Josh swallowed hard.
The room went completely still.
"He booked a flight last night and left Eldrida this morning."
Chairman Viggo stared wide eyed at him, not wanting to believe.
"What?" he asked.
Josh opened his mouth to repeat his words, but the chairman waved him off. Of course he had heard him clearly the first time. He just didn't want to believe it.
Chairman Viggo had always kept a straight face. He commanded, and no one dared to disobey him. But with Daniel, he always lost his composure. This son of his was disobedient—had always been disobedient—and only he knew how hard it was to keep a straight face around him.
He had known Daniel would disobey him on this engagement matter.
To be honest, he had been shocked when Daniel actually agreed to it so quickly yesterday. He had thought Daniel agreed because he loved Riley. But now he knew the truth. Daniel must have agreed because he wasn't planning to attend at all.
He didn't understand. His father was doing this for his own good. Riley was the best lady for him. He was only helping Daniel get her before another guy claimed her.
Chairman Viggo massaged the bridge of his nose. A headache was starting to form. This was a huge deal. How was he going to fix it?
"We need to give the Sabels an explanation," Grandma Viggo suddenly said.
She had calmed down now. Her voice was steady again. She looked at Olivia.
"Prepare a few gifts to take to them," she ordered.
Olivia felt like her ears were playing tricks on her. She stared at Grandma Viggo, waiting for someone else to respond. But the old woman was looking directly at her.
"Yes. Yes. Yes, Mom," Olivia said quickly.
She was overjoyed. This was the first time the matriarch had asked her to do something. She hurried off to prepare the gifts, pulling from her recent shopping hauls—a still-bagged Hermès Birkin she'd bought just last week, a limited-edition Chanel flap bag from yesterday, a Dior saddle bag still in its dust cover. Along with those, she grabbed a new pair of diamond earrings she hadn't worn yet, an unworn Cartier watch fresh in its box, and a rare bottle of vintage Krug she'd picked up on a whim. She made sure everything was perfect. She specifically picked things she thought Riley would like.
Soon, everything was ready. The Viggo family headed to the Sabel mansion.
---
The Sabel family was seated in the living room.
Riley sat on the ground at her grandmother's feet, still in her white engagement gown, tears streaming down her face.
She had been crying for what felt like hours. Her throat was sore. Her eyes burned. Her whole body ached from the weight of her own sobs.
Her grandmother patted her head gently, trying to soothe her. Her mother sat close, rubbing her back and whispering soft words.
But Riley couldn't stop. Every time she tried to calm down, she remembered the empty couch. The whispering guests. The cameras recording everything. She had sat there smiling, thinking Daniel was coming, while he was probably miles away not even thinking about her.
The thought made her cry harder.
"Why would you be crying when your husband only went on a business trip?"
A voice cut through the room.
Riley froze.
She jerked her head toward the door. The Viggo family was walking in, maids trailing behind them carrying gift boxes wrapped in gold and white.
Business trip?
She blinked, confused. Her mind was foggy from crying. Had she heard correctly?
"What?" she asked, her voice cracking.
They walked fully inside. Grandma Viggo led the way, her back straight, her face calm. Chairman Viggo followed behind her, his expression hard to read. Olivia walked beside him, looking proud of herself.
Grandma Viggo waved her hand, and the maids handed the gifts over to the Sabel maids.
"I've never seen a wife who cries because her husband is on a business trip," Grandma Viggo said as she sat down on an empty chair.
Riley slowly stood up from her grandmother's feet. Her legs felt weak. Her knees were shaking. She moved closer to Grandma Viggo, hope flickering in her swollen eyes.
"You mean..." Riley stopped. She swallowed. A fresh tear rolled down her cheek. "You mean he didn't leave me?"
Her voice was small. Fragile. Barely a whisper.
Grandma Viggo looked at her. "He's on a trip," she said simply. "A business trip. He left this morning."
Riley stared at her.
A business trip.
Not abandonment. Not rejection. Just a trip.
She let out aa breath she didn't know she was holding. A long, shaky breath that seemed to come from somewhere deep in her chest. Her shoulders dropped. Her hands stopped trembling.
Then a smile broke across her tear-streaked face. Small at first, then wider, until fresh tears spilled over from the sheer relief of it.
"He left this morning?" she repeated, wanting to hear it again. Wanting to believe it.
Grandma Viggo nodded. "Yes. It was sudden. He didn't have time to inform anyone."
