Chapter 27

"Since everyone is here, I would like you all to know that Carole is my soon to be girlfriend,"

Carole's eyes became wider and her heart skipped faster. All eyes were on her and she didn't know what to react or how to react. The silence became louder.

Carole's mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, a chaotic storm raging beneath the surface of her outwardly composed demeanor. The initial shock of Royce's announcement – 

"soon-to-be girlfriend" – had been quickly followed by a wave of disorientation.

It wasn't the romantic fairytale she'd ever envisioned, but a calculated maneuver in a high-stakes game she barely understood. A part of her, a cynical, pragmatic part, recognized the strategic brilliance of Royce's move. It was a bold, audacious play, a calculated risk designed to deflect his father's relentless pressure and perhaps even to subtly undermine Mr. Samson's ambitions.