What If I Say No? Novel by Nyx Calder _ Novel





What If I Say No? Chapter 01

Everyone believed Maddox Boone, the golden boy of New York's elite, loved Giselle Schwartz beyond reason. For seven years, he pursued her relentlessly, pampering her at every turn. Even the slightest hint of displeasure from her would weigh on him for days.
Once, someone made a snide comment about Giselle, saying their relationship wouldn't last. Maddox's face went cold on the spot. He set his wine glass down hard, and the entire room fell silent.
And yet this same Maddox handed Giselle a divorce agreement on their fifth wedding anniversary.
He sat across from her, perfectly dressed in a suit, and calmly slid a pen toward her like he was discussing an unimportant contract. "Sign it."
Giselle's lashes trembled. Her fingers shook so badly she couldn't lift her hand for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her voice shook. "What happened to Kathryn this time?"
Hearing the edge in her tone, Maddox frowned slightly. A trace of helplessness rose in his eyes. "Elle, don't overthink it. I only see Kate as a little sister. This divorce is just a formality.
"It's a rule in the Moreno family that an heiress has to be married before she's eligible to fight for the inheritance. Kate begged me to help. You know she and I have been close our whole lives. We grew up together. I really couldn't say no.
"But don't worry. Once the inheritance is settled, we'll remarry. It'll take one month at most. Everything will go back to how it was."
Giselle looked up at his gentle face and felt only cold distance.
Back to how it was? What was "it," exactly? Back when his eyes held only her?
Or was it back when he'd driven three hours through a stormy night just to buy her a slice of Black Forest cake? Did he even remember anymore?
Her eyes reddened as she spoke, each word slow and clear, "What if I say no?"
Maddox lowered his gaze to her, irritation and helplessness pressing between his brows. "I really don't have anything going on with Kate. She takes me as her brother, which makes you her sister-in-law. Stop being so suspicious all the time. Even for my sake, be more tolerant of her. Don't keep nitpicking every little thing."
Giselle stared at him and suddenly felt ridiculous. She thought, "Tolerant? Nitpicking?"
She said, "When I was home alone with a 40 degrees Celsius fever in the middle of the night, you chose to stay with your childhood friend because the power went out and she was afraid of the dark instead of coming home to take care of me. And you still say I'm not 'tolerant enough.'
"When I got into a car crash on the highway and needed someone to sign for me, you were out having some romantic getaway with Kathryn and wouldn't answer your phone.
"You gave my bodyguard the day off. Then you broke your promise to be with Kathryn instead. I got beaten by an unreasonable client after work and miscarried, and you say I'm nitpicking?"
Maddox frowned. His long fingers tapped the tabletop, impatient. "Elle, I told you. Those were accidents."
Giselle shook with rage, but her throat felt strangled tight. She couldn't force out a single word.
Just as Maddox was about to urge her again, she finally reached for the pen.
She signed her name. She wrote it carefully, deliberately, pressing so hard it nearly tore through the paper.
Seeing her pale face, he felt a flash of reluctance. He was about to speak when the door suddenly opened.
Kathryn Moreno walked in. She wore a knit, Chanel-style dress. Her long, curled hair fell to her waist, and her makeup was flawless.
She slipped her arm through Maddox's and said in an almost childish, flirtatious tone, "Max, to make it feel more real, I just moved my things over. You're not mad at me, right?"
Without waiting for his answer, she glanced toward Giselle, whose face had gone ashen. Her words were pointed. "We're about to get married. It's not appropriate for Giselle to keep living here, is it?"
Maddox fell silent for a moment. Then he looked at Giselle, conflicted. "Kate has a point. Elle, you..."
Giselle went still, her heart going completely numb.
"Fine," she cut in hoarsely. "Once I'm on leave, I'll pack my things and move out."
After saying that, she couldn't hold herself together anymore. She stumbled back into the bedroom.
She collapsed against the door, sliding down to the floor. Outside, she could hear Maddox's low, gentle voice and Kathryn's giggling laughter. The calm she'd been forcing onto her face shattered in an instant, and tears poured out uncontrollably.
Back then, she'd been recruited by an elite private high school because of her excellent grades. She met Maddox, the campus golden boy, through one competition after another. They became acquainted and then close.
She thought they were just friends. But after the SAT ended, he showed up holding a bouquet of flowers and asked her out.
Her family was new money, riding the wave of sudden wealth. Maddox's family, on the other hand, belonged to New York's old-money elite.
She refused because of the difference in background, but he refused to give up. He asked her out 99 times, and every single one of his actions made headlines.
In the end, she was moved. When she insisted on marrying him despite her parents' objections, Maddox refused to let her be pressured.
He knelt outside her house for an entire day and night, throwing away all his pride just for the chance to marry her.
After they got married, he adored her without restraint and gave in to her in everything.
When she worked late into the night, he waited downstairs for five hours through thunder and lightning.
When she casually mentioned how pitiful stray cats were in winter, he had people send those cats down south so they could survive the cold.
She truly believed she'd married the right man.
That lasted until Kathryn returned before the New Year, the childhood friend who'd gone abroad years ago.
Using "readjusting" as an excuse, she never left his side.
And Maddox, who had always kept his distance from other women, suddenly lost any sense of boundaries as a married man, indulging Kathryn in anything she wanted.
When Giselle questioned him, he held her and explained that he didn't have a younger sister, so he just treated Kathryn like one.
He said, "Elle, don't argue with a young girl. The person I love has always been you. You're my wife and that will never change."
But now, she wasn't his wife anymore. The man who once swore that if he ever betrayed her sincerity, he deserved to be punished had broken his promise again.
Giselle wiped her tears quickly and made a phone call.
Two months ago, Benjamin Reynolds from the Cultural Heritage Center had taken an interest in her ability to authenticate antiques. He'd invited her to travel overseas starting next month, joining a three-year mission to recover lost cultural relics.
Back then, Maddox was her whole world. She rejected the offer without hesitation. But now she had no reason to refuse anymore.
She said, "Mr. Reynolds. I'm willing to join the overseas recovery mission."
Benjamin, on the other end of the phone, confirmed carefully. "You'll be three years away from your family and your country. Have you really thought it through?"
Giselle's voice was firm. "Yes."
He replied, "Good. On behalf of the Cultural Heritage Center, thank you for the contribution you're making."

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