From Mr. Nobody to Mr. Perfect!

Chapter 4

The silence that followed Leon's words lasted exactly three seconds before the room erupted in laughter.

"Did he just say he disagrees?" Lisa Romano wiped tears from her eyes, her laughter high and mocking. "The family cook thinks he has a vote?"

Clara's cane struck the floor repeatedly as she chuckled. "In fifty years of business, I've never heard anything so ridiculous."

"Leon, please," Mia whispered, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Don't make this worse."

Beverly's face had turned an alarming shade of red. "How dare you speak when your betters are talking? You have no right—NO RIGHT—to interfere in family business!"

Oliver's smile remained perfectly polite, though his eyes showed amusement. "Perhaps your... husband... doesn't understand the gravity of the situation."

"He understands nothing," Beverly snapped. "Three years of marriage and he's learned nothing about his place."

Leon stood calmly beside the kitchen counter, seemingly unbothered by the ridicule raining down on him. His coffee cup sat untouched in his hands.

"Nevertheless," he said quietly, "I maintain that the family's problems can be solved without Mr. Taylor's... generous offer."

The laughter grew louder.

"Oh, this is rich!" Lisa clapped her hands together. "Tell us, Leon—what's your brilliant solution? Will you cook your way out of bankruptcy?"

"Maybe he'll wash dishes until the debt disappears," another family member called out.

"Or perhaps," Clara's voice dripped with sarcasm, "he has fifty million dollars hidden under his apron?"

Mia's shoulders sagged as the mockery continued. She looked at Oliver, whose patient smile never wavered despite the chaos.

"Oliver, I appreciate your offer, truly," she began, her voice barely audible over the continued laughter. "But I need time to think—"

"Think?" Beverly's voice cracked like a whip. "What is there to think about? This man is offering to save our family!"

"And all he asks in return is marriage to a beautiful woman," Clara added approvingly. "Most men would demand much more for fifty million dollars."

Oliver stepped closer to Mia, his hand reaching for hers. "There's no pressure, of course. But time is a luxury your family doesn't have."

"She knows that," Beverly said quickly. "Don't you, darling? You understand that this is the answer to all our problems?"

Mia's mouth opened to respond when Leon spoke again.

"The Rossi partnership will be restored within the hour."

This time the laughter was so loud it echoed off the marble walls.

"The Rossi partnership?" Lisa gasped between fits of giggles. "The one that Dante Rossi personally destroyed? The one that cost us our biggest investor?"

"He's completely lost his mind," Clara declared. "Beverly, you need to have him committed."

"Enough!" Beverly's voice boomed through the house. "Leon, I've tolerated your presence for three years, but this is the final straw! You're trying to sabotage Mia's future!"

"I'm trying to protect it."

"Protect it?" Beverly's laugh was bitter and cruel. "From what? From success? From security? From a man who can actually provide for her?"

Oliver's smile tightened slightly. "Perhaps we should focus on realistic solutions."

"Exactly!" Clara pointed her cane at Leon. "This delusional fool is living in a fantasy world. Mia, accept Mr. Taylor's proposal immediately before he changes his mind."

"I—" Mia started.

The front door suddenly burst open with such force that it slammed against the wall. Everyone turned toward the sound, their laughter dying instantly.

A figure stumbled through the entrance, and collective gasps filled the room.

Dante Rossi stood in the doorway, but he was barely recognizable. His usually perfect face was swollen and bruised, his expensive suit wrinkled and stained. His left eye was completely swollen shut, and dried blood caked his split lip.

"Jesus Christ," someone whispered.

Dante's good eye swept the room frantically until it found Mia. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees on the marble floor, the sound echoing through the suddenly silent house.

"Mrs. Quinn," his voice was thick and desperate. "Please forgive me."

Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

"I... I've made terrible mistakes," Dante continued, his words tumbling out in a rush. "The partnership between our families—I was wrong to end it. Completely wrong."

Mia stared at him in shock. "Dante, what are you—"

"I'm restoring full cooperation immediately!" He pressed his forehead to the floor. "Better terms than before! Sixty million in investment funds! Whatever you need!"

The silence was deafening.

"This is impossible," Clara whispered.

Lisa's mouth hung open like a fish gasping for air.

Beverly blinked rapidly, as if trying to wake up from a dream.

"Please," Dante begged, still prostrated on the floor. "Accept my apology. I'll never interfere with your business again. I swear it on my family's honor!"

Slowly, every head turned toward Leon, who continued sipping his coffee as if nothing unusual was happening.

"How did you..." Oliver's voice trailed off, confusion clear on his face.

Dante suddenly lifted his head and looked directly at Leon. His remaining good eye filled with terror and respect. Without a word, he bowed deeply toward him, his forehead nearly touching the floor again.

Then he scrambled to his feet and fled from the house, leaving the door wide open behind him.

The silence stretched on endlessly.

"Did he just..." Lisa's voice cracked.

"Bow to..." Clara couldn't finish the sentence.

All eyes turned to where Dante had been looking. Leon stood behind Oliver, still holding his coffee cup. From their angle, it appeared as though Dante had been bowing to Oliver.

"Oh my God," Beverly breathed. "He was bowing to Oliver."

"That means..." Clara's cane trembled in her grip.

"The Taylor family," Lisa whispered in awe. "They're about to become B-tier."

The realization hit the room like lightning. Murmurs rippled through the gathered family members as they stared at Oliver with new respect.

"B-tier," someone repeated reverently.

"That's why Dante apologized," another voice added. "He must have heard about the promotion."

Oliver stood frozen, his mind racing. He hadn't done anything to make Dante Rossi grovel like that. The timing was too convenient, too sudden. What had changed between yesterday and today?

Then inspiration struck.

"It was nothing," Oliver said smoothly, straightening his tie with practiced confidence. "The Golden Group—you may have heard of them—is opening a branch in this city."

Gasps echoed through the room. The Golden Group was legendary, a top-tier conglomerate that operated internationally.

"We've been in preliminary discussions," Oliver continued, his voice gaining strength as he built the lie. "They're quite impressed with our family's potential."

"The Golden Group?" Clara's voice was barely a whisper.

"Becoming B-tier is simply a matter of time now," Oliver said with false modesty. "Though I prefer not to count victories before they're won."

The room erupted in excited whispers. Family members who had been skeptical moments before now looked at Oliver as if he were a god.

"That explains everything," Beverly said, her voice filled with wonder. "Dante must have heard the news."

"Of course he ran," Lisa added. "No one wants to be on the bad side of a future B-tier family."

Oliver basked in their admiration, though confusion still nagged at the back of his mind. The timing was too perfect. Something else was at work here, but he couldn't figure out what.

His gaze fell on Mia, who remained quiet amid the excitement.

"Well?" he asked gently, extending his hand toward her. "Now that your family's immediate crisis is resolved, perhaps you can give me an answer?"

Every eye in the room focused on Mia. The pressure was enormous—a potential B-tier family heir was proposing marriage, and her own family's problems were mysteriously solved.

"I..." Mia looked around the room, then at Oliver's expectant face. "I still need time to consider."

Oliver's smile flickered for just a moment, a flash of darkness crossing his features before the charming mask returned.

"Of course," he said smoothly. "Such an important decision deserves careful thought." His voice carried the slightest edge. "I'll give you some time to consider. But don't take too long—opportunities like this don't wait forever."