Chapter 5

Vanessa didn’t bother asking the intern who it was. Driven by curiosity, she strode toward the door and stepped into the hallway.

Curious, Jason followed Vanessa and the intern outside into the hallway.

Vanessa barely made it three steps before stopping abruptly. A frown formed across her face as she saw what was happening.

A crowd had already formed. Employees and staff whispered among themselves, drawn to the scene unfolding before them.

Standing at the center of the commotion was a group of men in suits. They formed a semi-circle, each holding a bouquet of red roses.

And at the center of it all was a young man, in his mid-twenties, well-dressed, with the polished look of someone who came from a good background.

Vanessa's expression turned into a bigger frown as she recognized the man, Elvis Montgomery.

He was the son of a wealthy banking family, and he just couldn't leave her alone.

He was known for being entitled, arrogant, and persistent to the point of being insufferable. Unfortunately he incapable of realizing that she didn't share the same feelings for him.

He had been trying to court Vanessa for so long now. Despite her rejecting him, he was so persistent. In fact he always found new ways to impress her, or annoy her.

Jason, watching from beside her, didn't know who the person was, or what his deal was, so he asked her. “Who’s that?”

Vanessa was too preoccupied with the spectacle going on to pay attention to Jason's question.

However Jason could tell. Judging by Vanessa’s expression, Elvis was an unwanted presence.

“Elvis,” Vanessa said, her frown deepening as she strode towards him. “What is this?”

Elvis flashed a cocky smile and, in one practiced move, he dropped to one knee

He was glad he had perfected the move, he’d spent weeks rehearsing this exact moment, planning how he would propose to Vanessa Smith, the woman he had always tried to impress… yet never seemed impressed.

"Vanessa Smith," he called out, his voice loud enough to draw the attention of nearby employees.

With a flourish, he opened a velvet box, revealing a diamond ring. The beautiful ring was large, flawless, and undeniably expensive. But to Elvis Montgomery, it was nothing, not when it came to her.

“Marry me Vanessa.” He said confidently.

Jason felt like laughing as he saw Elvis on his knees. What the hell is this? He looked like a performer in a badly rehearsed play, one where the lead actor had no idea his audience wasn’t buying the act.

However the staff were more than entertained, in fact they saw Elvis' actions as romantic. Some whispered excitedly, while others exchanged stunned glances.

Elvis grinned arrogantly. Seeing how the onlookers were impressed, he could only imagine that Vanessa was more impressed than them.

In reality, he couldn’t have been more wrong. Vanessa wasn’t just uninterested, she looked like she was contemplating murder. If sheer frustration could kill, Elvis would’ve dropped dead on the spot.

“Vanessa, this ring cost three million. It's a testament of my wealth and how much I can do for you. Accept my hand in marriage and I'll fix Smith Royale’s financial problems,” he promised, his voice filled with self-assurance.

Vanessa rolled her eyes at his proposal.

He wanted her to marry him? Vanessa exhaled slowly , resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. Of all the days, of all the ways, Elvis had chosen this spectacle to push his arrogance on her again. Did he really think he could buy her?

She wanted to say something to him, but she distracted when she heard the conversation's behind her.

“Wow, what a romantic way to propose.”

Two ladies discussed among themselves.

“She’s so lucky. Elvis’s family controls major banks. If she marries him, their company’s financial problems will be solved instantly!”

The more he heard the impressed murmurs, the more Elvis's confidence was boosted to the point where he felt arrogant.

This time, Elvis believed Vanessa would finally accept him, since he was one of the few who could save Smith Royale.

His family was one of the wealthiest families, with a net worth estimated to be in the hundreds of billions. So it would also be dumb if Vanessa would reject him now, she needs him.

Jason took it all in, his gaze shifting between Vanessa and Elvis. Listening to the murmurs around him, he finally understood who the man was and saw for himself that he was here to propose to Vanessa.

But…. Vanessa was his fiancee. And he could already tell that Vanessa wasn't interested in Elvis, judging by the look on her face. Infact Elvis was harassing her right now.

Because of that Jason didn't want to just stand by and watch this, he wanted to make it clear to Elvis and make him leave.

However, on second thought, he did not. He was curious to see how Vanessa would deal with this, she was so irritated by this, he could tell.

Finally, Vanessa spoke, “Mr Montgomery.” Vanessa sounded irritated already, “I thought I made it clear the last time that I'm not interested!” She did not hesitate to make it clear.

Surprised that Vanessa would dare to reject Elvis, especially given Smith Royale’s current situation, whispers echoed in the air, growing louder with each passing second.

Someone said, “What is miss Smith doing? Elvis's family has a net worth of billions, and she is going to reject him like this?”

“My god is she out of her mind?”

According to them, Elvis Montgomery was the perfect man for Vanessa, romantic and rich. Many onlookers felt a mix of envy and secondhand frustration. To them, Vanessa had everything to gain. How could she turn him down so easily? For what?

Elvis was stunned by that response. He felt embarrassed. After all this effort, after getting down on one knee and putting on a show, she still rejected him, just like always?

He had been so sure. So confident. This time was supposed to be different with Vanessa agreeing to be his.

With Smith Royale in financial turmoil, he had assumed Vanessa would finally come to her senses. His family controlled the banks, marrying him was her only real solution. It should have been a simple decision.

Jason, watching from the sidelines, smirked to himself. He had expected Vanessa to shut Elvis down, but seeing it happen was even more satisfying than he’d imagined.

Elvis was losing his patience. However he wasn’t ready to accept defeat. He thought, maybe Vanessa was just putting on a show, pretending to resist in front of her employees. That had to be it.

Elvis chuckled. “Come on, Vanessa, stop playing hard to get already,” he said, standing up and wiping non-existent dust off his suit. “I know you're just being stubborn, but we both know this is the best decision for you, for your family, for Smith Royale.”

Jason finally let out a slow sigh, and then he stepped forward to finally put an end to Elvis' spectacle. And also crush his dreams of convincing Vanessa, because she already had a fiance.