Billionaire's Unlikely Bride

Chapter 3

Mason's POV 

The dinner table was filled with different kinds of food. When I first walked in, I thought we were having a feast and not just some casual dinner. Dinner with the Prescott’s seemed to be the longest I'd ever had, my first instinct when I saw the face of the girl I was supposed to marry was to find a way to escape this dinner. Yes, she was undeniably beautiful, but she seemed like the kind of girl who would become super clingy once I gave the wrong signals; I already had a woman I loved very much. So no matter how pretty she was, Candice would always be the most beautiful woman in my eyes. 

"Blair here has always had a huge crush on Mason ever since she was in high school." Lenora, Blair’s mother announced. I hadn’t been following the conversation closely, so I had no idea what they were discussing for her to say that. A crush from high school? It was irrelevant and, quite frankly, annoying. I could care less about some stupid crush.

"Mom! Why would you say that?" Blair’s face turned crimson like I gave a fuck about that. I just wanted this torture to end.

"Did you hear that Mason? Look how much she's blushing." Margaret's voice cut through my thoughts, attempting to draw me into the conversation. 

I respect Margaret a lot, and I see her as a mother even though I never address her as such, but I won't give in to this. So I remained silent and kept my opinion to myself.

"Margaret just spoke to you, Mason. Stop being a snob." My father interjected, breaking his silence. 

"If I married just because of a stupid crush, I'd probably have to marry every woman in New York," I retorted, my irritation clear. Julie chuckled, earning herself a disapproving glance from her mom. Just as my dad opened his mouth to respond, my phone rang. It was Candice.

"Excuse me," I said, rising from my seat. 

"Work?" Julie asked, her curiosity evident.

"No, it's Candice," I replied before stepping away from the dining area. I wondered why she was calling now, maybe she changed her mind.

"Who's Candice?" Blair’s voice reached me as I walked away. 

"Oh, just his fiance," Julie answered, her tone dismissive. I smirked, hoping Blair would take the hint and retreat gracefully. 

"Hello gorgeous," I greeted as I answered the phone.

"Sorry sir, this is Mia, Miss Candice’s assistant. She asked me to inform you about a change of plans. She'll be arriving in New York by the end of the month." Mia’s voice crackled through the line. 

"What, why? Where is she and why didn't she inform me herself?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Miss Candice is currently occupied, so she asked me to let you know sir," Mia replied. I hung up, frustrated. 

She always does this whenever she is trying to avoid explaining. She just asks her assistant to pass the message across. I knew I was always the one making efforts in our relationship but now it felt like she was drifting away from me. Maybe I'm just overthinking, she just has a lot of work to do. I just hope Julie's plan doesn't fail and also doesn't backfire.

Deciding to escape the suffocating dinner, I chose to go visit my mom's grave. I don't mind if it's late or not, I just feel at peace whenever I go there.

~~~~

As I drove through the dimly lit streets, my mind wandered to Candice. Call me lovesick or whatever, I don't care. When I met her for the first time, I thought she was like everyone else who was always after my wealth, but I discovered she had no idea who I was, and that was when I decided to test her. We went on our first date and when she asked what I did for a living, I told her I was a journalist.