From His Invisible Wife to the World's Icon novel Chapter 6

His boss came from an elite, old-money dynasty. He was a ruthless corporate titan with an immaculate academic pedigree, undeniable lethal combat skills, and absolutely devastating looks. He lived an ascetic lifestyle, completely untouchable. Countless women had exhausted every trick in the book just to get close to him, but he never gave anyone a second glance.

Oliver tore his gaze away and spoke into the phone. "I'm sorry, Joanna, but Mr. Ford is entirely booked..."

...

By the time Lydia left the restaurant, it was the dead of night.

The late spring air was viciously frigid, biting straight through her clothes.

She shivered uncontrollably, pulling her cashmere coat tighter around her shoulders. Suddenly, the world spun violently around her, and a sickening wave of nausea hit her like a truck.

She fumbled for her phone to call her driver, but accidentally hit Frederick's speed dial instead. The voice that answered was sickeningly sweet.

Sierra's tone was thick with smug triumph. "Lydia, don't bother waiting up."

"Freddie's throwing me a graduation party."

"You have no idea how incredibly romantic he is. He knows I love..."

So that was why he had bolted from dinner. He had rushed off to be with Sierra.

Lydia used her last ounce of strength to hang up the phone. Her legs gave out, and she began collapsing against the railing. Suddenly, a strong, warm arm wrapped around her waist, catching her before she hit the ground.

Realizing she was being held, a crisp, unfamiliar scent of cedar hit her senses. She forced her eyes open in a panic, only to be met with a flawlessly handsome face.

"Mr. Ford?"

Lydia pinched her own palm, desperate to stay conscious, and weakly raised her hands to push him away.

The moment her fingertips brushed his chest, he seemed to understand. He took a swift step back, shifting the massive hands on her waist up to grip her elbows.

A small wave of relief washed over her.

Then, his hands abruptly let go.

Her legs buckled again, and pure survival instinct made her grab onto Xavier's arm.

She was burning up while simultaneously freezing to death. Her vision was entirely blurred, and her mind was slipping fast. Knowing she was seconds away from completely blacking out, she begged, "Mr. Ford... could you please take me to the nearest hospital? It's just two blocks down."

Seeing his expression remain completely impassive, a wave of desperation hit her. "Please. I'm really not well."

The man furrowed his brow slightly, his dark, predatory eyes boring into her for two agonizing seconds as he weighed the truth in her words.

She unconsciously tightened her death grip on his sleeve.

In her blurred vision, the towering man suddenly leaned down. The next second, thick, heavily muscled arms hooked under her knees and around her back.

He scooped her off the ground effortlessly. Terrified of falling, she instinctively clung to his collar. The searing heat of his hard, flexed muscles radiated through his thin shirt, rolling over her like a crushing wave. The sheer, dangerous dominance rolling off him made her incredibly uneasy.

She looked up to see his gaze practically frozen over. He was leaning his broad shoulders back as far as he could, visibly repulsed by her proximity.

She yanked her hands away, dropping her gaze to avoid his intense stare. "Thank you."

His long, rapid strides had her in the emergency room in minutes.

The moment she saw the doctors' white coats, the last string holding her together snapped, and she completely passed out.

Just before everything went black, she saw Xavier trying to walk away, only to be physically blocked by a nurse.

She snatched the piece of jewelry and was just about to pitch it into the trash can when she froze, locking eyes with Xavier's pitch-black stare.

It was something she had poured a month of blood, sweat, and tears into making.

Why should she destroy it just because Frederick was a bastard?

Yet, every time she looked at it, she was reminded of how ruthlessly her heart had been trampled.

Seeing Xavier staring at it, she blurted out, "Mr. Ford, thank you for bringing me here. If you don't mind, please take this as a token of my gratitude."

The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to die. He was a multi-billionaire CEO. Why would he ever want her cheap homemade craft? Flushed with embarrassment, she started to pull her hand back, but to her utter shock, he reached out with a blank expression and took it.

Half an hour later.

Frederick received a call from the nurses' station and rushed to the hospital.

Stepping out of the elevator, he brushed past a towering man. Struck by the man's overwhelming, dominating presence, Frederick couldn't help but do a double-take.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a tie clip resting against the man's chest.

He spun around, staring at the slowly closing elevator doors. His gaze snapped from the silver clip straight into Xavier's dead, emotionless eyes.

The tie clip the man was wearing looked identical in craftsmanship and color to the one Lydia had been making.

The gift Lydia had made for him... was on another man?

Impossible.

Frederick's brow furrowed, his expression darkening into a terrifying scowl. "Caleb, bring me my wife's gift box."