"Thank you, sister. I really appreciate it. I hope you'll have sorted everything out before she leaves here so we can rest assured that all will go as planned."
"Hm, she doesn't really have anything delaying her," Tracy replied while rubbing her temples tiredly. "It's just that we haven't been able to move everything we need to an inconspicuous location yet. The tension around here is getting worse by the day, and Mr. Cole has tightened security around all of us."
"Yes, I'll try reaching out to Lucy. If she agrees to help, I'll be more than happy. At least once Miss Jayden boards the plane safely and gets there, we can face Mr. Cole's wrath afterward. I know he definitely won't take it lightly."
"Thank you so much, Stephanie. Your advice and encouragement truly mean a lot to me. I won't let the pressure get to me. Everything should be sorted out soon enough. I'll call you once we make it through these trying times."
The call ended shortly after.
Tracy slowly lowered the phone and let out a long sigh.
Things were becoming more overwhelming with each passing day. It honestly felt as though Mr. Cole had already sensed that something was being planned behind his back. Otherwise, why would he suddenly move the wedding preparations forward?
That man was truly something else.
What a headache.
How could someone be so eager to marry off his daughter?
The silent war between father and daughter was becoming uglier by the day.
Mr. Cole had even shown up unannounced at Jayden's apartment with several famous designers to take measurements for wedding dresses, completely ignoring how much Jayden valued her privacy.
At that point, the gunpowder had truly been lit.
Still, Jayden endured everything quietly.
She reluctantly allowed the designers to do their work since she already knew she had no intention of wearing any of those dresses anyway. There was no point resisting unnecessarily and drawing more suspicion to herself.
The only thing she focused on was maintaining a calm front before her father.
That alone was exhausting.
Thinking about it made Tracy admire her boss even more. Not everyone could endure such suffocating pressure while still acting normal.
Immediately after ending the call with Stephanie, Tracy sent an encrypted message to her younger sister, Lucy.
She kept the explanation brief while carefully asking if Lucy could help secure a remote and discreet location for Jayden.
Truthfully, Tracy had hesitated before contacting her.
Lucy was… difficult.
One minute she existed, and the next she disappeared like smoke.
No one in the family truly understood what she did for a living or where she stayed most of the time. The only reassurance she ever gave them was that her work was legal and that they shouldn't ask too many questions.
And once Lucy made up her mind about something, not even a hurricane could change it.
Minutes after Tracy sent the message, a reply came in.
I don't want to get involved in your boss's mess. It's none of my concern.
Tracy nearly groaned aloud.
How could her younger sister be this cold?
Would helping for once really kill her?
Despite her frustration, Tracy forced herself to remain patient and typed another message.
Please. I'm only asking because the situation is serious.
Several minutes passed.
Then another reply appeared.
Considering everything she's done for you all these years, I'll reluctantly help.
But I'm busy.
Send the details.
Tracy immediately straightened in relief.
Good.
At least there was hope now.
Although Lucy's attitude remained as annoying as ever, once she agreed to help, she would definitely deliver.
That much Tracy knew.
Quickly, she compiled detailed information regarding the situation, the surveillance around Jayden, and the kind of location they needed. After proofreading everything carefully, she sent it over and waited anxiously for another reply.
Minutes turned into an hour.
One hour became three.
Then five.
Throughout the entire time, Tracy barely focused on work.
Her mini office, usually calm and organised, now reflected her restless state completely. She kept refreshing the message page repeatedly while tapping her fingers impatiently against her desk.
Outside, the company maintained its usual elegant atmosphere. Employees moved around professionally, meetings continued, and work flowed smoothly as expected from one of the country's top design firms.
Still, everyone could sense something unusual was happening behind the scenes.
Especially lately.
Yet no one dared gossip openly.
Not under Ann's management.
That woman could fire someone with a smile on her face.
Finally, just when Tracy felt she had reached the limit of her patience, her system chimed softly.
Her eyes widened.
She hurriedly opened the message.
Will reach out with everything tomorrow.
Bye.
That was all.
Short.
Cold.
Classic Lucy.
Tracy stared at the screen for a few seconds before laughing helplessly.
That mysterious younger sister of hers truly behaved like some hidden boss character from a movie.
Still…
At least things were finally moving forward.
"God, I'm grateful," Tracy muttered under her breath while pressing a hand against her chest.
If Lucy truly handled this personally, then most of their major problems could finally be resolved within days.
Her tense shoulders relaxed slightly for the first time in what felt like forever.
Without wasting another second, she returned to work with renewed energy.
There was still too much left to arrange before Jayden could leave safely.
And now more than ever, they couldn't afford mistakes.
Meanwhile, inside her apartment, Jayden stood quietly by the large glass window overlooking the city.
The evening lights stretched endlessly before her, beautiful and alive.
Yet all she felt was suffocation.
She wrapped her arms around herself unconsciously while staring outside.
Everywhere she looked lately, she felt watched.
Every movement.
Every outing.
Every visitor.
Even breathing freely had started feeling like a luxury.
Her phone vibrated softly against the table.
She immediately picked it up.
A message from Tracy.
Lucy agreed to help.
Jayden read the message twice before finally closing her eyes in relief.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
There was finally a way out.
A tired smile slowly appeared on her face, but it disappeared almost immediately when another thought crossed her mind.
Almond.
That man had started becoming another problem entirely.
Not because he had done anything terrible.
In fact, that was exactly what confused her.
He was calm.
Too calm.
Too reasonable.
And somehow, that made everything harder.
If he had been arrogant or domineering like her father, hating him would have been easy.
But instead, he kept trying to communicate with her properly.
It irritated her.
Because a small part of her kept feeling guilty for deceiving him.
"No," she muttered to herself while shaking her head. "Don't start softening now."
She could not afford hesitation.
Not now.
Not when everything was almost ready.
Her freedom depended on it.
Still…
For reasons she herself could not explain, she remembered his voice from earlier that day.
"I'd love for us to meet and discuss things properly."
Jayden sighed heavily and dropped onto the couch.
"Crazy man," she murmured softly.
Who willingly walked into a forced marriage this calmly?
At the same time, inside Jones International Enterprise, Almond sat at the head of the conference table while reviewing documents from Ls Empire.
The meeting was proceeding smoothly, yet his attention kept drifting elsewhere.
Nicholas noticed immediately.
That alone was shocking enough.
His boss rarely lost focus during work.
"Sir?" Nicholas called carefully.
Almond looked up calmly.
"The representatives are waiting for your decision."
Almond adjusted slightly in his seat before giving a short nod.
"Proceed with the second proposal. It'll benefit both branches long-term."
The representatives exchanged pleased looks immediately.
As discussions continued, Almond leaned back slightly in his chair.
But inwardly, his mind remained unsettled.
Something about everything lately felt strange.
The rushed wedding.
Jayden's obvious resistance.
His grandfather's stubbornness.
And now this lingering feeling that things were quietly slipping beyond everyone's control.
His instincts rarely misled him.
Yet this time, he couldn't figure out what exactly was wrong.
After the meeting finally ended, Nicholas followed him back toward his office.
"Sir," he called hesitantly.
"Hm?"
"Do you really think Miss Jayden will eventually agree to this marriage peacefully?"
Almond paused briefly before continuing his steps.
"I don't know," he answered honestly.
Then after a short silence, he added quietly,
"But she's not someone who surrenders easily."
And strangely enough…
That was exactly what worried him.