Chapter 4 Who Is Your Grandson

The personal assistant offered a subtle smile. "Mr. Leroux had to leave on urgent business. Miss Dumas, could you please inform the elders?" The fact that the boss hadn't rebuked the young woman made it clear he wasn't upset with her.

Maïa nodded at once, politely seeing the assistant out.

Once the wedding date had been set and the meal finished, the members of the Leroux family began to depart. After saying goodbye to the guests, Samuel Dumas voiced his concern. "Why did Mr. Leroux leave like that? Did we do something wrong?"

Maïa, her eyes growing dark, remembered how strangely Ayden had acted-distracted, almost as if he was searching for someone-and then thought of Alina's troubled face. She clenched her fists, her gaze turning hard.

"Dad, I saw Alina bothering Mr. Leroux. He was visibly angry when he left and told me to pass along a message..."

"What message?" Samuel Dumas asked.

"He said you should teach your daughter better manners."

Maïa bit her lip. "If Alina keeps this up, the Leroux family will start thinking we have no control over our own household..." Samuel Dumas's face went pale.

Meanwhile, Alina rode away from the villa on her electric scooter. She had already lost sight of Nohan and was starting to regret what she had done.

Her phone vibrated. On the other end, her assistant Samuel's anxious voice came through. "Boss, a lot of people have been trying to figure out who Dr. Vega really is lately."

Alina arched an eyebrow. "They haven't found anything, have they?"

"No, of course not. Who would ever suspect that a young woman, freshly graduated and looking so harmless, is the genius who cracked the hydrogen puzzle?"

"Anything else?" She cut in, her voice cold.

"Yes. I managed to get information about Nohan Leroux."

"I'm listening."

"He is the second son of the former patriarch Leroux. They say he has a reputation for rare brutality, which would explain why he was sent abroad so young. Everyone assumed that the family fortune would go to his older brother, Ayden's father. But just last week, Nohan returned without warning and forced his father to hand over the leadership of the Leroux group by rather drastic means."

Samuel paused, then asked, "Didn't you arrange a fake marriage today? How did the groom turn out to be so formidable? Boss, if your marital status collapses, it could put the stock market launch at risk..."

Alina frowned. "Find his contact information and his schedule. I need to speak with him." The only reason she had agreed to this sham of a marriage was that the legal status of being married made the company appear more reliable in advance of its stock market debut. Yet now, she found herself married to a man she didn't even know, with the feeling that she had walked straight into a trap. Nohan Leroux was far from ordinary; the best option would be a swift divorce.

After ending the call, she rubbed her temples. Everything had become more complicated than she expected. As a business executive, Nohan was always surrounded by bodyguards, making another meeting with him nearly impossible. She silently cursed herself for using that reckless word-"darling"-which had triggered his anger.

With a sigh, she started her scooter again and slowly left the downtown streets, heading toward an old neighborhood on the edge of the city. Since middle school, she had run away from the Dumas family home with very little money, renting a rundown house where she had stayed ever since.

As she rounded a corner near her home, an elderly woman suddenly appeared at the side of the road. Alina slammed on the brakes, barely avoiding an accident. Curious, she studied the old woman. Despite her fragile frame, she was neatly dressed and wore a badge around her neck. The tag read: "If you find this lady, please call this number. A reward will be given." Alina understood right away-this woman had Alzheimer's and had gotten lost. She quickly called the number.

Just then, the old woman, who had seemed completely absent, suddenly seized Alina's wrist. Her eyes, now bright and animated, lit up.

"My daughter-in-law! It's you, my daughter-in-law!"

Alina froze, her mouth twitching at the corners. She had spent twenty-two years single, and now she had ended up with a husband she hadn't even asked for. Would the civil affairs office start handing out husbands like this from now on?

Finding the whole situation nearly comical, she calmly asked, "Grandma, who is your grandson?"

The old woman searched her memory. The name seemed just out of reach... then, suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"Nohan Leroux!" She stammered with excitement.

A long silence followed. The elderly lady grew agitated, repeating, "His name is Nohan... His name... Her name..." But the rest of the words just wouldn't come. Alina tried to calm her. "It's alright, ma'am. Don't worry." She then resumed her call.

Meanwhile, just a few streets away, Nohan Leroux sat in his Bentley. His cold gaze seemed to chill the air inside the car. Next to him, Tom Davis sat trembling.

"I... I'm sorry, sir. I've lost track of Mrs. Leroux!" He stammered.

Nohan remained silent, but the tension in the car became almost suffocating. Tom swallowed hard. Who would have guessed that the old lady, who usually wandered in a fog, would suddenly snap back to herself and vanish? Surveillance footage showed she had boarded a bus heading toward the suburbs. By herself.