Chapter 472 May the Best Man Win
"Willard, if you'd ever been straight with me, I wouldn't hate you this much."
Willard responded, "You wanted a divorce, didn't I give you one?"
Anne caught her breath. "Do you even understand what divorce means?"
Willard fidgeted with his handcuffs and gave a curt reply.
"Once a wife, always a wife!"
Such twisted logic!
Anne snapped, "Divorce means the marriage is over, so I'm not your wife! And stop saying things that make people think there's still something between us."
Willard was done rehashing this topic. He was determined to have her, no matter what. He'd originally planned a different approach, but since she despised him so much—fine. He'd stick to his own timeline, even if she ended up wishing him dead. He would keep her by his side.
"Anne, we'll talk when I get back from the station."
With that, he stood and left with the two officers.
Anne was stunned—she'd assumed he'd called Francis and would wait for him to arrive.
The hospital room fell silent. Anne sat lost in thought when she felt a gentle weight on her head. Looking up, she saw Lyndon's kind eyes. "Don't worry, I'll help you."
Anne felt reassured. She thanked Lyndon and asked Elissa about the test results.
"We're waiting," Elissa replied.
Anne nodded.
At the hospital entrance, Willard ran into Francis. Checking his watch, he remarked, "You got here fast."
Francis looked displeased and turned the tables. "Why are you out here? Wasn't I supposed to keep an eye on things?"
Willard's eyes flickered with hidden meaning. "You think this will make him like you?"
Francis shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Willard gave him one last meaningful look before getting into the police car.
Francis waited until the car disappeared before heading into the hospital to find Elissa. He deliberately avoided paying attention to Lyndon.
"What happened?"
Elissa shot him a look—he was quite the actor. Fine, she'd play along. "It was Willard again."
Francis nodded. "I'll make arrangements to have him sent back to Seaside City. He won't be bothering Anne anymore."
He acted as if he'd just noticed Lyndon. "And you are?"
Elissa said, "Anne's friend."
Anne quickly explained, "He's from Global Insight Magazine, here about a photo shoot. We happened to meet at the hospital, and since I got hurt, he needed some treatment too."
Mentioning the treatment, Anne quickly opened the ointment. "Mr. Ortiz, let me apply this for you."
Lyndon extended his hand. Anne focused intently on her task, while Thora watched his hands with obvious envy, her imagination running wild about what those hands could do.
Elissa caught Thora's expression and exchanged a knowing glance with Francis, who understood immediately. He first sent the secretly recorded video to Willard, then spoke up, "Mr. Ortiz, you helped Anne. Would you have time for dinner? My treat."
Lyndon had investigated Elissa when the scandal broke, studying her photos and videos. After confirming she was his cousin, he'd chosen not to reveal himself immediately, wanting to see how Francis would handle the Peterson family's disdain for Elissa's background.
Francis had handled it well, though the Peterson family still wouldn't accept Elissa. So Lyndon had continued helping from the shadows, observing. He hadn't expected Francis to be clever enough to figure out his identity.
"In that case, I'd be honored."
Smart people didn't need to spell everything out.
Francis told Elissa, "I need to make a call."
"Go ahead," she replied.
The room grew quiet again. Elissa broke the silence: "May I ask your age, Mr. Ortiz? Are you married?"
Lyndon answered honestly, "Not yet. I've been too busy to consider it."
Elissa had seen Francis's investigation files. The Ortiz family had suffered devastating losses—that's when she'd been kidnapped and Anne sent away. Lyndon had also lost his parents but hadn't given up. He'd worked tirelessly to rebuild the family and elevate them to their current status. He was practically the family's savior.
"Now that things are stable, you could start thinking about it."
"Perhaps." Lyndon's eyes lit up with an almost hypnotic charm. "Mrs. Peterson, if you knows anyone suitable, I'd welcome an introduction."
Elissa caught the hint and smiled. "I'll keep an eye out for you. But you haven't mentioned your age yet."
