Chapter 227 I Want to Postpone the Announcement of the Engagement
After picking up Cynthia from the train station, William took her directly to Crown Villa.
Unlike what he remembered, Cynthia was dressed very stylishly this time, and her appearance was quite trendy. It almost made it hard for William to recognize her.
Cynthia's skin was also well taken care of, and her manner of speaking and demeanor had reached a new level. Despite being close to fifty years old, she looked like she was in her thirties.
"Mom, with this outfit, I almost didn't recognize you. I thought I picked up the wrong person," William said with a smile after receiving Cynthia. It seemed that Cynthia had regained her manner as a member of a wealthy family in front of her son now that there was no need to pretend to be poor.
"I used to be a beauty queen. The men who pursued me lined up from the East district to the West district," Cynthia replied half-jokingly.
"How many days are you planning to stay this time?" William opened the car door for Cynthia and helped her with her luggage.
"I'll stay for two days and then leave. Your dad left the domestic matters to me, and he went abroad himself. I'm quite busy now." Cynthia glanced at the luxurious villa and nodded in satisfaction.
"Just two days? Do you want me to accompany you to New York for a while?" William led Cynthia into the villa and poured her a glass of water. He then asked Wendy to quickly prepare the meal.
"I don't have time to play! The situation in the country is chaotic right now. Despite us being a wealthy and prestigious family, we have many people watching and hoping to bring us down. I came here this time to talk to you about your engagement with Sophia." Cynthia sat down on the sofa and took a sip of water.
"My engagement with Sophia?" William's mind tightened, and he asked cautiously, "What about my engagement with her? Did something happen?"
"Indeed, there have been a few complications. The Master of the Smith family disappeared on the 5th of last month. Now his three sons are fighting over power, and the family is facing serious internal conflicts. At this rate, the Smith family might split into three factions," Cynthia said, furrowing her brows. Evidently, she didn't want to see the Smith family divided. This matter was giving her a headache.
"He disappeared? How did he suddenly go missing? And what does his disappearance have to do with my engagement with Sophia?" William asked, puzzled.
"He disappeared, so Sophia's father, Terry Smith, intends to publicly announce your engagement with Sophia. With our support, his reputation can completely surpass his two brothers', and with this reputation, he can temporarily take over their positions.
"After all, this is also your grandfather's intention. A divided Smith family is not beneficial to us. It is best for Terry to take over the Smith family sooner to stop the internal conflict. This is the best choice for both sides," Cynthia continued after taking a sip of water.
Now William finally understood. "When will the engagement be announced then?" he asked weakly.
"Probably next month! The announcement will be made after Sophia's concert," Cynthia replied unconsciously.
"After the concert?" William frowned, feeling a vague connection between this matter and the kidnapping of Sophia. It was highly likely that Sophia's kidnapping was an attempt to prevent the engagement announcement.
In other words, someone wanted to prevent Terry from taking over the Smith family.
Thinking about this, William was shocked. There was a vortex hidden behind all of this! The bigger the family, the more intense the conflicts, and one wrong move could result in a complete loss.
William didn't tell Cynthia that someone planned to kidnap Sophia during her concert. On one hand, he didn't want Cynthia to suppress the Graham family out of anger and raise suspicions. On the other hand, he was worried the information might be false. So he wanted to handle this matter on his own.
"I really like Sophia. She sings well, looks beautiful, and unlike other rich girls, she's not temperamental," Cynthia praised Sophia non-stop, showing her fondness for her.
"Mom, can we postpone the announcement of the engagement?" William gathered up the courage to ask. He still hoped to break off the engagement one day, and if the announcement was made now, it would be even harder in the future.
"With the current situation, we can't delay the announcement even for a day. We can wait, but the Smith family cannot," Cynthia replied rationally.
"What if I find Master Smith?" William asked. He thought Master Smith's disappearance might also be related to the Graham family.
"You can find Master Smith?" Cynthia turned serious, her thoughts quickly shifting. Within a few seconds, she regained her composure and smiled. "You are really determined to postpone the announcement. Tell me, what's the matter? Is it that girl named Michelle?"
