Ch. 681..690

Chapter 681: Making Cindy Clarke Lose All Dignity

Joshua Clarke just stood by and said with difficulty, “What are you doing, girl’s mother? Don’t use your hands, talk nicely if you have a problem.”

Christy Xenos snapped, “Then tell this little bitch to let go first! Look how she’s treating her sister!”

So Joshua Clarke said to Cindy Clarke, “Cindy, let go first, release your sister! Can’t we talk things through? Don’t use your hands!”

Joshua Clarke was anxious, not touching anyone, but somehow becoming a mess himself.

Just as Christy’s slap was about to fall, her wrist was firmly grasped.

Upon closer inspection, the hand gripping Christy Xenos’ wrist belonged to a man, and it was extremely strong.

Christy’s face changed when she raised her head to see a man dressed in black standing in front of her without knowing when he had arrived.

The newcomer was a bodyguard from the family mansion.

Although bodyguards were stationed around the mansion, it would still take a minute or two for them to appear. The bodyguards came as soon as they found out Christy was hitting Cindy, but it still took a minute or two, allowing Christy to hit Cindy several times.

“Who are you?” Christy angrily asked.

The bodyguard replied rudely, “You dare to raise your hand against the young madam of the Zhekova family at the entrance of the family mansion, what nerve!”

Christy reacted quickly, though her hand was held by the bodyguard, she also managed to grab Cindy’s hair.

As long as Cindy didn’t let go, Christy could tear her hair out.

“Who are you? It’s none of your business if I discipline my daughter!” Christy screamed.

“Cindy is our young madam of the Zhekova family, and we won’t allow anyone to hurt her.” The bodyguard said coldly.

“Pah!” Christy spat, “This is our family’s business, I discipline my daughters, none of your concern! Their sisters quarreling is also our family’s business. Who do you think you are, meddling in our affairs!”

Christy could tell from the bodyguard calling Cindy “young madam” repeatedly that he was probably not a Zhekova Family servant but a bodyguard.

They were all hired by the Zhekova family, even daring to scold her like this.

The bodyguard didn’t want to waste any more time with Christy Xenos, so he simply pressed a finger onto her wrist.

Christy felt her entire arm go numb, completely unable to use any strength.

Her hand holding Cindy’s hair unconsciously loosened.

Christy was frightened when she felt her arm go numb, even more terrified than when she was in pain.

Christy screamed immediately, “Ah! Let go! Release me! Let me go! Release me now!”

The bodyguard ignored her. The other two bodyguards stood on either side of Cindy, in a protective stance.

One of them asked, “Young Madam, what’s the situation here? What do you want to do? Don’t worry about taking care of it yourself, just leave it to us.”

They didn’t intend to pull Cindy away from the fight; even now, she had the upper hand.

If Wendy wanted to fight back, they would immediately intervene.

Christy became furious when she realized the bodyguards not only would not intervene, but were going to help Cindy against family members instead.

Without holding back, she yelled, “Cindy, is this how you treat your own family? We’re your relatives! Your birth parents and sister, and yet you bully us like this, do you have a conscience?”

Cindy then let go of Wendy.

Releasing Wendy, she was caught totally off guard.

Wendy had been straining to pull away from Cindy’s grasp earlier.

Now that Cindy suddenly let go, Wendy fell backward with no one to stop her.

Wendy landed on her butt on the ground with a thump.

Previously, one of her legs was already inside the entrance, now collapsing, the leg fell directly onto the doorstep.

The pain in Wendy’s calf twitched, and the bones under her bottom ached terribly.

It felt as if she had split right down the middle.

Though Wendy was wearing a coat, her legs were only covered by a pair of pants, not as thickly dressed as her upper body with both a sweater and coat.

Thus, there was no cushion when she fell, and the pain caused her eyes to well up with tears.

Oddly enough, the two bodyguards shifted in front of Cindy as if Wendy, now sitting on the ground, was still a threat to Cindy.

One of the bodyguards even turned around with concern and asked, “Young Madam, are you hurt?”

After speaking, he glared at Christy Xenos.

Christy hitting Cindy earlier was all seen by them.

Though they had come immediately, Christy still managed to hit Cindy a few times.

They failed to protect her.

They never thought Christy would dare to hit Cindy at the entrance of the Zhekova Family Mansion.

They had overestimated Christy; next time, they wouldn’t dare to let Christy have her way and would follow Cindy wherever she went.

Christy looked at the three tall and sturdy bodyguards in front of her and began to falter.

She pointed at Cindy and shouted, “You unfilial thing! What are you doing? How can you raise your hand against your own family? Don’t you have a heart? You have the nerve to hit your sister, so why don’t you hit me? Hit me, hit me!”

Christy pressed her face towards Cindy and said, “Strike your own mother if you have the guts! I gave birth to you after ten months of suffering, and now you’re an unfilial thing bullying your family!”

“What? You don’t dare strike me yourself, and you want the bodyguards to do it? The bodyguard touched me just now, and you just stood by and watched! I’ll kill you, you damn thing!”

Christy raised her hand again only to have it restrained by the bodyguard. Afraid the bodyguard would use force against her, she wailed loudly, “Cindy, let them hit me, you dare let them hit me!”

Another bodyguard asked Cindy, “Young Madam, what should we do now?”

Cindy pointed to Wendy and said, “Take her back; she said she has something to tell the elders, so let her say it clearly now.”

“I’m not going!” Wendy immediately dodged.

She didn’t know what Cindy planned, but if she wanted to be dragged in, it couldn’t be good.

Even if she had to reveal the truth, she needed to pick a time she felt was right and not allow Cindy to be in control.

“Wendy!” Christy Xenos ran over to help her up and whispered, “What does Cindy want to do?”

“This matter, will you say it or not?” Christy thought for a moment and said, “Why not just go along with Cindy’s plan? We’ll tell the Zhekova family the truth right now.”

