My Enemy Forced Me Into A Fake Marriage To Save His Empire — Then His Grandmother Interrogated Me

Part 2

You are right, Mrs. Miller.

I said quietly, keeping my gaze locked on hers.

The truth is not glamorous at all.

David’s eyes widened in absolute horror as I continued.

I first met David when he tried to forcefully buy the building where my herb shop is located.

He wanted to tear my livelihood down to build a storage warehouse.

Helen’s eyebrows shot up toward her hairline.

Is that so?

She asked.

I refused to sell.

I said, warming up to the true story.

And I organized the other small shop owners to fight his company.

Brenda gasped quietly.

Craig looked utterly delighted by the scandal.

David looked like he might actually explode.

He came to my shop absolutely furious.

I continued.

I may have called him a heartless corporate tyrant to his face.

Helen let out a sharp, sudden laugh.

And what did my grandson do?

He asked me to supper.

I said no.

Four separate times.

David suddenly leaned in, his voice dropping soft and low.

The fifth time I brought her a rare orchid.

He interjected smoothly.

Not to impress her, but because she loves caring for damaged, broken things.

This particular plant was incredibly close to dying.

I stared at him in complete shock.

His tone was not practiced or fake in the slightest.

It was warm.

It was almost tender.

That is when I knew she was different.

David said, meeting my eyes and holding my gaze.

She sees strength in things everyone else simply overlooks.

The entire room went dead quiet.

Something deeply unspoken passed between us in that moment.

Helen smiled broadly.

Now that sounds like the actual truth.

Later that evening, Helen asked us to join her in the garden before supper.

When the three of us stepped outside, wild climbing roses framed the stone path.

I breathed in the rich smell of the herb beds.

David pulled me aside behind a tall, thick hedge.

What on earth were you thinking?

He whispered fiercely.

You went completely off the script we practiced.

I told a story that felt real.

I shot back, refusing to back down.

Your grandmother is far too smart for our rehearsed lies.

The best lies have a core of truth in them, David.

David shook his head, but his eyes held something entirely new.

Something vastly softer than anger.

You did well.

He admitted grudgingly.

Before I could formulate an answer, Helen called us inside for the meal.

As we walked back toward the house, David lightly touched my arm.

There is something you really should know about my grandmother.

What is it?

I asked.

She has consumption.

He stared straight ahead.

The doctors say she has eight months at the absolute most.

This wedding might be the last real joy she ever gets to experience.

His voice shook just a fraction of an inch.

For the first time since we met, I saw the vulnerable man hiding behind the stone face.

A grandson terrified of losing the only woman who ever truly raised him.

We will make it special.

I said softly.

David looked at me like he was not expecting kindness, but needed it more than oxygen.

We did not see Helen watching us closely from the porch, a knowing smile on her aged face.

The next morning, everything changed when Nancy, the frantic wedding planner, banged on my door.

The church roof had collapsed in the storm.

We needed a new wedding location immediately.

David suggested his late parents’ old cabin in the aspen grove.

When we arrived, the place was heavily overgrown and worn by the harsh winters.

I spent the next two weeks working from sunrise to sunset, planting gardens and restoring the grounds.

David visited often, watching me work with an intensity that made my skin flush.

One evening by the creek, he admitted he had lost his way in business.

He told me he wanted to remember why his father started the company.

For family.

For love.

I touched his hand, and he did not pull away.

But two nights later at the rehearsal dinner, David’s bitter rival, Megan, stood up to humiliate me.

She demanded to know what made a poor herb woman so special.

I stood my ground, telling the entire room I was special because I was the only one brave enough to stand up to him.

The guests actually cheered.

I stood up to her, but what David did next completely changed the rules of our fake arrangement—would he really walk away from the deal now?