William didn't expect her to know Michelle, but he quickly understood. If his parents couldn't even investigate such trivial matters concerning their son, then there was no point in continuing.
He explained awkwardly.
"I'm also considering the Smith family. After all, Master Smith is still alive, but his sons are already busy fighting for his position. It's not good for him, right?"
"It seems like you really like Michelle," Cynthia said as she picked up her cup and took a sip of water, leaning back on the couch and seriously contemplating the matter. "I've looked at the information provided to me. Michelle is a nice girl, but it might not be realistic for you to marry her. Not to mention that the Smith family would oppose it, and I suspect your grandfather and father would as well.
"We may be extremely wealthy now, but the Smith family is not lacking either. They are ranked ninth on the domestic family ranking list, and they have mysterious powers supporting them. If we were to seriously face off against them, our domestic industries might be reduced to less than thirty percent."
After a pause, Cynthia continued earnestly, "I believe you wouldn't want to see a situation where both sides suffer, right?"
William sighed, knowing this would be the outcome.
"You should find an opportunity to break up with her as soon as possible! Ideally before the engagement is announced, and of course, I will compensate her," Cynthia suggested after thinking for a moment.
"Mom, how about I take you to meet Michelle? Once you meet her in person, you'll definitely like her!" William didn't want to give up so quickly. He wanted to make more efforts.
"I understand your perspective on this matter. Let's have a meal first!" Cynthia stood up, deliberately avoiding the topic.
William sighed, but he wouldn't give up. He had already made up his mind to find Master Smith before the engagement announcement. Only then could he postpone the announcement and avoid exposing his identity. Michelle would be devastated if she found out he was engaged to Sophia.
The next day at noon, a luxury car stopped in front of the shopping center, with Cynthia sitting inside. Today, she was dressed plainly, looking like an ordinary middle-aged woman who had come from a poor area.
Rolling down the car window, she looked at the two beautiful girls walking on the pedestrian street and compared them to a photo she took out. She couldn't help but exclaim, "She is really beautiful! No wonder my son is captivated and wants to break off the engagement."
With this in mind, she parked the car and got out. This time, she came to see Michelle without telling her son William. She wasn't here to cause trouble but to test her.
No matter how beautiful Michelle is, if she has a wicked heart, Cynthia will not hesitate to make her leave her son. If she turns out to be a decent person, Cynthia can reconsider the situation.
The two beautiful girls strolling and sipping their milk tea were Michelle and Elisa. They were enjoying their time shopping.
"Relaxed and carefree."
"Michelle, I heard Mr. Brown appeared at the Bay Area auction. If I had known, I would have tried every means to go too," Elisa said regretfully.
"You're still thinking about Mr. Brown? I heard there were a bunch of girls surrounding him. If you had gone, you might have ended up being pushed over again," Michelle reminded her.
"It's okay! That way, Mr. Brown would have noticed me. Maybe he would have come and helped me up." Elisa remembered the scene at the YJ Club, and her face instantly turned crimson.
"Do you really like Mr. Brown that much? But don't you think he's too far away?" Michelle took a sip of her milk tea and asked.
"He is my prince charming! I heard he represented WE ARE Chamber. Do you think if I work at WE ARE Chamber, I'll have a chance to meet him?" Elisa's eyes sparkled as she spoke.
Michelle glanced at her infatuated expression and sighed silently. There was nothing she could do for Elisa.
As the two of them walked and chatted, they suddenly noticed a woman fainting not far away. Passersby who saw it were all afraid to get involved and quickly avoided her.
"Elisa, it looks like someone fainted over there. Let's go take a look!" Michelle saw it and hurriedly ran over, but she was stopped by Elisa.
"Michelle, are you silly? What if it's us who accidentally bumped into her? A few days ago, I saw on the news that a college student helped an old man and took him to the hospital, but when the old man woke up, he accused the student of knocking him down. In the end, the student almost lost everything."
Elisa quickly stopped Michelle and saw the spot where the woman collapsed. Without surveillance cameras installed, they were even less willing to go and help.
"But we can't just stand by and watch someone die, right?" Michelle said and ran to check on the unconscious woman alone. Elisa could only follow along. "You really amaze me."
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