She added, "If you're older than me, I guess it's just fate that we've met. You even helped my little sister. I hope you don't mind if I think of you as a big brother figure. I hope that's not too forward."
Lyndon looked a little surprised, a smile flickering across his face, mixed with a hint of delight and nervousness.
"I'm… thirty-four," he said after a pause. "Mrs. Peterson, you're is a bit younger than me, I suppose?"
Elissa nodded. "Yes, two years younger."
"Then, from now on, you're like a big brother to us."
She grinned. "Thank you, Lyndon."
Lyndon almost couldn't hide his excitement, his jaw tightening as he managed to reply, "My pleasure.""My pleasure."
Elissa turned to Anne. "If I think of him as a big brother, you should too."
Anne didn't hesitate. She already felt close to Lyndon, and the idea of having him as a big brother figure seemed nice. "Thank you, Lyndon.""Thank you, Lyndon."
"You're welcome."
Francis watched through the door's small window, his lips curving with appreciation for Elissa's intelligence and happiness that she'd found family. She would have many people who loved her now—never again would she face life's storms alone.
Meanwhile, after receiving Francis's video, Willard had remained silent, refusing to answer any police questions until Felix arrived to escort him to the plane.
"Mr. Larson, Mr. Peterson says Maple Valley isn't convenient for your frequent visits anymore."
Willard said nothing, settling into his seat and closing his eyes.
After seeing the plane off, Felix returned to the hospital to report to Francis. Francis wasn't surprised that Willard had figured out Lyndon's identity—he'd probably trace everything soon enough. But it was too late. He'd already made an enemy of Lyndon.
Willard didn't open his eyes until they reached Seaside City. He had Quinton released from solitary confinement and ordered him to investigate the Myles family of Silverlight City.
Having been in isolation, Quinton knew nothing about recent events. Confused, he asked, "Why investigate the Silverlight City Myles family? They don't seem connected to you..."
Seeing Willard's icy stare, he quickly fled.
Outside, he grabbed Hayes. "What's been happening?"
Hayes, who'd been handling other matters while Quinton was with Anne, knew about Willard and Anne's situation. He told Quinton everything without holding back.
"I think it's hopeless now. Even if they're forced together, they'll spend their lives hurting each other."
Quinton felt his head spinning. He couldn't believe that during his brief confinement, something even bigger than imprisoning Anne had occurred. If the Lyndon that Anne met really was her family, then Willard's chances of winning her back had just become impossibly difficult.
"Why didn't you stop him?"
Hayes sighed. "I wanted to, but he's the boss. We follow orders."
Quinton didn't want to overthink it. He'd investigate first—maybe it wasn't true? But the results left him devastated.
At Velvet Gourmet in Maple Valley, Francis brought out vintage wine and asked Lyndon politely but with dignity intact, "Do you drink?"
Lyndon assessed Francis's demeanor approvingly. As head of the Peterson family, being overly accommodating would seem calculating and untrustworthy.
"On a day like today, I can have some."
It was indeed worth celebrating. Francis poured Lyndon a glass and raised his own in toast.
"Thank you for coming into our lives."
The words carried double meaning.
Lyndon nodded and sipped his wine. Francis also took a small sip before sitting beside Elissa to help prepare her food.
Lyndon pulled out his phone and sent a video to the family group chat with a message: [For now, I'd rate him nine out of ten.]
His grandfather Uriah replied: [High praise from you—impressive!]
Lyndon: [The other one gets a negative score.]
Uriah: [Tell us more when you're back.]
Lyndon hesitated, then tagged everyone: [Start looking for suitable marriage prospects for Anne.]
Everyone replied with acknowledgments.
Lyndon put away his phone and raised his glass to Elissa first.
"You're drinking juice."
Elissa lifted her juice glass. "When I can drink alcohol again, we'll have a proper toast."
"Absolutely."
