The dinner turned into an unhappy event because Ethan did not sign the contract on time. It was already 7 p.m. when Ethan arrived and everyone had been waiting for a while at the dining table.
Richard and Kristina went over, but Benjamin was busy, so he was absent.
The dinner did not go well. As a result, the Hudson family left angrily soon after dinner. Upon seeing their reaction, Elder Martinez was enraged as well and he swiftly left after that too.
"Ethan, didn't we talk about it already? Why aren't you signing it now?"
On the staircase outside of the villa, Madison who was on her way back could not hold back her curiosity and asked Ethan, concern in her eyes,
"Be honest with me. Are you doubting the legitimacy of the child? I saw Secretary going to visit a doctor the other day. I could feel that something wasn't right in addition to the chaos recently... but Victoria insists that it's yours..."
Ethan took a deep breath and looked at Madison, his cold face softening slightly.
"It's alright. That's my child, but things are a bit complicated between Victoria and I. There're a lot of things I need to consider. Mother, please give me some time. I hope I can have a marriage like yours and father's... a one-and-only kind of marriage."
Madison was stunned for a moment. After giving it some thought, she nodded.
"Okay, I'm sure you're exhausted by all the things happening lately. Sigh, was I wrong to support you and Victoria back then? Now that I think about it, Arya might have suited you better. Plus, your grandfather likes Arya more. He cares a lot about reputation. If it weren't for the incident in the military school, he wouldn't have agreed so quickly. Well, since you're sure the child inside Victoria is yours, then you have to bear the responsibility."
Madison sounded a little depressed. She stopped when she saw Ethan not being very pleased.
"No matter what, the Martinez family needs to be responsible. Moreover, the Martinez family doesn't have many descendants. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Mother, I understand."
"Mmm, think hard about it then, I'll head back now. I've left several servants here to help, so don't worry." Madison then turned around and went back.
Ethan watched her figure disappear in the dark. He was staring out blankly with a complex expression on his face until Victoria called out to him from behind,
"Ethan!"
Ethan swiveled to see Victoria in a loose white dress. She was about five steps away from him, and the cold wind blew her dress as her tiny frame stood there, making her seem so frail.
Under the dim light, he saw her familiar face once again, realizing that she looked haggard.
She stood there quietly as she caressed her still flat stomach. She bit her lip and seemed hesitant to speak as Ethan's quiet eyes looked complicated. He gave it some thought but he was not sure what to say.
As if trying to prove something, Victoria stepped forward and grabbed Ethan's hand. She clutched him tightly as she explained,
"I know my ways have hurt Arya, and it made you fed up as well, but I just want to beg you for a chance. I'm willing to stand beside you anew. I'm sorry, Ethan... I love you too much. I've been in love with you for over a decade and we've shared numerous pleasant memories together. Are they not enough to touch your heart? Let the past stay in the past. I'll change in the future. I will!"
"I've thought about it a lot in the past few days. Sister is just amazing. Although she always seemed cold, distant, and stubborn, once you're attracted to her, it'll be very difficult to pull yourself away. Ethan, I'm a woman. I understand a woman's charm well, just like how Father has been missing Aunt Arianna all these years. Everyone thinks that Father and Mother are a couple with mutual respect, but I know very well that he never once forgot about Aunt Arianna... and Sister is so similar to her..."
Victoria's tone sounded frail and hurt.
"I'm afraid that one day, you'll be like Father and only set your eyes on Sister. If you leave me, I'll surely break down, so I..."
Her beautiful face darkened as she apologized to Ethan genuinely.
Ethan was startled after listening to Victoria's words. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them and said,
"Go back in now. Your body isn't very well."
He then started walking back into the villa slowly.
Victoria's strained body softened when she noticed his calm expression. She released her clenched fists and grabbed onto Ethan's arm.
...
It was already late night when they left Imperial Sky Entertainment Club.
"Daniel, let Jacob stay over at your place tonight. He's drunk a lot. Send me a text when you get home." Xavier tugged Arya with one hand, while he handed Jacob's jacket to Daniel.
