Husband With Benefits-Chapter 897: Babysitter

"Wow. You just returned from the hottest party in town, and you’re seething? What happened? I was sure you would hook up with someone tonight. Didn’t find anyone to your liking?"

Grant shot a sharp, withering glare at his friend, silencing any further questions before striding purposefully toward his desk. He yanked open the drawer and retreived the contract he had recently signed with Frost Industries. His jaw clenched as his eyes skimmed over the finely printed text for what felt like the hundredth time. Damn it. He should have known better—should have realized that some deals were too good to be true.

Now here he was, locked into a partnership with the Frosts. Instead of celebrating the company’s latest success, he would have to shift focus entirely—to safeguard his interests and, worse, babysit Miss Innocensa Frost.

Grant sat heavily in his chair, the frustration radiating off him in waves. The room felt smaller, suffocating even, as he continued to look for that stupid clause.

Dave strolled towards him, a curious smirk playing on his lips as he leaned casually against the edge of Grant’s desk. "Why are you scrutinizing that contract like it holds the secrets to the universe? Any closer, and your nose will be rubbing against the paper. Spill it. What’s going on?"

Grant snapped his head up, his glare turning icy. He tossed the contract onto the desk with a sharp slap of paper on wood. "Did you know about this?" he demanded in a tone that was almost accusatory.

Dave raised a brow, his smirk faltering at the intensity in Grant’s voice. "Know about what?"

"That we’re merging with the Frost empire," Grant spat the words laced with barely concealed anger. "Because I sure as hell didn’t sign up for that."

Dave blinked, taken aback by the vehemence in his friend’s tone. Straightening, his earlier amusement evaporated as he questioned. "Wait—merging? No, that can’t be right. I thought this deal was about an investment and collaboration. Are you serious?"

Grant’s expression drakened and he snarled,"Of course, I am serious. Do I look like I am joking?"

Dave held up his hands in a calming gesture, though his own sense of dread was high. "Alright, alright, don’t bite my head off. Let me see the papers." He reached for the contract, pretending a calm he did not feel.

"I think you’re mistaken," Dave continued as he began flipping through the pages, his brow furrowing slightly. "Something like this wouldn’t just slip past our legal team. They’re too sharp for that."

Grant scoffed, his frustration bubbling over. "Have you forgotten who we’re dealing with? This is the Frost empire we’re talking about. Their legal team is legendary—and by legendary, I mean ruthless. They don’t miss a thing. I’m sure there’s some buried clause that made fools of us. I just need to find it... and anything else they might’ve tucked away." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Dave shook his head,still in denial, "No, no. Our biggest hope in this partnership with the Frosts was precisely because of their fair reputation. They don’t need to resort to shady tactics. What even raised your suspicions in the first place?"

Grant leaned forward, slamming the desk with his palm for emphasis. "It’s not suspicion. It’s facts. I was just introduced to Seb Frost’s daughter. You know what he said? That she’d be the one to make sure we thrive. He also mentioned how she’d help us ’integrate’ into their entire portfolio." His voice dripped with sarcasm as he mimicked Seb Frost’s words before calling himself a fool in his mind. He had been so enraptured by Innocensa Frost that he had missed such a key point.

"From what I understand, she’ll ’learn the ropes’ from us, and then, when she’s nice and ready, they’ll hand us to her on a silver platter. Gift-wrapped."

Dave’s frown deepened as he processed Grant’s words. He glanced down at the contract in his hands, the paper suddenly feeling heavier. His stomach twisted with unease as a gnawing doubt took root. "That doesn’t sound like the Frosts," he said hesitantly, though his voice carried less conviction now.

Grant leaned back, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration. "I know. That’s what makes it worse. They don’t need to play dirty, which is why I never expected something like this. But damn it!

Determined to get to the bottom of it, Dave pulled up a chair and began poring over the document. If there was such a clause, they would have to find a way before things went further. Grant, unable to sit still, paced the office like a caged animal, muttering to himself as he waited.

Hours ticked by as the two men combed through the contract line by line, dissecting every clause, every phrase, every piece of fine print.

Finally, Dave set the contract down with a sigh, rubbing his tired eyes. "Nothing," he muttered. "I’ve gone over this thing three times, and I can’t find anything that screams ’merger’ or ’integration.’ It’s all standard business jargon. No hidden clauses. No red flags. Nothing that implies us losing our company."

Grant nodded and then shook his head tiredly. Could he really have imagined these things? Had he misunderstood? He had no doubt. Seb Frost had been too confident in throwing the words about merging with their portfolio. That was not good.

Dave looked at his friend and then knocked on the table," What do you think we should do now?"

Grant sighed and then looked at his full table before closing his eyes," I think the only option we have now is to wait and keep our guards up. Let’s see what this Innocensa Frost brings to the table. There’s no point tearing our hair out over what might happen. Let’s wait and see. Play it cool, observe her, and when the time comes, we’ll know what cards they’re holding and meanwhile we keep our safeguards up. The research and development team, don’t let her go anywhere near that.