CHAPTER 10: FIRST
QUARREL I
James stormed into Stone Group like a walking thundercloud. The moment his employees caught sight of him, they quickly found something—anything—to do. Even the air felt tense.
Jared and Angelo trailed behind him like ghosts, their footsteps barely making a sound.
James abruptly stopped, turning to glare at them. "Why are you sneaking behind me like assassins? Walk properly or disappear from my sight."
Jared and Angelo stiffened, then fell into step beside him.
Barely two seconds passed before James snapped again. "Jared, you're walking too loudly. Get lost. Go to your office."
Jared: ...!
James turned to Angelo next. "You too."
Angelo: ....!!
Left alone, James marched into his office, slammed the door shut, and, without a second thought, sent everything on his desk crashing to the floor. Laptop, landline, tablet, papers—gone. Yet, somehow, it wasn't enough to vent the frustration burning inside him.
Slumping into his chair, he raked a hand through his hair and exhaled sharply.
This woman was going to drive him insane. They had only been married for a few days, and she was already pushing him to the edge.
An hour later, Angelo hesitantly entered to remind him of his meeting—only to freeze at the sight of the wrecked office.
James shot him a cold stare. "Get someone to clean this up."
Angelo quickly nodded and scurried out.
James grabbed his jacket and left for his meeting, where his bad mood infected the entire boardroom.
By the time he was done, every director in the company had received a tongue-lashing. Mistakes were mercilessly called out, and anyone unlucky enough to be in his line of sight was either insulted or dismissed with a glare.
The Stone Group employees worked on tenterhooks the entire day. It didn't help that James decided to do something he had never done before—routine department checks.
The first department he entered, he caught a woman on the phone whispering a soft, "I love you."
SMACK!
James's palm landed on the nearest table, making the woman jump in fright as her phone clattered to the floor.
His icy gaze turned to Jared. "This is the kind of staff you train here?"
Jared, who had already endured enough verbal abuse for the day, could only glare at the poor woman in shared frustration.
James returned his focus to her. "Since you have so much love to give, maybe you should go home and raise a dozen kids instead of wasting my time here."
The woman swallowed hard, wanting to protest that she had been talking to her son, but under Chairman Stone's deadly gaze, she simply nodded and rushed out.
By the end of the day, no one dared breathe in the wrong direction.
Meanwhile, the real culprit of James's foul mood was relaxing at home.
If only Jared knew the reason behind his brother's rage, he would have cursed Diana ten times over and maybe even plotted revenge.
Diana emerged from the bathroom, dressed and refreshed. She made her way downstairs, surprised to find that James had already left.
A breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast with a cup of tea awaited her.
As she ate, she tried to focus on work but quickly realized that was impossible.
Since she had given herself and her assistant a week off for the wedding, there were no pressing tasks. But no matter how much she tried to distract herself, she couldn't shake the image of James walking out on her this morning—completely furious.
Why was he so mad?
She replayed their interactions over and over, yet she came up blank.
Leaning back on the sofa, she closed her eyes to rest—only for memories of last night to hit her like a freight train.
Her eyes snapped open in horror.
Oh. My. God.
She had kicked him all night.
And then, to make things worse, she had blamed him for it.
Diana groaned, slapping her forehead.
You absolute idiot!
No wonder he had asked if she watched a lot of action movies. She had karate-chopped the man in his sleep!
She needed to fix this—fast.
If she didn't, James might file for divorce before the week was over.
Diana sprang into action, heading upstairs to change. She threw on tight blue jeans, a baggy polo that barely covered her hips, boots, and a face cap before rushing downstairs.
As she reached the hallway, Nicodemus stepped out of the kitchen, nearly dropping the tray he was carrying when he saw her.
"Ma'am… do you intend to go out looking like that?"
Diana glanced down at her outfit, then back up. "Yeah, why?"
Nicodemus sighed inwardly. If James saw her like this, there would be hell to pay.
"I'll inform Antonio to prepare the car," he said instead.
"Thanks, Uncle Nick," Diana said cheerfully, then paused. "By the way, you can just call him 'my husband' instead of 'Mr. Alfred' next time. Make sure the other staff know too."
Nicodemus bowed slightly. "Understood, Ma'am."
"And one more thing—did he have breakfast before leaving?"
Nicodemus shook his head. "No, Ma'am."
Diana frowned. "Hmm… Uncle Nick, you've known my husband for a while. What kind of things does he like?"
"Ma'am…" Nicodemus hesitated, then sighed. "Your husband is a very private man. Before now, he barely spoke to any of the staff—only me. The only people who might know his preferences are his brother, secretary, or close friends."
Diana made a mental note to get to know the people around James.
She went back to their room, scanning his closet. He already had everything, so what could she possibly get him that he'd actually appreciate?
Something personal.
Diana headed back downstairs, where Nicodemus informed her the car was ready.
Outside, Antonio stood by the Mercedes Benz Cabriolet, holding the door open for her.
As she climbed in, Antonio hesitated. He had never seen a lady in this house dress like a boy.
But he said nothing.
Instead, he got into the driver's seat and asked, "Where to, Ma'am?"
Diana adjusted her cap. "Take me to the best shopping mall you can find."
Antonio started the car, and the engine hummed to life.
As they pulled out of the driveway, Diana leaned back in her seat, determined.
By the time James got home tonight, she was going to make things right.
Even if she had to swallow her pride to do it.