Married At First Sight Chapter 4475
River chuckled. “You want to complain to my sister-in-law? Go ahead. If you do, I’ll report it to Chairman Lafond. I’ll also tell everyone in Eaglioncile that you took advantage of me and refused to take responsibility.”
Romina took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. “Go ahead,” she said. “Tell them I slept with you and ditched you. Do you even dare?”
River paused. “Romina… are you into me? You’ve been coming after me for years. Is it because you like me?”
“You’re delusional,” Romina snapped. “Aren’t you always targeting me too? Why don’t you admit you’re interested?”
“You’re not my type,” River said bluntly. “If you were, I wouldn’t have been at odds with you for years. I would’ve tried to patch things up and become your partner.”
Romina scowled. “What a coincidence. You’re not my type either. And I don’t care what you like. Plenty of people are into me.”
She was still pissed.
What was wrong with her?
She was great, okay? Tons of grandmothers were trying to set her up with their grandsons. She’d turned them all down—that’s why she was still single.
Honestly, Romina didn’t even know what kind of guy she liked.
One thing was for sure—it wasn’t some jerk like River.
“Uncle River! Uncle River!”
Maverick’s voice came through.
River quickly said, “I’m done talking to you. My nephew’s calling. Don’t forget you owe me a meal as an apology.”
Then he hung up.
Romina stared at the phone. “What a jerk.”
Fine. She’d treat him. Who was afraid of who?
If she didn’t, she was pretty sure he’d go straight to her grandfather and whine that she took advantage of him and left him hanging. She wouldn’t be able to explain her way out of that one.
Grandpa would probably say she and River were in a love-hate relationship.
She was about to turn thirty and still didn’t have a boyfriend. Her grandfather was already worried and planning to lighten her workload so she could start dating.
But Romina didn’t want to get married.
She liked being single—free and in control.
She had nieces and nephews. When she got old, she’d have them take care of her. Her assets would go to them.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” she called.
The door opened, and in walked Donovan Lafond—her oldest brother and the CEO of Lan Group.
He shared a few similarities with Romina. Dressed in a sharp black suit and tie, he looked calm, capable, and handsome.
In Eaglioncile, Donovan used to stand out. At least, that was before River showed up. After River arrived, he slowly stole Donovan’s spotlight.
Donovan wasn’t as good-looking as River. He didn’t have River’s bold charisma either.
“I heard you’re in a bad mood,” Donovan said. “What happened? Did you run into River again?”
He and River had clashed many times. Both were strong opponents. If their companies weren’t rivals, Donovan might actually admire the guy.
He knew Romina and River were true enemies. They knew each other too well—and whenever they met, they clashed. If they didn’t, Romina would feel off.
Whenever she was about to close a major deal, River would swoop in at the last minute and steal it. That always sent her storming to confront him.
Of course, when she snatched business from River, he sometimes came to Lafond Group to confront her too.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4476
After years of their constant back-and-forth, everyone at Lafond Group had gotten used to it.
“I wanted to confront him, but he had guests,” Romina said, acting like she’d won. “So I let it go—for now.”
“Oh really?” Donovan sat down across from her desk, a teasing smile on his face. “Then why do you look so upset? Did you lose?”
“I didn’t lose,” Romina huffed. “Come on, don’t hype him up. When I go head-to-head with River, I usually hold my own.”
More or less.
Okay, maybe he won a little more often.
“I even slapped him,” she muttered. “I’ve wanted to for so long. I’ve honestly dreamed of putting him in a sack and beating him up.”
Donovan raised an eyebrow. “So you did slap him. And now you’re mad because you’re embarrassed.”
Romina gave him a look. “Whose side are you on? I’m your sister. River’s our sworn enemy. Yantail is thriving and opening new branches.”
Donovan said calmly, “River’s no lightweight.”
“I know that. We’ve been rivals for years. I’ve never underestimated him. I’ve always seen him as a worthy opponent.”
Donovan leaned back. “Our industry is struggling. Even successful companies take losses now. River made Yantail big, but they’ve had setbacks too. We’re all looking to pivot. Who knows? We might not even be in the same industry in the future.”
He didn’t want to stay in the same field as River—it was exhausting competing with someone like him.
Romina grumbled, “He snatched my deal. I wanted to tear him apart. Then I saw him having coffee with some young woman, so I went full drama mode and slapped him. Honestly, it felt amazing. I’ve wanted to hit him forever.”
Donovan smirked. “Did your hand hurt?”
“A little at the time, but I’m fine now. I iced his face and mine. No pain.”
“You hit him and iced his face? You really made things complicated for yourself.”
Romina pouted. “You think I wanted to? He threatened to call the cops, and I panicked. I misunderstood again. So I had to apologize, ice the swelling, and now I owe him dinner too.”
“He was with a young woman?” Donovan asked. “That’s surprising. He’s been in Eaglioncile for five or six years and never had a single scandal. He’s rejected every woman who’s tried to get close. You sure he’s not into married women?”
Romina sighed. “I thought the same at first. Either that or he was secretly married. But it turns out she’s his sister-in-law, and she’s traveling with her kids during summer break.”
Donovan nodded. “Ah, that makes sense. I didn’t think he’d be into just anyone.”
He paused, considering.
Honestly, he suspected River liked Romina—even if neither of them realized it.
After years of butting heads, maybe their so-called rivalry was something else. They were just too caught up in it to see clearly.
From Donovan’s perspective, they actually made a good pair.
Both were smart, successful, and attractive—a perfect match on paper.
