Obsession His Runaway Bride (Noelle and Adrian) novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Disgust

1This… is not the end.

Not when there’s still a story aching to be told.

These next chapters belong to Grace Blackwood.

Who has been there since the beginning.

To the one unloved…

To the one unseen…

To the broken…

To the Unwanted Grace…

…This is her story.]

Chapter 77: Disgust

The room was filled with smoke and the low murmur of voices as men in sharp suits and gold watches discussed matters that decided the fate of cities. Deals were being made. Alliances were being tested. The underworld never slept, and tonight was no

different.

Grace sat at the long table while swirling the whiskey in her glass. The men around her spoke in hushed tones, but she caught every word. She had been raised in rooms like this. This was her world.

But tonight, she knew something was different.

“Have you heard?” a man to her left spoke in intrigue. “Adrian Blackwood is dead. Assassinated in Raeburn Asylum.”

A ripple of murmurs spread across the table. Some smirked, others leaned in wanting to join in the talk. Grace didn’t react. She simply lifted her glass to her lips, taking a slow sip, pretending her heart hadn’t just clenched at the mention of her cousin’s

name.

“And the Blackwood Group?” another man asked, lighting a cigar, his shrewd eyes flicking across the room.

“Dead.” someone answered.

The conversation shifted. Low chuckles rumbled through the room and men exchanged theories about who had the power to wipe out an entire syndicate so effortlessly. Some speculated about a rival mafia. Others whispered about a ghost from the past seeking revenge.

Then, like a knife slicing through the tension, a voice spoke.

“But there is one Blackwood left.”

Every gaze at the table instantly turned to Grace.

She didn’t blink nor flinch.

Marco who was standing silently behind her as always was immediately on guard.

“You’re the only remaining heir of the Blackwood name,” the man continued as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “So tell me, Blackwood…what happens now? Are you taking over?”

Out of nowhere, laughter erupted from the other end of the table, sharp and mocking.

“Taking over?” a man sneered, his voice dripping with amusement. “Don’t be ridiculous. Without Adrian Blackwood, you have nothing. No power, no leverage. You’re just a name without weight, a relic of something long gone.” He leaned forward, smirking. “You have no real use here anymore… unless-” his grin widened, predatory and self–satisfied, “…you marry my son.

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Chapter 76: Disgust

+25 BONUS

The moment the words left his mouth, Marco shifted beside her. s body tensed and his fingers curled into fists. He was ready to shut this down before it could go any further, but before he could so much as move, Grace placed a firm hand on his wrist, stopping him.

She didn’t even look at him.

Instead, she let out a soft, lilting laugh. One that sent a ripple of tension through the room. She tilted her head, feigning amusement as her lips curved into a slow smirk.

“Marry your son?” she echoed, as if the very idea was absurd. “Oh don’t be ridiculous.” She leaned back in her seat, crossing one leg over the other. “I’m already engaged.”

And then, with effortless ease, she lifted a hand and gestured toward Marco..

The entire room stopped.

Marco blinked, blindsided. ‘The hell?!‘

She had just thrown him into something he wasn’t remotely prepared for. But Grace? She remained as composed as ever, her fingers brushing against his arm in a show of casual affection–one that burned against his skin like fire.

The man across from them narrowed his eyes. “Is that so?”

Grace simply grinned. “Oh, absolutely.” Her fingers trailed down Marco’s sleeve as she turned to him, eyes gleaming. “Right, sweetheart?”

Marco exhaled slowly, forcing himself to keep his expression neutral. ‘She was really doing this.‘

Fine.

He leaned in slightly in a low and rough voice. “You’re going to pay for this, sweetheart.”

Then, before she could react, he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a deliberate, lingering kiss to her knuckles declaring to

the room that she is protected.

But to Grace, it was something else entirely.

Despite her sharp edges, her defiant nature, and the way she carried herself like she belonged in a world ruled by men, her heart betrayed her. It pounded wildly in her chest, drowning out the noise of the room. And before she could stop herself, before logic could remind her that Marco would never allow it, she grabbed him by the collar and crashed her lips against his.

The kiss was bold, reckless, and filled with every unspoken feeling she had buried for years.

A stunned silence fell over the room.

But Marco-

His entire body tensed.

His fingers curled around her hand, not in passion, but in warning A sharp, firm squeeze that sent a very clear message. Enough.

Then, just as suddenly as she had pulled him in, Marco ripped himself away.

His expression was unreadable, his jaw clenched tight, but the way he exhaled sharply told her everything. He was furious.

Without hesitation, he grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to her feet.

“We’re leaving,” he announced coldly. His dark gaze swept over the men seated before them. “I won’t let her set foot in this room again until you learn to respect her.”

And just like that, he dragged her away.

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Chapter 76 Dieguist

+25 BONUS

The moment they stepped outside, away from prying eyes, Marco wasted no time. He stormed toward the car, yanked the backseat door open, and shoved her inside before slamming it shut

Grace barely had time to sit upright before he rounded the vehicle slid into the driver’s seat, and turned to her with fire in his

eyes.

“What the hell, Grace?!” His voice cracked through the air as he jammed the key into the ignition. The car roared to life, but Marco wasn’t focused on the road.

His grip on the wheel was tight, his knuckles white as he sped through the streets. The silence between them crackled with suffocating tension.

Grace who was sprawled across the back seat, propped herself up on her elbows, staring at him with a smirk that only added fuel to his anger.

“What?” she began, still drunk from her first kiss. “Didn’t like my little performance back there?”

Marco let out a sharp breath through his nose, his jaw clenching as he refused to look at her. “You call that a performance?” he snapped. “You put me in a position where I had no choice but to play along with your reckless bullshit.”

Grace rolled her eyes, sitting up properly. “Oh, please. It’s not like asked you to sleep with me in front of everyone. I just-”

“You kissed me,” Marco cut her off. His fingers twitched against the leather steering wheel. “In front of a room full of men who would use any excuse to put a target on your back.”

Grace huffed, crossing her arms. “Well, excuse me for trying to save myself from an arranged marriage.”

Marco let out a humorless laugh. “And your best idea was that?”

Grace tilted her head, feigning innocence. “What, you didn’t like it?”

“Don’t push me, Grace,” he warned.

She grinned, loving every second of this. “Or what? You’ll punish me?”

With that, Marco slammed the brakes. The car jerked as he threw it into park on the side of a deserted street. In a flash, he turned in his seat, his face inches from hers, eyes burning with frustration.

“You disgust me!” he growled while pointing a finger at her.

The accusation hit her harder than any bullet ever could.

Grace’s breath caught in her throat and her entire body stiffened as if she had just been struck. For a moment, she swore she

misheard him.

But the way he looked at her…

There was no mistake.

Something inside her broke.