Daniel grabbed the jacket as he replied,
"Don't worry. You guys should head back now too. It's late!"
Xavier nodded and went to the car with Arya, waving to them.
"Give me the car keys," Arya said as they arrived at the car. Her hand went straight into his shirt pocket, and she soon found the car keys and unlocked the car.
"Are you really going to the racecourse with them tomorrow?" She asked as she was putting on the seatbelt.
"Mmm, Daniel wanted to talk about something. I'm just taking this chance to go take a look there."
"I won't go with you then. I need to go back to the Johnson Residence. Grandpa and Mother are quite worried about me. Can you help me ask your mother how's the situation with my father?"
"What are you worried about? We can apply for a private trial. They'll consider it and I'm sure it'll be fine," Xavier replied.
Arya took a deep breath before nodding. "We'll see then."
She was thinking whether she should tell him about meeting Aiden, but a flashback suddenly went through her mind. In the end, she did not mention it.
Ethan wanted to have a few peaceful days to reevaluate his feelings for Victoria. He wanted to think things through on his own. However, it seemed that he did not have the chance to.
When he arrived at his office early in the morning, Secretary came up to him with some newspapers in his hand.
"CEO Ethan, things are bad. Look at this!" Secretary quickly handed the newspapers to Ethan who frowned as he took the papers and had a closer look.
It was filled with the news of Victoria's pregnancy. The article's also assumed Ethan was the father. They even wrote that Ethan might abandon her. All kinds of conspiracies were examined by the articles!
Ethan's expression darkened as his grip on the papers tightened. He suddenly raised his head and told Secretary in a cold tone,
"What's happening?"
"CEO Ethan, I just found out about it myself. I'm trying to suppress this negative news, but if... The Martinez Corporation and Johns Media might be in trouble again."
Ethan understood what Secretary meant very well. The stock of the Martinez Corporation had finally stabilized, and Johns Media was on the path to recovery. With this round of news coming out now, there would be another spate of chaos waiting to happen.
"What should we do, CEO Ethan?" Secretary asked anxiously.
Ethan tensed up as he pinched the space between his eyebrows before asking,
"Can we find out who's behind this?"
"The Martinez Corporation has been growing rapidly in recent years. Plus, we've made quite some enemies, so it's not easy to find out who did this," Secretary said in a worried tone,
"CEO Ethan, we should come up with a solution now before things get worse. Otherwise, it might develop into something like the orphanage matter last time!"
Ethan leaned against the backrest of the chair as he switched on the computer and surfed online.
His face was strained. After that, he suddenly took a deep breath. His eyes seemed broody and hesitant. Then, he opened the drawer beside him and took the marriage contract out to flip through.
He scanned each and every word slowly, his eyes in torment and his hands trembled. After mustering enough courage, he picked a pen up and swiftly signed his name before giving it to Secretary.
"Send it to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and announce to the public that I'm married to Victoria already. I suppose this can clamp things down."
Secretary accepted the contract from Ethan and stared at him in shock.
"CEO Ethan, I hope you know that once this matter goes public, Ms. Victoria and you..."
Ethan closed his eyes with a depressed expression.
"Just go. We've decided to get married anyway. With this declaration, I won't be abandoning her..."
True love...
Arya's slightly aloof, smiling face appeared in his mind instead whilst her laugh echoed in his ears.
Secretary paused before he glanced through the document and nodded.
"Okay then. I'll head over to the Civil Affairs Bureau right now. Should I inform Madam and the others to get together for dinner? Everyone wasn't really happy about what happened the other day. Well, they should be pleased about this," Secretary suggested.
Ethan inhaled deeply.
"Mmm, inform them. I'm heading out this afternoon and will be back pretty late. Tell them to not wait for me."
"CEO Ethan..."
"You can go now."
...
Arya went to the office early in the morning while Xavier went straight to Daniel's place.
