The Tycoon's Secret Wife's Escape

"Grandma..." Grayson gently chided, his tone soft as he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

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"Do you think I don't know what you're up to?" she retorted, her sharp gaze cutting through the moment. "You bury yourself in work and suddenly appear with a woman in tow? This is about dodging Mrs. Mendez's daughter, isn't that right? I'm too old for these games, Grayson."

Grayson grimaced but held his tongue, his silence weighted by the doctor's news from earlier.

Drawing a steadying breath, I removed my oversized Gucci sunglasses and met her scrutiny head-on.

"Please don't scold Grayson anymore, Grandma Blake," I said, my voice steady despite the guilt swirling in my chest. "I'm not some paid actress putting on a show for you." I forced a small smile, willing it to feel genuine. "I'm Isabella Prescott."

Recognition flickered across her weathered feature. "Isabella Prescott? You... you're this rebel's schoolmate from high school?"

I blinked, glancing at Grayson in confusion. 'Did she know about me before?'

Grayson cleared his throat, his voice steady as he spoke. "Yes, Grandma. She's Isabella Prescott. The reason I've been avoiding those blind dates is simple-I'm in a relationship with her. I couldn't lie or cheat on her."

Heat rushed to my cheeks at his blunt declaration, my heart stumbling at how easily he said it.

"And you kept this from me all this time?" she asked, her voice laced with hurt. She crossed her arms and jutted her lips into a pout.

Grayson hesitated before replying, choosing his words carefully. "Because of her career. She's an actress."

Her sharp gaze swung to me, and I scrambled to follow his lead. "It's true," I admitted, offering her an apologetic smile. "The public doesn't know I'm in a private relationship, so I asked Grayson for discretion. I'm sorry for not introducing myself properly earlier."

Grandma Blake's stern expression wavered, settling into something closer to resignation as she uncrossed her arms.

Grayson released my hand and leaned closer, coaxing her with a warmth that only deepened my admiration-and envy.

Watching them, I couldn't help but smile faintly. Their bond was effortless and full of affection, a connection I realized I'd always longed for but never truly had with my own family.

When Grayson excused himself to take a call, his grandmother gently held my hand.

"That brat is always buried in his work. Please forgive him if it sometimes consumes him," Grandma Blake said, her smile warm and knowing.

I squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm just as guilty. My schedule has been relentless lately. I wish we could have met sooner."

"To be honest," she began, studying me with kind but curious eyes, "if wouldn't have believed your relationship with my grandson."

you

hadn't introduced yourself as Isabella Prescott, I

Her tone had softened considerably from earlier, the suspicion replaced by genuine warmth.

"You knew of me before?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, years ago. But then... he stopped speaking your name altogether."

22:52 PM, 11 Apr

11

My heart twisted slightly as I remembered those school days-seeing Grayson in the hallways until he suddenly tranferred and apparently left all mention of me behind.

We chatted a little longer, the moments warm yet fleeting before Grayson returned and suggested it was time to lease Grandma Blake needed her rest.

Back in Grayson's vehicle. I glanced at my phone and felt my chest tighten. Several missed calls stared back at me, all from people who had been making my life miserable lately.noveldrama

Missed calls from Dad, Charlotte, and Gabriel. The first two had followed up with messages while Gabriel maintained his typical, loaded silence.

Dad: You ungrateful brat! The Shaw family is a far better match than that worthless choice you've made for yourself!

Charlotte: You've got some nerve, Isabella! Where did you get the funds to cut your ties with the Golden Stage

Grayson noticed my furrowed brow as I stared at the screen.

"Something wrong?" he asked, carrying a note of genuine concern.

I exhaled heavily, tossing the phone into my purse. "It's my family. They're livid about me refusing the marriage to the Shaw family. It's part of why I suggested our arrangement." I ran a hand through my hair. "Now, they're grilling me about the money I spent at the agency."

As I vented, I realized we were driving down an unfamiliar route. I turned to him, confused. "Where are we headed?"

"To my place," Grayson replied calmly.

"What?"

He glanced at me briefly, his expression resolute. "I won't have my supposed fiancée being harassed by her ex. Stay at my villa while I'm away. He won't find you there easily. But... If you're uncomfortable with that, I'll take you back to your apartment."

This was, without a doubt, the fastest marriage arrangement. Yet, his words drew me in, catching my full attention.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes... A business trip in three days," he replied calmly. "I'll return as quickly as I can. While I'm gone, you'll have space to process this arrangement-to decide if it's truly what you want."

There was something in his tone-a quiet consideration that tugged at my heart. He wasn't trying to stifle me, wasn't demanding answers right away. It was so different from Gabriel, who often made decisions without thinking about how I might feel.

"I'll continue this marriage arrangement, Gray," I told him firmly, my voice unwavering.

"Gray..." His lips curved slightly as if tasting his name on them.

It was a name I used to call him-a name that carried the weight of our past.

Without warning, he leaned closer. And for the first time, I felt the warmth of his kiss.

Reality melted into a dizzying rush. Before I could catch my breath, I found myself pressed against the cool wall of his villa, my arms wrapped around his neck.

His hands traced paths of fire across my skin, awakening sensations. Each touch sent a shiver through my body, leaving me

breathless.

22:52 FM, 119#!

Chapter 18 38%1

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#1 need to stop, teabella he breathed against my car, his voice rough with barely contained desire. "If I don't pull back now, I

won't be able to

Hle words, his touch, his desincorched through my defenses. But what followed burned even hotter,

That evening, the business world erupted in chaos. Major shareholders began dumping Shaw Corporation stock in a crushing wave, and the fallout was ewiti

In my family's home, my father sat in shock, the financial reports spread out before him like a death sentence.

"Who could the Shawe have angered to cause such a drastic plummet?" my mother wondered, fear threading through her curiosity

"I don't know," my father muttered, shaking his head. "But maybe it's for the best we didn't align ourselves with them. Could this be connected to Isabellar" Charlotte's jaw tightened, her expression dark. "Unde, of course not. Isabella barely knows what she's doing with her life. How could any of this be linked to

her?"

Her words were biting, but her actions told a different story, Behind the scenes, she was frantically searching, desperate to uncover my whereabouts and, more importantly, the identity of the man supporting me,

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