“Cindy won’t get anything good!” Christy said viciously.

“I have my own plans,” Wendy whispered and looked at Cindy warily.

“Even if we have to reveal it, we’ll find a special occasion to make Cindy lose face!” Wendy stated.

Chapter 682: Chapter 682: Pretending to be Clever

“Even if we went in and explained everything to the Elders in Zhekova Family now, they might blame Cindy Clarke and dislike her. However, for the sake of Zhekova Family’s reputation, they would still suppress this matter.”

“As for whether they would kick Cindy Clarke out of the Zhekova Family, it’s hard to say. They might just accept it and don’t want Cindy and Adrian Zhekova to get divorced so soon after their marriage.”

“For people like them, marriage, divorce, childbirth, every action is widely watched. So, getting divorced soon after marriage is not something they’d want. Zhekova Family may not let Adrian Zhekova and Cindy Clarke divorce immediately, but it’s possible they would swallow this loss silently. They might not only accept Cindy, but also take in the child she had with Mr. Lopez. This would be a better outcome.”

“Or they might choose to let Cindy and Adrian quietly divorce after some time, but either way, it’s not the result I want. The benefits of Zhekova family have not yet been claimed, and Cindy hasn’t lost face. Because Zhekova Family doesn’t want to lose face, they will definitely help Cindy to keep it a secret.”

“Even if Cindy is kicked out of the Zhekova Family, she could still be a popular food blogger with her reputation intact. That’s not what I want.” Wendy Clarke said softly to Christy Xenos, “So, I want to find a public occasion to make Cindy lose face completely and give Zhekova Family no time to cover it up.”

“At the same time of divorcing Adrian Zhekova, she will be disreputed, and coming back to her old profession will be useless. In the end, she will have to return home and be subject to our constraints.”

“By then, Cindy will be a puppet in our family, doing whatever we say! All the grievances that have been suffered from her recently will be returned! So, we must not say it today and endure it for a while, letting her act as headmaster for a few days.” Wendy whispered.

Christy Xenos was very unconvinced as she couldn’t stand Cindy Clarke being so arrogant.

But she also knew that Wendy was right, only by enduring today could they make Cindy lose an even bigger face later.

And by then, make her unable to turn things around.

Thinking about Cindy’s fate at that time, Christy Xenos was finally able to hold back her temper.

She gritted her teeth and said with difficulty: “We’ll do as you say.”

So, Wendy hurriedly pulled Christy Xenos down the steps of the family mansion, standing beside Joshua Clarke.

She said to Cindy: “I have nothing more to say today, let’s go, mom and dad.”

At this moment, the bodyguard turned to ask Cindy: “Young Madam, should we just let them leave like this?”

Cindy nodded: “Let them go.”

She had just seen Wendy whispering to Christy Xenos and, although she couldn’t hear what was said, she could tell from Wendy’s cunning expression that Wendy had some bad plan in mind.

She then turned back into the family mansion, heading towards the Main Hall. After taking a few steps, she saw Adrian Zhekova hastily coming over.

Seeing Cindy, Adrian Zhekova hurried over and quickly grasped her shoulders, checking her up and down.

“I just got a message from the bodyguard that you were bullied by Wendy Clarke and Christy Xenos at the door, so I rushed over immediately. How are you? Are you injured?” Adrian Zhekova frowned, “I told you I wanted to accompany you, but you refused.”

Adrian Zhekova felt very guilty. If he had been with Cindy, there would have been no opportunity for Wendy and Christy Xenos to lay a hand on her.

Chapter 683: Chapter 683: Black Face

But now that Cindy had already entered, it was clear that the issue at the door had been resolved.

Even if he had rushed over, he would have been too late.

At the time when Cindy needed him most, he couldn’t make it in time. And this was just at the threshold of his own home, yet he couldn’t get there in time.

Just thinking about this, Adrian felt extremely frustrated.

He felt particularly useless, unable to handle even such a trivial matter, unable to protect Cindy.

Adrian’s face darkened, not angry about anything else, just angry with himself.

Angry that at the critical moment when he should have been by Cindy’s side protecting her, he just wasn’t there.

Really too useless.

“I’m fine,” Cindy quickly said.

When she entered just now, she tidied up her hair as she walked.

As Adrian looked at her like this, he couldn’t tell that she had been so disheveled by Christy earlier.

Seeing Adrian’s unhappy face, Cindy shook his hand and asked, “What’s the matter? Why the long face?”

She wasn’t at all worried about Adrian getting angry.

He would only get angry at others, never at her. Cindy was always very confident about this and had nothing to fear.

By this point, Cindy had somewhat guessed why Adrian was unhappy, so she wanted him to talk about it.

So this man wouldn’t bottle up his feelings and hurt himself.

Adrian held her hand and led her towards the main hall of the family mansion.

Only then could he say, “I’m just mad at myself for not insisting on coming with you, thus causing you to suffer at the hands of Christy.”

Although Cindy had tidied herself up, there was no way the bodyguard wouldn’t say anything when reporting to Adrian.

As soon as the bodyguard realized Cindy had been hit by Christy, he stepped in to protect her. Meanwhile, the security room inside the family mansion’s gates also saw the situation outside and immediately reported it to Adrian, describing the incident in great detail, without any concealment.

As Adrian spoke, he reached out to gently rub the back of Cindy’s head, “Does it hurt?”

Truthfully, it still hurt a bit.

After all, unlike her body, which was covered in thick clothing, there was nothing on her head. She was still in pain from Christy’s slaps and hair-pulling.

And even with the thick clothes, Cindy still felt some pain in her body.

But to Adrian, Cindy shook her head, “I’m fine, it really doesn’t hurt. I didn’t really lose much, and she barely touched me.”

Cindy could only say this, lest Adrian find out the truth.

