Chapter 544 Unable to Keep the Secret
Patrick had been spoiled since he was a kid; when had he ever taken such a beating, such humiliation?
And right in front of Edward, too!
He felt utterly humiliated!
"You heartless jerk!"
Byron was about to throw the coffee pot at him again, but Tyler quickly stepped in, "Mr. Wellington! Please, calm down!"
Patrick clutched the wound on his forehead, fuming, "Your own grandson, your own son, and you don't stand by them. Instead, you want to recognize Charlie's daughter as family! You've really lost it!"
"Charlie and his daughter have been fighting the Wellington Group at every turn. At tonight's banquet, they even snatched the Dawnridge Equestrian Hotel project worth billions from the Journey Group! If it weren't for KnightSpear Group interfering, that project should have been ours!"
He wasn't done venting his anger at Byron; he turned and pointed accusingly at Edward, "And you! Not only do you not help our family business, but you also assist the Taylor family, facilitating the cooperation between KnightSpear Group and the Wilsons!"
"Your brother is far away in Mythorica, in poor health, yet he still knows how to contribute to the family! But you, for the sake of a woman... You even give up our family's interests!"
"As the CEO of the group, this is a serious dereliction of duty! You must take full responsibility for the failure of this project!"
Edward's voice was hoarse. "Is that the only responsibility I have?"
Patrick was taken aback, "What?"
"I publicly opposed your arrangement to marry into the Clark Group. It hasn't even been a night, and you've already forgotten?"
Edward's dark, cold eyes were chilling. "Didn't you say that if I didn't get engaged to Jessica, you'd kick me out of the Wellington Group?"
"Now, seeing the Clark Group pushed to the brink and Jessica ruining her own reputation by exposing Evelyn's miscarriage in front of everyone, showing her low character and troublemaking nature, you're afraid of getting involved, so you don't mention the marriage anymore?"
Tyler was utterly shocked, cold sweat soaking his back!
How could this be?
Mrs. Wellington's miscarriage was almost unknown; how did Jessica find out?
"Edward... you!" Patrick was so furious at Edward's revelation that he was on the verge of a stroke!
"Marriage? With Jessica from the Clark family?"
Byron, hearing this, could barely hold onto his coffee cup, trembling with anger, "Patrick! Are you out of your mind?"
"You have such an excellent, filial Lily, and you want Edward to marry that scheming Jessica! She exposed the miscarriage to disrupt Edward and Lily's relationship!"
"Such malicious intent, and you still want Edward to marry her? Are you insane?"
"Dad!"
Byron's eyes were wide with anger, sharp as ever despite his age. "And don't think you can blame Edward for losing the project or shift the responsibility onto Lily!"
"I wasn't at the horse race this year, but I know exactly what happened! The Taylor family's horse was tampered with by the Clark family, yet Lily still won first place!"
"She earned her opportunities through her own efforts, not something you can tarnish with a few words!"
"Grandpa..." Edward's chest heaved, his breath catching, eyes reddening with emotion.
Byron continued to care for, trust, and support Evelyn, just as he had three years ago.
Byron had repeatedly urged him to treat Evelyn well, telling him she was an exceptionally kind and good girl, not to let her down. But he hadn't cherished her!
He had ruined everything, messed up everything.
Byron reiterated firmly, "Edward owes Lily, and the Wellington family owes Lily."
"I may not be able to control what happens after I'm gone, but as long as I'm alive, Patrick, you won't introduce any unsuitable women to Edward!"
Patrick, enraged and humiliated, shouted, "Caleb's health is precarious, and doctors say his chances of fathering children are almost zero! Now you want Evelyn in the family, are you trying to make me childless, leaving the Wellington Group without an heir?"
Byron trembled violently, "What do you mean?"
"That miscarriage left Evelyn unable to have children! Do you really want Edward to marry a woman who can't bear children?"
"Edward is the only one who can continue the Wellington lineage. If he marries Evelyn, who will inherit the family business? Debra and Molly? Do they have the capability?"
"How... how could this be..." Byron was utterly stunned, his heart bleeding.
"Her own issues shouldn't drag the entire Wellington Group down with her! It's her bad luck, her missed opportunity!"
"That's not true!" Suddenly, Tyler, drenched in sweat, rushed forward, shouting, "It's not like that!"
The three Wellington men were stunned.
Tyler had been with the Wellington family for over thirty years, always calm and composed, never impulsive!
"Tyler, do you... know something?" Edward, sensing his hesitation, urgently asked, "You know something, don't you?"
Tyler closed his eyes tightly, tears of guilt streaming down.
The next moment, with a thud.
He suddenly knelt before them!
"Tyler!" Byron, shocked and anxious, slapped his thigh, "Get up! Speak properly, what are you doing?"
Edward strode forward, trying to help Tyler up, but Tyler stubbornly refused to rise.
"It's all my fault... It's all my fault... I should have spoken up sooner."
"If I had said something... Ms. Taylor and Mr. Edward Wellington wouldn't have ended up like this."
