FREDRIC'S POV

Damn it.

I want to be mad at my grandmother—how could she even think about pairing me with Mathilda?

I hate to admit it, but it makes me want to run away from home.

I would’ve done it already if I weren’t such a miserable grandson. Mathilda must be thrilled to hear about my grandmother’s plan; I’m sure the two of them are talking about me right now.

She’s gone too far this time. Mathilda clearly took advantage of my grandmother’s closeness with her family to pull this off. I’m not going to just sit quietly. I need to talk to Paula.

I’ve never felt this angry—not even when my father abandoned me. This… this is so much worse. And as if the universe wanted to mock me, the day decided to get even worse. Just as I was about to hit Paula’s number on my phone, my grandmother and Mathilda came walking toward the car.

“Sweetheart, I packed your dinner. You haven’t eaten yet,” Grandma said with her usual warmth.

She didn’t even look the slightest bit guilty after pairing me up wit