He was already feeling so guilty, and at that moment, wouldn’t it make him feel even guiltier?

But upon hearing Cindy’s words, Adrian’s lips almost twisted into a thin line.

Cindy: “…”

Adrian asked in a deep voice, “Won’t you even tell me the truth? It’s obvious that it hurts a lot. Just now, when I touched the back of your head, you stiffened.”

It was precisely because it hurt that Cindy stiffened and held back.

Seeing that there was no way to hide it, Cindy finally admitted, “She did hit me a few times, and it hurts a bit, but I’m not injured. It will heal quickly.”

Adrian frowned and stopped walking.

Raising his hand, this time his palm landed even more gently on the back of her head, asking tentatively, “Does it hurt here?”

So that Adrian wouldn’t have to test it one spot at a time, Cindy directly pointed out the area that hurt, “It hurts a little right here.”

Adrian touched it, and he didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt as if this area seemed to be swelling.

Adrian then asked, “Is it swollen?”

Cindy felt it herself and said, “No, I don’t feel anything.”

Adrian frowned, “Why did Christy hit so hard?”

Cindy laughed and replied, “Mainly because I hit Wendy first, and Wendy had no resistance against me. Thinking about how Wendy suffered a lot in my hands, even if I was hit a few times, it’s not a big deal.”

She recalled that back in her family home, Christy would always hit her, and she couldn’t fight back.

Back then, with Christy around, she never had a chance to fight with Wendy. Like today, when Wendy was at her mercy and in such a sorry state for the first time.

However, Cindy didn’t tell Adrian about this, otherwise, he would feel even more upset after hearing it.

Adrian always felt bad about the grievances she had suffered in the past.

But to Cindy, what’s in the past is in the past, and the grievances she has suffered can’t be made up for.

She only looks at the present and the future.

As long as she won’t suffer anymore in the present and the future, she’s content.

Moreover, when comparing her past 19 years with the decades to come, the days ahead are more important.

The two of them walked back to the Main Hall like this, and at this time, Morgan had also returned to the Main Hall.

Old Madam saw Cindy return and hurriedly asked with concern, “How are you? I heard you were bullied outside the door.”

Old Madam had wanted to go with her initially, but her legs were slow, and she couldn’t keep up with the pace of Adrian’s tall strides. Going with him would have slowed him down, so she didn’t go with them.

But Old Madam was furious. It was outrageous that Cindy was bullied outside their own home!

The thought of Christy bullying their daughter-in-law outside their house made Old Madam’s heart burn with anger.

It was as if Cindy was being bullied right under her nose.

But after all, that person was Cindy’s mother, so even if it was uncomfortable, she couldn’t say anything bad in front of Cindy.

She’d have to show her fierce side in secret if she wanted to.

“I’m fine,” Cindy quickly said, “Grandmother, don’t be deceived by my appearance, I’m quite strong. I’ve been using pots and pans a lot. I may look thin, but I’m actually quite sturdy. Even my mother and Wendy together are no match for me. And the bodyguard arrived in time, so I wasn’t injured,”

“Grandmother, don’t worry about me. With my strength, I won’t be easily taken advantage of.”

Old Madam really didn’t know what to say, so she could only hold Cindy’s hand with a pitying look.

On the contrary, Cindy felt a little embarrassed and said, “Today, it was my family who came to cause trouble.”

Even if Cindy no longer considered them family in her heart, the blood relationship couldn’t be changed.

No matter what, they could still claim to be Cindy’s family, and on their first visit, they showed their greedy intentions about money.

Even Joshua acted like this, making Cindy’s face burn with shame.

“Don’t blame yourself for this, silly girl. Don’t shoulder the responsibility of their actions,” Old Madam said, “Their mouths are theirs, their characters are their own. Can you control what they say and do?”

“We know the situation in your family. We look at you separately from your family members. You can’t change the blood connection with your family, but in my eyes, you are you, and your family is your family. No matter what they do, it has nothing to do with you.”

Chapter 684: Chapter 684: Direct Hit

“Is it because of you that they came here? Is it because of you that they are so greedy?”

When Cindy shook her head, Old Madam said, “There you have it. It’s all on you, stuck in the middle, being resented by them. Just now, when it was time for them to prepare the dowry, their faces looked like they hated you. Who knows what they’ll say about you later.”

“That’s why, next time something like this happens, don’t say anything, leave it to us. If they have any objections, just let them complain to us. So you won’t give your parents any handle to badmouth you.”

“But this is obviously the trouble I brought, and I can’t just ignore it and leave it all to you,” said Cindy, blaming herself.

Old Madam’s face darkened, and she looked displeased: “This is the same as you treating us as outsiders and not considering us family. Since the day you and Adrian got your marriage license, we said that you are now part of the Zhekova family. You were never cared for in your previous family, but from now on, the people in the Zhekova family will care for you, and you will be a part of our family.”

“Whatever happens, we’ll support you. Since we are family, what’s so hard for you? What’s so troublesome for us? If you are worried and think that your family is causing trouble for us, I think you are now part of our family, it’s other people bullying you, bullying our Zhekova family, and we should protect you.”

“You are not our trouble, no matter what happens. If we don’t protect you, who will? Are you still going to treat us like outsiders? Isn’t that hurting our feelings?”

Hearing this, Cindy felt even more guilty and held Old Madam’s hand tightly: “Grandma, I didn’t mean that, I didn’t…”

“I know.” Old Madam patted the back of Cindy’s hand, “Anyway, from now on, just relax and let us handle everything. Don’t take the initiative, it’s easy for them to find fault in whatever you say when you’re caught in the middle.”

“Exactly,” added Old Master, “When you went out just now to send them off, your grandmother and I had discussed this, and we both agreed.”

“Just now, when Wendy asked you to send them off, did she want to say something to you on the way?” asked Old Madam.