Still, he couldn’t be sure, so he kept those thoughts to himself.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4477
“You hit River. You should apologize,” Donovan said.
“Brother, I did apologize to him—sincerely—and I explained to everyone that it was a misunderstanding and my fault. I even put ice on his face. I did everything I should’ve. But you don’t know how shameless he is. He just called me and asked me to buy him dinner! Said if I didn’t, he’d go complain to Grandpa, claiming I took advantage of him and needed to take responsibility. He actually said my palm kissed his face, like being slapped was some kind of romantic gesture. Only River could twist things like that. I honestly admire how filthy his mouth is—he can say anything.”
Donovan silently complained to himself: He’s just looking for an excuse to have dinner with you.
Hearing everything his sister said only confirmed Donovan’s suspicion—River was definitely into her.
He echoed her frustration. “Then yeah, he’s really shameless. Total scoundrel.”
“But don’t let him run to Grandpa. If he really says that stuff, Grandpa might actually tell you to be responsible for him. You know how worried he is about your marriage. You’re already twenty-nine, almost thirty, and still single. It’s stressing Grandpa out. His hair’s turning white.”
Romina grunted twice. “Why should I fall in love if I haven’t met anyone I actually like? I’m not going to settle just to check a box. I’ve got to spend my whole life with this person. He has to be someone I like, someone who’s right for me, someone who doesn’t care about my status or power. If I don’t meet someone like that, then fine. I won’t get married. I’ll live alone. You go have a few more kids. I’ll take care of one of them when I’m old and let them inherit my stuff.”
Romina wasn’t worried about getting old or dying alone.
She had great relationships with her siblings, and more nieces and nephews than she could count. Did she really need to worry about no one showing up to her funeral?
Right now, living well each day was what mattered.
If she got married and ended up with the wrong man, that would be the real disaster.
Donovan said, “You can say that kind of thing to me, but don’t ever say it in front of Grandpa. He’d lose it.”
“I know. I won’t,” Romina said. “Grandpa already arranged a blind date for me. I went. I just didn’t like the guy.”
Romina was too busy. She showed up to the blind date, took one look at the guy, didn’t even finish a glass of water, and rushed back to the office.
There were endless meetings, piles of documents, business trips on top of business trips. She wished every minute lasted ten.
This afternoon had already been a major waste of time.
She’d have to work late just to catch up.
Donovan asked, “Romina, what kind of guy do you like?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I’ve never liked anyone, so I really don’t know what kind of guy I’d fall for.”
After a moment, she added, “But definitely not someone like River. Just seeing that guy makes me want to toss him in a sack and beat him up.”
Donovan laughed. “He’s good-looking, smart, easy to get along with… How did he end up the villain in your version of the story?”
“Don’t mix personal feelings with business. When we’re not talking business, sure, I can admit he’s impressive. Brother, you admire him too. If he wasn’t a shareholder at Yantail, I would’ve tried to steal him for Lafond myself.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 4478
Yantail’s boss had real vision—and guts. He transferred half of his shares to River and locked him in at Yantail. As long as the company thrived, the boss had nothing to worry about.
And he was right. Yantail’s boss had gone from near bankruptcy to becoming a billionaire.
And he was only going to get richer.
At this point, Yantail was basically River’s company. There was no way he’d walk away from it for another job.
Instead, he’d pour everything he had into making Yantail even stronger.
The original boss didn’t get involved anymore. River handled everything. The boss only showed up at big meetings—and even then, he mostly just listened to River.
These days, he spent his time taking care of his daughter, who was in her last year of high school, and his son, who was in junior high. The rest of the time, he traveled with his wife and enjoyed his life. And every year, the money just kept rolling in. It was the kind of carefree life most people only dreamed of.
Before he gave River those shares, plenty of major companies tried to lure River away with huge offers. None of them succeeded—and the boss knew what he had to do.
He shocked everyone by handing River half the company.
There’s a big difference between working for someone and working for yourself.
River and Yantail’s boss were the perfect combo—complementary and built on trust. That’s why Yantail was what it was today.
Donovan thought to himself: If I were Yantail’s boss, I don’t think I could’ve done it. Half the company? No way. At most, I’d give River a small percentage. Half? Forget it.
No wonder people said the boss had vision and guts. Maybe he wasn’t a business genius, but he had great instincts. He hired River, trusted him completely, and stuck with him.
And when people talked bad about River, the boss didn’t listen. He didn’t care. He didn’t even hesitate—he’d fire anyone who tried to throw shade at River.
He lived by one rule: trust who you hire, and don’t hire anyone you can’t trust.
“His success is our nightmare,” Romina said. “Don’t forget, Yantail and Lafond are in the same industry. We’re competitors—and competitors are enemies.”
“Exactly,” Donovan said. “I wanted to poach him for Lafond, too, but before I could even make a move, Yantail gave him half the company.”
Romina let out a sigh of regret.
They missed the best executive talent out there.
“Fine, I’ll admit he’s brilliant. But he’s still our archrival. Whenever I see him, I get this itch to fight.”
She paused, suddenly alert. “Wait a minute—what are you getting at, brother? Are you saying you think River and I could actually be a couple?”
Romina wasn’t stupid. She picked up on it fast.
She glared at her brother, wide-eyed. He knew full well she and River were sworn enemies—yet here he was, trying to play matchmaker?
Donovan grinned. “If we forget about the business stuff, the only man I’ve ever thought was good enough for my brilliant little sister… is River. So far, I haven’t met anyone more suitable for you. You two understand each other perfectly. One glance and you know what the other is thinking. You’re beautiful, he’s handsome. You’re a perfect match.”