Chapter 400 His Nobility
Cecil asked, "Paige, can I call you Paige in private?"
After blurting it out, Cecil felt that calling her Paige was somewhat overstepping.
Paige, on the other hand, smiled. "Of course you can. You can speak your mind freely."
Cecil rarely spoke much, so the fact that he was saying so much to her now indicated that he indeed had something on his mind.
Cecil began to say, "Paige, actually, Mr. Ellison does have a backup candidate for his granddaughter. Maybe you should reconsider. Even if he receives your call for help, he might not come to assist you at the critical moment. On the contrary, if you fail, he might replace you with someone else. Publicly, as long as the new candidate claims to be using you as a cover, you will be completely abandoned."
Paige took a deep breath. To be honest, she could understand why Wesley would have such a backup plan.
After all, she and Wesley were merely in a cooperative relationship.
Since it was a partnership, there was a possibility of both success and failure.
Someone like Wesley would definitely leave a way out for himself.
Paige said, "So, there really is a backup for me. But Cecil, how do you know about this?"
Cecil replied, "I looked into it."
Paige smiled faintly. "Then why are you telling me?"
Cecil and the other three were currently following her, but if she were really replaced, they would definitely have to switch allegiance.
Because from the beginning, they were Wesley's people.
Cecil lowered his head and stammered, "Because, because..."
Paige tilted her head, trying to see Cecil's face, but he only lowered his head further.
Finally, Cecil said, "Because you remind me of my sister."
Paige suddenly didn't feel so sad anymore and laughed.
She had thought that Cecil liked her.
She remembered the first time they met, everyone else introduced themselves naturally, but Cecil blushed when he spoke.
Now, upon closer observation, it seemed the same; his face was still flushed.
Cecil was the youngest of the four, three years younger than Paige, so Paige found his shyness endearingly innocent.
Paige said, "Don't worry, I won't be exposed easily. You're right, since there's a backup for me, I really can't make that call. Whether I ask for help or not, it won't make much difference."
Since Wesley had prepared a replacement for her, he might not come to help her in the end. If she lost, he would just think she was incompetent and replace her with someone more capable.
Cecil asked worriedly, "Paige, what should we do now? How can I help you?"
Paige said, "I don't know either. My identity is indeed the biggest problem. Because I'm not really part of the Ellison family, whether I can get through tomorrow night's banquet safely depends on how far I can go. Let's see how far Margaret will go to betray me and if anyone else plans to completely sell me out."
Before Paige finished speaking, Raymond walked in. "And you have me. Even if you're not part of the Ellison family, you're still part of the Carnegie family."
Paige turned and walked towards Raymond, giving a bitter smile. "We'll see tomorrow. There's no use being nervous. We'll take it one step at a time. We do have some cards to play, don't we?"
No matter who wanted her dead, she still held a trump card.
Paige took Raymond's hand; she just felt very tired now.
Everything had been arranged. The outcome was in the hands of fate now.
Raymond nodded, "Yes, we still have cards to play. You haven't eaten anything since noon. The kitchen has prepared your favorite dishes. Even if you don't have an appetite, at least try a little, okay?"
Raymond was most concerned about Paige's condition right now. She was pregnant, after all, and not eating was not an option.
Paige nodded. "The Smith family is here too. Let's invite them to dinner tonight."
Raymond replied, "It's already arranged."
Raymond hadn't had time to oversee the kitchen today, but he had instructed Charles to bring over the chefs from The Carnegie Estate.
These were chefs Raymond had personally trained and worked with for a long time, so they knew what to prepare at a time like this.
When dinner was served, although the atmosphere at the table wasn't exactly relaxed, they tried not to make it too heavy.
After sitting down, Paige even had someone open a bottle of wine.
At the table, everyone tried to find topics to talk about, avoiding heavy subjects.
When the servant was pouring the wine, Paige glanced at the bottle's label.
"Wine from 1975? Austin, is this from the cellar?" Paige quickly called Austin over.
Austin hurried to Paige's side. "Ms. Ellison, what's the matter?"
Paige pointed to the wine in the maid's hand and asked, "Is this the wine I asked you to transfer from the cellar for safekeeping?"
Austin quickly took a look and then breathed a sigh of relief. He explained to Paige, "No, Ms. Ellison. This bottle is from Winemont Estate. The wine you asked us to transfer from the cellar was made from grapes from Winemont Estate, but it was self-brewed. It might have been taken out today because of the transfer and sorting. I'll go get a bottle from 1982 right away. You can drink this one for now."
Since Paige was pregnant, she wasn't drinking wine, so she didn't notice immediately.
If she had been drinking, she would have known right away.
Paige took the bottle and examined it herself.
Wesley being able to buy grapes from Winemont Estate to brew his own wine was no surprise, given the Ellison family's status at the time.
But why did he still have a bottle of 1975 Winemont Estate wine?
Paige asked Austin, "Have someone else get a bottle. How many of these do we have?"
Austin, who managed all affairs at The Ellison Villa, couldn't possibly remember the exact number of bottles of each year's wine.
However, he respectfully took out a tablet from behind his back, checked quickly, and immediately gave Paige a specific number.
Paige was taken aback by the number. "How much wine could Winemont Estate produce in 1975?"
Austin thought for a moment and said. "Well..."