Cindy didn’t cover it up and told them what Wendy had said: “She probably thought that Morgan was the child I had with someone else.”

Not wanting Morgan to hear this, Cindy lowered her voice and whispered to Old Madam.

Fortunately, Old Madam’s ears were still working well despite her age, and she had no trouble hearing.

Old Madam was also well aware of Wendy’s previous plot to set up Cindy with Mr. Lopez.

Now that she heard Wendy say that Morgan was the child Cindy had with someone else, Old Madam naturally guessed who that someone else was.

At first, Old Madam was concerned about Cindy and, although she knew that Cindy didn’t like her family members, she still couldn’t be too blunt and too harsh because they had a blood relationship.

But now Old Madam really couldn’t hold back her anger and blurted out: “Is she insane!”

Wendy’s guess was simply preposterous!

Did she think so little of the Zhekova family?

Did she think the Zhekova family couldn’t even find out if the child was their own?

Or did she think that if Cindy really had something to hide, they wouldn’t be able to find out?

Moreover, even if Cindy did bring a child that wasn’t Adrian’s, the Zhekova family wouldn’t be so narrow-minded as to not accept a small child!

Wendy’s small-mindedness led her to view the Zhekova family as equally petty.

Cindy couldn’t help but laugh when she thought of Wendy’s words: “She thinks this is something she can use against me, so she’s been threatening me with it, trying to get me to help her siphon money from our family.”

With these words, Cindy had clearly expressed her position, treating the Zhekova family as her own family, which warmed Old Madam’s heart as she listened.

Cindy continued, “I told her that she couldn’t threaten me with that and let her do whatever she wants. If she wants to expose me in front of our family, I’ll let her.”

“The reason there was a commotion at the door just now was because I dragged her back and gave her a chance to clear things up right there and then. But she didn’t say anything in the end. I don’t know what she’s thinking. Is she just being contrary?”

Cindy felt Wendy’s confidence to be somewhat ridiculous.

She had made it clear that she wasn’t afraid of Wendy’s threats, and she really didn’t know why Wendy thought it was such a useful weapon.

Old Madam sneered coldly, “Since that’s her only weapon, let her hold on to it! No matter when and under what circumstances she says it, we won’t be afraid.”

And Old Madam was right. Because of Cindy’s insistence on discussing the dowry, Christy Xenos came to resent her even more.

While the three of them were sitting in the car on the way back to the hotel, Christy Xenos couldn’t help but grumble to Joshua Clarke, “You saw it today, didn’t you? That Cindy, acting as an ingrate, calculating against our family in order to please her in-laws! Demanding a dowry from us at every turn!”

“She married such a good family and never thought of helping us, but instead, she’s trying to take money from our family to make a name for herself in the Zhekova family! She doesn’t even think about whether the rich Zhekova family would care about the dowry we give! Even if we do give it, the Zhekova family won’t appreciate it and might just ridicule us for being small-minded.”

“We grudgingly provided what we thought was an excellent dowry, but the Zhekova family probably still thinks we are beneath them, not taking our dowry seriously, and maybe even laughing at us behind our backs.”

Christy Xenos turned to Joshua Clarke and said, “As for your little daughter, you saw it today, all her words were in favor of the Zhekova family. She only cares about her good life in the Zhekova family and never thought of our family. You should give up on her now, right?”

“You see how straightforward she was when discussing the dowry today, she couldn’t stop talking about it! Did she even call you dad?”

Joshua Clarke fell silent and didn’t speak again, and Christy Xenos couldn’t help but smirk triumphantly.

When they arrived at the hotel, the three of them got out of the car and went inside.

They entered the elevator and ascended to their floor. As they stepped out of the elevator and headed towards their rooms—

Suddenly, five men wearing hoodies, masks, and sunglasses covering their faces tightly, looking suspicious, came rushing towards them.

Christy Xenos, Wendy, and Joshua Clarke all became nervous and instinctively felt that something was wrong.

But it was too late for them to run now. The five men had already closed in and started hitting Christy Xenos.

“What are you doing!” Joshua Clarke’s face changed as he tried to step forward and pull them away.

As a result, two of the five men split off, one blocking Wendy and one blocking Joshua Clarke.

Chapter 685: Chapter 685: It Hurts So Much

Two of the other three people held Christy Xenos tightly, immobilizing her while the third person slapped her a few times on the back of her head and back.

“What are you doing! How could you hit someone!” Joshua Clarke exclaimed angrily.

Christy Xenos screamed in pain, “Who are you! What are you doing!”

This was happening in Belfard City!

In a Five-star Hotel!

A group of people just charged in and started beating her!

If Christy Xenos had used her brain to analyze the situation afterward, she would have discovered that they targeted the same spots as she had hit on Cindy Clarke earlier at the Zhekova Family Mansion.

These five men were obviously sent by Adrian Zhekova.

Adrian Zhekova was not going to bully her, and considering the difference in strength between men and women, he didn’t intend to seriously injure or maim Christy Xenos.

Adrian Zhekova’s goal was simple – Christy Xenos had hit Cindy Clarke a few times, and now the masked and hooded people were going to hit Christy Xenos in return.

Wherever Christy Xenos had hit Cindy Clarke, the masked men would hit her in the same spots. Their strength was greater than Christy’s, but they wouldn’t cause her any serious injuries.

As Christy Xenos hadn’t hit Cindy Clarke that many times to begin with, it only took a little over a minute for the five men to finish their task and then rushed away like a gust of wind.

Once Wendy Clarke, Joshua Clarke, and Christy Xenos were free, they noticed that Christy was still sobbing and huddled against the wall.

Usually, Christy Xenos was arrogant and harsh, appearing quite capable.

She had also hit and scolded Cindy Clarke in the past.

But now that she had met her match, she was cowering.

“Christy!” Joshua Clarke hurriedly helped her up.

He saw that there were no visible injuries on her, just a messed-up hair.

