My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Don’t Want to Marry Me?

Luke Lockwood’s face was grim as he contacted Kyle Zimmerman.

"Kyle, I’m a shareholder in Zephyr, for crying out loud. Shouldn’t you have asked for my opinion before bringing in a new investor?"

"President Lockwood, you were in charge of this project before. I’m just cleaning up your mess. Or do you have a better solution?"

"Pay the breach of contract fee."

"Heh, does the company have that much liquid capital? Or are you expecting everyone else to foot the bill for you?"

Kyle Zimmerman sneered, "You might not be aware of the situation. Although Zenith is the company’s major shareholder, the projects you handled before have absolutely nothing to do with me. If you, President Lockwood, can pay the breach of contract fee out of your own pocket, your shareholding won’t be affected at all."

Kyle Zimmerman had calculated perfectly, knowing Luke couldn’t possibly come up with such a large sum for the fee right now.

The company had just gone public and was already short on funds. Coupled with Thomas Sutton’s sudden withdrawal of investment, it was now teetering on the brink. Just maintaining operations was a struggle.

Aside from his house in Repulse Bay and his million-dollar savings, he had nowhere near enough to cover the ten-million-dollar breach of contract fee.

Hearing his silence, Kyle said, "President Lockwood, think it over yourself. I won’t interfere in this matter any further, but don’t even think about touching the company’s funds. If you’re really out of options, President Lockwood, we at Zenith would be more than happy to acquire a portion of your shares at market price."

"In your dreams!" Luke Lockwood snarled through gritted teeth.

’How much blood, sweat, and tears did I pour into founding Zephyr?’

’Besides, Vesper put so much into it too. If I sell the shares, the last thread of memory and connection between me and Vesper will be severed by my own hands.’

"In that case, President Lockwood, you’re on your own."

Kyle Zimmerman hung up and looked at the man across from him. "I’ll have to trouble you, Mr. Carson, to put some more pressure on Luke Lockwood. This is President Hawthorne’s wish as well."

...

Jared Hawthorne finished his bowl of noodles, looked up, and said, "If you don’t like the decor here, you can contact an interior design company to have it redone."

"It’s quite nice."

Luxurious yet understated, with a cool, minimalist aesthetic.

’With a few decorations, the style could be completely changed.’

’This man is assertive and decisive, yet he asks for my opinions and feelings, and caters to my preferences.’

This feeling of being respected was like a warm current flowing through her heart.

Just as Vesper Grayson was about to clear the dishes, the man grabbed her wrist. "Don’t worry about it. The housekeeper will take care of it tomorrow morning."

He pulled her upstairs.

The moment the door closed, he wrapped an arm around the small of her back without a word and lowered his head to kiss her.

The kiss was forceful and domineering, filled with an irresistible possessiveness and a scorching urgency that had been suppressed for a long time.

Their lips and tongues tangled, breaths mingling in chaos as their heartbeats collided in the silent, unlit night. Half-embracing her, he backed up step by step until they reached the bed, and he pressed her down onto the soft mattress.

Vesper Grayson frantically covered his lips, her voice soft and trembling. "I haven’t showered yet..."

Jared Hawthorne let out a low chuckle, his breath hot. "It’s fine. We’ll go together later."

Before the words had even faded, he leaned down to kiss her again, devouring her breath.

After their soul-devouring intimacy, Vesper Grayson was so exhausted she could barely open her eyelids. Drenched in a light sweat, she was carried into the bathtub by the man. They had agreed it would just be a bath, but she ended up being thoroughly ravaged once more. By the time she was lifted out, her body was as limp as a pool of spring water.

The moment she touched the bed, she fell into a deep sleep.

...

Vesper Grayson woke up the next day. It was already nine o’clock.

By this time, Jared Hawthorne had already left for the office.

She moved her sore, limp body and couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead.

’There’s no such thing as a free lunch, indeed.’

’And to think I praised him last night for being so considerate. He ended up collecting interest later in the evening.’

