Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 264

He had agreed to her demands because she was still useful to him.

The old shareholders at Rutledge Group had been avoiding him, refusing his calls and turning him away at their doors. Even his fiancée, Dagmar Channing, had been met with the same rejection. He needed an in, and Carla, as a Rutledge, was the perfect tool.

He smoked half the cigarette, then called Dagmar.

"You'll need to find a reason to postpone the engagement for a while," he said calmly. "Something's come up."

"Is it that Bradley girl again?" Dagmar's voice was syrupy sweet.

"Yes. She's threatening suicide unless I marry her."

Dagmar scoffed. "Has she really sunk that low?"

"The scandal is at its peak right now," Edwin explained. "If something happens to her, it will be difficult for me to solidify my power at Montgomery Group. Just bear with me for a little while."

"Fine," Dagmar agreed without hesitation.

Carla said nothing, but inside, she was screaming. What did the company's problems have to do with her? She was always the one being sacrificed, never the one to benefit.

"This isn't a bad match for you," Zena continued, trying to reason with her. "In fact, it's your best option right now. After this scandal with Edwin, no respectable family in Seaside City will have you. It's either marry an ordinary man and struggle for the rest of your life, or be with Garfield. He might be a little old, but older men know how to take care of a woman."

Zena's eyes narrowed. "Besides, at his age, he's practically got one foot in the grave. Even if you don't like him, it'll only be for a few years. When he's gone, all his assets will be yours. And if you really can't stand it, you can divorce him in a couple of years and still walk away with half the Harrison family fortune. This is a golden opportunity that not just anyone gets. Why would you turn your back on all that money?"

Carla hid her disdain behind a sweet smile. "I understand, Mom." Her obedient, thoughtful expression reassured Zena. Unlike Seren, who was always defiant, Carla was sweet and compliant. The engagement would go off without a hitch.