“It hurts so much!” Christy Xenos cried, feeling utterly wronged.

“Who were those people! How could they just hit someone without any reason!” she sobbed.

And it even seemed like they were deliberately targeting her.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have specifically restrained Wendy and Joshua while beating only her.

Joshua Clarke felt innocent as well, “We haven’t been in Belfard City for long, and we haven’t offended anyone!”

If anything, the only people they might have offended were the Zhekovas, but Joshua thought that was unlikely.

Based on the Zhekova family’s attitude today, at most, they didn’t really like them, but it shouldn’t have reached the point of being considered an offense.

Wendy said, “Anyway, let’s go to the hotel!”

“We were attacked in the hotel; it’s their responsibility!” added Wendy.

“Yes, yes.” Joshua finally snapped out of it.

“Hurry! Find the hotel!” Christy Xenos cried, “We can’t let them get away with this. We were beaten in the hotel; they must compensate us!”

Even at this time, Christy Xenos was still scheming to take advantage and make money from the situation.

They went back to their room, and Cindy immediately called customer service to complain, request to see the hotel’s surveillance footage, and report the incident to the police.

The hotel took the matter very seriously.

The manager even came over and immediately showed them the surveillance footage.

However, since the five men wore hats, masks, and sunglasses, their faces were completely covered.

Even with the surveillance camera footage, it was impossible to see their faces.

Although Wendy reported the incident to the police, the authorities couldn’t identify the attackers either.

All they could do was try their best to find them.

But with no faces to go on, how could they be found?

Christy Xenos’ beating had, in the end, amounted to nothing.

However, Christy Xenos’ situation was still considered a minor issue.

Chapter 686: Chapter 686: We haven’t offended him either.

The real trouble was with the Lopez Family.

Edward Lopez had previously taken a liking to Cindy Clarke and made a scene at the award ceremony, provoking Adrian Zhekova, only then finding out about the relationship between Cindy and Adrian.

After that, he went home and was on high alert.

But he didn’t dare tell his father, Richard Lopez, about this. He just wanted to keep it to himself and wait and see.

To see if Adrian Zhekova would actually make any moves in the next few days.

People said that Adrian Zhekova held grudges and would take revenge instantly.

So Edward thought, according to Adrian’s habit of taking revenge on the spot, Adrian should have taken revenge that night at the party.

If Adrian’s actions at the party didn’t count as revenge, then it wouldn’t fit his character of taking revenge instantly.

His attitude that night could be considered as revenge, but he shouldn’t have added more hatred afterward.

Since he had already taken revenge that night, it should have ended there.

Edward comforted himself, thinking that even if Adrian was really that petty, he couldn’t continue to hold a grudge after taking revenge that night.

Although he felt that way, Edward was still scared in his heart. He wanted to observe Adrian’s actions for two or three days.

If Adrian didn’t make any moves, then the matter would be over, and Edward could breathe a sigh of relief.

If Adrian didn’t let it go, then it wouldn’t be too late for him to tell Richard the truth later.

So Edward stayed at home and waited, not going out for the first time in a long while.

He didn’t go to pubs to pick up girls or organize any parties.

His parents found his behavior unusually well-behaved.

One day, Mrs. Lopez went out to play cards with some friends and returned to find Edward still at home.

Hearing that he had just finished working out in the fitness room, Mrs. Lopez was very surprised.

“Why have you been so well-behaved these days, not going out to play? Didn’t you bring some friends with you to Belfard? How come you’re not hanging out with them?” Mrs. Lopez asked.

Edward had been so well-behaved recently, he hadn’t even gone to see his classmates, including Ella Doone. He was too worried about Adrian’s issue and had no mood to play.

If the matter with Adrian didn’t come to an end, Edward might not have the heart for anything else.

Edward had just finished exercising and felt refreshed after taking a shower.

Upon hearing her words, he said: “Look at what you’re saying. When I go out to play, you always nag me, saying I hang around with useless friends and don’t help in the family business. Now that I’m staying at home, being well-behaved, and not going anywhere, you’re telling me to go out and play. What do you want me to do?”

Mrs. Lopez immediately laughed: “Oh, are you really planning to settle down?”

Edward said, “Didn’t I graduate? It’s time to work seriously after playing for a while.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lopez was overjoyed.

Edward had always been playful. When he was still in college, they asked him to do an internship at the family’s company for some practical experience and learning. But Edward refused, saying he hadn’t had enough fun and didn’t want to start working so early.

Richard Lopez was strong and energetic at the time, so he didn’t push Edward too hard.

After Edward graduated from college, he should have joined the family business.

But to avoid working, Edward insisted on going abroad to study further.

He ended up playing for a few more years under the guise of studying abroad.

Finally, he returned home, and Richard Lopez was determined to at least let Edward join the company and learn the ropes.

But Edward had brought back his classmates from his study abroad and kept playing around in Belford City.

Richard and Mrs. Lopez both talked to Edward about it, but he insisted on playing first before going to the company.

And so he kept stalling. Now, to their surprise, they heard Edward actually bringing up joining the company himself.

Mrs. Lopez exclaimed with a surprised look: “You’ve finally decided to join the company.”

Edward laughed awkwardly and said, “Didn’t I graduate already? There’s nothing more to learn, so I have to join the company sooner or later. Plus, I’m not getting any younger. I need time to learn and gradually take over. It’s time to go to the company and start learning.”

In fact, if it weren’t for his current situation, Edward would never want to join the company and be restrained.

Right now, he wanted to take the initiative to join the company to keep an eye on its first-hand information.

If Adrian really targeted the Lopez Family, he would definitely go after the company first. By doing this, Edward would know immediately.

Even if he couldn’t prevent it, at least he could admit his mistakes and apologize to Richard earlier.

Mrs. Lopez didn’t know the real reason, but she just felt that Edward had finally come to his senses and was overjoyed.

