Rejected By Her Family, Claimed By The Masked CEO

Chapter 9: You want to claim me?

By the time Abigail arrived at the Royal Crest Hotel, Madeline was already waiting near the entrance with a thick file pressed against her chest.

The moment she spotted Abigail, she sighed in relief, " I almost thought we would miss him again, still here"

Abigail walked toward her quickly. "Is it complete?"

Madey nodded immediately and handed over the file carefully. "Everything regarding the project is inside."

Abigail exhaled deeply before lifting her eyes toward the towering hotel building.

For some reason...she suddenly felt nervous. Which was ridiculous. She had negotiated billion-dollar deals before. Yet the thought of meeting Draco in person somehow made her feel like she was walking into danger willingly.

"Do we really have to do this personally?" Madeline muttered anxiously while adjusting her glasses. "People online are saying he’s terrifying."

Abigail snorted softly. "Good. Maybe fear will finally make him read my proposal."

Before Madeline could respond, a familiar voice came from behind.

"You?"

Both women turned. Joshua stood there looking at them with surprise. His expression honestly looked like he had just seen a ghost.

Abigail recognised him immediately, too. Draco’s assistant! Abigail crossed her arms calmly. "Where is your boss?"

Joshua sighed helplessly as though life had suddenly become harder. "Miss Abigail..." he muttered tiredly. "You really came personally."

"You left me no choice."

Joshua rubbed his forehead dramatically before finally gesturing toward the elevators. "Follow me."

Then his eyes moved toward Madeline. "But not with her."

"What?" Madeline blinked in disbelief. "Why not me?"

Joshua looked exhausted already. "Because my boss hates crowded discussions."

"There are only two of us!"

"He’ll still call it crowded."

Madeline looked personally offended.

Abigail almost laughed. "It’s okay," Abigail assured her calmly before taking the file. "Wait for me downstairs."

Madeline looked worried but nodded anyway. Joshua then led Abigail toward the private elevator. The atmosphere inside became strangely quiet once the doors closed.

Abigail glanced sideways at Joshua. "You look stressed."

Joshua looked at her blankly. "I work for Draco."

"Fair enough." That answer alone carried years of suffering. When the elevator finally stopped, Joshua guided her down an expensive hallway before stopping in front of a luxurious suite.

Then he knocked gently. A second later, the door unlocked by itself.

Abigail blinked in confusion "A hotel room?"

Joshua sighed again like a man who had lost hope in life already. "He already attended to two clients here today."

That somehow sounded worse. Abigail tightened her grip on the file before finally stepping inside.

The suite was enormous and quiet. Then she saw him sitting casually on the edge of the bed with one leg crossed over the other, dressed entirely in black. The silver mask covering the upper half of his face only made him look more dangerous instead of mysterious.

And his eyes...those cold, piercing eyes locked onto her immediately.

Abigail swallowed unconsciously. For the first time in a long while...

She actually felt pressured. Joshua wisely disappeared and shut the door behind her. Leaving them alone.

Abigail immediately regretted every decision that brought her here. Still, she forced herself to walk forward calmly. "Good morning, Mr Henry."

Draco said nothing. His gaze simply swept over her from head to toe slowly. The silence became uncomfortable immediately. Abigail resisted the urge to throw the file at his face.

Since the man had no intention of speaking first, she placed the file on the table and straightened her posture. "Since the proposals I’ve been sending never received a reply," she said professionally, "I decided to come personally."

Draco raised a brow with interest "You know my condition," he said calmly. "Playing hard to get is a waste of time."

Abigail blinked. What condition?

Then suddenly, she remembered the strange email attached to his collaboration response weeks ago.

At that time, she genuinely thought it had been sent to the wrong person because no sane businessman would write something so ridiculous.

Her expression changed "Wait." Abigail stared at him in disbelief. "You... want me in exchange for company collaboration?"

Draco stared at her in amusement, for a second, and Abigail genuinely thought the man might throw her out of the window himself.

Instead, he stood up. The movement alone carried pressure. He’s so tall and dangerously composed.

Abigail instinctively tightened her grip on the file in her hand as Draco walked toward her slowly, "What?" he asked deeply, brows furrowing beneath the silver mask. "Is it too much to claim every inch of you?"

Abigail’s heart skipped violently. Not because she liked the words. But because the man said outrageous things with such calm confidence that it felt illegal.

But still, she refused to step back. Most women probably would have retreated immediately under Draco’s intimidating presence, but Abigail remained standing where she was, lifting her chin stubbornly even though her heartbeat had already betrayed her dignity.

Because what he just said offended her ego terribly. "Am I that cheap to you, Mr Draco?" she asked coldly.

Honestly, she barely even knew the man personally. The only thing connecting them was business. Months of chasing his signature.

Meetings... Ignored proposals. Annoying endless negotiations. Did this arrogant man seriously misunderstand all that effort for something else?

Draco tilted his head slightly while studying her expression. freewebnovel.cσ๓

Then unexpectedly, he chuckled. "Spicy..." he murmured thoughtfully before nodding to himself. "Hm. I love spicy things very much."

His gaze darkened behind the mask. "And I don’t mind tasting them again."

Abigail nearly choked on air. This man truly had no shame. Draco stepped even closer and lifted a hand toward her hair casually as though touching her was already natural.

Abigail immediately stepped back before he could reach her. The movement made Draco pause.

"I’m disappointed in you," Abigail said firmly. "There are other conditions for business collaborations. Not... whatever this is."

If not for her company’s condition, she would never have entered this ridiculous situation.

She had imagined many possibilities before meeting Draco today.

Cold rejection?

Ahh yesss! It’s normal!

Harsh negotiations?

Of course!!

Being indirectly proposed to like a business package?

Absolutely not!

Abigail suddenly smirked despite herself. "Why don’t you sign the contract first?" she suggested calmly, "then maybe we can discuss other things later?"

Draco stared at her for two seconds before laughing quietly again. The sound irritated her for some reason. "I was raised inside this business world," he replied smoothly. "You won’t be able to play tricks on me, President Abigail."

Then he nodded toward the contract resting on the table. "Your company needs support, and I’m the only one powerful enough to handle both you and your company."

Abigail glared at him. This man truly deserved violence. Who negotiated like this?! No wonder people online called him dangerous.

She suddenly understood why his assistant constantly looked exhausted.

Abigail inhaled deeply before walking toward the table and dropping the file there harder than necessary. "Then keep your collaboration."

Draco remained calm. That somehow annoyed her even more. She turned immediately and headed toward the door without looking back again.

"You know where to find me," he said casually. "My doors are always open whenever you change your mind." The way he emphasised the last sentence made Abigail’s eyes twitch dangerously.

What nonsense?!

She gritted her teeth so hard her jaw almost hurt. Then she yanked the door open and stormed out angrily."That jerk..." she muttered under her breath.