Chapter 544 Unexpected Incident at the Proposal Scene
Percy, not in the least perturbed, said, "Mr. Whitaker, Evander genuinely cares for Cecily. Our whole family will treat her with great affection. Is there something specific you're worried about?"
Bryan grunted, "You talk a good game, but Cecily has already suffered so much. What if she ends up unhappy in your household?"
"Absolutely not," Percy assured, slapping his chest as if sealing a pact. "The Lockwood family will never be as cold-hearted as the Fitzgeralds. We'll take excellent care of Cecily. I understand your concerns as a father. You can trust us with her."
"Yes, we consider Cecily like our own daughter," Karen chimed in eagerly. "Mr. Whitaker, if Evander ever mistreats her, not only you but the entire family will hold him accountable. You have our word."
Vivienne stepped in, trying to de-escalate the situation. "Enough of this. Cecily has made her choice. I believe Evander is a good match. Let's not make a scene here. Do you really want Cecily to live a life of conflict?"
Percy and Karen nodded in agreement.
Percy yanked Evander over and warned him sternly, "Evander, if you ever treat Cecily poorly, you'll have to deal with me. Got it?"
Evander, observing the dramatic display, couldn't help but smirk inwardly.
"Understood," he replied flatly.
Percy turned to Bryan with a conciliatory smile. "Mr. Whitaker, why don't we let the kids continue their conversation? Let's step aside and discuss things privately."
Bryan gave Percy a scrutinizing look before turning to walk away with Vivienne.
Once they were in a more private area, Bryan turned to Vivienne and asked, "Is this part of your plan? Is Cecily just pretending to agree?"
Vivienne's expression turned cold. "Stupid."
Relieved, Bryan's spirits lifted as he recalled Cecily's recent acknowledgment. "Did you hear? Cecily just admitted I'm her father. She actually said it."
Vivienne wore a smile. "Cecily is just being considerate. She doesn't want to see you made a fool of, nor does she want to be part of that spectacle herself."
Bryan couldn't hide his delight. "Well, I'm happy for that."
Though there had been a minor hiccup, Percy thought it was no big deal and signaled Evander to proceed.
Evander produced the ring he had prepared and was about to place it on Cecily's finger.
Meanwhile, in a black car, Hayden and Declan sat in uneasy silence, the atmosphere inside as frigid as the icy glare of Darian beside them. They huddled as far from Darian as possible, trying to avoid his chilly presence. While the engagement unfolded live online, Hayden and Declan felt like they were freezing into statues.
Watching the live stream, they saw Evander almost sliding the ring onto Cecily's finger. They thought, 'Is this really happening? Is Evander actually serious?'
As the live feed showed Evander pulling Cecily's delicate finger towards the ring, Declan's eyes widened in shock, nearly gasping aloud.
The only sound in the car was the clenching of Declan's fists.
Shivering, Hayden and Declan exchanged worried glances, sweat breaking out on their foreheads. They continued to watch the screen with trepidation, holding their breath as the ring was just about to slip onto Cecily's finger.
Then, a shout pierced the air. "It's raining!"
Evander halted abruptly, and Cecily instinctively withdrew her hand from his.
Percy, who had been enjoying the moment, was taken aback as a torrential downpour suddenly began.
With the event being outdoors, there was no shelter, and everyone scrambled toward their cars.
"How could it rain so heavily?"
"Yeah, it's so sudden. The weather forecast said it would be clear today. What kind of forecast is this?"
Just as Evander was about to complete the proposal, his expression darkened slightly, reflecting his growing frustration. It seemed that fate had a knack for thwarting his plans with Cecily.
Cecily tried to shield herself from the rain, which came down with surprising force and suddenness.
A loud, ferocious bark shattered the chaos.
Percy turned around and was stunned to see two enormous bulldogs charging toward him. For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
It wasn't until the black and white dogs were practically on top of him that Percy finally snapped back to reality.
The white one was Maya, the same dog that had tackled him and barked menacingly at his head the other day. The black one, larger and more imposing, was Austin. With powerful forepaws pounding the ground, Austin leaped toward him with a menacing intent.
Memories of that earlier encounter surged back. Percy bolted. "Stay away! Go away!"