“Tell your father about it tonight when he comes home,” Mrs. Lopez said happily, “You can start at the company tomorrow. Your father will be really happy to hear this.”

However, not long after Mrs. Lopez felt happy, she received a call from Richard saying he would be home later tonight.

From Richard’s voice on the phone, she sensed something was wrong.

Mrs. Lopez asked, “What happened? Is there a problem with the company? Why do you sound so heavy?”

Richard didn’t hide it, sighing, “I don’t know where our company offended Adrian Zhekova, but he suddenly took action against us. We’re currently investigating it. I’ve been trying to contact Adrian but can’t get through.”

If only he could contact Adrian and ask him what happened, it would be better.

Today, Adrian was particularly hard to reach. Even now, they still couldn’t contact him, and they didn’t know why.

“Adrian Zhekova?” Mrs. Lopez exclaimed in disbelief, “Why is Adrian targeting our company? We didn’t do anything to offend him!”

Mrs. Lopez’s first reaction was to think if their family had offended Adrian.

Adrian’s vengeful nature was deeply ingrained, so whenever something involved him, people’s first reaction was whether they had done something to offend him.

“I don’t know,” Richard was puzzled, “That’s why I’ve been trying to contact them, but I just can’t get through.”

“Is the situation at the company very serious?” Mrs. Lopez asked.

“It’s okay for now,” Richard replied, but the tone of his voice didn’t sound optimistic at all.

Chapter 687: Chapter 687: This Money-Wasting Gadget

After all, it had just begun today. It was still unknown whether Adrian Zhekova had any more moves up his sleeve.

If there was a storm on the first day that crippled their company, Richard Lopez wouldn’t have to do anything, and the family would go bankrupt directly.

How could he have the mood to call Mrs. Lopez and tell her about this matter, let alone rush to the entrance of the Zhekova Family Mansion to kneel and beg.

“Let’s not talk about this now,” Richard said, “I have to deal with the company’s affairs first.”

After hanging up the phone, although Edward Lopez couldn’t hear what Richard was saying, he did hear Mrs. Lopez’s cry, “Adrian Zhekova.”

Anxiously, he asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

As soon as he heard the three words ‘Adrian Zhekova,’ he became nervous, as if an alarm had been set off.

“It was Dad on the phone; what happened? How come I heard about Adrian Zhekova?”

“Your dad didn’t say clearly. He couldn’t explain things on the phone. Maybe our family somehow offended Adrian Zhekova. Your dad said Adrian Zhekova made a move against the three companies. We don’t know how he made a move or what happened.”

Mrs. Lopez sighed and paced anxiously in place.

“Where could our family have offended Adrian Zhekova? Whether it’s in social interactions or business, our family can’t catch up with the Zhekova Family. Many occasions don’t intersect, and our businesses have no overlap. We don’t even meet in the business world, let alone collide unhappily. The parties and gatherings I attend are all within our circle, and they have nothing to do with the Zhekovas. I’ve never seen anyone from the Zhekova family.”

Mrs. Lopez then looked at Edward: “You’ve just come back recently, and you’ve been running out to play every day, but I guess your activities had nothing to do with Adrian Zhekova.”

The other members of the Zhekova family weren’t known, but Adrian Zhekova himself was famous for his cleanliness.

The places Edward frequented were not to Adrian Zhekova’s taste.

Adrian Zhekova and Edward were on two completely different paths, so there was no possibility of intersection.

Moreover, Edward, being a bit of a playboy, wouldn’t dare to provoke Adrian Zhekova.

Mrs. Lopez was quite confident about this aspect of Edward.

However, Mrs. Lopez still checked with Edward, “Did you provoke Adrian Zhekova?”

Edward stuttered, not daring to look at Mrs. Lopez, avoiding her eyes.

Mrs. Lopez’s heart sank, and she immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Usually, her son loves to play and is good at making excuses. He can even argue out of unreasonable situations.

Moreover, if he were wronged, Edward would raise his voice and stare, immediately defending himself.

Why would he be so hesitant right now, unable to speak and not daring to look at her?

Mrs. Lopez rushed over and grabbed Edward’s arm, “What’s going on? Did you provoke Adrian Zhekova?”

Edward looked like it was hard for him to speak, and an anxious Mrs. Lopez asked, “Say it! What happened? Tell us so we can solve the problem. Do you want to watch our family be destroyed by Adrian Zhekova while you keep this secret?”

Only then did Edward stutter quietly, “I-I-I… offended Adrian Zhekova’s wife.”

After saying that, Edward’s face turned pale, and he didn’t dare to look at Mrs. Lopez.

“Adrian Zhekova’s wife!” Mrs. Lopez’s voice suddenly rose, “When did Adrian Zhekova get married? He has a wife?”

Edward hurriedly defended himself, “Yes, see, even you don’t know he got married. How could I know? I never heard about Adrian Zhekova’s marriage. I didn’t know that woman was Adrian Zhekova’s wife. You say she’s Adrian Zhekova’s wife but don’t tell anyone. Isn’t that setting a trap for me?”

But Mrs. Lopez wouldn’t listen to his defense. She knew her son well.

Normally, he was not serious about having a girlfriend or female companion, constantly changing partners. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he changed partners every three or four days.

Because of his family background, he was always successful.

This time, he must have seen a beautiful girl and tried to hook up with her, only to run into a wall and provoke Adrian Zhekova’s wife.

Mrs. Lopez angrily slapped Edward’s arm, “Did you lust after her again?”

“No, no, I just thought she was pretty and wanted to be friends with her. If she didn’t want to, I should’ve let it go. Who knew she wouldn’t reveal her identity? Isn’t that setting me up deliberately? I have a lot of women. I wouldn’t cling to just one. It’s all consensual. If she didn’t like it, I wouldn’t force her.”

