CHAPTER THIRTY-ONECHAPTER THIRTY_ONEFiona's face had worry and frustration written all over it. She wanted to stand up for Austin, but she knew how stubborn her cousin, Angela, could be. After a moment, she decided to stay quiet. She'd call Manager Tyler later, after Austin had left, to try and fix things. She was sure Austin hadn't stolen anything. It was all just Angela's way of getting back at him.Suddenly, Austin's phone rang. He pulled it out and saw the name "Xavier" on the screen."Hello?" he answered.Everyone stared at him. Was he really taking a phone call right now? Shouldn't he be begging Manager Tyler to let him go? No one could figure out what was going on in his head.On the other end, Mr. Xavier's cheerful voice came through. "Master Parker, have you arrived?""Yeah, I'm here, but the manager is trying to kick me out," Austin said, sounding a little tired. "I tried to explain, but he won't listen.""Master Parker, I'm so sorry. I should have made things clearer," Mr

CHAPTER THIRTY_THREEThat was how Fiona suddenly found herself engaged to Austin, a man she'd never met and who, from the looks of it, was completely broke. After her father had explained the situation, Fiona went home and thought it all over. She decided that if giving herself up could save her family and the company they'd built from the ground up, then she would do it. She couldn't stand the thought of watching everything they had worked so hard for just fall apart, with her father ending up in jail.Besides, she figured that if a big foreign company wanted her to marry Austin, he had to be someone important. She expected a wealthy heir, someone whose name alone could save her family’s business. But here she was, standing in front of Austin—a man who looked like a total pauper. She had already given up on finding true love and had settled for a marriage that would bring her family money and stability. Now, it seemed Austin couldn't even give them that.Fiona just couldn't understan

CHAPTER THIRTY_FIVEFiona zipped up her bag and walked out of the private room, her mind replaying the conversation she'd just had. Angela, after shooting Austin a final, heated glare, was right on her heels. The moment they were in the hallway, Angela grabbed Fiona’s arm, her face that of complete confusion and frustration."Fiona, are you serious? You're actually going to marry that jerk Austin?" she blurted out, her voice a low, urgent whisper. "Look at him! If you marry someone like that, your life will be a total mess. Don't you see that?"Fiona sighed, pulling her arm away gently. "I know, I know. But Dad’s company is in huge trouble. This is the only way to save it. You know that." Her voice was soft, barely audible over the chatter of the restaurant.Angela’s eyes widened, her expression full of disbelief. "But, Fiona, you’re so much better than him! I just can't stand the thought of you marrying him. It's not right," she insisted, her voice trembling with emotion."It doesn’t

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN Alyana’s face showed a hint of embarrassment as she glanced at Austin. To be honest, his appearance didn’t suggest someone who could afford to buy such property. She knew the property they sold here where quit high in price. “You should know by now that this person would never count as a client, and we have a few minutes to close down. You should hurry and go find a client,” Manager Harf yelled out impatiently. “Yes Manager!” Alyana responded nervously before turning to walk out of the office but before she could take another step, Austin quickly grabbed her by the arm. He knew he shouldn’t be calm in this situation and that he had been insulted to many times but he still smiled calmly before speaking. “Why don’t you tell me the kind of person you think should qualify as a client here?” “You really want to know?” Manager Harf asked before chuckling. “Alright, I would tell you the kind of person we consider a client here. A person who can afford a house we