Chapter 713 Leading to Unexpected Consequences
Upon hearing this, Joseph smiled and did not deny it.
"Yes, Richard, I want to pursue Evella," he said.
Seeing his admission, Richard sighed. "Joseph, although I admire you and once hoped you and Evella would be together, you can see that she and Howard are in love, and they are about to get married. You and Evella are not meant to be together, and it's better to give up early."
Joseph glanced at the rearview mirror. "Richard, Evella said she is still young and not ready for marriage. As long as she is not married, I have a chance."
Richard furrowed his brow. "Joseph, you should understand. Evella said that out of shyness. Honestly, I don't want you to interfere in their relationship."
Joseph's face darkened, a hint of hostility flashing in his eyes behind the lenses.
"Why, because I'm just an orphan, not as wealthy and influential as Howard?"
Richard frowned. "Joseph, why do you think like this? I am not a materialistic person. I simply believe that you should not pursue Evella anymore because it will lead to no result."
Joseph looked at Richard in the rearview mirror again, a hint of coldness in his eyes.
"Richard, my adoptive father said that if he had a daughter, he would marry her to me. You should know that even though I have officially taken over the Bilian Group, I am still not respected by others. They may not speak up openly, but they still do not fully accept me."
"But if I marry Evella, and you announce her true identity, then my position will be secure, and the group will be more stable."
Richard stared at Joseph's back, his brow furrowing even tighter.
He didn't expect Joseph to say this.
Joseph had always seemed reliable, steady, and loyal to both the Bilian Group and Zack.
That was why he and Zack entrusted the Bilian Group to Joseph.
Joseph was capable, and he had been using his abilities to gain the trust of the other executives in the Bilian Group.
Richard thought Joseph was not a materialistic person.
Joseph wanted to elevate the group based on his abilities, not through other means.
But just now, his words had a sense of materialism.
Like the usual style of most wealthy families, he intended to consolidate the development and stablilize an enterprise through marriage.
Joseph, who had narrowly escaped death once, seemed to have changed in a way that Richard couldn't understand!
"Richard, what do you think?"
Seeing Richard's silence, Joseph asked.
Richard came to his senses and said, "Joseph, I will not reveal Evella's true identity. At most, she is just my adoptive daughter. I just want her to live a peaceful and happy life, not to be involved in the deceitful business world."
Upon hearing this, Joseph fell silent for a moment and said, "Her identity as your adoptive daughter will do. As long as she marries me, I can rightfully secure my position as the heir of the Bilian Group, and there will be less unnecessary gossip."
Richard's brow furrowed even tighter. "Joseph, I don't want Evella to become a tool for our company's expansion."
Joseph replied, "But if she marries Howard, isn't that also a form of business alliance?"
Richard shook his head. "No, although there may be elements of convenience, their relationship is more about love."
"So, as long as Evella and I love each other, you won't object?" Joseph pressed on, his gaze fixed on Richard, whose brow remained furrowed.
"Joseph, I will object. As I said before, I don't want you to interfere in Evella and Howard's relationship." Richard reiterated.
Joseph's expression darkened once again.
"Richard, this is unfair to me. Clearly, my adoptive father's will is for me to marry Evella."
Richard pursed his lips, remaining silent. Watching Joseph's back, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
He felt there was something different about Joseph.
The Joseph he knew before was a gentle, stable, and generous man.
If Richard opposed something, Joseph would not argue with him.
Unexplainably, he sensed a hint of hostility from Joseph.
This change was difficult for Richard to accept.
Was it because Joseph had almost died and had a change of heart, wanting to pursue what he desired, or was there something wrong with the current Joseph in front of him?
Suddenly, Richard thought of Aaron and Jackson.
His heart skipped a beat, his gaze flickering.
The Joseph before him might also be fake!
In the kitchen of the Whispering Willow Restaurant.
Evella pulled Howard into the back kitchen.
He was puzzled. "Evella, why did you bring me to the kitchen?"
"To cook with you," Evella said.
Cook with him.
Howard smiled. "You said you had something to discuss with me and would be back later. Is that just an excuse to come and cook with me?"
Evella tilted her head. "Strictly speaking, I'm here to teach you how to cook."
Howard asked, "You're going to teach me how to cook? Are you serious?"
Evella nodded. "Yes, I'll teach you how to cook. Are you unwilling?"
Howard laughed. "I'm willing!"
Evella playfully said, "Then call me teacher first."
Howard looked at Evella's playful face and felt a softness in his heart.
"Let's see how skilled you are first, in case you're not as good as me."
Evella pouted. "Are you looking down on me? I used to cook regularly!"
With that, she went to ask Samuel for ingredients and began preparing to teach Howard how to cook.
Watching Evella pick out a few ingredients from a pile and thinking about her background, Howard's eyes softened with pity.
Evella must have gone through a lot of hardships in the past.
From now on, he would love Evella well!
"I'll do it."
Seeing Evella preparing to wash the vegetables, Howard stepped forward, taking the vegetables from her hands.
Evella smiled approvingly. "You are quite obedient, my student."
She had begun to refer to him as her pupil.
Howard smirked, looking at Evella standing beside him, and inexplicably felt mischievous.
He flicked a bit of water onto Evella's face with his fingers.
"On my first day as your student, I have to perform well, or how else will I receive the true teachings of a beautiful teacher?"
The cold water splashed on her face, causing Evella to instinctively close her eyes and dodge.
She wiped off the water and scolded, "Why are you so naughty? If you keep it up, I'll punish you!"
Evella's tone was playful yet slightly annoyed, her twinkling eyes resembling stars under the light.
Howard's gaze fell on Evella's pouting lips, his throat tightening.
What started as a playful gesture seemed to have led to unexpected consequences!
"Are you really going to punish me?"
Evella, with a hint of arrogance, said, "If you dare to splash me again, I will definitely punish you!"
Howard looked at her steadily for two seconds and said, "If you really want to punish me, let me be mischievous one more time."
Before Evella could react, she felt a tug at her waist, then, a warm kiss on her red lips.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
