บท 22: Chapter 22

Obviously, Kate already knew about this because Mai had informed her just now. She had seen with her own eyes the lit office that had been empty for months. But she acted surprised in front of Cadwaller

"He's already here?" Kate asked. "I thought you said that he will be comingto the office next month. You know that I'm not ready. I still have to prepare all the reports for him, right?"

Mrs. Cadwaller clicked her tongue. As much as she wanted to scold Kate she knew that Kate wasn't the one at fault here.

It was that damn brat! He just did as he wanted, he came and left on a whim.

But she still had to put up with it because that young man held an extremely important position in the company.

"You see, the new CEO is very… unpredictable," Mrs. Cadwaller said with a strong disapproving tone in her voice. "He is only twenty-four years old, fresh out of university—God knows how he managed to graduate on time—and now he is treating this company like a playground."

"So you're asking me to take care of this manchild, is that what you're saying?" Kate sneered. She already expected this from the moment Mrs. Cadwaller told her the new CEO would be twelve years younger than the late Mr. James Grant.

"Yes," Mrs. Cadwaller said without hesitation. "You're going to take care of a manchild whose whim might destroy the company. But you can't do anything about him because he is…."

Mrs. Cadwaller looked over her shoulder, making sure that Kate had already closed the door, and then lowered her voice, "Mr. James Grant's little brother."

Kate's eyes widened.

"W—Wait—you never told me this before," Kate interrupted. "This man is the new heir of the Grant family's century-old businesses?!"

"Sshh!" Mrs. Cadwaller put her index over her lips. "Don't let him hear you. He doesn't like it when you mention that in front of him!"

"Huh, why? He's obviously the heir of a multi-billion dollar company. What's wrong with that? I'd be happily flaunting it all over the world if I were him," Kate said carelessly. "Or could it be that his position is tentative? How many children does Marlon Grant have?" Kate asked, mentioning the president of Grant Industries and the patriarch of the Grant family.

"Only two," Mrs. Cadwaller replied. "After Mr. James Grant passed away, this young man is the only surviving child and heir. So his position is unshakeable."

"Then why does he not want to admit who he is and accept his position?"

"I'm not sure. Probably because he doesn't want to be seen as an absolute nepo baby," Mrs. Cadwaller replied.

Kate felt contempt for this man despite never having met him. She came from a humble background, it wasn't easy for her to reach her current status. In fact, it took a toll on her physical and mental well-being, as well as on her marriage.

And yet, this young man just breezed in without any problem in life and still refused to admit he was a nepo baby.

"Anyway, I'm in your office because the new CEO told me to 'scold' you for being late to work. I know the others call me the Iron Lady, but I'm not cruel enough to actually scold you without reason," Mrs. Cadwaller said. "I know you've done a lot for this publishing company, Kate. This publishing company was dying before you joined in."

Kate couldn't help but smile at the praise Mrs. Cadwaller had given her.

"Thank you. I'll try my best to be a babysitter for this new heir," Kate sighed.

"Mhm, good luck with him. I recommend that you stock up on anti-depressants, because this man was seriously—he isn't even 10% of Mr. James Grant," Mrs. Cadwaller said, but then she had a second thought. "He's much more handsome and charismatic than James Grant, though. He should've been a supermodel or an actor. Being a CEO at Grant Industries is a waste of that face. Well, if you're into that kind of guy, of course."

Kate scoffed. She remembered Matt, who was conventionally handsome but was useless as hell.

"I'm not into useless nepo babies, Ma'am. I'm also not into a guy who's all looks but no skills."

Mrs. Cadwaller shrugged before leaving Kate's office, giving Kate enough time to rest before she had to face the big bad manchild in the CEO's office.

Kate took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and leaned back on her chair, "Great, the first day of my pregnancy, and I'm already going to be tormented by a spoiled brat who can barely fend for himself. I hope my baby won't be born with anger issues because of this."

Kate lowered her head and stared at her flat stomach. She had a thin smile as she slowly caressed it. She was excited to see her belly growing bigger soon. Maybe she could feel a kick or two from the baby later on. She truly looked forward to her pregnancy and motherhood.

Kate snapped out of her daze when she heard a knock on the door, "Who–?"

"It's Mai, Ma'am," Mai answered from outside. "Mr. Grant wants to see you."

Kate took a deep breath and said, 'You can do this, Kate.'

Kate stood before the CEO's office for a moment as she gathered her courage and took a deep breath when she was ready she lifted her hand and knocked thrice.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

There was no answer from inside. Kate glanced at Mai, who was standing next to her. She had been turned into the temporary secretary by the new CEO without notice, which already showed what kind of man he was.

"He told me to just let you in," Mai said.

Kate nodded. She had rehearsed her introduction in her head one last time before she opened the door and walked in.

"Good Morning, sir, I am Katherine Woods, the Editor-In-Chief of Emperor Publishing. I've been in this position for the past two years. You said that you want to meet me—"

Kate stopped her introduction once she saw the new CEO. He sat on the same seat where the mysterious man from that night sat. He had the same striking blonde hair, but this time, it had been neatly combed back, magnifying his handsome features and making him even more pleasing to the eyes.

He wore a fitting suit that perfectly framed the muscles hidden underneath. It also covered the snake tattoo on his arm to make him look more professional.

He had the same deep green, viper-like eyes that gazed at Kate intensely that night. On top of all of that, he had the same evil grin as his eyes scanned Kate from head to toe as if she was prey he had caught during a night hunt.

The new CEO was the same man she met on that fateful night.

The man who gave her the best sex she ever had in life, the man who helped her release all of her grief and frustration, and the father of her baby.

The man's grin turned deeper as he found Kate's shocked face to be quite funny. Then he said with his deep and alluring voice, "It's been a while, Kitty."