Chapter 253 Charlie Acknowledges William as His Son
Oasis Villa was poppin' tonight while Landon was outta town on some company gig and couldn't make it back.
But hey, Simon and Peter seemed to have struck a deal, both showing up for the shindig.
At first, the vibe at the table was pretty chill. Charlie and Brian, being around the same age and old pals, were having a blast chatting.
Isla, Donna, Joyce, and Susan were also deep in some lively convo.
But things were kinda weird between Gordon, Simon, and the rest.
With cops, prosecutors, judges, lawyers, and Evelyn, the plaintiff, all there, the dinner table felt like a mini courtroom.
"Gordon, I heard your law firm in Mugden is killin' it," Simon smirked, swirling his wine glass. "In the past couple of years, the defendants in some big cases we've handled have all hired you."
"As a lawyer, it's my job," Gordon grinned. "Since clients come to me and trust me, I gotta do my best to win."
"That's pretty interesting," Peter said, crossing his legs and eyeing Gordon like he was on trial. "Only the rich and powerful can afford you. Seems like the bar to be your client is pretty high."
"Not really. Even though I'm the head of the firm, it's not just mine. There are two other shareholders who need their cut, and I got dozens of lawyers to pay. I don't have a choice," Gordon sighed, looking all troubled.
Simon, Peter, and Evelyn almost felt like hurling their dinner from the night before after hearing this!
Gordon and William, both Brian's sons, were so different in character!
"You're now the top lawyer in Mugden, and pretty famous nationwide," William, who had been quiet, finally spoke with a cold smile. "In the cases you handled this year, the lowest fee is four hundred grand, and the highest is three mil. And that's just your personal take, not counting the commissions from the lawyers under you."
The restaurant went dead silent.
Charlie and Brian stopped chatting and turned their attention to the younger crowd.
"William, income is a private matter and shouldn't be brought up on a night like this, right?" Gordon's lips twitched, the movement hurting the bruises on his face covered by foundation.
"I bring this up just to make one thing clear: you're not short on cash. You've saved more than an average person could spend in a lifetime," William's eyes reddened, and he chuckled lightly. "So I don't get it. If we set aside money as a reason, why did you, knowing the Wellington family is against Evelyn, still take on their case to go against her?"
Everyone was puzzled.
Tonight, William ripped off Gordon's fake mask in front of everyone, were the brothers really gonna turn against each other?
Evelyn hadn't given William a glance all evening.
Now, her face was icy as she suddenly looked up, her cold and emotionless gaze falling on him.
She knew William was standing up for her. But she didn't want him to, nor did she need him to.
"William! Even if you have beef, you can't air it out now. Save it for home!" Jesse pulled him hard under the table, sweating nervously.
But William's handsome face stayed stern, showing no intention of letting Gordon off the hook.
Gordon could no longer manage his expression, his face looking like he had just recovered from a serious illness.
"William! Stop talking nonsense!" Brian sternly rebuked William, then turned to Charlie with a wry smile. "I'm sorry, Mr. Taylor. It's my failure in upbringing that has embarrassed you."
Charlie, calm and composed, slowly smiled. "I've watched William grow up. He's always worked by Landon's side and later helped Evelyn. He's a capable and honorable young man. I like William a lot and have always seen him as my own son. I know what kind of person he is, so I didn't take it to heart."
These light words directly boosted William's status and dealt a heavy blow to Gordon!
Gordon had always looked down on William, thinking he only cared about serving women and had no ambition!
But to his surprise, Charlie, a top figure in Hameen and a leading tycoon, actually said he saw William as his son. This was clearly taking William's side and subtly backing him. What was even more infuriating was that Charlie had just praised William in front of everyone. This was a veiled way of mocking him through William's words.
At this moment, Simon and the crew had all sorts of looks on their faces, and Evelyn's red lips curled up, almost cracking up.
"Mr. Taylor, you're really laying it on thick!" Brian and Isla were flattered and surprised. Brian was both shocked and delighted but kept waving his hands, "How could William be your son! That's too much! Just let him work hard at KS; we don't dare to hope for anything more!"
"Brian, we've known each other for years, and I'm being real here. If William wasn't a good kid, I wouldn't say it, right?"
The more Charlie hyped up William, the more it felt like he was dissing Gordon.
Under the table, Gordon clenched his fists, his eyes burning with rage!
Just as he was about to find an excuse to bounce, Charlie casually said, "Evelyn, when you see Landon in a few days, remember to tell him something for me."
"What is it?" Evelyn asked playfully, resting her chin on her hand.
"I've greenlit the proposal he sent me a few days ago for buying out Evergreen Capital Group. He can kick off the acquisition plan anytime," Charlie said.
Gordon, stunned, felt like a lightning bolt had just struck him!
'Evergreen Capital Group is the biggest shareholder behind my law firm! If Charlie buys it, won't he have full control over my firm too?' Gordon thought, gritting his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with hatred, and cold sweat soaking through his suit.
He didn't dare look up at Charlie and Evelyn, but he knew their gazes must be as sharp as knives, ready to slice him up!
Charlie invited their family over for dinner, pretending it was for a reunion, but really, he was trying to scare Gordon and get back at him for Evelyn, to show him the consequences of crossing her!
After dinner, the Flynn family didn't leave right away and kept chatting in the living room.
Evelyn, finally meeting Simon and Peter, had endless things to talk about. Simon and Jesse were also tight, so the four of them sat together, chatting and laughing, even playing board games.
While Evelyn was having a blast, she accidentally knocked over a wine glass on the table.
The red wine spilled all over her, running down her fair, slender legs and even staining her feet.
"I'll clean it up!" Simon hurriedly looked for napkins.
"I'll do it!" Peter also frantically searched for something to clean with.
"Well, I should too?" Given the vibe, Jesse felt it wouldn't be right not to do something.
Just as the three guys were scrambling to help Evelyn, a tall, handsome figure showed up, kneeling on one knee by Evelyn.
Evelyn looked down in surprise, her long eyelashes fluttering.
William had arrived first, pulling out a handkerchief he always carried. He lifted her foot with his left hand and gently wiped the stain with his right hand, patiently and tenderly.
Evelyn panicked and pulled her foot back.
But William ignored her and kept cleaning her foot with care.
He was so serious and pure, like this was no big deal, just part of his job as a secretary.
Everyone around was stunned.
Jennifer, who was chatting with Joyce, saw this and felt her heart drop, her whole body turning cold.
Her clear eyes reddened, and she forced a smile, feeling something shatter in her chest, causing her great pain.
"Mom, I don't feel well. I'm going upstairs to rest." With that, Jennifer lowered her head, using her long hair to hide her red eyes, and mustered the last bit of strength to escape.
"Jennifer? Jennifer!" Joyce called out worriedly, but the more she called, the faster Jennifer ran.
Evelyn saw that William had quickly cleaned her foot and was about to clean her leg. Panicked, she pulled her legs back and stood up.
William looked up at her, his eyes shining.
Evelyn glanced down at William, who was passionate, sighed softly, and said in a low voice, "Tonight, you're not my secretary; you're the son of the Flynn family. Even if you were my secretary, you don't need to go to such lengths. I can wash it off myself."
With that, she turned and left, leaving William standing there.
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