“Enough!” Mrs. Lopez knew him too well. “I still don’t know you? You’re just used to success, surrounded by women who throw themselves at you, so you think everyone is like that. The more unwilling someone is, the more you can’t accept it, right?”

“I don’t care how you play in your usual life, but I thought you were grown up and had some sense of what you can and can’t do. Can’t you tell the difference between those who are with you for the money and those who have no interest in your money? Can’t you tell the difference in their gazes? Can you tell who is actually willing and who is genuinely unwilling?”

Mrs. Lopez knew very well, didn’t she?

Edward must have insisted on someone who was unwilling and felt insulted. He clung to the person and provoked their anger.

Even if it wasn’t Adrian Zhekova’s wife, just an ordinary single woman, he shouldn’t have clung to her like this if she didn’t want to be with him, right?

“You’re going to ruin our family!” Mrs. Lopez slapped Edward’s arm one after the other, “All you know is to play. There’s no need to drag the family down!”

“You’re playing the family to death, you good-for-nothing!”

“Mom, stop hitting me.” Edward didn’t dare dodge Mrs. Lopez’s hits. “What do we do now?”

“Go to the company and tell your dad! Tell him about this!” Mrs. Lopez said.

If Edward had dared to say anything, he would have already. He didn’t dare tell Richard about this, or else he wouldn’t have dragged it on for so long.

Mrs. Lopez glared, “When do you plan to tell him if you don’t now? Wait until our family is bankrupted by Adrian Zhekova? Your dad is trying to contact Adrian Zhekova and figure out where we offended him. Now go and tell him, at least let him know where to start.”<

Chapter 688: Chapter 688: That’s why they say Adrian Zhekova is a dog.

So, Edward Lopez was dragged to the company by Mrs. Lopez.

Richard Lopez was busy in his office, teetering on the verge of a meltdown, planning to visit the Pingla Group personally if he couldn’t reach Adrian Zhekova.

Adrian Zhekova should be at the Pingla Group, right?

Going to Pingla Group to beg Adrian Zhekova might be embarrassing, but it’s better than letting the company collapse.

Just as he was planning, Mrs. Lopez brought Edward Lopez into the office.

Richard Lopez was puzzled, “Why are you two here at this time? The company is so busy, we don’t have time for you. Don’t come to make trouble.”

Richard Lopez was annoyed.

The company’s losses were not substantial at this point, but what scared Richard Lopez most was that the company had caught the attention of Adrian Zhekova. No one knew what Adrian Zhekova might do next.

Would he merely impose minor penalties, causing little damage and then let it go? Or would he, like a mad dog, persistently pursue his vendetta?

Richard Lopez feared the second scenario because Adrian Zhekova was ruthless!

No one who had crossed Adrian Zhekova had gotten away lightly. They were all heavily punished.

Otherwise, Adrian Zhekova’s vengeful temperament wouldn’t be so famous within the industry.

Mrs. Lopez was also a bit frightened by Richard Lopez’s temper, but she had to speak up considering the severity of the situation.

Mrs. Lopez plucked up the courage and said, “We know why Adrian Zhekova is hostile to our company.”

Richard Lopez was surprised, “You know why?”

Mrs. Lopez pulled Edward Lopez over irritably: “You, tell him!”

Mrs. Lopez didn’t ask Edward Lopez for details, since she had to explain it to Richard Lopez anyway, hence she didn’t let Edward Lopez elaborate on the way.

She just waited for him to explain everything to his father later.

“What happened?” Richard Lopez glared at Edward Lopez, “Did you cause this trouble?”

Seeing that Edward was silent, Mrs. Lopez couldn’t bear it: “Why are you silent now? Weren’t you very capable when you were outside?”

Mrs. Lopez simply turned to Richard Lopez and said, “He offended Adrian Zhekova’s wife. He saw that she was pretty without realizing she was Adrian Zhekova’s wife and tried to approach her, but ended up kicking an iron plate. I don’t know the specifics. I thought he would explain it once he got here, and avoid repeating it.”

Upon hearing this, Richard Lopez didn’t wait for a detailed explanation from Edward Lopez. He immediately slapped him, “You’re such a disgrace! You never help with the family affairs, but you’re always good at wreaking havoc!”

Edward didn’t dare to retort, he just silently held his cheek.

Pointing at Edward Lopez’s nose, Richard Lopez demanded, “You’d better confess everything now! Are you waiting for our company to go bankrupt? I wonder how you’d keep your face as a young master then!”

Edward had no choice but to tell what happened at the banquet that night.

Richard Lopez was furious when he heard everything, trembling with rage, “It’s been so many days, and you didn’t say a word!”

“I… I heard that Adrian Zhekova is vengeful, but he sometimes settles scores on the spot. He already taught me a lesson that night. He can’t be holding a grudge, right?”

Richard Lopez sneered, “If he always settles scores on the spot, why would he hold grudges? He holds grudges when he feels that the initial punishment wasn’t enough, and he wants to continue!”

This was why Adrian Zhekova was such a devil!

“You idiot, something this huge happened and you didn’t tell us right away. Instead, you held onto some naive hope. Now you’ve brought disaster to our family!” Richard Lopez roared angrily.

Chapter 689: Chapter 689: Why are you joining in the fun?

“I… I didn’t expect that he would hold a grudge over such a trivial matter for so long!” Edward Lopez said with a bitter face. “He’s been silent all this time, and suddenly he decided to strike our family today.”

Edward Lopez also felt wronged.

“It’s not sudden. He must have prepared to strike against our family, don’t you think dealing with a company is just a matter of words? Edward, you’re so old now, don’t you even know such basic common sense?”

Richard Lopez was very worried. With Edward’s simple-mindedness, how could he rest assured to hand over the company to him in the future?

Richard Lopez thought with frustration, well, don’t even need to wait for the future, let’s just handle the current crisis first.