In the evening, she received a call from the court and was told that her case was going to be on trial soon. Teacher should have been notified as well.
Arya knew that Olivia must have helped to expedite the process.
She did not know what Xavier had done to suppress the news. She only saw trending news or news from the entertainment industry in the papers. Arya was not really a famous person. With the exception of her relationship with Glory World and Benjamin, she was pretty ordinary, so it was not really difficult to let things pass on its own. However, Benjamin might be facing a bit more trouble.
Arya was thinking about giving Benjamin a call after she hung up on the call from the court, but her phone starting ringing before she could punch the number in. It was Mia!
"Damn, Arya, have you seen the news? Big news! Ethan and Victoria are married! They got registered at the Civil Affairs Bureau today. It's all over the news now! Ethan actually still decided to marry Victoria after her reputation fell to rock bottom. Now, everyone is praising Ethan's generosity. Some even said that this is true love..." Mia let her mouth run wild as soon as the call was connected.
Ethan and Victoria were married?
She was startled for a moment when she heard the news. Seconds later, she raised her eyebrows. So, they were really married! Did he not say he wanted to cancel their marriage contract?
Was it because of the child? Or...
"Arya, do you know that Ethan has now become a role model as a good man?! Damn, he's sure not worthy of it! He's the worst among the worst. Ugh, this is so frustrating! True love? And society accepts this? I can't stand this!"
Mia's enraged voice was so loud that Arya had to put a distance between her ear and the receiver.
"They were already preparing to get married anyway. Do you really need to be this angry? Be careful with your own baby." Arya laughed.
"Oh, I almost forgot that I have a little thing inside my womb! My bad, I was just talking about prenatal education yesterday!" Mia realized that her emotions were going awry.
"It's fine. So, what if she's married? Aren't we married as well? You don't have to follow their news and trouble yourself anymore., I still have some documents to work on. Talk to you soon."
Arya shook her head with a smile as she hung up on the call.
...
At night, in a villa on the outskirts.
Victoria felt revitalized when she found out that Ethan had signed his name on the marriage contract. A blissful smile appeared on her pale face.
Caressing the red marriage certificate she had received from Secretary gave her a peace of mind.
Layla, Madison and the rest had been attending to things at the villa since the afternoon. They remembered how everyone was so unhappy from the last time, so this time, they planned to make it grander. Firstly, to celebrate and secondly, to convey an apology.
The crowd seemed to be pretty delighted. Even Kristina who had been down for the past few days was exceptionally happy. She was chatting away with Victoria.
"Victoria, I won't look into all the things have passed anymore. Now that you're married Ethan, you've become the Head Lady of the Martinez Corporation. I feel assured to leave Johns Media to you too. It's all thanks to Ethan for calming things down this time. Finally, the storm has passed. You should quit the showbiz too. All these years, the scandals have come and gone. Everyone's been troubled by them too..."
Kristina sighed as she said this, studying Victoria for a quite a while.
"I know that you've always wanted to be a star since you were young, but you understand how it is now too, so you have to..."
"Grandmother, don't worry. I've come round now. For Ethan, I can give up on everything, including my dreams. I'll definitely manage Johns Media well, so, Grandmother, you must have confidence in me too!"
"You're been smart since you were little. You pick up everything so quickly. Of course, I have confidence in you," Kristina said with a smile.
"But, Grandmother, Sister... She's at Johns Media..."
When Arya was mentioned, Kristina's expression instantly changed. Naturally, she did not forget the things that Arya had sent to West Park for her to look at. Her eyes narrowed at Victoria and she said coldly,
"Victoria, if all the things that Arya said were true, you have indeed let me down. I hope that you won't do such things anymore. I hate being used by others. Understand?"
Kristina's tone was rather severe as she looked at Victoria with an exceptionally incisive gaze that startled Victoria who nodded.
"Grandmother, I know that I'm wrong now. I'll change! I'll change for the better! I just love Ethan too much, so I...
