Page 41 of King of Pride

Unknown Number.

He picked up the call and brought the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

A woman’s voice came through on the other end.

“Mr. Carrington, we just wanted to inform you that your fiancée, Miss Rose Monroe, called us a while ago and canceled her bridal dress shopping appointment. We wanted to let you know that you’re no longer on the schedule, so if you would still like to have an appointment, you’ll need to make a new one.”

“Fine,” Ivan replied curtly before ending the call.

Terrence, who had heard every word the assistant had said, raised his eyebrows.

“Aren’t you worried that she’s serious about this? She canceled the wedding dress appointment. I thought that was one of the most important things to her. She wouldn’t stop talking about the dress she was going to wear at your wedding.”

Ivan tossed the phone onto the table, his irritation deepening with every passing second.

“Rose is being stubborn,” he said angrily. “She’ll come back after she calms down.”

Even as he said the words, the tension in his voice betrayed the anger building inside him.

Before Terrence could respond, there was a knock on the door.

It opened, and Ivan’s secretary, Ryan, hurried into the room with a worried expression.

“Mr. Carrington, I have some important news to inform you about.”

Ryan looked so tense that Ivan immediately lifted one hand, dismissing the hesitation.

“Just tell me.”

Ryan swallowed before speaking.

“Mr. Carrington, we just received a call from Mr. Monroe’s secretary at Monroe Industries. They informed us that they have canceled all business dealings with our company. They also said they will not be entering into any new deals with us in the future, and all the agreements currently in place have been terminated, effective immediately.”

The expression on Ivan’s face changed so quickly that the shock was unmistakable.

For a moment, he simply stared at Ryan.

Then the reality of what he had just heard sank in.

Panic flashed across his face, followed by a sudden, terrifying realization.

Rose might actually leave him.

Until now, even when Rose threatened to end their relationship, there had always been something tying them together—the business relationship between their families. Their engagement, their families’ expectations, and their companies’ dealings had all kept them connected.

But now that business relationship was gone.

If the Monroes had truly cut ties with the Carringtons, there was nothing left connecting Ivan and Rose.

Nothing.

The thought hit him with such force that he abruptly straightened in his chair. His breathing grew heavier as the panic spreading through him became impossible to hide.

Before he could say anything, the office door flew open again.

Another young executive rushed inside, her face pale with panic.