Chapter 36 Pity Doesn't Work Anymore
May couldn't help but think, 'No way. This wicked woman did it on purpose. Mr. Wellington couldn't have missed that, right? Otherwise, he would be a fool.'
At this moment, Edward picked up a black umbrella and opened the door expressionlessly.
"Mr. Wellington!" May called out anxiously.
But he still went outside with the umbrella, and May helplessly stomped her foot.
Outside the door, Nicole sat in the rain, barely able to hold on any longer. She was about to give up.
But when she saw that noble and tall figure approaching her, she became excited again and pretended to be pitiful, sobbing.
Edward walked briskly to her and held an umbrella over her head with one hand. Then, with the other, he helped Nicole up from the ground. His grip was firm, and she couldn't refuse, even with his slightly domineering attitude.
"Edward..." Nicole threw herself into his arms.
Just a moment ago, she was weak, but when she saw Edward, she felt fully revived. She wrapped her arms tightly around his strong waist, rubbing her wet face against his chest.
Edward felt annoyed and said in a deep voice, "You were already weak, and now you're getting soaked in the rain. You'll get sick."
"If I had not done this, would you still come and see me, Edward? I just wanted to see you, that's all... but why won't you see me?"
Nicole lifted her pale and disheveled face, feeling frantic and confused, "Edward, do you no longer love me? You've been cold towards me lately. Is it because of the incident with the suit? I know I was wrong. I'll go apologize to Lily and beg for her forgiveness, okay?"
"No need, I'm not angry anymore."
Edward said coldly, "Now that you've seen me, you can rest assured. Nicole, go home and be with your family. When the storm calms down, I will come find you."
"Edward, please save my brother, please?"
Nicole's face turned red with desperation. She forgot her noble identity, clinging tightly to Edward and slowly sinking downwards.
"My brother is going to be sentenced. All the lawyers in Mugden City are afraid to defend him because of the power of the Taylor family. No matter how much money we offer, they refuse to help. They are going too far; they want to destroy our family. Edward, you have to help us. Our family is on the verge of bankruptcy. If my brother is truly sentenced, our family will fall apart. Please, I beg you..."
Edward's expression remained unchanged, his tall figure showing no signs of wavering.
He appeared emotionless at the moment, but his love for Nicole was steadfast. From his youth until the age of thirty, he had kept his promise: even if it hurt another woman who deeply loved him or angered his elders, he would marry her.
In this aspect, he was sentimental, but when it came to his duties, he was impartial. He showed no mercy towards the Adams family's crimes, his attitude cold like a judge in a courtroom.
At this moment, Edward recalled the harsh words he said to Evelyn during the negotiation for Nicole's family and the scene where he mocked Lily about the Adams family's situation. Regret welled up within him, making his tone even colder towards Nicole.
"The Taylor family is innocent, but your brother is unforgivable. I suggest he confess and seek a reduced sentence. That is the right thing to do. The internal affairs of the Adams Group should be reorganized. One incapable leader can exhaust a thousand soldiers. Even if I were to give you another billion dollars, if you don't reflect on your problems, it would all be useless."
Nicole trembled, completely dumbfounded.
She thought that if she cried and acted pitiful, Edward would soften and listen to her, just like before.
But this time, she was wrong. Before, Edward had been accommodating towards her because she hadn't crossed his bottom line.
However, as soon as someone crossed that line, even if they were the person he loved deeply, he would show no mercy.
In the end, Edward personally put the sobbing Nicole into the car, ordered the driver to lock the doors, and watched her leave. His tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a bit.
He stood in the rain with a black umbrella for a long time, thinking of Lily's disappointed gaze, feeling a pang in his heart.
The pain was dense and unavoidable.
*
Dick was caught, and the Adams Villa was filled with lifeless silence.
As she returned, the Adams couple saw Nicole covered in mud, her face pale and drenched from head to toe. Their first concern was not how she ended up in such a state but anxiously asking Edward if he would help. They even suggested he find a formidable lawyer to assist her.
In response, Nicole shook her head.
"It's useless."