"But all these years, I've been trying to make up for it, Grandmother. No, I have been making up for it. I've been feeling guilty, so I hoped to wait for her forgiveness, but not only did she not let me off, she even went against Johns Media and spread those rumors. Could I have watched her destroy Johns Media just like that? Now that she's managed to ruin me, I just..."
Victoria's words softened Kristina's expression.
"Okay, let's not talk about these things anymore. Let's not damage a healthy relationship. Now that things have come to this, we can only take things one step at a time. Your mother has been working hard for the company all these years. Initially, I was already planning to let her take over the company, but she insists on passing it to you. I hope you won't let me down."
When she heard Kristina come to this gentle truce, Victoria's tightened hands eased a little.
"Grandmother, please don't worry. I'll definitely bring Johns Media to greater heights."
At this moment, Layla's voice suddenly came from behind.
"Mother, Victoria, what are you two talking about? It's pretty cold outside. It's best to go in and have a seat!"
The two of them instantly turned their heads and saw Layla walking towards them.
Kristina looked at Layla and suddenly asked,
"Any news from Benjamin's end?"
Immediately, Layla's eyes darkened. After quite a while, she answered,
"He said he has a dinner thing tonight, so he won't be coming over."
"Didn't you tell him that Victoria got married today?"
Kristina frowned. She looked a little disappointedly at Layla.
"It's been so many years. You didn't... Never mind. Forget it. I'll call him."
As Kristina said this, she took out her phone to call Benjamin.
Unfortunately, his number was engaged, so she could only just let it be.
"Isn't Ethan back yet?"
"Grandmother, Ethan says he has to make a trip to the suburbs. He'll be back later on. Let's go sit in the living room first. I'll give him a call to see what time he'll be back..."
...
The sky gradually darkened and the end of the office hours had long passed. Still, Arya was busy in the office. Since it was a rest day the next day, she might as well finish the work on hand first.
Earlier, she had called the Johnson residence. Initially, she wanted to go home to visit, but then Robert went outstation at the last minute while Arianna was busy handling her students' final thesis. After some thought, Arya changed her plans.
It was already early in the evening outside. The neon lights flickered and interweaved, enveloping the entire New York City in a fascinating haziness.
A black Cayenne sped past the wide street and stopped in front of a florist.
Xavier had just stepped into the store when the lady boss very enthusiastically greeted him,
"Sir, would you like to buy some flowers?" Seeing such an outstandingly handsome man, she could not help but steal an extra glance.
Xavier's gaze swept across the abundant fresh flowers. A while after that, his eyes stopped on a bunch of champagne roses. After a moment's hesitation, he then pointed at them and smiled elegantly.
"Give me a bouquet of these."
He did not actually know what these flowers meant. He just thought they looked gorgeous, so he decided to get them for her.
"Alright, please wait a moment, Sir!"
...
A while after that, the bouquet of beautiful bouquet roses was finally ready. When Xavier took it from the lady, he stared at the fully bloomed flowers with satisfaction and suddenly seemed to understand why women liked flowers.
He drove straight to Glory World Corporation.
"Hello, Chairman Knight!"
When the guard by the entrance saw Xavier enter the company with a huge bouquet of flowers, he was shocked. Naturally, he did not forget to greet him.
Xavier just nodded indifferently, not stopping for a moment, and went straight up to the 51st floor.
At this moment, in the planning director's office.
Arya was fully focused on her laptop, checking on the materials that the marketing department had just sent over as she opened her notebook to make notes.
There was suddenly a knock on the door.
Arya did not look up at all. She simply replied with her eyes still focused on the laptop screen,
"Come in!"
The door opened and Arya vaguely heard the sound of footsteps. She reacted when a certain someone's unique scent closed in. With that scent came a faint fragrance of flowers.
Huh?
She subconsciously looked up. What greeted her sight was the man walking towards her with a huge bouquet.
"Why are you here?" She asked in shock while he handed her the bouquet.
She looked at it and raised her brows in puzzlement.
"Why are you suddenly giving me flowers?" She questioned, yet she reached out to take them.