Chapter Six - The Real Knox Cromwell
1647 Words
The scene in front of Danielle shocked her more than Knox Cromwell’s words did. How could Loretta backstab her when she clearly instructed her to back off? As a partner at Happy Matchmakers, she couldn’t make such rash decisions on her own without consulting her! It would affect the goodwill of the company. Didn’t she know that?
There was a pin-dropped silence the moment Knox Cromwell entered the place. His grandfather, however, didn’t at all look inconvenienced by his sudden arrival. There was a challenging sparkle in his eyes as he glanced at his grandson and Danielle. What was going on?
“Well! Well! What a pleasant surprise seeing you here, my grandson! I want you to meet my date, Catherine Shelby. She is special,” said his grandfather. His eyes twinkled as he looked at the woman he chose for himself.
“You’re coming home with me, Grandpa. I have something important to discuss with you.” Danielle noticed how Knox clenched his teeth without acknowledging Catherine Shelby’s presence. She looked embarrassed by his rebuff in front of a room full of friends.
“I’ll be there with you in an hour, Knox.” The amusement in Vincent Cromwell’s eyes was clearly visible, and it enraged Knox even more.
“This is very important, Grandpa.” His glance took in the entire group of people gathered there, all watching them with interest.
Danielle glared at Loretta, all the while trying to pull her hand away from the arrogant man’s hold. It seemed he would crush her hand, taking out his grandfather’s frustration on her. The amused look on Loretta’s face enraged her. Didn’t Loretta know the price she was paying because of her recklessness? What was the need to pair Vincent Cromwell with Catherine Shelby? Of course, she knew Granny Emma’s best friend, having met her many times. She was like a permanent fixture at Loretta’s house ever since her stepson kicked her out.
“I’m sure it can wait an hour,” said Vincent Cromwell, waving his grandson off.
“Why don’t you join the party, Mr. Cromwell? Danielle, it’s so good to have you again, dear. Loretta called you earlier. Maybe you were busy,” said granny Emma, approaching them with a warm smile on her face like always.
Danielle was immediately defensive. She didn’t want Knox Cromwell to think she was involved in all this.
“I’m not interested in your cheap parties. Just do me a favor. Just leave my grandpa out of your plans.” He gave a warning look at the poor old woman and strode out of the place, pulling Danielle away with him.
Danielle gave an accusatory glance at her best friend, who now frowned, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
“Get in,” he barked, opening the passenger door for her.
“You can leave my hand now.” He released her abruptly as if stung, and Danielle rubbed her wrist. The skin was already tender and she could feel its bruising already. Gingerly, she went inside and he shut the door and strode over to the driver’s side without a look of remorse on his face.
Danielle realized what she had agreed to. This man was a cold, calculating asshole who didn’t care about anyone in the world, not even his own grandfather. The old man looked so happy with Catherine Shelby, but his grandson was oblivious to his feelings. To him, money and stature seemed everything!
He drove on while she sat, stroking her wrist and gazing out of the window. If only her mom had been alive. Her life would have been so much worth living! She and her mom would have made such a great team and pulled Happy Matchmakers to new heights.
“You shouldn’t have pulled such an underhanded stunt to trap my grandpa. Such cheap stunts won’t work with me. You should be thankful I haven’t punished you yet.”
Danielle turned to see the hateful look in his eyes. However much she defended herself, she was sure he would never believe her.
“What? Nothing to say in your defense? I’ve caught you red-handed, didn’t I?”
“What’s the use? You’ve judged me already. Will you believe me if I told you I wasn’t aware of this? Will you believe me if I told you I’ve not called or messaged your grandfather after you threw me out of your house the other day?” She saw the scowl deepen on his face and looked away. Just as she had expected, he didn’t believe a word she said.
“Right. I didn’t see my grandpa at the party kissing a stranger! Or maybe he just had a dream about meeting Shelby and sleepwalked there. Right?” What could Danielle say to that? She couldn’t blame Loretta, since that would again place the business at a risk. As a partner, Loretta’s irresponsible behavior would go against the company’s goodwill.
