Chapter 218
Chapter 218
Liam couldn’t bring himself to smile because he could feel the tension in the air. Wyatt’s eyes were gloomy and cold, meeting Marco’s deep and arrogant gaze without flinching. “It appears that some people lack self-awareness.” “If you don’t have any, Mr. Reed, why should I?” This was regarded as a formal confrontation. Marco chuckled and turned to walk away. Wyatt laughed. His smile was arrogant, ruthless, and tinged with powerlessness. The temperature in the room was extremely low. At the ABC Corporation lobby. Ivy held her phone up to the massive floor-to-ceiling window. She was on the phone and appeared very relaxed as she gazed out the window with a faint smile while holding her coat in one hand. She appeared to be pleased with herself. Ivy hung up the phone when she saw Marco approaching. “Mr. Seely, is there anything else?” Marco smiled at her with his hand in his pocket. “The most important thing right now is to take you out to lunch.” It wasn’t fair to refuse him for the second time today. Ivy paused and laughed. “OK, but it should be my treat.” She only refused earlier because she did not want to sit at the same table as Wyatt Reed. Wyatt, who was standing upstairs, saw them get into the same car. His body was shrouded in a thick layer of ice. His displeasure was visible on his face. Even his chest felt stuffy. Liam cleared his throat. “Don’t be sad. Leaving together means nothing.” He could only offer Wyatt such dry consolation. ‘If Wyatt likes Ivy so much, why didn’t he appreciate her when they were married?’ Liam reflected. Marco and Ivy dined at a private restaurant. The customers there were all regulars. It was in a nice suburban villa. The food was also delicious. Ivy had previously visited with Brent and her friends, but entering required a reservation. That day, the restaurant was doing exceptionally well. When they arrived, they even ran into some
old acquaintances. Duke Elrod and Eric Todd were also present. There was no need to exchange pleasantries because Ivy was not friends with them. They then went to a quiet place. Marco smiled softly as he handed her a wet wipe for her hands. “Do you think you’re upset because of what I said last time?” “A little.” Ivy was direct. There was no need to conceal it. It would be strange if she were unmoved by it. Marco chuckled. “I apologize for being too abrupt, but it worked.” “I don’t want to waste time on relationships,” Ivy said, “But I appreciate your good intentions, Mr. Seely.” “Ms. Morgan, may I inquire as to why you rejected me so abruptly? Are you unhappy with me in any way?” Marco’s genuine smile made her feel at ease. Ivy raised an eyebrow. “No. You're a good partner if it’s a marriage alliance, but I can generate the value that a marriage alliance will bring on my own.” Marco instantly understood Ivy’s words. Ivy was unconcerned if he was only interested in her for- profit and a marriage alliance. She was not the type to sell herself for a profit. If it wasn’t for profit, there didn’t seem to be any feelings between them. For a brief moment, the room was deafeningly quiet. Marco rubbed his temples, his eyes gentle. His tone was apologetic, and his voice was low. “This is a lack of consideration on my part. I’m not looking for a marriage partner. What if I told you, it was for selfish reasons? I’ve long admired you.” Ivy poured a cup of tea while her eyes were lowered. Her wrist shook slightly as she heard the last sentence. The fragrance of the tea filled the room. A few drops of clear brown liquid spilled from the cup. It felt as if the blazing hot sun was shining down on her. Her heart fluttering made her slightly uneasy. She quickly regained her composure, though. Her voice was a few degrees colder than it had been. “Except for business matters, we don’t know each other well. I would go so far as to say that we know nothing about each other, so how long is a
long time to you, Mr. Seely?” Ivy was suspicious of Marco’s deception. She was not someone who could be persuaded with words alone. Marco met her gaze and stated unequivocally, “Less than a year. But every day since I met you, I’ve been relieved to learn that you’re single. Let’s start over, Ivy. My name is Marco Seely. I was widowed three years ago, and I have a son.” He lowered his gaze and smiled self-deprecatingly. “I know those are poor living conditions, but I have a lot of money. I’m not sure of the exact amount, but if you’re interested, I can have someone tally it up; however, it may take a little longer because I can’t remember all of my assets. Also…” Marco took a brief pause. He was solemn, and his warm gaze seemed to glow. “Pierce is the son of my late brother. I had no choice but to marry Pierce’s mother for her family to agree to her giving birth to Pierce due to certain religious beliefs and traditions.” Ivy tensed up. She suddenly found herself speechless. Marco’s earlier self-deprecating look had left her at a loss for words. This secret also made her feel sad. Although no one knew about this secret, Marco revealed it to her. Ivy’s heart was broken for Pierce. Her emotions were complicated. “I’m only telling you about this because it’s my biggest secret,” Marco continued. “Don’t let it bother you. I had planned to wait until Pierce was older before telling him about this.” Ivy pressed her lips together. She appeared to have unintentionally touched Marco’s sadness. “I apologize; I didn’t mean to probe.” Ivy couldn’t bring herself to be happy after learning this. Marco appeared to reveal everything about himself completely honestly, but what about her? Ivy was not in the mood to begin a new relationship. Marco smiled softly and modestly. “I just want you to get to know me a little better. I don’t want you to think I’m only in love with your beauty.” Ivy began to relax. Ivy went to the bathroom after a while.
Duke and Eric were watching the couple’s movements from a safe distance. They seemed to get along well, and their attractive looks made them seem like a good match. Duke examined his phone with concern. There had been no reply. He had sent a message to Wyatt earlier, but he had received no response. Was Wyatt on his way here to murder someone? Duke and Eric could no longer wait. They took advantage of Ivy’s absence and made their way over to Marco. “Mr. Seely?” Marco cocked his brow and nodded to the two strangers in front of him. “Mr. Seely, This is Eric Todd from the Todd Corporation, and I’m Duke Elrod from the Elrod Corporation. It’s a pleasure to meet you finally.” Duke felt that, despite Marco’s modest and decent smile, something about Marco reminded him of Wyatt. The only difference was that Wyatt’s feeling was more intense and noticeable, whereas Marco’s seemed to be deliberately concealed. Duke subconsciously looked wary, but he had to help his best friend Wyatt, who was going insane because of Ivy. He sat casually next to Marco, pretending to be perplexed. “If I’m not mistaken, Ivy Morgan was sitting here just now?” Marco’s eyes darkened as he nodded and smiled. “Duke, if I’m on the hot topics, I’ll make sure you’re at the top.” When Duke heard Ivy’s voice, he was startled. His expression changed slightly as he recognized Ivy’s warning tone. ‘It’s so difficult to be Wyatt’s bro!’ Duke pondered. “I-I was...!” Duke was embarrassed to see Marco’s expression. He felt as if he had ruined his reputation. Ivy’s tone was cold and calm. “Did Wyatt Reed trick you into doing this?” Duke paused for a few moments. “Of course...” ‘Not!’ But he couldn’t bring himself to say the final word. He turned his head with a frightened expression as he looked at Ivy. “I-Ivy…” Duke’s brain went blank.
Ivy walked over, expressionless and indifferent. “If you two know everything about my affairs, you shouldn’t just tell it to one person,” she curled her lips. “You could just as easily go to the media. Don’t you think that will have a greater impact?” Duke coughed slightly. ‘Not at all! I wouldn’t do it even if someone gave me the courage!’ Eric realized they were wrong and stood to the side, his mouth shut, but his reaction was not as dramatic as Duke’s. That was because Ivy had no power over him. The fact that Eric was on the verge of marrying Beatrice was just a blot on his record. Duke was different because Ivy had his nudes. He would be unable to show his face in public if she exposed his nudity in a fit of rage!Content is © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.