Chapter 23 Do you regret getting a divorce?
When Edward returned to Riverside Villa, he was as wet as if he had been pulled out of the sea.
May hurried over to wipe him dry, but he pushed away the towel in her hands and climbed upstairs with a fierce aura.
"W-what happened to Mr. Wellington? Who offended him?" May asked Bart worriedly.
"If you have some time later, comfort Mr. Wellington. He was deceived!" Bart replied.
"What? Can someone as intelligent as Mr. Wellington be deceived? Did he call the police? Call the police immediately!" May was scared.
Bart shook his head repeatedly. "Well... umm. The situation is complicated. Even if the police come, it won't help. The other person is more clever."
"I've been telling Mr. Wellington to install an anti-fraud application, but he never listens to me. In business, there are many tricks and deception, and he's bound to be deceived!" Bart sighed and thought to himself, "Mr. Wellington has encountered a formidable opponent this time. If she had deceived money, it would have been fine. But the key is that she deceived Mr. Wellington's pride!"
Edward walked upstairs with a pale face. At first glance, he really looked like a handsome male ghost.
"Mr. Edward, Ms. Adams is here. Mr. Patrick requests you be in the study," a servant respectfully reported.
Edward pressed his thin lips together tightly. He went to Patrick's study.
"Edward! You're finally back!" Nicole couldn't help but approach Edward as soon as she saw him. She immediately ran over and hugged him.
Edward's expression was indifferent, and he did not immediately respond to her embrace as he used to.
Even tonight, facing Nicole, an indescribable gloom surged in his heart.
"Edward, how did things go? Did you see Ms. Taylor today?" Patrick asked seriously.
As the chairman of the Wellington Group, he was busy with a thousand matters. This trivial matter should have required him to inquire only a few times.
But Tiffany asked him about it every day, so he had no choice but to pressure Edward.
With Edward present, he will be able to protect Nicole's family. After all, he loves Nicole the most. As long as he talks to Ms. Taylor, KnightSpear Group will definitely give him face."
"The Wellington Group is not a small company either. If KnightSpear Group offends us, they can forget about having a good time in Mugden in the future!" Tiffany angrily huffed, clinging to Patrick's arm.
This was the tactic she had used for over twenty years. She always praised Edward non-stop. She first praised how powerful he was and constantly exaggerated everyone's expectations of him.
In doing so, as long as he did something slightly wrong, he would receive Patrick's resentment, and she could sow discord between Patrick and Edward.
"Dad, Aunt, let's stop talking about the Adams Group's matters." Edward's eyes, embedded deep in his eye sockets, didn't reveal any emotions.
"What do you mean, Edward?" Patrick furrowed his thick eyebrows.
"From now on, I won't help the Adams Group anymore. That's it."
After speaking, Edward turned around and walked away without looking back.
He left Patrick, Tiffany, and Nicole all standing in place, stupefied.
"P-Patrick, Edward is just joking, right?" Tiffany's smile gradually stiffened, feeling extremely anxious.
Patrick's face darkened, but he didn't say anything.
Edward returned to the bedroom, his body soaked. He had no intention of changing clothes or taking a shower. His mind was filled with thoughts of how Evelyn had played him!
He thought, 'Evelyn, why won't you come out to meet me in person?
Is it because you can't face people? Or because I'm not worthy?'
"Edward! Why? Why won't you help us?"
Nicole pursued him relentlessly, tightly gripping Edward's arm. "All the orders have been canceled now. The products are piling up in the warehouse and getting moldy. We haven't been able to pay the workers' wages. If this continues, the Adams Group will go bankrupt!"
She only cared about their family business now, completely forgetting her usual caring and virtuous appearance towards him.
Edward's voice revealed his deep tiredness. "It's getting late. I'll have Bart take you home."
"Edward! What happened that made you change your mind? Tell me, please! Just say it!"
After a busy day, Edward was too tired to say much. He thought to himself, 'Besides, I don't know how to tell her the real reason. Should I tell her that Dick got what he deserved, that he didn't benefit but suffered instead?'
Suddenly, he felt a sinking sensation in his heart.
The box that had been neatly placed on his bedside, containing his suits, was gone!
Edward grabbed Nicole's hand and frantically searched their bedroom, shouting in anger, "May!"
"Yes, Mr. Wellington." May hurried over.
