A week later."Tomorrow is the banquet; are you ready for it?" Elia asked, sitting in front of Ethan. "Do I need to be ready?" Ethan asked, arching his brows as he passed some file to Elia.They just had a meeting with one of the most feared men in the country. It was impromptu, so Ethan decided to fix it for today."Well, I guess. I'll be going as well because my company has a deal with Mr. Darnell, and he suggests that we sign the deal at the banquet," she informed, causing Ethan to pause for a second before composing himself."What?" Elia asked, not missing the way his mood changed."I was told the same thing," he answered plainly. "Oh... I see why you're attending the banquet now. "To be honest, I was astounded when you said you'd go," Elia said, but Ethan didn't respond; rather, he asked, "Do you have everything prepared for tonight's dinner with Mr. Lorenzo and his wife?""Yes, but I have to get off work now; I have a dress to pick up," she said, getting to her feet."Alright

Marilyn noticed the tension in the room and forced a smile on her face. "Elia... Why don't you take me upstairs to see the kids while Ethan and my husband continue their discussion?" She said, swallowing hard because she didn't want to spend a minute next to Elia, but she has dealt with people like her before, so she was certain that it'll only take a few conversations for Elia to like her."No. "I'm my brother's PA, and I'm staying for the business," she said firmly.Lorenzo reached for the water on the table and poured himself a glass. "I must confess, your sister is really stubborn," he said.Ethan turned to Elia, gesturing that she should leave. As much as Lorenzo got on his nerves, he knew there was a greater purpose to their alliance.Elia narrowed her eyes and pushed her chair back. "I've changed, my child. Let's go and see the kids." She said, forcing a smile on her face and glaring at Marilyn at the same time,"We should take something with us. Or are they asleep?" She inquir

Soon, it was time for the banquet, and Ethan was ready. His week was long and stressful, and he was barely able to sleep. He exited his room to quickly check on Rosanna, but on getting to her room, he caught sight of the butler. "Where's Rosanna?" He asked, "She's gone, sir." The butler responded, causing Ethan to furrow his brows, confused. "What do you mean? She's gone. How?" He inquired, placing his hand on the doorknob of the car and pushing it back, to have a look at the room. Surprised to see that the room had none of Rosanna's possessions in it, he asked again, "Where's Rosanna?" "She left with her things this morning after you left for work, sir," the butler informed. Furious, Ethan said, "So why on earth did you not inform me that she left?" "When you got back from work, sir, you strictly asked that no one disturb you." He said, bowing his head, afraid because he hadn't seen Ethan angry like that before. "I'm sorry, sir; I should have tried telling you, sir,"

"Thank you, Daniel." Rosanna said.Daniel's mother walked to her son and smiled. "Congratulations, son," she said and hugged him tight."I know this was your doing, Mother. I know!" He said, trying to hide his irritation."What do you mean?" Mrs. Darnell asked, with a wide smile across her lips, "I'm so proud that you've finally listened to me. It's better you settle down." She said and turned to Rosanna."Congratulations, child. You're now a part of our family," she paused. "I didn't know my son was this romantic," she laughed. It was then Daniel realized that his mother had no hand in this. He looked around and caught sight of Ethan walking away, recalling how eager Ethan was to take Rosanna out of the hall for them to talk privately; a sly smile instantly appeared on his face, realizing that Ethan wanted to propose to her.While Rosanna and Mrs. Darnell walked towards the car, Mr. Darnell pulled his son to a corner and asked, "What is this? Is this one of your rebellious attitudes

A soft chuckle escaped Ethan's lips; he found their comments completely funny but still didn't want to waste his time on them. Fortunately, before Belen could go on, Selena walked towards them and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Belen, whose eyes lit up, shook his head. "Alright. I want to borrow Mr. Ethan for a moment," she said and took his hand, walking away from them. Selena had no idea what they were talking about, but her father would soon announce the contract proposal and then, they'd sign it in front of everyone along with other business partners, and she didn't want him to be entangled in family drama."With the look on y'all's faces, I can tell that my event planner has not failed to satisfy y'all," Mr. Darnell said, smiling at the sight of the guests present at his banquet."50 years ago, I wouldn't boast to have great men like this here." He paused. "Every year, we all grew, not just in age but in the numbers in our accounts, and today, I want to expand m