Chapter 224 They Are Engaged
On February 20th, his and Darcy's engagement ceremony was held as scheduled. It was a grand affair, with Lymington's television station broadcasting the news about the luxurious engagement ceremony at Dazzling Manor.
The dazzling camera flashes pierced Winnie's eyes through the TV screen. She stood still in her apartment. She wasn’t surprised and felt strangely calm, but her heart felt like a big piece had been hollowed out.
Finally, today, he and she reached a final decision, and everything fell into place, each going their separate ways. Tomorrow, she would also be engaged. She never expected their relationship to end so abruptly.
Winnie blinked her mist-filled eyes forcefully, and consoled herself with the knowledge, that the provocative words he made telling her that she would pay the price for at the bridal shop probably didn't count anymore.
Since he chose to get engaged and showered so much affection on Darcy, his heart had long left her. After the engagement, everything would fall into place for him, they would accept their fate. They would each be fine.
The tension that had built up for two days slightly eased, tinged with a hint of sadness...
"Winnie, why are you burdening yourself by looking at these things?" Olivia walked in through the apartment door and saw her. Staring at the TV in a daze, she immediately got up to turn it off!
She embraced Winnie, a mixture of determination and worry, "Are you okay? The local Lymington station is playing, it must be Darcy secretly retaliating against you, bribing the media to hype up the engagement of that bitchy couple! Let's find something else to do."
Winnie didn't want her best friend to worry, so she forced a smile, "I'm really fine. Even though I had some illusions before, today I have truly given them up. Yesterday, after moving in, I bought some baking tools, thinking that after the baby is born, I could learn to make some baby food and study together?"
"Great! We must ensure that the baby eats well and is healthy!" Olivia felt that it was only the child that could lift her spirits now and divert her thoughts, "Wait for me to download a kitchen app."
"What are you doing? Can I join in too?" The knocking on the door came again, it was Laura's voice.
Olivia hesitated for a moment, then ran to open the door and spoke in a hushed voice, "Why didn't you and Ray attend that bitch couple's engagement ceremony? I am not eligible to be invited, but you are different. Go and find out what's going on for me."
Laura took off her scarf and curled her lip sarcastically, "Darcy's grand engagement would have been a huge blow to Ray. How could he attend and watch the love of his life?”
“He went off somewhere a long time ago, so he doesn't have to accompany his parents to the engagement venue and endure the attacks from that scheming bitch, Darcy. You know my parents are from the Ordelia family. We have always been suppressed by Mr. Ordelia."
Olivia snorted with anger. As she turned around, Winnie had already heard their conversation.
Laura walked over and gently touched the weary woman's brow, showing sympathy.
"Do you ever wonder why we ended up with men who fall for Darcy? What's so good about her? What makes her such a scheming actress? These men are all blind!"
"Winnie, don't be sad. On the contrary, I think you should celebrate your escape from this mess. Let Lawrence, Darcy, and Ray, the love triangle of the bitch couple, gradually destroy each other. It's not easy to find a frog with three legs, but there are plenty of men with two legs!"
"You're wrong, men can also have three legs," Olivia blushed shyly as she corrected her. They echoed each other, and Winnie understood that her best friend was trying to make her happy.
She played along and chuckled, "Olivia, are you looking for a boyfriend? After Jason, is there anyone you have a crush on?"
"Out of the three of us— you have no romantic experience, completely clean and unmarried. Um, what about Jeremy? What do you think of Mr. DeRoss?" Laura smirked.
"Why do you bring up Mr. DeRoss?" Olivia was truly bewildered and innocent, but suddenly her face turned red.
"You're blushing. Is there something going on?" Winnie looked up. “Have you seen his third leg situation twice? Is that what's going on?"
"You two! There's quite a lot of gossip going on here. Why make up rumors out of thin air? Benjamin and I are closer, so why not talk about me and Mr. Martin? Stop! Or should we go back to discussing your pathetic love story?"
"Olivia, do you have a heart left?" Laura, for once, abandoned her aloofness and roared.
After their interruption, Winnie seemed to have calmed down a bit. She helplessly smiled and went to the kitchen to get some tools. Seeing Winnie leave, Olivia couldn't resist and quietly turned on the TV, pouting, "I want to see what Darcy's parents look like and whether Mr. L is happy today."
It was around six in the evening, and the twilight cast a beautiful glow on the picturesque lawn. The buffet table looked magnificent on camera. Sitting on the white silk chairs were the families from both sides, with Lawrence R's flamboyant engagement ceremony attracting many influential figures from the business world.
"That's Mr. Ordelia and Mrs. Ordelia, the head of the Ordelia Group in Trento City's medical sector," Laura pointed out.
Mr. Ordelia had an imposing presence, his eyes and brows hiding his true thoughts, while Mrs. Ordelia exuded elegance, clearly a formidable woman.
"This Darcy takes after her mother. Just look at her eyes, so sinister," Olivia sneered, shifting her gaze to Lawrence R's family side. Empty? There was only the back of an elderly man dressed in a low-key yet eye-catching Zhongshan suit.
She squinted and couldn't help laughing. "Old Mr. Rodriguez isn't here. I guess ever since Imperial Financial Group was snatched away, Lawrence R must have developed a deep-seated resentment towards the Rodriguez family. No wonder they weren't invited.”
“But can you believe that Mr. Ordelia is okay with his parents' absence? Actually, I've always wondered why someone as wealthy as Darcy was so infatuated with Lawrence R from Lymington. The Ordelia family seems to hold Lawrence R in high regard as well."
That was also a point of confusion for Laura. "Darcy isn't as romantic as she portrays. I know she set her sights on Lawrence R when she was in her early twenties. What kind of charm does this man possess?"
"Oh, do you recognize the elderly man in the Zhongshan suit sitting among Lawrence R's guests?" Olivia asked. The camera had a full frontal shot of the man, enabling the women to have a good look.
Laura examined closely. "That seems to be Lawrence R's uncle, the top military figure in Trento City. The ancient Li family actually originates from Trento City, and the old Mr. Rodriguez came to Lymington after the family split.”
“From what I vaguely know, Lawrence R is the third in line among the younger generation of the prestigious Li family, hence the nickname Lawrence R given by outsiders."
"I see. So he's actually from the Li family. No wonder he's so influential. Mr. Rodriguez's eldest son is called Mr. L. Why is that?"
Olivia analyzed with a sneer, "Could it be that the Ordelia family is interested in Uncle Lawrence R's influence in the armed forces in Trento City?"
"But this uncle is very mysterious and has no contact with the old Mr. Rodriguez. He's also not Lawrence R's father, just a step away. Who knows what the Ordelia family is planning." Laura was speaking when Winnie, with a big belly, came out of the kitchen, and immediately turned off the TV, abruptly ending the conversation.
At the Dazzling Mansion, Lawrence R loosened his Windsor knot, feeling suffocated. The elderly man in a suit sitting next to him looked relaxed. "Lawrence, what brings me to the lounge?"
Lawrence R looked up and saw his uncle, whom he didn't have much contact with since childhood. It was only a few years ago, when he quietly established Island Electronics during the most difficult economic times, that Uncle Bob Rodriguez silently provided him with financial support. Since then, they had some distant communication.
Lawrence R spoke indifferently, "You're in the armed forces. I'd like to request the highest-level arrest warrant in Trento City. Would that be convenient?"
Bob looked at him with interest. “Who do you want to deal with?”
"Someone I need to handle tomorrow."
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