Lyndon then toasted Anne, who stood up nervously. "I should be toasting you."
"Don't be so formal."
Anne stuck out her tongue playfully. "Okay."
Lyndon clinked his wine glass against her juice glass.
Anne was genuinely happy. After her grandfather's death, she'd felt completely alone. Now she had not only a sister but a brotherly figure in her life.
"I'll finish mine—you drink what you want."
Seeing her genuine joy, Lyndon's eyes filled with affection. Someone as wonderful as Anne deserved happiness and success, not to be hurt and wasted by Willard.
"If you have no plans in Maple Valley, come back to Silverlight City with me tomorrow morning."
In Silverlight City, no matter how capable Willard was, he couldn't treat Anne as carelessly as he did elsewhere.
Anne had nothing pressing and had already agreed to the photo shoot, so she readily accepted.
As dinner wound down, Francis excused himself to the restroom, and Lyndon followed. He offered Francis a cigarette, which Francis declined.
Lyndon lit his own and said, "I remember fighting alongside you once. At the crucial moment, you were holding a cigarette between your teeth when you took that shot."
Francis smiled faintly. "I quit. Have a wife and child now."
Lyndon exhaled a plume of smoke, his face partly hidden in the haze, his expression hardening. "You knew who I was, and honestly, your performance wasn't all that impressive. If Willard had known I was Anne's cousin, he wouldn't have been so reckless."
Francis replied calmly, "May the best man win."
Lyndon stubbed out his cigarette and patted Francis's shoulder twice before they returned to the private dining room.
They shared one final toast before ending the evening.
Francis had arranged hotel accommodations. Elissa wanted Anne to stay at home, but since she was leaving for Silverlight City in the morning, the hotel made more sense.
"Remember to text me."
"I will," Anne promised obediently, watching Elissa leave before entering the hotel.
She and Lyndon parted ways on the same floor, and she swiped her key card to enter her room. After turning on the lights, she asked Thora, who'd followed her in, "Why were you so quiet today?"
Thora laughed nervously, and Anne caught the shy expression on her face—something she'd never seen before. She understood immediately.
"You like Lyndon?"
Thora nodded.
Anne pressed, "Is it just because he's handsome, like those guys in your games?"
"No, it's different." Thora touched her flushed cheeks. "I was trying to be more reserved. I think someone like him wouldn't like women who aren't demure."
Lyndon carried himself with mature stability and cool detachment—the bearing of a successful man. Serious and composed, he handled everything with quiet confidence. If Anne didn't feel that brotherly connection with him, she might have been attracted to that type too. People's preferences really didn't change from childhood.
"I think you should just be yourself," Anne said, pulling her down to sit and analyze the situation carefully.
"Think about it—if you pretend to be what you think he wants now, what happens later? Will you keep pretending forever? If you're genuine and he likes you, great. If not, you can't force it."
Thora knew in her heart that Lyndon was clearly in a different league—someone like him would never choose an ordinary girl like her. But this was the first time she'd felt this way, wanting to change herself for someone.
"Ms. Waverly, you're overthinking this. I'm not planning anything serious."
Observers always see more clearly than those involved.
"Why not give it a real try? Even if it doesn't work out, at least you'll have no regrets."
Just like she had. She'd once thought Willard was too good for her, but she'd still decided to confess her feelings. As it turned out, it hadn't been such a big deal after all.
Quinton knocked on the study door. When he heard no response after a long wait, he knocked again and entered directly.
The thick smoke made him cough, but he pushed through and handed over the files.
Quinton reported, "The Myles family's current status in Silverlight City isn't easy to investigate, but based on what I've found, there's definitely some family connection between him and Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Larson."
He added, "However, this investigation went surprisingly smoothly, which suggests the Myles family wanted us to find this information. If Lyndon was the one you met in Maple Valley, then he definitely wanted you to find out."
Willard crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and picked up the files, his expression dark as midnight.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
