Chapter 315 The Battle for the Seat
Outside the banquet hall.
Tonight, Gilbert did not dress as extravagantly as the other members of the Alexander family. He wore a simple yet elegant dark gray tailored suit, his short hair neatly combed, and his gold-rimmed glasses added a scholarly touch to his appearance.
"Gilbert, can we go home? I'm scared," Angela said timidly, gently tugging at Gilbert's sleeve.
Tonight, Gilbert had dressed Angela exceptionally beautifully, in an expensive gown.
She wore a simple set of pearl necklaces and earrings, but this set of pearl jewelry was a custom piece exclusively supplied by the Aurora Isle royal family, more expensive than diamonds.
In his heart, Angela was his only family.
Naturally, he wanted to give Angela the best of everything.
Gilbert smiled gently at Angela, holding her hand, "Don't be afraid, Mom. I'm here."
"But..."
"Mom, I brought you here tonight mainly to see Evelyn. Didn't you mention yesterday that you missed her? You'll see her tonight."
"Yes, Evelyn, to see Evelyn," Angela's eyes suddenly lit up, and she shouted, "Evelyn! It's Evelyn!"
Gilbert quickly turned around and saw Evelyn walking towards him. His eyes welled up with emotion, and he couldn't help but smile, "Evelyn."
"Mrs. Alexander!" Evelyn hurriedly stepped forward to support Angela, her face beaming with a smile, "I didn't expect you to come. I'm really happy!"
"I'm also very happy to see you, Evelyn!"Angela genuinely liked Evelyn and gave her a big hug. Then she quickly grabbed a handful of chocolate candies from her small handbag, stuffing them into Evelyn's hand, "Eat some candy! Last time I saw you, you liked chocolate, didn't you? I brought some for you!"
"Mrs. Alexander, thank you for thinking of me," Evelyn held the candies, feeling a warm flow in her heart.
She was such a person, having seen many grand scenes since childhood and experienced the blood and gore of the battlefield.
Grand and thrilling events might not move her. Instead, it was the ordinary, long-lasting warmth that touched her the most.
"You look so beautiful today," Evelyn complimented with a smile.
"Really?" Angela blushed like a young girl, "Gilbert picked out the clothes for me. I usually wear loose and casual clothes at home, so I'm not used to being so formal all of a sudden."
"You look beautiful, Mrs. Alexander," Saying this, Evelyn smiled lightly and looked at Gilbert, "Gil has a good eye."
Seeing her smile at him, Gilbert's breath quickened, and his heart surged like a turbulent sea, hard to calm.
"The Alexander family is all here. Uncle Elbert and my dad are at one table. I'll take you over now," Evelyn was about to lead Angela forward.
Gilbert quickly called out, "Evelyn, wait."
She turned back, puzzled.
"You know our family's situation. Back then, my mother and I lost our status and shares in the Alexander family and were sent to Aurora Isle by my father. We couldn't come back for fifteen years. I was young then, and my mother was in poor health. You can imagine how difficult it was for us to rely on each other." Gilbert's throat felt like it was soaked in bitter medicine, dry and hoarse.
Evelyn listened silently, picturing a young boy taking care of his sick mother, feeling a pang in her heart.
"So, I don't want to sit with the Alexander family, and I don't want my mother to be with them either," Seeing Evelyn remain silent, Gilbert thought she didn't want to agree, smiling bitterly, "If you feel uncomfortable with an outsider like me sitting with you, then forget it. We've come, and you've seen us, and we've brought the gifts. That's enough. We'll leave now and not disturb you any further."
"Gil, you're overthinking it," At this point, Evelyn had no reason to refuse and said gently, "Let's go, we'll sit together. Tonight is just a family dinner, don't feel too pressured."
Gilbert's face lit up with joy, his eyes curving into a smile, "Thank you, Evelyn."
Evelyn led Gilbert and Angela into the hall.
"Calvin! Look! It's that woman!" Randy exclaimed in shock, pointing to the door.
Calvin swirled his wine glass, lifting his eyelids coldly.
When he saw Gilbert and Evelyn walking together, chatting and laughing, his brows furrowed tightly, "Gilbert seems to have a good relationship with Evelyn."
"Of course!" Randy gritted his teeth, glaring at Gilbert as he took a swig of his drink, "Who can be as shameless as him!"
Ashley glanced at Randy with disdain, finding his behavior utterly vulgar.
"Didn't Dad say he intended to match you with Evelyn?" Calvin raised an eyebrow mockingly, "If this continues, you'll lose your future wife."
"I'm not shameless! You want me to grovel like Gilbert, clinging like a dog? I can't do that!" Randy said disdainfully.
"If clinging could make you immensely wealthy and powerful, would you do it?" Calvin asked in a cold, eerie tone.
Stunned, Randy pursed his lips tightly.
