Chapter 142 The Scheme
In the hospital room, Karen sat by the bed, comforting Nicole.
"Patrick pulled a lot of strings and spent a fortune to hire Gordon to get Tiffany back. That shows how much he cares about her. With Tiffany's help, marrying Edward is a sure thing! Hasn't he been visiting you whenever he has spare time these past few days? He's been so kind, and your relationship has clearly improved!"
Karen's face lit up, feeling confident about her future as the mother-in-law of the Wellington family. "You know Edward's temper better than I do. If he really despised you, he wouldn't be here with you!"
"Even so, I still feel uneasy," Nicole said, thinking of Edward's cold eyes. "He's been taking care of me, but he feels different."
"Stop scaring yourself."
Just then, the door opened, and Edward walked in.
Nicole quickly put on a weak, tearful look. "Edward."
Edward walked towards her without expression. When she tried to reach out to him, he stopped.
Nicole's hand froze in mid-air, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"I have to go back to the company. I'll come back tonight," Edward said gently, but his eyes were unreadable.
"Edward, I'm sorry," Nicole said tearfully. "I've caused you so much trouble. It's all my fault."
"Take care of yourself. Don't overthink." With that, Edward turned to leave.
Nicole gripped the blanket tightly, holding back words she wanted to say. 'Edward isn't the same as before. Sometimes, the way he looks at me makes me panic.'
She gave Karen a look, and Karen nodded, quickly following him out. "Edward."
Edward stopped, glancing coolly at Karen. "What is it?"
"You've seen Nicole's condition. When you're here, she's better. When you're not, she's tormented by depression. She suffered a lot abroad, always hoping to return to you. If you give up on her, she'll be ruined!" Karen wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
"I'll take responsibility for Nicole's illness. She was once my lifesaver." With that, Edward left.
Karen stood there, pondering his words, feeling a chill rise in her heart.
In the following days, Evelyn was busy at the hotel, holding daily meetings with high-level executives to perfect the wedding planning.
One day, while Evelyn was in a heated discussion with the project team, Charlie called.
"Charlie, I'm busy. What's up?" Evelyn held the phone between her cheek and shoulder, flipping through documents.
'Charlie? Charlie?!' The previously lively discussion group fell silent, everyone holding their breath as they thought, 'That is someone we can never hope to meet in our lifetime!'
"It's time," Charlie's low voice came through, without any context.
"What?" Evelyn was puzzled.
"It's time! Go on a date!" Charlie's sudden shout made Evelyn frown and pull the phone away.
Everyone heard Charlie's words loud and clear, and their eyes nearly popped out in shock. 'No way! Even the beautiful, wealthy, and talented Evelyn has marriage troubles?'
"Charlie, I'm in a meeting. Let's talk later," Evelyn said, rubbing her temples in frustration.
"Later? This is your lifelong matter, and you say later?!" Charlie snorted. "I won't say much. Just one thing: Do you want to be the president of KnightSpear Group or not?!"
'Damn you, Charlie! Using the position to threaten me! Does Edward teach you this trick?' she thought.
"Fine, I'll go. But not today, I have an important meeting," Evelyn tried to delay.
"Alright, but you can't avoid it."
The second half of the meeting was tense, everyone afraid of angering Evelyn.
Evelyn slumped onto the sofa in her office, feeling drained.
William walked in with a cup of coffee, looking worried. "Evelyn, is there a problem with the project?"
"It's Charlie!" Evelyn pouted, punching the sofa. "I've cleaned up the mess at the hotel and secured a billion-dollar project for KS. He doesn't appreciate it and now he's pushing me to date! Maybe I should become a spy and leave Charlie all alone!"
"Evelyn, you know Charlie is getting old and needs you around. You won't run away like before. You'll stay with the Taylor family and Charlie," William said gently, sitting beside her. "And KS needs your leadership to grow in Mugden. There are many people eyeing us, and internal struggles never cease. Landon has managed all these years under immense pressure. He doesn't like being president, but he does it for Charlie and the family."
"Yes, I know that," Evelyn sighed, kicking off her high heels and going barefoot.
William's throat tightened as he fetched a blanket, covering her feet on his lap and skillfully massaging them.
Besides Isla, William only did this for Evelyn.
"That's why I want to take on this responsibility, to free Landon. Besides, I believe I have the ability," Evelyn said, feeling better, her eyes narrowing.
'Not only do I have the ability, but I'm also ambitious. If not for following Edward, I would have been the president of KnightSpear Group by now, achieving great things. I need to catch up on the life Edward delayed.'
"Evelyn, a date doesn't hurt. Just think of it as making friends. Charlie doesn't expect you to marry them. He's just worried," William comforted her, though he felt a twinge of jealousy.
But he knew from the start that he was insignificant, and Evelyn could never be just his.
"You're right, it's just a date, not scarier than going to war!"
Evelyn's eyes sparkled mischievously, her feet moving under the blanket, making William's heart flutter.
"Evelyn, what are you planning now?"
Evelyn sat up quickly, walking barefoot to the desk.
William knew how important a girl's feet were and quickly picked up her high heels, kneeling to help her put them on. "Put your shoes on, or you'll catch a cold."
Evelyn lifted her foot for William to help her, leaning on the desk and writing something down.
Soon, she had a list. "Here, get everything on this list by today."
William took it, reading it with a smile. "You're so naughty."
