Chapter 18

Carter Schmidt’s hands shook violently as he looked at the local newspaper. There she was, his beloved Eden, in the arms of another man, kissing him. He could not bear the thought of not marrying Eden, her father had given him his word. The headline read “The Two Most Eligible Bachelors of The Town To Be Wedded In 2 Days?” An anonymous source had tipped the reporters that Eden Brown and Bennett Mason were to be married in a very, very short span of time. And, of course, there was the image of them kissing, taken by the paparazzo. That called for speculation all over the town, and more reporters started crowding the houses of Brown and Mason.

Carter could not believe it. He quickly dialed Alfred on his private phone. He picked up after three rings.

“What is this bullshit in the newspapers? Why does it say your daughter is going to marry the Mason boy.”

“Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, Carter. We can call off the merger now, I don’t need it,” said Alfred, with a condescending tone.

“What