The two massive dog pursued him relentlessly, their excitement growing with every step he took. The more Percy ran, the more they seemed to enjoy the chase.
"Get away! Go away! Someone, help!" Percy shouted as he dashed through the rain, with the dogs hot on his heels.
The scene left everyone who had just taken refuge in their cars dumbfounded. The entire spectacle was being recorded by a massive camera setup that hadn't been turned off, so every moment of Percy's frantic escape was being broadcast to the audience.
What had started as a live stream filled with comments about Cecily's unsuitability for Evander had now shifted dramatically. The chat was now full of: [What's Mr. Lockwood doing?]
[This is too funny—an engagement proposal turned into a dog chase!]
Inside the car, Hayden and Declan were baffled by the sudden change in scene. One moment it was a picturesque proposal, and the next, Percy was being chased by dogs in the pouring rain!
Declan almost burst out laughing at Percy's absurd predicament. Hayden turned to Darian, who had maintained an icy demeanor throughout.
"Darian, did you have something to do with this?" Hayden raised an eyebrow, grinning at Darian. "I knew you couldn't resist causing a little chaos."
Darian's expression remained unmoved, as cold as ever. He stared out the window for a long moment before finally speaking in his frostbitten voice, "Let's go."
The driver immediately started the car, leaving Hayden and Declan still trying to process the spectacle.
Meanwhile, the two dogs had completely buried Percy under their thick fur. At first, Percy had screamed in terror, but seeing the slobbering, gaping mouths of the dogs, he eventually fainted from fright.
Seeing Percy no longer making a sound, Maya and Austin settled around him, barking triumphantly as if they were victorious kings.
"Well done, Maya. Well done, Austin," Griffin and Rowan cheered.
As Josep arrived and took in the chaotic scene, it was clear Percy's plan had fallen apart.
Josep burst into laughter when he saw Percy lying on the ground. He sneered, crouched down, and delivered a stinging slap to Percy's face.
"Oh, feeling pretty tough, aren't we? Threatening me, huh? Get up and try to threaten me now. You deserve this. Here's one slap, and here's another. Let's see what you can do about it."
Believing the area to be deserted, Josep felt free to unleash his frustration with several slaps. However, the people who had taken cover in their cars, watching the scene unfold, were stunned.
Inside the car, Cecily watched with a detached expression. Even she was taken aback by the scene outside.
Karen, seeing Percy's plight, shouted urgently, "Where's Landon? Where's Evander? Someone get over here—has Josep lost his mind?"
Others present were equally shocked.
"Is Mr. Fitzgerald out of his mind? What's he got against Mr. Lockwood to be slapping him like that?"
"This is a real show. Weren't they supposed to be best buddies? What's going on now?"
"It's like their true colors are finally showing."
Everyone pressed their faces against the car windows, riveted by the sight of Josep continuing to slap Percy, eventually waking him up.
As Percy's eyes fluttered open, the sight of Josep's face hovering above him, hands mid-air, and the stinging pain on his face made everything clear.
Josep froze when he saw Percy was awake. The two men locked eyes, and the atmosphere turned tense.
"Josep! You're looking to get yourself killed!" Percy roared.
"Not at all," Josep stammered, suddenly panicked.
Percy recognized the white dog—one of the Fitzgerald family's pets. He recalled how the dog had chased him before and realized someone had orchestrated this. With the dog gone and Josep present, it was logical to assume Josep had set this up. Percy, fed up, swung his fist and landed a heavy punch on Josep's face.
"Josep, you think you can play dirty with me? You're asking for it."
Josep, clutching his face in disbelief, replied, "Who's scheming against you?"
"Cut the crap. You sent the dogs after me, didn't you?"
The two men, both in their fifties, were now locked in a fierce fistfight, each harboring deep resentment towards the other.
"Who sent dogs after you? Are you out of your mind? Just barking mad!" Josep shot back, his anger flaring after being threatened and manipulated for so long.
At that moment, they both found a channel for their rage. They exchanged punches mercilessly in the pouring rain, neither sparing the other.
Thus, the rift between them was laid bare for all to see. The live stream continued uninterrupted, capturing every moment of their conflict and causing an uproar online.
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