Bray coughed painfully a few times and angrily scolded, "Since you've been with Edward, have you ever helped the family in any way? It has been years, and you haven't received any share of the property or been able to marry him. I don't think Edward loves you at all. What use do you have?"
Nicole's eyes turned red with hatred. Bray never welcomed her; he had forced Karen to abort Nicole when they were younger. The doctor said that after Karen's abortion, she could no longer conceive. And despite Karen's insistence, Nicole was brought into this world.
After giving birth to Nicole, Karen still couldn't conceive again, which deepened her father's disgust towards her.
Nicole had always lived in the shadow of her older brother, and she tried to gain her father's attention by getting close to her aunt. At a young age, she lost her innocence and learned how to manipulate others, all for the purpose of securing a better future for herself and earning her father's respect to become someone superior.
Edward became her first experiment when she was eight years old.
Initially, she looked down on this illegitimate child and wanted to win over Edward's brother instead. Her aunt gave her the opportunity to first try her tactics on Edward. Even if she didn't like Edward, having the son of a wealthy family willingly pursue her would give her face.
So, her aunt gave her a chance to become not only Edward's savior but also the light in his dark life, which made Edward so devoted to her.
During this time, she also helped the Adams family a lot, but in the end, Bray saw her as nothing more than a tool to gain favor with the powerful. Any slight misstep and he would belittle her.
Nicole hated him to the core but sneered in her heart.
She thought, 'I won't help Dick. It's best if that useless person spends his whole life in prison. That way, the Adams Group will be mine, even if it's just an empty shell.'
"Enough, stop talking. If Edward won't help, what should Nicole do?"
Karen hurried over to embrace her daughter, glaring at Bray. "It's all your fault. If you hadn't spoiled Dick and let him do as he pleased, he wouldn't have ended up like this. You men are useless and take it out on us women. You're really capable, huh?"
Bray was so angry that steam practically came out of his head, but when he remembered that his wife's sister was married to Patrick, he didn't dare show his rage.
"Now our immediate priority is twofold: first, quickly salvage our image, and second, secure the marriage between Nicole and Edward."
Karen thought of how Edward didn't save her son, and her expression turned sinister. "If there is no other way, then we can only make Nicole pregnant with his child. In that case, he will never be able to get rid of Nicole for the rest of his life."
"Mom! Did you forget about me..." Nicole panicked and pointed at her stomach.
Karen remembered that the stretch marks on her belly hadn't completely disappeared yet, and she couldn't help but sigh in frustration.
"Nicole, how about getting a tattoo to cover it up? That's the quickest solution."
Nicole was very unwilling to get tattoos on her belly. She always maintained a pure image.
However, she had already undergone several laser skin treatments, and there were still traces of stretch marks. If the stretch marks couldn't be removed by the wedding, she could only resort to this last option.
At that moment, the servants came downstairs, holding things in their hands.
"Madam, we have finished packing."
"These are all my jewelry. Mom, where are you taking them?"
"Sell them."
"What? That's not acceptable. These are my collections."
Nicole panicked and ran over to grab the most valuable box.
It was a token of love from Edward, a ruby pendant named "Heart of Flame." Two years ago, Edward personally flew to Flancia three times and spent half a month to have it designed by a top-notch jewelry designer for her.
Although she didn't know how much this pendant was worth, such a large ruby was extremely rare and must be worth millions of dollars. Edward had always been generous to her.
"Our company needs money for circulation now. By selling your jewelry and a few valuable items of mine, our company can hold on a bit longer.
Moreover, a charity auction will be held in two weeks. We must attend to earn public goodwill and wash away our negative image.
Besides, Byron's birthday is also coming soon. The things we buy at the auction can also be given as a birthday gift to Byron, killing two birds with one stone."
Karen's expression was resolute, but she still comforted Nicole. "Nicole, when you marry Edward, he will give you even better things. Don't just focus on the immediate benefits; have a long-term perspective.
You are the future mistress of the Wellington Group. We can't count on your brother anymore, so I'm counting on you."
After hesitating for a while, Nicole reluctantly handed the box to Karen.