Before Austin could answer, Cecil had already looked it up and reported the exact number to Paige.
Paige did some quick calculations in her head and immediately frowned. "So, The Ellison Villa has almost all the 1975 Winemont Estate wine?"
As she spoke, Paige lowered her gaze and looked at the already opened bottle with only a little wine left.
She suddenly grabbed an empty glass, poured some wine into it, and swirled it around, examining it. Just as she was about to take a sip, Raymond stopped her. "You can't drink."
Paige said, "It's okay, I'm not drinking, just tasting."
With that, Paige took a small sip to taste it.
After tasting, she spat it out and rinsed her mouth. Being pregnant, tasting was one thing, but drinking was absolutely out of the question.
She was already worried that the medication she took for a minor cold during her pregnancy might affect the baby, so drinking was definitely not an option.
After rinsing her mouth, Paige said, "It's not particularly good wine. Why would they almost monopolize the entire vintage?"
Paige was still puzzled by this.
While Paige was pondering, Pearl suddenly said, "Forty-eight years ago, could it be that 1975 was the year Mr. Ellison got married and had children?"
Paige shook her head. "He never officially married. If we calculate based on my age, 1975 might be the year his child was born."
This was just a guess, and Paige wasn't sure.
However, she knew that these wines held extraordinary significance for Wesley.
Pearl said, "That could very well be the case."
Paige immediately decided and said. "Austin, find all the 1975 wines and store them separately. They must not be touched, understood? And this already opened bottle, keep the bottle and store it as well."
Wesley had mentioned these wines to her, so Paige wasn't sure if they could be consumed, given their special significance to Wesley.
But since this bottle was already opened, she could only have Austin keep the bottle.
She would have to explain this to Wesley later.
Austin nodded, "Yes, I'll arrange it right away."
Everyone looked at the wine in their glasses, unsure whether to drink it or not.
Paige noticed their hesitation and said. "Today is also a day worth celebrating. Cheers, let's finish this glass and then switch wines."
With that, Paige raised her glass of juice, using it as a substitute for wine.
Everyone clinked glasses and drank in one go.
Rather than dwelling on it, it was better to just drink it.
The servants brought new glasses and opened a new bottle of wine.
Paige didn't eat much at dinner, probably still lacking an appetite.
The disfigured man they had captured was also there, along with everyone else. Paige didn't want the hassle of returning to The Carnegie Estate, so she stayed here with Raymond.
No matter how many unresolved issues there were, Paige needed to rest in this situation.
Raymond stayed but didn't plan to rest.
After Paige fell asleep, Raymond had Pearl stay with her to ensure someone was there if she woke up in the middle of the night.
Once Paige was asleep, Raymond took two bottles of wine and some food and went directly to the room where the disfigured man was held.
Upon entering, Raymond said to Julian, "Untie him."
Julian was taken aback. "Mr. Carnegie, Ms. Ellison captured him. She didn't give such instructions."
Raymond said, "I want to drink with him. How can we drink if he's tied up? If necessary, put handcuffs on him."
Julian was entirely loyal to Paige and followed her orders. Raymond's words had no effect on him.
Julian considered the suggestion and said, "I don't have handcuffs. They're not as effective as ropes."
Handcuffs were too easy to open; the ropes he tied were much harder to untie, even with a knife.
Raymond said, "Then untie him. With me here, he won't run."
Julian nodded, "Alright, but I'll be watching."
Raymond replied, "That won't work. You need to leave. You can have the room completely surrounded, but you need to guard outside."
Julian asked, "Mr. Carnegie, does Ms. Ellison know you're doing this?"
Raymond said, "My wife and I always agree. Understand?"
Julian frowned. He believed this; Paige did trust Raymond completely.
If Raymond really intended to let the disfigured man go, Paige would likely support him.
Knowing this, Julian couldn't argue further. While untying the ropes, he warned Raymond, "You know how important he is. If he escapes, you know the consequences. And if you betray Ms. Ellison, I'll be the first to come after you!"
Julian had been guarding the disfigured man all day and had heard every word he said.
The man held secret financial information and part of a map, trying to persuade Raymond to abandon Paige.
Raymond just smiled faintly at Julian's warning.
How could he betray Paige? He wasn't foolish. There were few women in the world who could compare to Paige, someone he loved so deeply. Betraying her would mean a lifetime of regret!
Raymond never did things he would regret!
After untying the ropes, Julian warned the disfigured man, "I'll have this room surrounded, even the mouse holes! Don't think about escaping!"
There were no mouse holes, but Julian wanted to make it clear that he wouldn't give him any chance to escape.
After Julian left, Raymond set the wine and food on a small table.
He pulled up a chair and sat across from the disfigured man.
The disfigured man was still flexing his numb wrists, while Raymond had already started pouring the wine.
As he poured, Raymond said, "I personally picked this wine from the cellar. You should like it. The food was specially prepared by the kitchen. Try it."
Raymond spoke as if he were talking to an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.
The disfigured man's face showed no expression, but when Raymond handed him the glass, he swirled it, sniffed the aroma.
The movement was fluid and practiced, exuding an air of nobility.
Raymond watched him closely.
Taking a deep breath, Raymond said, "Paige plans to take you to the banquet tomorrow. Is there anything you want to say? Or anyone you want to see?"
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