Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

Late at night, Orlander summoned Freddy to the study, where Minnie was present as well.
"What? Calling off the engagement?" Minnie exclaimed in dismay. "Orlander Hodgson, are you joking? The engagement news is made public now. The wives of the local officials have been buttering me up and showering me with gifts when they learned about the engagement!
"We're so close to the marriage, and now you're telling me the engagement is canceled? How could I show my face in front of my friends?"
"Dad, what happened? Why are we calling off the engagement?" The memory of the humiliating night made Freddy seethe. "Lauren humiliated me enough by taking Cyrus' hand to my face and dancing with him. Now, they're calling off the engagement? It's a disgrace!"
Didn't Zoe claim that Lauren was a fool? Lauren was anything but that she had flirted with another man under her fiance's watch.
Freddy thought, "I should have married that slut and tortured her daily for cheating on me!"
"Your feelings are not as important as my career," Orlander suddenly blurted out an outrageous remark with a look of impatience.
Shocked, Minnie and Freddy gasped, "What the heck did you just say?"
"Couldn't you tell from tonight that Cyrus was crushing on that idiot?" Orlander sipped his tea slowly. He was giddy with pride for making the strategic decision. "Mrs. Taylor had a private talk with me. She requested that I give up on the engagement.
"She pledged her support to my electoral campaign next year if I ceded Lauren. Mr. Winston is aware of this matter as well. If I declined, the KS Group would support my political rival instead. If you were me, you'd agree to her conditions too."
Freddy clenched his jaw indignantly while Minnie was at a loss for words.
"Minnie, Freddy, this is the best arrangement for us!" Orlander slumped on the couch and dangled his legs leisurely. It didn't take the elected official long to turn into a thug. "For one, my son doesn't need to settle for a dimwit.
"I can get what I want without being subjected to Javier Beckett's whims since I'm not asking any favor from him. Secondly, I have secured my campaign funding by agreeing to the deal. Am I not killing two birds with one stone?"
Freddy worriedly warned, "Dad, aren't you oversimplifying things? The Taylors are uber-rich. In my opinion, Winston Taylor is more difficult than Javier Beckett!" "Everyone knows that Winston Taylor is sick. He's living abroad for his medical treatment. I bet he won't last more than two years. I have nothing to fear," Orlander said in an unbothered tone.
"But his daughter, Alyssa Taylor, is the president of KS Group! That woman is bad news-worse than her dad!" Freddy, under Zoe's influence, saw red whenever Alyssa was mentioned. "You might be able to handle Javier Beckett, but what about Alyssa Taylor, the de facto leader of the KS Group? Also, don't forget she has the support of Jasper Beckett."
Enraged, Orlander jumped up from the couch and pointed a finger at Freddy. "Do you really think your marriage is a done deal, even if Mrs. Taylor did not meet me today?
"Just look at your impatient behavior tonight. Did you forget what I taught you? You have to fake it till you make it. But you lost your temper in front of Javier. Your dad isn't powerful enough to go up against Javier Beckett, you know?"
"I..." Freddy struggled to articulate his thoughts. At first, he had agreed to marry Lauren just to please Zoe. Having no feelings for Lauren, he merely wanted to manipulate and take advantage of her.
Oddly, he felt terribly upset at the sight of Lauren dancing with Cyrus, like a husband who was publicly humiliated by his wife's infidelity.
"Guess what? You've ruined Javier's impression of you. Knowing how petty he is, he won't agree to the marriage even if I don't bring up the topic." Orlander shook his head in disappointment. "Freddy, you're not fated to marry into wealth. Just give up on that idea."
Javier, on his way home from an event the next day, asked Rory for updates from last night.
"Mr. Javier, Mrs. Taylor is pretty generous toward Ms. Lauren. She gifted Ms. Lauren a bracelet worth tens of millions on their first meeting." Rory spoke up for the Taylors. "What a jarring contrast between the Taylors and the Hodgsons. Ms. Lauren is about to get engaged to Freddy Hodgson, yet his family has not offered her any gifts. They can't be compared with the Taylors."
Frowning, Javier argued, "Did the Taylors win you over with just a bracelet? It is worth nothing to them. I bet Winston Taylor has a cart of those jewelry."