upset.
Gwen gasped.
She understood the implication of his words immediately. 'You've...you've recovered your memory?"
"No. But my marriage to Kira is a fact. It can't be changed, regardless of whether I remember it or not.'
*But you promised you'd marry mel
"If you recall, you are the one who proposed.'
"And you said yes!"
"That was before I was made aware of my marriage to Kira. Which, by the way, is a fact you conveniently forgot to inform me. "...I didn't know it at the time.'
'Doesn't matter now. The wedding's off. The engagement's off."
"Jason!" Gwen was thrown into full-on panic. "Everyone knows we are about to get married! What am I supposed to tell them?' "Tell them whatever you like. But there's not going to be a wedding.
Gwen was red in the face with
rage and humiliation.
She was breathing heavily.
*But what about us? We spent four years together. Doesn't that count for something?"
know better than anyone else what our relationship is like, Austyn said coldly. "We never spent the night together.
They were more like colleagues than lovers.
Their dates were spent talking about the company and the industry.
Gwen never even saw the inside of Austyn's bedroom.
She bit her lower lip to choke back a sob.
She pleaded, "But it's still four years of our lives. I went up against my family and insisted on taking you home. You had nothing, remember? You didn't even have a name or a single penny. I took you in. I gave you a home. I helped you adjust to your new life. If you want to leave me, at least tell me what I odid wrong'
Austyn fell silent.
Gwen knew he was a man of his word.
He gave his all for the Taylor Group because Gwen asked for his help.
He could deny her feelings for him, but he couldn't deny the fact that she saved him.
He owed her.
If she couldn't make him stay with love, she'd make him stay with guilt.
Austyn finally spoke up after a long while of silence. 'Can I ask you something?'
'Yes, anything!'
'Why do you want to marry me:
'Well, of course it's because I-!
'I want the truth," Austyn cut her off. 'Did you propose to me because you love me, or because you needed to keep me at the company?"
The Wedding's offMaterial © of .
Gwen's proposal came right after he told her he was thinking about starting his own business.
The Taylor Group had been brought back from the verge of bankruptcy.
Its survival was assured.
Austyn wanted to move on to something more challenging
The day after they had that talk, Gwen proposed.
Austyn continued when Gwen said nothing. 'You knew who I was the day you saved me, yet you never said a word about it. You took me out of the country, knowing full well that my friends and family were searching for me. You gave me a new name, a new identity. You claimed to know nothing about my past. You lied to me."
'L...I was only trying to help you. You would get a headache every time you-
'Were you trying to help me, or yourself? You entrusted the fate of the entire Taylor Group to me when I myself wasn't even sure if I could do it. Would you trust a stranger you didn't know?'
Gwen fumbled for a reply.
'Our relationship started with a lie, Austyn said coolly. 'It was a mistake to begin with. It's time to correct the mistake."
Austyn hung up,
He didn't want to waste time talking to Gwen.
The woman was manipulative and deceitful.
She did save him, but she also used him.
Austyn would repay her favour some other way, but he was never going to marry her.
He glanced towards the open doorway.
He called Kira's name.
She didn't reply.
She must have gotten bored with waiting and gone off somewhere,
Austyn didn't want to spend a moment apart from her.
He wanted to yank off the IV needle on the back of his left hand and get up to look for her, but he knew she was probably going to scold him for not. taking care of himself.
So he held back and waited for her to return.
Kira had left the floor to get some fresh air.
The thought of Austyn talking to Gwen galled her.
She pulled up short at the sight of Gideon.
He stepped out of the lift and headed straight for her.
Only then did she recall that she was supposed to pick him up at the airport.
It totally skipped her mind.
Kira grimaced, feeling a little guilty.
"Gideon, um, sorry, I was
He interrupted her with a frown. I just got off the plane and heard the kids had an accident at the amusement park. Are they okay?/
'They're Kira paused as something occurred to her.
She eyed him suspiciously. "How did you know that? She had not called Gideon all day.
Are they hurt?
We You Spying On Me?
Were You Spying On Me?
Gideon paused.
Then he smiled. "That's not important right now. Just take me to see the kids. I'm worried about them."
Four years ago, Gideon was furious when he learned about Kira's pregnancy.
He would not allow her to have another man's baby and even tried to force her to get an abortion.
But then Austyn was shot and went missing.
After months of futile search, he was presumed to be dead
Gideon's heart was set at ease.
With the threat gone, he could tolerate the existence of the baby.
He was at the hospital the day the twins were born.
He held the tiny babies in his arms.
Eventually, he grew to be quite fond of them.
The kids had no memory of Austyn
They grew up seeing Uncle Gideon as a fatherly figure
Gideon's affection for them was genuine.
He hoped that one day, Kira would accept him, even if it was purely for the kids' sake.
After four years, he thought he was getting close