A Rolls-Royce, followed by ten luxury cars, stopped in front of the grand lobby of the Cornell family's mansion. A handsome man in a tuxedo stepped out with commanding presence. His aura radiated dominance and hostility. Thick brows, piercing eyes, and not even a hint of a smile on his face.

He reached out his hand to help an elderly woman out of the car. The lady, dressed in expensive clothes and holding a cane, gripped her grandson’s hand tightly as they approached the Cornell family waiting in the lobby.

"Welcome, Mrs. Greyson and Mr. Greyson." Eric greeted them warmly. So did Marie and Mikaela. The woman’s eyes sparkled as she saw her fiancé approaching. "Sorry I couldn't come yesterday. There was a bit of an incident on the road," she whispered.

"It’s fine," Edward replied shortly. Mikaela froze, disappointed. Why wasn’t there any concern or relief on his face?

Brielle quietly observed the interaction between the couple. Marie was right. Edward was a total jerk for ignoring a woman as kind as Mikaela.

"Who’s this lovely young lady, Eric?" Grandma Maya smiled at Brielle.

"She’s my daughter."

"Really?" Maya looked surprised. "I thought you only had one daughter."

"Brielle is from my previous marriage, Mrs. Maya," Marie quickly explained before any misunderstanding could occur.

"Ah, I see!" The old woman’s smile grew wider. She looked back at Brielle. "She’s as beautiful as you are, Mrs. Cornell."

Marie smiled sweetly, flattered. "Thank you."

Eric invited them in. They chatted casually on the way to the dining room. Occasionally, Grandma chuckled at Eric’s jokes. The friendship between the Cornell and Greyson families went back decades, since the time Edward’s parents were still alive.

Now, Grandma only had Edward. She didn’t want her only grandson and heir to Cornell Corp marrying just any woman. Especially these days, when so many women only cared about easy money. For her, Mikaela was the right woman for Edward since they’d known each other since childhood.

They sat at the lavish dining table, fine cutlery gleaming. As the staff finished serving the dishes, the group engaged in light conversation.

"Have you two decided on a wedding date?" Grandma asked, looking back and forth between Mikaela and Edward. Her eyes sparkled with joy.

"I’ve left that to Mikaela," Edward said curtly while cutting his steak, clearly uninterested in the topic.

Eric clenched his jaw, annoyed by the son of his late best friend. He showed zero enthusiasm about the wedding. Eric had caught Mikaela crying too many times lately.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t confront Edward. Cornell Corp’s success relied entirely on Greyson Corp. Canceling their partnership to protect Mikaela’s feelings was not an option.

"You two should decide it together, Edward. You're the ones getting married," Grandma snapped at her only grandson.

Edward sighed softly, then set his utensils down and looked at Mikaela with fake tenderness. "Have you picked a date yet, sweetheart?" He forced a sweet smile just to stop his grandma from scolding him. "You didn’t show up yesterday, and I thought you didn’t care about our wedding." Now, he had an excuse to shift the blame to Mikaela.

Mikaela grew anxious as all eyes turned to her. "Sorry. I had some business to take care of, so I couldn’t make it."

"That’s a shame. Seems like our wedding isn’t important to you." Edward faked a disappointed, hurt expression.

"It’s not like that. I just—"

"Mikaela saved me that day," Brielle interrupted firmly, seeing Edward smirking. "I’m the one who should be blamed." Her voice was cold.

"What do you mean?" Grandma frowned, puzzled.

"Mikaela saved me from a group of thugs. She risked herself to protect me. She’s incredibly kind." Brielle glanced at Edward with disdain, hoping her words would change how he saw Mikaela—make him realize what a good woman she was.

But Edward wasn’t moved at all. He simply continued eating his meal like nothing had happened.

"Oh my God! Are you okay, honey?! Were you hurt?!" Grandma exclaimed, panicking as she looked at Mikaela.

"You don’t have to worry, Grandma. I’m fine." Mikaela gave a small smile, then looked sadly at Edward. The man showed no concern for her at all.

Should she still go through with this wedding? She already knew Edward had never agreed to this arranged marriage. He only accepted because of pressure from his grandmother. Since then, his attitude had grown colder than ever. Even though they had been friends since they were kids, Edward had never truly acknowledged her.

Still, Mikaela chose to ignore it. She had liked Edward since childhood and always hoped she’d marry him one day. That dream was finally about to come true. She couldn’t afford to let it slip away. Mikaela believed he would love her—someday.

But she couldn’t deny the pain from his unchanging coldness.

"Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom." Mikaela quickly left before her tears could fall.

Brielle watched her go, saddened. She was definitely going somewhere to cry.

Edward wiped his mouth with calm authority and stood. "Sorry, I can’t stay long. I have a meeting tonight."

"Edward! We’re not done talking about your wedding with Mikaela!" Grandma scolded. "Cancel that meeting, right now!"

"It’s alright, Mrs. Greyson. Let him go. Work is just as important as marriage," Eric pretended to defend Edward.

Edward gave a slight bow before leaving. He didn’t even thank Eric for standing up for him.

"I need the bathroom. Excuse me." Brielle excused herself and quickly followed Edward out to the mansion lobby.

"Wait a second, sir," Brielle called out, a little sharply.

Edward stopped and frowned in confusion when the unfamiliar woman addressed him. "Yes?"

"Do you even have a conscience?" Brielle snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Edward’s thick brows furrowed.

"Mikaela loves you, but you treat her like she’s nothing. She’s smart, beautiful, and kind. What more could you want?" she fumed.

Edward was annoyed by Brielle’s boldness. "Stay out of it, miss. Mind your own business." He turned and walked away, uninterested in arguing. Besides, he really did have a meeting to attend.

"Wait! I’m not finished—" Brielle suddenly slipped, landing hard on her backside. "Argh! My stomach!"

Edward stopped and looked back. His eyes widened as he saw blood seeping between her thighs.

She’s pregnant?