"Randy, if you don't make an effort, all our efforts will be in vain," Calvin leaned towards Randy, whispering darkly in his ear, "If he really marries into the Taylor family, and with Mr. Taylor's most beloved daughter, Gilbert will soon make a comeback, becoming a formidable opponent for us. Gilbert has been your enemy since childhood. Watching him rise to success must be more painful than being killed, right?"
Randy's eyes flashed with a hint of malice as he stared at Gilbert.
Evelyn brought Gilbert and Angela in front of the family.
"Mrs. Alexander! You've returned from Aurora Isle? It's been so long!" Donna and Susan, Charlie's wives, quickly stood up to greet her, showing great courtesy.
"Who are these two?" Angela looked at Gilbert blankly.
"Mom, these two are Mr. Taylor's wife. These are Evelyn's siblings. This is Eric from the Clark family, and the lovely lady beside him is Molly from the Wellington family," Gilbert patiently introduced to his mother.
Eric initially felt uncomfortable seeing Gilbert, but hearing him refer to Molly as "the lovely lady" noticeably eased his frown.
Landon took the lead, and the younger generation also stood up. The Taylor family's children were all polite and well-mannered.
Even if they had strong opinions about Gilbert, they wouldn't express them openly in such a setting.
Only Edward sat there with a cold, stern face, his eyes icy as he looked at Gilbert, his whole body tense like a bowstring full of anger.
He had introduced everyone but him!
Such disregard was a provocation!
"So many people," Angela looked at Gilbert worriedly, "I can't remember so many people, what should I do?"
"It's okay, they're all old acquaintances. Don't be nervous. Have a seat," Evelyn was about to invite them to sit down when she suddenly noticed a problem.
There was only one empty seat left at the round table!
"Mom, you and Evelyn sit here. I'll find another seat," Gilbert suggested, not wanting to make Evelyn uncomfortable.
"No, no!" Angela quickly grabbed Gilbert's arm, looking anxious, "I want to stay with you. I don't want to sit here alone!"
Everyone exchanged glances.
"Donna, doesn't Mrs. Alexander seem a bit off to you?" Susan nudged Donna with her elbow, whispering.
"I heard from Charlie that Mrs. Alexander has Alzheimer's. Judging by her behavior, it seems quite severe; she doesn't even recognize us," Donna replied softly.
"So young and already has dementia? How pitiful," Susan looked at Angela with sympathy.
Seeing Angela clinging to him, Gilbert looked helplessly at Evelyn.
"Edward," Evelyn hesitated for a moment, then lightly tapped Edward's shoulder, "Would you mind giving up your seat?"
Edward slowly raised his eyes, his starry eyes flashing with astonishment, meeting her gaze filled with resentment, "Why should I give up my seat? I was here first."
"This isn't about who came first. You can see that Mrs. Alexander doesn't want to be separated from her son, and I want them to sit here. So, I'm asking you to move," Evelyn didn't want to sit next to him anyway, and now she had an excuse, "After thinking it over, you're the most suitable person to move, so I'm asking you."
Gilbert held Angela, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and a slight smile of triumph appeared on his lips.
"I won't," Edward's brows furrowed tightly, unmoving.
"Fine, you won't move? Then I'll go sit at Grandpa's table!" Evelyn was so angry at Edward that she wanted to punch him!
Edward panicked, afraid she would leave, and was about to get up.
"Evelyn," At this moment, Landon stood up in time, smiling faintly, "Edward is also a guest. Let's not trouble him. I'll go sit at Dad's table. Let's not make a fuss over this."
After speaking, Landon gracefully left, freeing up a seat.
Gilbert's face darkened.
He knew Landon's intention, and because of this, he felt even more displeased.
Edward, seeing the problem resolved, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If he had the chance, he really should thank Landon.
The much-anticipated birthday banquet officially began!
Evelyn, having not seen Nancy for a long time, specifically gave the seat to her left to Nancy.
Gilbert could only sit next to Nancy. Not being able to sit next to Evelyn, his expression showed undisguised disappointment.
"Nancy, Gilbert has just returned from Aurora Isle not long ago. You two should have a lot to talk about," Evelyn tried to lighten the atmosphere by starting a conversation.
"Has Gilbert lived in Aurora Isle for many years?" Nancy asked in surprise.
"Fifteen years," Gilbert replied with a smile.
"Then you could be considered half an Aurora Isle native, much more experienced than I am. I've only been married there for three years," Nancy, trying to find a topic, casually asked, "What kind of work did you do in Aurora Isle?"
Gilbert replied, "I ran a company, doing import and export trade."
"Oh, I see."
"Could you be more specific about what kind of goods your company imports and exports?" Edward parted his lips coldly, throwing out this question.
Gilbert's brows furrowed, his hand under the table clenching tightly.
"It's not a trade secret, is it? Shouldn't be that hard to talk about," Edward's eyes narrowed slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over him, "Or is it that the business your company does is different from ordinary businesses, and you don't want to be open about it?"
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