Vicki had been sticking to Jarrod like glue these past few days. A while back, Lowe's words had sown a seed of doubt in her mind.

When Vicki had a minor outburst recently, Jarrod didn't bother to comfort her, simply claiming he was occupied.

This left Vicki unsettled, constantly pondering Lowe's insinuation about Jarrod's reluctance to start a family with her. It was absurd!

If not with her, then who else would Jarrod even consider having a child with? In just three months, she would become his wife.

Determined to keep a watchful eye on Jarrod and start a family promptly, she was resolved not to give any other woman a chance.

Currently, Vicki sat in Jarrod's office, awaiting his departure from work for their dinner plans.

However, as the daylight waned, she grew restless with each passing minute of his absence. Unable to remain idle any longer, she sought out Jarrod's assistant, Alec.

Alec, appearing hesitant, reluctantly revealed that Jarrod was engaged in an urgent meeting with a business partner.

"What?" Vicki's irritation flared. To her, the business partner's importance paled in comparison to her own. “How long will this take?" she demanded.

Alec hesitated before responding, "Mr. Schultz asked me to take you home first."

Vicki's frown deepened. "Take me home? I can wait a bit longer."

“I'm afraid that won't cut it. He's meeting with some big shot client," Alec mentioned, a hint of concern in his voice.

Vicki shot Alec a suspicious glance and briskly strode a few paces forward, yanking the VIP meeting room door wide open.

"Oh, Miss Hampton..." Alec's attempt to intervene was futile.

Vicki surveyed the vacant meeting space, turning abruptly to confront Alec. “Where's Mr. Schultz?" She and Jarrod had just finalized plans for dinner. How could Jarrod vanish into thin air like this?

Alec cleared his throat, offering an explanation, "Mr. Schultz had to jet off on an urgent business trip abroad. Left with no choice, he wanted me to relay his apologies and assure you he'll make it up to you tonight."

Vicki seethed with frustration. Even if it was urgent, a heads-up would have sufficed. She'd traveled all the way to Schultz Group, only to be forgotten. What could possibly be so pressing that he had to bolt like this?

Fuming, she retrieved her phone, dialing Jarrod's number, only to be met with a mechanical female voice. “I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off..."

Vicki's unease swelled as she noticed the absence of any response from Jarrod's phone. Where on earth could he have gone off to? She fixed her gaze on Alec, her words sharp and direct, cutting through the tension. “Alec, cut the pretense. Just tell me straight, where's Jarrod?"

Alec, predictably tight-lipped, offered his reply, “Look, I'm not feeding you lies. Mr. Schultz really went on a business trip. There's a big deal brewing in the international market, and he had to handle it alone."