby family wouldn’t be so bad for me.”
As soon as she finished. Daron just woffed, not bothering to say anything more.
Marina kept quiet too
The elevator dinged open to the parking garage.
Daron headed out and got in his car.
Marina climbed in after him, and Daron, already settled in his seat, spoke in that deep, serious tone of his.
“Didn’t you say Waylon wasn’t your type? Now you’re thinking about marrying into the Crosbys? Did they throw in some extra perks or what?”
Marina was caught off guard. Daron didn’t waste any time grilling her with his signature three–point interrogation.
She thought for a long moment before finally answering softly.
“Honestly, I just didn’t really understand what blind dates were for before. But now I get it, so I’m okay with it
Daron narrowed his eyes, watching her closely.
“Go on, let’s hear it. I want to see just how clear your head is,” he said.
Marina replied, “For me, blind dates are just about ticking off the marriage box. These days, most of the trouble in marriages comes from issues between wives and mothers–in–law.
“Since I’m not planning to catch feelings for Waylon anyway, instead of looking for a perfect husband, I’d rather pick a mother–in–law I can actually get along with
Marina thought to herself, “Since I can’t marry the one I truly love, all the other men are pretty much the same to me now.
If she chose Waylon, she wouldn’t have to invest any emotions, nor would she feel any guilt about it.
Her answer brought a heavy silence to the car.
Marina braced herself and glanced over to check Daron’s expression.
He sat with his legs elegantly crossed, slightly reclined in his seat hands interlaced in front of him.
His fingers moved idly, as if he was deep in thought.
His gaze was piercing and heated, like he was trying to bore a hole right through her.
Marina couldn’t meet his intense stare and quickly looked away
“Of course, that’s just my own take. It doesn’t speak for anyone else. Just pretend you didn’t hear me.” Marina said quickly, trying to brush it off.
Daron scoffed, “Are you seriously thinking about marrying Waylon?*
Marina just bit her lip, refusing to answer.
Her eyes drifted to the window, a hint of sadness clouding her gaze.
2/4
12:13 Thu, Feb 12 G‘
Chapter 261
It’s not like marrying Waylon is the only option.
12%
55 vouchers
But if she didn’t settle down, all that mental chaos would just keep swirling in her head, leaving her tossing and turning night after night.
If she didn’t let go of those lingering hopes soon, she might just drive herself into the ground.
Daron frowned deeply, his eyes fixed on Marina. A heaviness settled in his chest as he watched her stay silent.
The Gracefall Dining
The driver pulled up to the entrance and stopped. Marina was the first to get out, then stood aside with a professional smile, waiting for Daron to get out.
Daron stepped out, cast a quick glance down at her, and without a word, walked right past her.
Marina’s professional smile slipped a little. She shut the car door and glanced in Daron’s direction as he walked away.
She watched him stride into the restaurant, vanishing behind an ornate folding screen. With that, Marina turned away and made her way to the private room Waylon had reserved.
Marina showed up an hour and a half early, and when she got to the private room, Waylon wasn’t there yet.
She checked the time, hung around for a while, and since she had time to kill, pulled out her phone and called Kara.
Marina said, “Hey Kara, did you come to the Gracefall Dining today?”
Kara answered, “Nope, I haven’t been around Vrufield lately. Are you at the Gracefall Dining? Which room did you get?”
Marina had hoped Kara would be at the Gracefall Dining so she could hang out with her for a bit.
But since Kara wasn’t around, she just let Kara know which room she was in.
I’m in the Plum Grove Room, Marina said.
Kara clicked her tongue and said, “Seriously, didn’t you mention my name when you booked the room? How did you end up in the Plum Grove?”
“Didn’t you mention my name when you booked? How did you get stuck in Plum Grove?”
The Plum Grove was the most out–of–the–way, run–down room in the Gracefall Dining, not even a single window.
People who booked this room were usually the type who didn’t want to spend money but still wanted to look fancy, borrowing someone else’s membership just to show off at the Gracefall Dining.
Even if the front desk didn’t recognize Marina, with the membership Kara set up for her, there was no way Marina should’ve been stuck in a dump like this.
Those managers are getting more and more careless! I bet they think, just because my brother and I have been super busy lately, they can start cutting corners. I’m calling them up right now to give them a piece of my mind,” Kara snapped.
After Kara pointed it out, Marina finally noticed just how different the Plum Grove room was compared to the others.
Clearly, Waylon didn’t care much about this whole blind date setup.
Honestly, that was probably for the best.
3/4
12:13 Thu, Feb 12 G
Chapter 261
“It’s not on the staff. I didn’t book the room myself, Marina explained.
72%
55 vouchers
Kara said with a breezy confidence, “Don’t worry, I’ll get the staff to upgrade you guys to the VIP suite right now,”
Just as Marina was about to reply, she heard footsteps coming from outside. She lowered her voice and said, “Looks like the person I’m meeting just showed up. Kara, I’ll catch up with you later.”
Kara replied, “Alright.”
Just as Marina was about to hang up, Kara blurted out, sounding sharp and surprised.
“Marina! Since when did you start talking to Jake? He’s the one who booked this room!”
By the time Marina heard Kara’s words, it was already too late.
There stood Jake, rocking a loud floral shirt and jeans, giving her a wave with a smarmy grin on his face.
“Good evening, Marina,” Jake greeted her, his smile never fading.
4/4
