Chapter 104 Randomly Pairing Couples
Evelyn stood in the middle of the empty living room, eerily quiet.
She fumbled to turn on the light, her voice urgent, "Landon, are you there?"
A faint sound came from the bedroom.
Evelyn's heart tightened. She quickly walked towards the bedroom, shouting, "Landon! What's wrong? Are you okay?!"
"Evelyn, don't come in!" Landon's trembling voice came through, with heavy breathing.
"Landon! What's wrong? Don't scare me!"
Evelyn's face turned pale, and she was about to rush in when the door suddenly opened.
In the dim light, Landon stood there, drenched as if he had just been pulled out of the sea, his face flushed.
His suit was off, leaving only a wet white shirt clinging to his body, the front wide open, exposing his unnaturally red skin.
"Landon, you..." Evelyn said.
"I was drugged."Landon's eyes were losing focus, "I took a cold shower, soaked myself in cold water... but the drug is too strong!"
"How could this happen?!" Evelyn was filled with anger and panic.
She had excellent medical skills, even brain surgery was no problem, but facing Landon drugged with an aphrodisiac, she was at a loss!
"Evelyn, this is a trap, you need to leave now, lock the door, I can handle it!" Landon's breathing grew heavier, his eyes bloodshot.
His gaze fell on Evelyn's exposed arm, making him struggle to control his desire.
'No, I can't delay any longer, something bad will happen!' Landon thought.
"Landon! I'll help you, I'll call a car and we'll go to the hospital!"
Evelyn, seeing Landon in such pain, was almost in tears!
Just as she was about to help him, she heard a loud noise.
Landon had smashed the vase at the door with his bare hands, grabbing a sharp shard in his palm, gritting his teeth until blood flowed through his fingers, yet he still wouldn't let go, as if punishing himself.
"Landon!" Evelyn's heart ached, tears welling up in her eyes.
She knew Landon was on the verge of collapse, hurting himself to protect her!
"Evelyn, I'm begging you to leave now!"
Landon's eyes, consumed by desire, glared as he roared, "Go!"
The banquet hall was filled with music and dancing.
Charlie was chatting happily with Byron at the front, and those wanting to curry favor with the Wellington family didn't dare approach because Charlie's presence was too overwhelming.
Byron, in a good mood after some warm wine, called the younger generation over.
Edward and Debra were brought over by Tyler to sit with Charlie.
"Charlie, what do you think of Edward?" Byron winked at Charlie.
Charlie smiled faintly, "Edward is your grandson, naturally, he's excellent."
Patrick frowned and coughed lightly, thinking how Charlie, with such low emotional intelligence, managed to build such a big business.
'Edward is my son, if anyone should be praised, it should be my genes, not Byron.'
"Haha, Edward can't compare to me when I was young! I had much better taste and vision back then! Edward's strength is his good heart, but his weakness is stubbornness! He never listens to me!" Byron sighed.
Edward lowered his eyes, silently sipping his coffee with a cold expression.
"Byron, Edward isn't as bad as you say. He's been the CEO for a few years now, and the company's performance is evident to everyone. Among the younger generation, Edward is one of the best." Patrick rarely praised Edward, also trying to save face for himself. He couldn't afford to lose ground in front of competitors.
"Isn't that what he's supposed to do? A CEO needs to be exceptionally capable and visionary, otherwise, even if he's my grandson, I'd replace him with someone more competent!"
Byron always held a grudge against Patrick, taking every opportunity to criticize him.
"Byron, young people who can meet your standards are rare in Mugden. Edward is already outstanding, a role model among the younger generation." Charlie said with a sincere smile.
Under Edward's leadership, the Wellington Group had seen their performance multiply several times, and the bold reforms had made the Wellington family the leading conglomerate in Mugden in just three years.
Charlie could see that Byron's criticism was actually a disguised compliment, genuinely satisfied with Edward.
"Oh! So you really admire Edward?" Byron grinned, leaning closer to Charlie. "How about we become in-laws, what do you think?"
Everyone was shocked.
Byron's cheerful remark made Patrick and Tiffany's faces change dramatically, and Debra almost spat out her coffee.