Tyler was sobbing uncontrollably, his words coming out in broken fragments, "Back then... when Ms. Taylor lost the baby, I was there."
Edward's eyes widened in shock, "What did you say... You were there?"
"Tyler! What happened? How were you there?" Byron was frantic, his throat burning with urgency, "Speak up!"
"The car accident... it was because of that car accident!"
'Mrs. Wellington, I'm sorry. I can't keep this secret for you any longer.'
"Car... accident?" Edward's mind raced, suddenly recalling.
Two years ago, no, it must have been almost three years now.
When he returned from abroad, Byron was hospitalized due to a car accident, and Evelyn wasn't by Byron's side to care for him. She had said there were family matters and disappeared for a while.
"Christmas... was it that Christmas?" Byron immediately connected the dots.
Tyler nodded heavily, choking on his words, "Three years ago, on Christmas, Mr. Wellington and Mr. Edward Wellington, along with the young ladies, were not in Mugden. Only Ms. Taylor braved the snowstorm to spend the holiday with you."
Edward's heart tightened painfully, the air around him feeling thin and suffocating.
"You said you wanted to visit the old lady, so Ms. Taylor drove you there. Later, you went to the beach where you and the old lady used to meet when you were young."
"Everything was perfect that day, until on the way back, you had a car accident."
Tyler's tears fell as he lowered his head, "Ms. Taylor was injured, too. She used all her strength to get you to the hospital, and then she experienced severe abdominal pain. I watched helplessly as blood flowed from under her dress."
"My poor Lily! How could you be so foolish?" Byron was filled with regret, shaking his head with tears in his eyes.
Edward's heart ached, clutching his shirt as if a dull, thorny knife was grinding his heart to shreds.
Even Patrick, with his hardened heart, furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing this.
"Ms. Taylor didn't want you and Mr. Edward Wellington to worry, so... she begged me to keep this secret. I thought about how you were still recovering from your injuries, afraid you'd be further distressed, and if the news of Ms. Taylor's infertility got out, how could she stand in the Wellington Group? Her life would be ruined."
"And because of that, you chose to listen to her? You were foolish! She was so young back then! What did she know?" Byron lamented, his heart breaking.
"It's all my fault, Mr. Wellington, Mr. Edward Wellington. Please punish me, I'll accept any punishment."
Before Tyler finished speaking, Edward dashed out of the villa.
"Mr. Edward Wellington?"
Tyler tried to chase after him, but Byron stopped him, "Let him go!"
"This is Edward's debt, and my own guilt towards Lily. I fear I can never repay it, so let Edward spend his life making amends."
The rain poured down, and the flashlights exposed Jessica's pale, terrified face.
"Miss Clark! You exposed Ms. Taylor's private infertility issue in public. Don't you think that's too much?"
"Did you bribe the doctor for this report, or did someone else provide it to you?"
"Did you expose Ms. Taylor's privacy to prevent her from being with Mr. Wellington, so you could marry into a wealthy family yourself?"
Countless reporters crowded outside the police station, like sharks smelling blood, swarming around Jessica, who was being escorted by the police.
Cameras flashed at her, drenched and disheveled, pushed around, covered in sweat and dirt, looking utterly miserable.
Jessica's wrists were handcuffed, but considering her status as a member of a wealthy family, the police had wrapped her hands in white cloth to cover the handcuffs.
Even so, she felt utterly humiliated!
Just hours ago, she was a proud heiress. Now, she had become a prisoner!
Everything was ruined... her dream of becoming a CEO's wife was shattered.
Eric had issued a strict order, refusing to hire a public relations team or a lawyer for her, leaving her to fend for herself.
Maurice tried to help, sending people to control the online narrative and block the news.
But why were there still so many reporters?
Why?
"This foolish woman, she probably never imagined things would end up like this."
Curtis stood beside Gilbert, watching the news of Jessica's arrest on the big screen, sneering, "From the moment you first called her to join the game, this was the outcome waiting for her."
"But this woman is truly useless. Last time, she couldn't handle Edward with the 'hotel incident,' and this time, she got herself involved. Eric has completely abandoned her; only Maurice is still protecting her, but even that old man can't outsmart you."
"You sent these reporters to surround her, pushing her into the abyss."
Gilbert's cold, refined face held an ambiguous smile as he elegantly swirled his wine glass.
The smile was beautiful, but the eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses were filled with cruelty.
"Useless people should be treated like trash. The fate of trash is to be crushed into pieces."
Gilbert took a sip of wine, watching Jessica's miserable arrest, his smile widening, "But Miss Clark isn't entirely useless. If it weren't for her, this wouldn't have blown up so much, achieving results even I didn't expect."
"You were wise not to go tonight. With such chaos, you should avoid suspicion."
"But now, I can't avoid it."
Gilbert leisurely stood up, and Curtis immediately stepped forward to straighten his clothes and tie, "With the eyesores out of the way, the real leading man should take the stage."
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