“Your silence says it all, Danielle. Don’t think I’ll forgive you for what you’ve done, let alone accept that Shelby woman in my family.”
He drove in through the enormous gates of his grand home and stopped in the driveway. A uniformed attendant appeared to help him with the luggage while Knox strode ahead with a grim look on his face.
Danielle followed him without a word, her heart sinking with apprehension. She wasn’t an outgoing type, but a soft, shy, warm, and kind-hearted woman who preferred to stay in the background, away from all attention. Therefore, she felt totally drained out while dealing with Knox Cromwell’s reckless behavior. She had never imagined he would change so much in these last few years. Or was he always this way? It was so difficult to judge a person after seeing him only for a short while. Yet her foolish heart had fallen for him without knowing the real Knox Cromwell!
He stormed inside the mansion, and all employees hid from view. “Andrea! Did grandpa come home?” he yelled at a woman who rushed out of the room opposite. Her resemblance to Knox Cromwell was clear, and Danielle instantly knew she might be related to him.
“Not yet. Did you go there? Oh, and who’s this?” asked the woman, watching Danielle with interest. It was strange to see her twin with a woman when they both steered clear of relationships like a plague.
“Yes. I went there to see him busy lip-locking with a random old woman!” Andrea’s jaws dropped with horror and her attention immediately switched over to her twin.
“What? Seriously? It seems he hasn’t learned his lesson.”
“This won’t do, Andrea! Drill that into his head when he returns. He wants an heir. I’ll give him that. Who needs to get married to produce an heir?” Andrea gaped at him with disbelief and then at Danielle.
Danielle stood there with her eyes cast downwards, feeling embarrassed to be there in a billionaire’s house. What would he introduce her as? A betrayer or his surrogate?
“Are you crazy? So is that who she is? Your heir producer?” groaned Andrea, giving her a look of disgust.
“Yes. This is Danielle Hartford, the owner of Happy Matchmakers and the mastermind behind Grandpa’s condition.” Danielle looked up at the duo, her eyes flashing with anger. She had never seen such a stubborn man with a one-tracked mind before.
“I’m not responsible for your grandpa’s condition. You are! You have driven an old man to take such a desperate step. Why blame me? It’s my misfortune that I’m stuck with an asshole like you. If my business wasn’t at stake, I would rather have killed you than agreed to sleep with you.” Her body trembled with fury, and for the first time, she felt like murdering someone. It was surprising since she wasn’t a desperate type. In fact, she hardly ever lost her composure.
Both siblings gaped at her with disbelief, not having expected her to stand up for herself.
“Just show me my room so that I can stay out of your way, Mr. Cromwell,” she muttered, bringing him to his senses.
“Come this way!” he growled, leading her towards a grand staircase opposite the foyer. Danielle knew she had annoyed him, but she didn’t care. He had no reason to insult her in front of his family. At that point, she swore she was over the domineering man. She had seen through him. He was everything she hated in a man! It was just a matter of a few days. After conceiving his child, she wouldn’t see his face except the day she handed him his heir. It shouldn’t be an arduous task to do, would it?
He opened the door to a room and strode inside furiously. “You can stay here. The next room is mine. I love my privacy, so no wandering about without my permission. You are here only to conceive my child and leave. This house, this room, nothing here belongs to you. If I find you snooping around, you’ll be punished. Am I clear?” His dark gaze swept over her, making her realize the mistake she had made. She shouldn’t have agreed to his agreement at all. It was better to get sued than be subjected to this!
“I wish I could erase the signature. It was better to get sued than be humiliated all the time.”
She whirled around and went into the washroom, locking the door in his face to dismiss him. All her rose-tinted notions about him went down the drain.
She closed her eyes and thought about the torture yet to start. How would she give him her virginity, her everything when she hated him so much?
- Writer