"Byron, stop messing around!" Edward's expression stiffened, his brows furrowing deeply.
Charlie was also secretly astonished.
"Charlie, I remember you have three daughters. Any new additions?" Byron asked seriously.
"Still the same three daughters. I have nine kids, that's enough, and I don't plan to add more."
"Well, are any of those three daughters married?"
Charlie smiled awkwardly, "My sixth daughter, Nancy Taylor, is married and living abroad. My youngest, Jennifer Taylor, is still in school, still a child. I want her to enjoy a few more carefree years."
"Then there's one more, the one you cherish the most! What's her name?"
Charlie's expression softened, "That's my eighth daughter, Evelyn."
Hearing this name, Edward's hand holding the cup trembled slightly, his expression growing darker.
"Yes, Evelyn! I remember seeing her when she was just a little girl! She was such a well-behaved and beautiful girl!"
Byron's smile grew wider, "Evelyn must be around twenty-four or twenty-five now, right? Is she engaged?"
"Not yet."
"Then what do you think of our Edward?"
Charlie was speechless. 'Couldn't Byron see that he didn't want to marry his daughter to Patrick's son? And he dared to think about his Evelyn, what a bold idea!'
"Byron, I'm about to get married."Edward was furious at the thought of Evelyn, gritting his teeth, "Even if I weren't getting married and had no girlfriend, there's no way anything could happen between Evelyn and me!"
Just as Byron was about to speak, Charlie interjected, frowning, "Edward, I don't understand what you're saying. Are you implying that our Evelyn isn't good enough for you?"
'My precious daughter, even the Prime Minister's son or a royal heir wouldn't be good enough for her in my eyes. Where do you get the confidence to dismiss Evelyn without even meeting her? That's too presumptuous.'
If Byron weren't present, Charlie would have said something even harsher.
"Evelyn is excellent. We've crossed paths in the business world. She's smart, wise, and courageous."
Edward's deep eyes were calm and respectful, "But our personalities are incompatible, an unbreakable barrier. We can't force it. If I ever get to meet Evelyn, I think we could be great business partners."
His reasonable words made Charlie's expression soften slightly.
"Why wait? Let's find a time in the next couple of days. I'll arrange for Edward and Evelyn to meet. Maybe that barrier will turn out to be as thin as paper, easily broken! It's settled!" Byron waved his hand, making the decision.
'Byron was blindly matchmaking to prevent me from marrying Nicole!'
Edward's handsome face darkened, and just as he was about to firmly refuse, Tiffany finally spoke up, her eyes red, "Dad, Edward is about to marry Nicole. Introducing Ms. Taylor to Edward now is highly inappropriate, isn't it?"
"About to, but not yet."
Byron's smile vanished, his gaze intimidating, "Marriage and forming a partnership are essentially the same. Until the contract is signed, everything is subject to change!"
"Byron, Edward and Nicole's engagement has already been announced. If something changes now, what will people think of Ms. Taylor?"Tiffany laughed due to anger, "Ms. Taylor is Mr. Taylor's precious daughter. The Wellington family can't treat her like this!"
"Tiffany! Say no more!" Patrick, fearing her words would anger Byron, quickly pulled her back.
"You!"
Byron, furious, felt a blockage in his chest, coughing painfully, his face turning red.
Charlie watched everything silently, sipping his coffee.
'The Wellington family is a mess. No one would marry their daughter into this family!'
Seeing Byron's coughing worsen, Edward, Patrick, and Tyler all stepped forward to comfort him.
"I don't need you hovering around me! Where's Lily? Get Lily to accompany me!" Byron, his face flushed, shouted angrily.
"Yes, where is Ms. Brown? Why hasn't she shown up?" Debra feigned surprise, but inwardly she was laughing darkly.
At that moment, as if on cue, Nicole walked over gracefully.
"Nicole, did you see Lily when you came in? Byron is looking for her," Debra quickly asked.
"I did."
Nicole nervously twisted her fingers, her eyes flickering, hesitant to speak, "But, I don't know if I should say it."
