From His Invisible Wife to the World's Icon novel Chapter 47

Before he could answer, she had already turned and rushed out.

Watching her devastated silhouette fade away, he lightly brushed his thumb across a tear that had fallen onto the suit jacket...

...

Splashing cold water on her face finally brought her heart rate down.

"Lydia, what do you think of this dress for the Foundation Chairman election?" Sierra strutted into the restroom, pretending to just notice Lydia's pale face. "Oh, did nobody tell you?"

Lydia ignored her, wiping her face dry and heading for the door.

Sierra grabbed her arm, chasing her out. "The Foundation's board of directors is absolutely furious with everything you've done lately. They're convening tomorrow to formally strip you of your title and elect a new Chairman. And I am the leading candidate."

"You'll never get it!" Lydia violently ripped her arm away.

Sierra deliberately let herself fall backward. A pair of long, elegant hands caught her waist. Lydia's eyes traveled up to meet Frederick's handsome face.

Sierra immediately clung to his arm, playing the victim. "Frederick, Lydia ruined her own reputation and lost the Chairman seat, and now she's trying to stop me from taking over..."

"Relax," Frederick replied flatly. "Nobody can stop you."

Lydia's gaze locked onto a faint smudge of lipstick on his crisp white collar. She looked up, meeting his naturally cold, emotionless eyes. "I won't let her take that seat."

Throwing those words in his face, she brushed past them. Suddenly, a massive force gripped her wrist, yanking her back and pinning her hard against the freezing marble wall. She opened her eyes to see his terrifyingly cold gaze inches from her face.

"Say that again."

His voice was absolute ice, his grip tightening like a vise.

She winced in pain but refused to back down. "As long as I'm breathing, Sierra will never sit in that chair."

She didn't want it anymore. Anyone else in the world could have it, but not Sierra.

And he knew exactly how much she hated Sierra, yet he insisted on giving it to her.

Refusing to show weakness, she stared back into his furious dark eyes. The suppressed rage swirling in his gaze was like a vortex, deep enough to swallow her whole.

He suddenly leaned in closer...

Her heart skipped a violent beat.

"Frederick! Let it go!" Sierra yanked on his arm. "She's already disgraced herself. She can't influence the board anyway. Let's just go."

Joanna, who had just arrived at the entrance, stared in utter shock as the two walked past her.

Her sister's gossip from the last few days flooded her memory.

*Xavier finally let go of his past. He actually agreed to let his grandfather set him up on blind dates with the city's top heiresses.*

She remembered asking her sister what his 'past' was.

*Two years ago, he was supposedly going to bring a girl home to meet the family. His grandfather was thrilled. But after the accident, the girl vanished. He became even more ruthless and withdrawn. His grandfather was too terrified to even bring up marriage after that.*

*Whoever she was, she's history. Don't worry about it.*

*Xavier is the heir to the Ford family. They demand a wife who can match his power.*

*If you build your empire, you'll eventually be able to stand beside him. I'll make sure of it.*

Shaking off the memory, Joanna checked her reflection and walked into the restaurant. Peeking into a private dining room, she saw the terrifyingly elegant man sitting by the window, lazily flipping through a menu, occasionally glancing up at Lydia across the table.

He was notoriously ruthless and unapproachable. This was the first time she had ever seen him dining with a woman. He looked aloof, but there was something intensely undeniable in the way he looked at Lydia.

"Lydia," she called out softly.