Chapter 4

The room went silent.

"Grandpa?" Knox muttered in shock.

Isolde paused, one noodle dangling from her lips. She slurped it up with zero shame.

Standing in the doorway, Dominic Mathford took in the scene. The girl on the floor, the large plate of noodle, oversized nightgown, the stiff-backed Reeves, the horrified housekeeper, and Knox looking like he’d just been told the stock market collapsed.

Dominic’s lips twitched. “Well, well… I see I came at a lively time.”

Isolde blinked. “Hi… um, sir?”

“You must be…” Dominic raised an eyebrow. “My new granddaughter-in-law?”

Isolde scrambled to her feet, then picked up her half-eaten bowl of noodles. “That’s me,” she mumbled through another mouthful.

Knox stepped forward quickly. “Grandpa please, this isn’t what it looks like.”

Dominic’s eyes sparkled with mischief. Of course he knew exactly what it was.

His grandson had rushed into marriage for the inheritance. And now? He was going to enjoy every second of watching Knox squirm.

“Oh, I don’t know, Knox,” Dominic said lightly. “It looks quite entertaining from where I’m standing.”

Isolde stood beside them, still slurping noodles from the bowl, unbothered. She held the plate in one hand and used the other to twirl.

“Grandpa, please don’t mind her eating habits. She’s actually… practicing for a skit.”

Dominic raised a brow. “A skit?”

“Yes!” Knox nodded. “You know… acting practice.”

Dominic looked around the room slowly. “Where’s the ring light? Or a camera?”

Knox cleared his throat. “Oh. No, no… the skit won’t be recorded here. She was just practicing her eating scene. Somewhere else… later.”

Isolde slurped a noodle loudly.

Dominic turned back to Knox with a straight face. “Why would your wife need to act skits to earn money? Can’t you provide for her?”

Knox’s face tightened for a second, but then he answered calmly, “It’s her passion, Grandpa. She enjoys it. And I respect that.”

Dominic didn’t smile. He only nodded once and kept his gaze sharp. “I see.” then he settled into the sofa.

Dominic turned back to her. “Tell me, dear. How did you two meet?”

Knox jumped in so fast he nearly choked. “It’s a long story, Grandpa. One of those… modern coincidences. Fate, really.”

Dominic raised a slow brow. “Is that so?”

“Absolutely,” Knox said. “We, uh… met through a mutual situation, and well, things just… clicked. She’s different. Bold. I admire that.”

Reeves blinked. Bold?

Mrs. Betty pretended to dust an already clean table.

Isolde kept eating her noodles like none of this involved her.

“I’m sure you do,” Dominic said smoothly.

Then, his smile sharpened just a little. “I'd like a moment alone with my granddaughter-in-law.”

Isolde paused mid-bite.

Knox straightened. “Is that necessary?”

Dominic shot him a cool look. “Are you hiding something, son?”

“No. Of course not. I just—”

Before he could finish, Isolde suddenly gasped. Her eyes went wide. She hunched over slightly and clutched her stomach. “Oww…”

Everyone froze.

“I—I think the noodles are fighting back,” she whispered, dramatically breathless. “I think I need to lie down.”

Then she clutched the plate tighter and started wobbling away slowly, bowl in hand.

Mrs. Betty moved to help her, but Isolde waved her off. “No, no. I’ll be fine. I just need to… breathe horizontally.”

Knox looked panicked. “Are you okay?—”

But she was already disappearing up the stairs, her nightgown fluttering like a tragic heroine from a low-budget drama.

Dominic watched her go, his expression unreadable. Then he chuckled just once and turned back to Knox. “Well, since your wife is sick, I’ll talk to you instead.”

Knox nodded. Reeves and Mrs. Betty left quietly, leaving just the two men.

Knox sat down on the sofa, trying to relax, but he was tense.

Dominic walked slowly to a chair and sat down, leaning on his cane.

“She’s quite the character,” he said calmly. “I like her a lot.”

Knox smiled a little, but his grandfather’s tone didn’t feel like a real compliment.

Dominic continued, “I’ll be making an announcement tomorrow. It’s time to hand over the business to you.”

Knox’s eyes lit up. He nodded, trying to hide his excitement.

But then Dominic added, “There’s a condition.”

Knox looked up. “What condition?”

Dominic leaned forward. “You must live with your wife for a year and six months.”

Knox's smile disappeared for a second, but he quickly forced it back.

“She’s my wife,” he said stiffly. “We’ll live together.”

Dominic tilted his head. “Then why do you look unhappy? Are you planning to divorce her?”

“No!” Knox answered quickly. “I’m not unhappy.”

Then his voice suddenly rose. “But why should Slade even compete with me for what’s mine? This is my father’s company! Not his father's! Why must I be forced to live with someone just to claim what belongs to my blood?”

Dominic’s face stayed calm. “That ‘someone’ is your wife. You chose her.”

There was a long silence.

“I expect to see her at family events. A wife should not be hidden.” Dominic added.

Knox looked away, jaw clenched.

Dominic stood up slowly. Whether Knox stayed with her or divorce her later, that was up to him. But he hoped Knox would learn to be less reckless and wild before then.

Knox's eyes burned with anger. “So you think I can't survive without this inheritance? That I need this company to succeed?” He snorted. "I'm already successful. You know that too."

Dominic shrugged. “Then, quietly hand it over to Slade.”

Knox stood up fast. “Never! This was my father’s dream. I won’t let Slade take it.”

Dominic looked him straight in the eye. “Then do as I say.”

He walked toward the door, then added, “My lawyer will bring the documents tomorrow morning. You’ll sign an agreement. If you divorce Isolde before a year and a half, you’ll hand over D.C. Mathford Group to Slade.”

Knox’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

Dominic ignored him, opened the door and walked out, leaving Knox standing in the middle of the room, shocked and speechless.

Then the door opened again. Dominic Mathford stepped back in.

"I hope to see her tomorrow at the wedding. I’d love to introduce her to the family."

With that, he walked out.