"What happened to the box that was on my bedside?" Edward asked anxiously.
"I didn't touch it! You instructed me not to touch anything Mrs. Wellington gave you when I cleaned your room. And today, Ms. Adams came to your room. I specifically told her not to touch the box on your bedside." May glanced meaningfully at Nicole, who looked resentful.
May deliberately referred to Lily as Mrs. Wellington in front of Nicole, trying to provoke her and force her to confess.
"I threw away that box." Nicole eagerly admitted.
"Where did you throw it?" Edward asked angrily.
"Edward, why do you care so much about Lily's gifts? You're divorced now. I'm your fiancée!"
"You keep her gifts with you like a treasure. Have you ever considered my feelings?"
Nicole's eyes welled with tears. Tiffany had personally trained her in crying, and she performed it flawlessly.
"I'll ask you again, where did you throw it?"
However, Edward ignored Nicole's tears. His tone was even colder than before, and she was too scared to cry.
"In the trash can in the backyard..."
Edward ran to the backyard in the rain. He rolled up his white shirt sleeves and dug through the garbage can, searching for the discarded box.
"Edward! Stop looking, it's so dirty!" Nicole shouted from the corridor.
Dirty?
Perhaps no one in the entire Wellington family knew when Edward, as an illegitimate child, and his mother were wandering outside. When he was only five years old and struggling to survive, he had rummaged through countless garbage cans, collecting some cardboard and aluminum cans to sell.
He had grown up in the trash heap, so this kind of dirtiness was all too familiar to him, and there was no need to avoid it.
Finally, Edward found the box covered in dirt, and he let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, May rushed over and helped him hold the umbrella. He couldn't wait to open the box.
The next second, his eyes were red, and his expression became extremely gloomy.
His once neatly ironed suit, free of any trace of dust, was now completely ruined, unrecognizable!
He turned his head inch by inch and looked at Nicole.
She slowly stepped back. His cold, unfamiliar gaze frightened her so much that her breath caught in her throat.
In the end, Edward just held the box and silently walked past her.
"Edward! Are you in love with Lily? Do you regret divorcing me?" Nicole gathered the courage to hug Edward tightly.
"No," Edward's mind was filled with various emotions.
He felt very frustrated.
"But you were clearly angry at me. Did you get so angry just because I lost the things Lily gave you? Have you ever thought that whenever I see those things, I will be reminded of the three years you spent together? Aren't you afraid that I'll get angry?" Nicole became quite assertive.
"What else do you want from me in order to be satisfied?" Edward slowly pushed her away, took a deep breath, and said, "I have already divorced her and made the decision to marry you. Even when my grandfather pressured me, I stood my ground."
"But you broke her things, tore up her handmade clothes. And you exposed her as the third party to the media, leading to her being ridiculed all over the internet."
"She has already disappeared from my life, but it seems like you've never thought about letting her go. Stop it now. It's enough."
His brief words humiliated Nicole and rooted her to the spot. She felt an icy chill from head to toe as if drenched in cold water!
So, he had known all along!
"Edward, do you think I wanted to do all of that? I did those things because I love you!"
Edward's furrowed brows loosened, but his expression turned frosty.
"Next time you encounter difficulties, just tell me directly. As long as it doesn't harm others or yourself, I can help you."
"But I dislike it when you use the excuse of love to have hidden motives, and I dislike being manipulated by the people around me."
"You announced the engagement to save your family's business. This time, I won't blame you, but I don't want to see it happen again."
Edward left decisively.
Nicole hugged herself tightly. She was burning with anger, wishing she could strangle Lily.
Meanwhile, Evelyn and William sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping wine and enjoying the rain.
Their favorite opera arias played on the record player.
"Ms. Taylor, the waitress, contacted me. She said that when she was taking a taxi home after work tonight, Edward discovered her. I guess he already knows about the substitution."
William put down his wine glass. Knowing that Evelyn had been wearing high heels all day, he knew her feet must be tired, so he knelt and massaged one of her cute little feet.
"I knew he would find out sooner or later, but I just didn't expect it to be this soon."
William massaged Evelyn, and she felt very comfortable. Her ankles were a little sore. She squinted her eyes and said, "Once I deal with the Adams Group, it will be the Wellington Group's turn. After all, Mr. Wellington's threats today were so severe. I can't turn a blind eye; I should cooperate with him."
