Chapter 221 Drive Them All Away
"Molly, manners!" Tiffany snapped at Molly, her face all stern.
"Chill, it's just some cutlery. No need to go off on Molly," Byron chimed in, always ready to defend Molly 'cause he was totally smitten with her.
Tiffany's hand clenched under the table. Around Byron, even breathing felt like a mistake!
"Byron, Patrick, Tiffany, I'm done eating," Molly mumbled, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She bit her lip and bolted from the table.
Edward watched her leave, his eyes deep in thought.
Debra's smugness was practically radiating off her.
'Molly, if you had just stayed home and kept quiet, you wouldn't be dealing with this. But no, you had to go after my man. Now you get to see who really runs this show and who Eric truly deserves,' Debra thought.
"Wait, Eric? Doesn't he like Lily?" Byron blinked, confused.
Patrick, Tiffany, and Debra all looked annoyed.
Edward, sipping his coffee, suddenly started coughing thanks to Byron's comment, almost choking.
"Byron, why would Eric like Evelyn?" Debra fumed, her face turning red.
"Doesn't he? I might be old, but my hearing's still sharp. At my birthday party, I saw how Eric was all over Lily," Byron said, glancing shrewdly at Edward, whose face had darkened. "I'm even thinking of setting Lily up with Eric. He treats her well, and they'd be way happier together."
'Happy? Eric and Evelyn, happy together?' Edward thought, his grip on his coffee cup tightening. 'Byron doesn't say a word about me, but every word feels like a slap.'
"Byron! Am I your granddaughter or is Evelyn?" Debra was on the verge of tears. "I like Eric, not Evelyn! Shouldn't you be helping me? Why are you trying to set him up with her?"
"You like Eric, but does Eric like you?" Byron asked, dead serious.
"I..." Debra's eyes widened, and she was momentarily speechless.
"I saw how Eric treated you at the party. You two didn't say a word to each other all night, did you? He didn't even look at you, did he?" Byron laid it out, and Debra clenched her teeth, filled with shame and anger, but she couldn't argue.
"Our girls don't need to marry for business, but they shouldn't be too forward either," Byron said, shaking his head. "Besides, you and Eric? Total mismatch. He's got a fiery temper. Marry him, and you'll be fighting all the time."
"Byron!" Debra's eyes were red, tears threatening to spill.
"Byron, come on, don't make Debra answer stuff like that. Girls are shy," Patrick jumped in, trying to save Debra, smiling. "Eric doesn't ignore Debra. He came to our house to talk to her that day. Tiffany and I saw it ourselves."
Debra remembered what Eric had said to her that day, her heart tightening, eyes darting around.
'I know Eric can't stand me, but who cares? Once I marry him with my family's backing, he'll fall for me and be hooked on my charm!' Debra thought.
"Is that so?" Byron stroked his chin, looking thoughtful.
"Absolutely," Tiffany jumped in. "Mr. Clark is such a big deal. When has he ever gone out of his way to visit anyone? Him showing up for Debra means he's into her. Times change, Byron."
"And by the way, even though you're trying to set up Ms. Taylor with Mr. Clark, as far as I know, Ms. Taylor's already got a new boyfriend."
Edward's eyes shot up, icy as he stared at Tiffany.
His lips pressed tight, his Adam's apple bobbing like he was trying to swallow down some big emotion.
Byron looked super surprised and quickly asked, "Lily's got a boyfriend? Who is it?"
"It's Gilbert, the youngest son of Elbert from the Alexander Group," Tiffany replied quickly, using info she got from Nicole. But Debra had mentioned Evelyn and Gilbert were in touch. True or not, she had to crush Byron's hopes first!
"Evelyn and Gilbert are not a thing," Edward finally snapped, slamming his cup down, his handsome face dark.
"But I heard they've had a few private dates, like going to the rose garden and hitting up concerts together," Tiffany said.
"I said they're not together, and they're not," Edward growled, his eyes flashing with anger as he glared at Tiffany. "I hope Aunt Tiffany won't spread rumors or make stuff up without knowing the facts. Evelyn's a girl, and now she's the daughter of the Taylor family and the GM of KS World Hotel. Spreading such rumors could trash her reputation."
Tiffany was left speechless, her lips twitching in anger.
"Edward! Is this how you talk to your elders? What do you mean..." Before Patrick could finish, Edward stood up, cold as ice, and said, "I'm done eating. Enjoy your meal."
Byron watched Edward leave, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
Edward, all agitated, yanked at his tie, heading to the garden to cool off.
From the moment Byron mentioned matching Eric with Evelyn, his heart had been on edge, uneasy, and restless.
When Tiffany mentioned Evelyn had Gilbert by her side, he felt like the air around him thinned, and he couldn't sit still any longer, feeling like he was about to suffocate.
Edward furrowed his brow deeply and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, sticking one between his lips.
The more he thought about it, the angrier and more anxious he got. He pulled out his phone and called Eric.
"Edward, how nice of you to finally remember me!" Eric's voice was lazy, with a hint of grievance. "Since I got food poisoning, you haven't even come to see me."
"I need to tell you something," Edward took a deep breath. "Patrick and Tiffany want Debra to marry you."
On the other end, Eric jumped up, cursing, "What the hell, if your family likes drama, fine, but dragging me into it is too much!"
Edward squinted slightly, "Do you really care who you marry? Didn't you say it doesn't matter? It's just a formality."
"I did say that, but..." Eric started.
"So why can't you marry Debra? She likes you a lot, and marrying into the Wellington family wouldn't be a loss for you."
"Come on, you know what kind of person Debra is. How can you do this to me?"
"She can't harm you," Edward took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaling a plume of smoke.
'Eric, no way. Gilbert, even less so!' Edward thought.
His heart tightened, and he bit down hard.
He felt like a broom, constantly sweeping away the men around Evelyn.
