The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet novel Chapter 1489

"For the past three years, how many tantrums has she thrown in front of me? How many scenes has she caused? How many times have I forgiven her? Every single time she promises to change, but it never lasts more than a few days before her true colors show again! She's all high and mighty now, and we're not even married yet. Can you imagine what it would be like if we were? It would be a never-ending drama!" Alaric said, frustration clear in his voice.

Georgia's princess-like attitude might work on someone else, but he was at his wit's end!

With that, Alaric stormed off towards the staircase.

Angelina glared at Alaric's retreating back and vented to Beatrice and Remington, "Can you believe him? He's thirty and still can't keep his cool!"

Angelina was truly worried.

Remington pondered for a moment before saying, "Alaric has a point. Marrying the wrong person can lead to a lifetime of misery. If their personalities clash so much, maybe it's better to..."

"Dad, what are you saying? The Reed family has done so much for Alaric, turning him from a nobody into the vice president of the Falconer Group. Think about all they've invested. The stakes are too high for a simple break-up now."

Beatrice sighed. "Why can't this kid give us a break? Look at Jeremiah, he's been a blessing. Married to Ms. Suttner without a hitch, and now he's successfully managing our overseas operations, making everything prosper."

"Jeremiah has always been bright and sensible, steady in his decisions, while Alaric has been reckless, acting without thinking of the consequences. It's just their nature," Remington sighed.

Hearing the elders praise Alaric's cousin Jeremiah and list Alaric's faults made Angelina worry more than ever. Her greatest fear was the elders settling on Jeremiah as the heir, dismissing Alaric's potential.

Over the years, she had done everything to support Alaric, promoting him from a laid-back manager in a small firm to the vice president of the Falconer Group, all to ensure he'd one day outshine Jeremiah and take over as the CEO of the Falconer Group.

At this crucial point, Alaric couldn't afford to mess up.

"Alaric is just being temperamental. He's competent; look how he's brought the Reed family on board, creating so much value for our family,” Angelina defended him, worried that the elders might believe Alaric lacked ability.

"Creating value is one thing, but his compatibility with Georgia is another," Beatrice pointed out.

"Young people can adjust their personalities. I'll go up and talk some sense into him. He'll see reason," Angelina said with a smile, then headed upstairs.

Back in his room, Alaric took off his shirt and examined his back in the mirror. It was marked with red welts, some bleeding, a shocking sight.

Beside one particularly nasty welt, there was a faded scar, an old wound from three years ago when Hertha had pushed him, causing him to hit the edge of a nightstand.

Seeing that old scar, Alaric remembered the night Hertha had spent in his room, and his heart ached.

"Does it still hurt?" A female voice asked from the doorway.