Chapter 126 Evelyn Came to Intercept
A casual comment hit Mr. and Mrs. Torres hard.
'KnightSpear Group in Hameen, Charlie's daughter?!'
"You're really Mr. Taylor's daughter?!" Mario stared at Evelyn, shocked.
"Yes. You can check with Patrick and Edward." Evelyn's smile deepened. "I've dealt with the Wellington family; they can confirm my identity."
Edward's eyes darkened as he looked at her.
'She didn't even say we're familiar, like we barely know each other.'
"Patrick, Edward, so Ms. Taylor is an old friend of yours."
Mario, a seasoned politician, quickly changed his tone upon learning Evelyn was Charlie's daughter. "I must apologize for not recognizing you!"
He shook hands with Evelyn.
"Mario, given my background, do you think I'm qualified to discuss cooperation?" Evelyn's smile stayed, but there was a subtle pressure in her demeanor.
Mario was momentarily stunned, feeling that despite Evelyn's young age, her aura, likely inherited from Charlie, commanded respect.
Edward clenched his fists in frustration.
'Evelyn, are you acting recklessly just because you're a Taylor?'
"Ms. Taylor, we're glad to see you, but Mario and I have important matters to discuss, not for outsiders. So, please leave." Patrick kept a kind smile, but his eyes were cold.
Debra was fuming, wanting to chime in, but Tiffany held her back.
'Evelyn's walking right into Patrick's trap; he'll handle her,' Tiffany thought.
"I know you have important matters. If it weren't for Starhaven, I wouldn't be here." Evelyn raised her eyebrows, unfazed. "As for saying I can't participate, I don't get it. The Taylor family is on par with the Wellington family in resources and finances. If the Wellingtons can handle the project, so can the Taylors. I'm offering Mario another option. Isn't that good?"
Mario was taken aback, thinking, 'Evelyn's coming on strong!'
Patrick and Tiffany's faces grew more unpleasant.
"Ms. Taylor," Edward, who had been silent, stepped forward, his eyes deep as an abyss, casting her in his shadow. "The Wellington family has already reached an agreement with Mario. Everything's settled, and we've met all the standards for developing Starhaven. At this point, your intervention seems against business rules and unreasonable."
Evelyn raised her stunning face, her eyes mocking. "intervention? You're right, I am here to intervene."
"Evelyn!" Edward's eyes narrowed, teeth clenched.
"Saying I'm breaking rules or being unreasonable is just labeling me." Evelyn stepped back, out of his shadow. "In business, winners set the rules. If the Wellingtons had signed the contract, I'd be unreasonable. But you haven't. Whether the rules are set by you or me is still up in the air."
Edward squinted, choked by her words.
Evelyn was right. Before signing, everything was uncertain. He had believed in this unspoken rule for years, toppling countless competitors. But he never expected to face such a hurdle himself. And the opponent was his ex-wife, Evelyn!
"Ms. Taylor, I don't think Mario will cooperate with you."
Tiffany couldn't stand her arrogance any longer, forcing a smile. "Mario and the Wellington family have been friends for years, maintaining a good relationship that ordinary people can't compare to. Just saying, Ms. Taylor, you came here to discuss cooperation, but you rushed over alone without prior arrangement, disregarding time and place, interrupting our gathering. This is quite insincere and rude."
"Exactly!" Debra echoed softly.
"I know my visit is abrupt, but I had no choice. I was afraid that if I came a moment later, Mario would regret it." Evelyn sighed dramatically, feigning helplessness.
"Regret? What do you mean by that?" Tiffany asked sharply.
Ignoring Tiffany, Evelyn turned to Mario. "Mario, are you really not considering working with the Taylor family? You wouldn't dismiss me just because I'm a woman with no standing in the group, would you? I came here under the instruction of my brother, Landon, the CEO of KS. He has entrusted this matter entirely to me. If you don't believe me, I can arrange for Landon to meet with you immediately."
"Ms. Taylor, it's not that I don't believe you. It's just that Patrick and I are old partners. We've worked together many times before, and I trust the Wellington family," Mario politely declined. "Besides, this project is in Mugden, and the Wellington family is well-known and reputable there. Maybe next time, we can cooperate."
Patrick and Tiffany's faces showed signs of triumph.
'Evelyn's attempt to snatch the Wellington family's project is wishful thinking!'
"Alright, I understand that personal relationships make it difficult for you. But working with the Taylor family, I can guarantee one thing for sure." Evelyn's smile turned mysterious. "You definitely won't regret it."
Edward felt a jolt in his chest.
'That expression, that tone, that look! She's up to something!'
"Ms. Taylor, what do you mean by that? Are you implying that cooperating with the Wellington family would bring bad luck?" Tiffany asked sharply, her eyebrows furrowing.
"William, what time is it?" Evelyn asked out of the blue.
"Evelyn, it's exactly three o'clock in the afternoon," William replied.
"Alright, take out your phone and tune in to the three o'clock news for Mario."
"Yes." William took out his phone and played the news broadcast.
"Welcome to the three o'clock news. Today's headline: Rodolfo Reed, Vice President of the Wellington Group, has been indicted by the Mugden judicial authorities this afternoon at one o'clock for bribery and corruption. He was taken into custody for interfering in the bidding process for W Group's IT equipment and irregularities in the Wellington Group's project bids, seeking improper benefits. It is understood that Rodolfo is the cousin of Tiffany, the wife of Patrick, the Wellington Group's chairman, and has previously collaborated with Tiffany on several projects. The prosecution is still investigating how many others are involved in this case, and we will continue to follow up on the developments."
Patrick's face turned deathly pale, and Tiffany staggered, her vision darkening.
"Tiffany! What's going on?! How could Rodolfo suddenly be arrested?!" Debra asked urgently, panicking.
Edward stared intently at Evelyn's calm face, his brow twitching violently.
'Rodolfo was taken away two hours ago, but the news was tightly sealed! It seems her brother, Simon, put in a lot of effort on this!'
"Tiffany! What's going on?!" Patrick also panicked, lowering his voice to question Tiffany.
"I really don't know, Mario, Laura! There must be some misunderstanding! This news is all just rumors. You can't believe it!" Tiffany hadn't expected this to blow up so quickly and could only desperately try to clear her name.
However, Mario and Laura's faces had already darkened.
Laura said sternly, "Tiffany, Rodolfo is your cousin, right? And the news also mentioned that you were involved in the bribery and corruption, right?"
"But I really don't know anything!" Tiffany, out of options, could only feign ignorance.
At that moment, a commotion arose from the golf course.
A group of men, wearing badges and dressed in suits, walked briskly towards them.
They were from the prosecution!
"Tiffany, Rodolfo is suspected of multiple commercial crimes. Please come with us to assist in the investigation!"
