I couldn't lie—the food here had great taste, and I hated that I liked it.

Even though I'd said I'd cook for myself, that definitely wasn't happening now.

Right now, I need to work more toward my plan. Now that I was married to this man… I needed to act fast before I ran out of time, or before he started watching me too closely.

It was time to finally execute my final move.

Standing up, I thanked Lucian for the food before heading upstairs to my room.

Once I got inside, I locked the door and sat on my bed.

I unlocked my phone and opened the encrypted app—

the only thing in this entire world that connected me to my real life.

The one only two people knew existed:

Me.

And Grandpa.

My heartbeat eased the moment the dashboard loaded.

Shares are rising.

Investments are stable.

My company—growing even faster than expected.

Good.

Very good. All my years of hardwork 

I opened my contacts and tapped on Grandpa's name—

the only living person who ever believed in me.

The only one who had ever truly supported me.

My one and only backbone.

The call rang twice before he picked up, sounding as energetic as always.

"Hello, little fox. How's the mansion treating you?" he asked, voice warm as ever.

"It's annoying," I sighed.

He chuckled. "Annoying?"

"One person," I muttered. "A very specific person."

"Your husband?"

"He's not—"

I paused.

Legally… he is.

Grandpa hummed, already knowing where my silence came from.

"Is he troubling you?"

"No," I muttered. "Just… too present."

"Protective?"

"Annoying."

"Annoying protective?" he teased.

I groaned. "Grandpa."

He laughed softly. "Alright, I'll stop. Tell me why you called."

"I'm planning to move to the next step of my plan," I said. "I realized I won't have much time anymore, and I don't even know if we can meet as we used to now that I'm married."

He hummed thoughtfully.

"Yeah… you're right. I've been thinking about that too. I wanted to call, but I thought you'd want to settle a little first. Don't worry—everything is secured."

"Okay, Grandpa. I was actually planning to come see you after a week of my marriage—just to finalize everything and sign the necessary documents. I'm ready to take over the company."

"I see…" Grandpa's voice softened with pride. "Now you're ready. You kept avoiding that question before, but I knew you'd speak when the time was right."

"No problem, then. It's all yours. I'll prepare all the documents before you arrive. Come with your lawyer as well."

"Sure, Gramps. I'll do that. And… Why didn't you come to my wedding? I was really expecting to see your face. I could've felt much better on that devastating day," I accused gently.

He chuckled.

"You know I was far away. I just returned the day before yesterday, and I was too tired. My doctor told me to rest after long trips. That's why. Forgive me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But you'll have to compensate me," I said.

He laughed again. "Of course, darling. I surely will."

"Okay. We'll speak later. Bye."

"Bye, little fox."

The call ended, and thirty 30 seconds later, a notification popped up—

an alert of one million deposited into my account.

I let out a slow breath.

Grandpa knew me too well.

Even though I had my own money, seeing a credit alert…

That was a bliss I would never get tired of.

Grandpa…

He was the only person in this world I would ever open up to.

If not for him, none of my plans would've been possible.

I would forever owe him.