Chapter 322: Declaration of War (2)

Chapter 322: Chapter 322: Declaration of War (2)

Seraphina Sterling didn’t even dare to meet Terrence Grant’s gaze. Fortunately, he was tall, so she fixed her gaze on his nose as she spoke. "Wyatt Gallagher and I have a date, so you all can carry on!" Without waiting for anyone to react, she grabbed Wyatt Gallagher by her side and tried to leave.

But who was Terrence Grant? How could he possibly let Seraphina Sterling leave so easily? Especially with another man, right in front of him! Terrence Grant suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Wyatt Gallagher’s arm. Fearing Wyatt would be hurt, Seraphina instinctively let go of his arm, moving to shield him from the attack.

She knew all too well how strong Terrence Grant could be. Wyatt Gallagher was a doctor; an arm injury could affect his dexterity and might mean he’d never be able to perform surgery again. It was as if Terrence Grant had known exactly what she would do. The instant she let go, he yanked her into his embrace and, a second later, crushed his lips against hers.

Seraphina’s eyes flew wide. She couldn’t believe Terrence Grant would be so brazen—kissing her in public! In that instant, it felt like a herd of wild beasts was stampeding through her mind.

A glimpse of Skylar Thompson in her peripheral vision showed the woman trembling with rage, a vicious light flashing in her eyes. ’I could kill Terrence Grant right now,’ Seraphina thought. Shannon Gable was already more than she could handle. Now add Skylar Thompson to the list. And right, there was also Aiden Faulkner, who was acting like a total lunatic for some reason. Plus Faye Sterling, who’d just been sent home. Seraphina felt like her entire world was collapsing.

Terrence Grant noticed the woman in his arms staring with wide, darting eyes. ’She’s not into this at all!’ His temper flared. The gentle kiss immediately turned forceful and domineering. Seraphina felt the oxygen being stolen from her chest, leaving her without the mental capacity to even consider how many more enemies she had just made.

If Seraphina was shocked, the crowd was a thousand, no, ten thousand times more so!

Good heavens! What was happening? A public proposal wasn’t enough, now there was a public kiss!

So powerful! So domineering!

He was basically stealing her away right in front of everyone!

Mr. Grant was truly the type to be quiet, but shock the world when he finally acted. Normally, you never saw him with any sort of woman, not even the wealthy heiresses from their social circle. Skylar Thompson was the only one who seemed even remotely close to him. But that was just an outsider’s perspective of Terrence Grant, and even then, "close" was a massive overstatement.

Still, this alone made Terrence Grant a cut above the other wealthy heirs. He never fooled around with women or got caught up in scandals that would disgrace his family. Everyone had assumed this lordly young master would just settle for the Thompson family’s daughter. While the Thompsons couldn’t match the Grant Family’s status, it was considered a decent enough match.

But as it happened, Terrence Grant had zero interest in Skylar Thompson. If she was at an event, he would go to great lengths to avoid her. This made those who had speculated about a union between the Thompson and Grant families far less certain. In short, the elite families of Aethelgard were stressing themselves sick over Terrence Grant’s marriage prospects. But that was hardly surprising. It would be stranger if a titan like the Grant Family *wasn’t* the target of everyone’s ambitions.

Terrence Grant’s marriage was a bellwether. Whichever family managed to marry into the Grant Family would see their own fortunes soar. It was obvious just how desperately the great families of Aethelgard wanted their daughters to catch Terrence Grant’s eye. For the future of their lineage, they would gift-wrap and deliver their own daughters to his bed if he so much as asked—even if the daughters themselves were unwilling.

While Terrence Grant had a forceful and domineering personality, he also possessed a face that drove women wild. Setting aside his family background, his looks alone were enough to ensure that none of the heiresses would truly be unwilling. Unfortunately for them, Terrence Grant wasn’t interested in any of them. No matter what tricks they pulled, he wouldn’t spare them so much as a single glance.