Chapter 4 The Shameless Xander

• Zack was a year older than Michaela, and even though the man had always taken good care of her, she never truly fell in love with him.
• Everything unfolded naturally between them, but Michaela never felt lovestruck.
• Since their families pre-arranged their marriage, Michaela had already accepted the fact that she had no freedom of choice and that she was no longer the captain of her own ship.
• Hence, Michaela had a strange feeling when being questioned like that by a total stranger. She even had the impulse to speak her mind, but before she could do so, the stranger voiced, “Your hesitation has already told me what I needed to know. I just hope that you'll continue to listen to your heart.”
• With that, the stranger ended the call without giving Michaela a chance to reply.
• Upset that the call ended so abruptly, Michaela found the whole thing somewhat difficult to process. It felt like nothing more than a dream to her, but at the same time, everything seemed so realistic.
• When the news notification on her phone sounded, Michaela immediately returned to her senses.
• It had only been half an hour since the news broke out, but articles online had already received over a million clicks. Many were interested to see what would develop from the love triangle and were fervently discussing the topic on the internet.
• Michaela could still hear the stranger's voice in her head as a sense of insecurity began to build up in her.
• Meanwhile, in the traditionally decorated study at Shappiray Mansion, a table lamp gleamed on a luxurious hand-carved desk while a man in his thirties sat comfortably on the couch.
• The man had fair skin and a pair of deep-set eyes that showed not the frivolity of a youngster but the maturity of a wise individual.
• His facial features were well-defined and clearly showed how much he had been through. At first glance, one might think that the man was a meek scholar, which was far from the truth.
• After putting the phone down, the man reached out for his piping-hot cup of coffee and casually took a sip.
• The chinaware containing the beverage somehow seemed more exquisite with the man's slender fingers wrapped around it.
• “Mr. Xander, about Mr. Zack...” uttered somebody near the man.
• “Continue to keep an eye on him because I'm determined to convince her,” ordered the man in a chilly tone while stroking his cup.
• The respectful subordinate beside the man was well aware of what his boss intended to do, yet he still thought it was necessary to recommend caution. Hence, he hesitantly warned, “Mr. Xander, if Mr. Quentin finds out about this—”
• “If you can't even do this right, then I see no point in keeping you around!” The stern man simply glanced at his subordinate, but it was enough to strike fear into the poor fellow's heart.
• Unaware of how pale his subordinate had become, the man furrowed his eyebrows slightly as he continued, “The Lingard girl was Old Mr. Simmons' favorite granddaughter when he was still around. That alone is enough reason to justify my actions. The fact that Zack brought shame to our family by cheating on his fiancée is all the more reason for me to do this. Don't you think so, Walter?”
• “You're absolutely right, Mr. Xander!”
• Walter kept his eyes on the floor until his boss gestured for him to leave. As though he had been granted amnesty, Walter breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he stepped out of the study.
• D*mn it! That was scary as hell! I don't think anybody is bold enough to say no to that man. Still, I can't say that I've seen anyone plot so mercilessly against their own family member. The man just called his future niece-in-law to tell on his nephew and still acted like he was doing her a favor. I'm pretty sure I can't find anybody else as shameless as Mr. Xander. Is it really okay to do what he asked of me?