After she washed up, she received a call from Jared Hawthorne.

"You’re awake?"

His deep, smiling voice came from the other end of the line.

Vesper Grayson’s face flushed. "Mhm. Where are my clothes?"

She had just looked around but couldn’t see the clothes she had worn last night.

"I had the housekeeper take them to be washed."

"Then what am I supposed to wear?"

"Go pick something from the wardrobe yourself."

Vesper Grayson froze for a moment, then turned and went into the walk-in closet.

The closet was filled with new autumn collections for the current season, the tags still on.

A flash of surprise crossed her almond-shaped eyes. "When did you prepare all this?"

"Last week."

"Weren’t you worried I wouldn’t come stay with you?"

"You’re my woman. If you don’t stay here with me, where else would you go?"

Jared Hawthorne was in a pleasant mood. "Go downstairs and get something to eat. I’ll have someone pick up your luggage from the Grayson Residence this afternoon."

"I’ll go get it myself. I haven’t told my dad about moving in with you yet."

She had only told him she was moving out to live on her own.

"Afraid Mr. Grayson won’t approve?"

"My dad is a bit old-fashioned. He’s not very accepting of living together before marriage..."

"Then he should be fine with it after we’re engaged, right?"

"Huh?"

"Let’s find some time for our families to have a meal together and discuss our engagement. Or would you prefer to skip a step and get married directly?"

Vesper Grayson was taken aback and quickly said, "It’s not that urgent. Let’s take it slow."

She and Jared Hawthorne had only just gotten together. Although they had a good feeling about each other, they didn’t have a deep emotional foundation yet. It was better to spend more time getting used to one another.

’Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime matter; it requires the utmost caution.’

"You don’t want to marry me?" Jared Hawthorne leaned back on the sofa, his eyes deep and dark.

"It’s not that, I just want to build more of a connection with you, President Hawthorne..."

She had a slow-to-warm-up personality to begin with. If Ivy Joyce hadn’t set her up, she and Jared Hawthorne would never have progressed so quickly.

Jared Hawthorne’s lips curved into a smile. ’If the little lady wants to cultivate feelings, then I’ll just have to cultivate them with her.’

’He had plenty of time, anyway.’

’He’d waited for so many years; what was a little more time?’

"Alright. Whatever you say."

Vesper Grayson chose an outfit, put it on, and went downstairs for breakfast.

When the housekeeper saw her, she immediately greeted her. "Madam, hello. My name is Joan Langley. You can call me Joan."

’Madam...’

"Joan, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not married yet. You can just call me Miss Grayson."

Joan smiled. "The master said that you will be the mistress of this house from now on. I think I’ll stick with calling you Madam."

"..."

"Please, have a seat. I’ll bring you your breakfast."

"Thank you for the trouble."

After breakfast, it was nearly ten o’clock.

She had arrived in Jared Hawthorne’s car last night, so her only option was to pick a car from his garage.

Looking at the garage full of luxury cars, she felt a little emo.

In the end, she picked the "cheapest" one—a million-dollar luxury car—and drove out.

She first went to the Imperial Hotel to visit Gwen Grayson.

But she never expected to run into Luke Lockwood at the hotel.

"Vesper, are you here to see me?"

The moment he saw her, Luke Lockwood’s eyes lit up.

He had shaved, but his handsome face looked even thinner. His eyes were sunken with dark circles beneath them, and an unconcealable exhaustion made him look exceptionally haggard.

Vesper Grayson frowned instinctively, taking an unconscious step back the moment he moved closer.

Luke Lockwood stopped in his tracks, his dark eyes fixed on her.

"Vesper, even if you have a boyfriend now, I won’t give up. I know I was completely in the wrong before, that I betrayed your trust. But you’ve always been the one I loved..."

"When you break up with him, can you give me a chance to pursue you again?"

"Let’s just call it even. We can forget the past and start over, okay?"

The implication was clear: she should forgive his cheating, and in return, he wouldn’t mind that she had been with another man.

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