Riley pressed her hands to her chest, right over her heart. She looked up at the ceiling, blinking back more tears.
He didn't leave me. He didn't leave me. He didn't leave me.
The words echoed in her head like a prayer finally answered.
Grandma Viggo watched her and breathed a small sigh of relief. At least that brat had actually only gone on a business trip. She had been worried for a moment too.
"As the future daughter-in-law of the Viggo family," Grandma Viggo said, her voice firm but not unkind, "you shouldn't be crying like this. It's embarrassing. People will talk."
Riley nodded eagerly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Sorry, Grandma. I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I just thought... I thought he..."
She couldn't finish the sentence. The thought was too painful to say out loud.
"I know," Grandma Viggo said. "But it's fine now. Go change into something nice. You can't have people see you looking like this."
Riley looked down at her white gown, now wrinkled and wet with tears. Grandma Viggo was right. She couldn't let anyone see her like this.
She nodded again and turned toward the stairs. But before she went up, she looked back at Grandma Viggo.
"Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you for telling me."
Then she ran up the stairs, her gown trailing behind her.
In her room, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Puffy eyes. Red nose. Smudged makeup. She looked like a mess.
But she didn't care.
He didn't leave me.
She took a deep breath. Then another.
She changed into a nice dress. She fixed her hair. She wiped the smudged makeup from under her eyes and put on fresh lipstick. She checked her face again. Her eyes were still a little puffy, but she looked presentable.
Then she hurried back downstairs, ready to thank Grandma Viggo properly. Ready to show her she could be a good future daughter-in-law.
But when she reached the living room, they were all gone.
Riley stood in the middle of the room, confused.
"The engagement," her grandmother said gently from her chair, "will happen on another date. It's been postponed until Daniel gets back."
Riley's eyes went wide.
Postponed. Not canceled. Just postponed.
She grabbed her grandmother's hand excitedly.
"Really?" she asked, her voice high with happiness. "It's really just postponed?"
Her mother chuckled from across the room. This daughter of hers was head over heels for the grandson of the Viggo family. She just hoped he wouldn't hurt her.
"Yes," her mother replied. "Just postponed."
Riley moved to her mother, hugging her from the side. She kissed her cheek loudly.
"I need to go clear the air with the guests who came here today," Riley suddenly remembered.
She had almost forgotten. A few people had witnessed her disgrace today. They had seen her crying. She needed to explain to them that her engagement was postponed, not canceled. She needed to make sure no one thought Daniel had abandoned her.
"Yes, yes, you do your thing," her mother said, patting her hand.
Riley nodded and left to her studio.
She didn't have a house yet. She wanted Daniel to be the one to pick her house. She was tired of sleeping in this studio. It was comfortable enough, but she wanted her own villa.
But she was going to wait for him. She would wait forever if she had to.
He's on a business trip, she thought again. That's all. He didn't leave me.
She closed her eyes and replayed Grandma Viggo's words in her mind. He left this morning. A business trip. It was sudden.
Then, slowly, a thought crept in.
Why didn't he tell me?
If he was leaving on a trip, why didn't he call? Why didn't he send a message? Why did he let me sit on that couch for hours, waiting, while everyone watched?
Her heart started to pound again.
No, she told herself firmly. Don't think like that. Grandma said it was sudden. He didn't have time. That's all.
She pushed the doubt down and took a deep breath.
Then, suddenly, another thought came. A better one.
Maybe Daniel didn't want to help her pick her house because he wanted her to move in with him.
Yes. That makes sense.
She couldn't see another reason why he wouldn't want to help her. He had money. He had connections. If he wanted to help her find a house, he could. So the only explanation was that he didn't want her to have her own house at all.
He wanted her close. He wanted her in his space. He was probably planning to ask her to move into his penthouse after the wedding.
She beamed just thinking about it.
He loves me, she thought. He really loves me.
She hugged herself, spinning around, her heart full of joy.
Having Daniel was her only dream. It had been her dream for as long as she could remember. She had wanted him since she was a girl. And now he was going to be hers. Very soon. Nothing could change that.
She stopped spinning and stood still for a moment, catching her breath.
Yes, she thought. I'm the right one for him.
She picked up her phone.
She was going to post something. Let those people know she was still the Viggo family's one and only future daughter-in-law. Let them know the engagement was just postponed. Let them know Daniel was coming back for her.
She opened Instagram and started typing.
Her smile never left her face.