“Adrian Zhekova probably started preparing the night he went back, and by today, he was ready to strike against our family’s company. If you had come back that night and told me right away, we could have at least been prepared and apologized sincerely to them. There would have been room for a turnaround.” Richard Lopez said.

“But you kept it a secret, and our family had no reaction. They must have thought that we didn’t feel you did anything wrong and didn’t take the matter seriously. Our family is really screwed by you this time!” Richard Lopez pointed at Edward Lopez’s nose, his hand trembling with anger.

Mrs. Lopez couldn’t help but feel sorry for her son Edward. He was her only child, and she had doted on him since childhood, which had spoiled him into becoming arrogant and overbearing, cowardly and afraid of responsibility.

She quickly stepped in to stop Richard Lopez from pointing at Edward and said, “Alright, alright, even if you scold him or beat him to death now, it’s too late. We’ve already offended Adrian Zhekova, so we must figure out how to make him forgive us.”

Just then, the assistant knocked on the office door urgently, not waiting for Richard Lopez’s response before rushing in. Upon seeing the unusual atmosphere between Richard Lopez and his family, the assistant hesitated briefly. However, as there was more important news, he didn’t dare to delay.

He hurriedly said: “Mr. Lopez, our largest factory is preparing to stop supplying us.”

“What’s going on?” Richard Lopez’s face changed, “Do they dare to breach the contract within the contract period?”

“It’s not during the contract period. Our contracts with them have always been renewed annually. In two months, the contract will expire. We’ve been discussing the renewal with them, and if everything goes smoothly, we should renew the contract next month. We’ve always had good cooperation with them, and the renewal has been a matter of mutual understanding. Their prices have also been very good.”

The factory they were dealing with had high production capacity, good product quality, and because of their many years of cooperation, both sides have been working together happily. The factory has been offering them good prices, fair and highly cost-effective due to capacity and quality.

Without this factory, they could find others, which was not an issue.

However, the alternatives wouldn’t necessarily offer such good cost-effectiveness.

Moreover, after years of cooperation, they have built trust and quality assurance in their products, which they had faith in.

Even if they were to find a new factory, they would have to conduct investigations, comparisons, and bidding, which would take a long time.

In addition to this largest factory, they also cooperated with several smaller factories.

However, their production capacity was smaller and their product categories were different.

The largest factory produced some products that the other smaller factories didn’t.

Due to their lower capacity, the smaller factories only specialized in one or two products, and they were not as versatile as the larger factory.

In short, the sudden change of mind by the largest factory had caused significant losses to them.

“I see, you go out first. Let our people maintain a polite attitude with the factory and not let the relationship get worse. Keep the same attitude as before.” Richard Lopez said.

They were going to apologize to Adrian Zhekova.

If Adrian forgave them and stopped, their cooperation with the factory would be restored.

So, the relationship couldn’t break down.

“Yes.” The assistant replied.

Soon after the assistant left, he returned again.

Richard Lopez felt that his nerves were stretched tight, and as soon as he saw the assistant’s grave expression, he sensed something was wrong, almost like he was becoming a nervous wreck.

“What’s wrong now?” Richard Lopez raised his voice.

The assistant felt awkward as he had just left a few minutes ago, only to come back with more bad news.

“Mr. Lopez, our bid for the Wells Group contract has not been successful.” The assistant said.

Richard Lopez was not surprised by this news, as he had expected it.

After all, the Wells and Zhekova families were close, and if Adrian Zhekova decided to take action against them, Clifford Wells would definitely not cooperate with them.

So even if they didn’t work with them, it wouldn’t be a loss for the Wells Group. Many businesses wanted to cooperate with the Wells Group, and the real loser here would be their own company.

But because he had been prepared for this, Richard Lopez was not surprised when he heard the news.

“Also, we lost the competition for the Jaynard Inc. bid. I’ve checked the final result, and our competitor Pearson Group had a much higher bid than us. Yet Jaynard Inc. chose them instead of us.” The assistant added.

Edward Lopez dared to speak up now: “Is there something wrong with Jaynard Inc.? They pass on the cheaper option and went for the more expensive one.”

“Jaynard Inc.?” Richard Lopez was also puzzled, not remembering why they would do this. “Why would they do that?”

Richard Lopez pondered and couldn’t remember doing anything to offend Jaynard Inc.

“Adrian Zhekova… The Zhekova Family has nothing to do with Jaynard Inc., right?” Richard Lopez asked.

The assistant replied, “Jaynard Inc.’s Sullivan Family is related to the Hamilton Family by marriage.”

Richard Lopez was speechless, his face turning purple with anger: “It’s bad enough that the Zhekova Family has a good relationship with the Hamilton Family, but the Sullivan Family is just related to the Hamilton Family by marriage. Why are they getting involved?!”

The assistant lowered his head in embarrassment and did not have an answer.

Of course, it was because of the close connections between the Big Eight families. Even if not all the relatives were involved, they were still willing to help out in any situation.

As more and more people from the Big Eight families got married, the number of relatives increased.

The power of the Big Eight families grew larger and wider.

Initially, it was just the Big Eight families banding together, but now, with other relatives, the group’s scope had become much broader.

And those relatives knew how to weigh the pros and cons, simply doing small favors that would make their in-laws as well as the people in the Big Eight families remember their kindness.

Chapter 690: Chapter 690: What Face Do You Need Anyway

In the future, if there is any issue, the Big Eight families will naturally not ignore it and will each do their part to help.

Today, the Sullivan Family just helped the Zhekova Family with a small favor; in the future, if the Sullivan Family goes against someone, not only will the Hamilton Family not ignore it, but even the Zhekova Family will remember Sullivan’s kindness and help as well.

Think about it, even if it’s not the entire Big Eight families joining together, just two of them working together to help the Sullivan family would be enough to make people shudder.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the relationship between the Sullivan Family and the Hamilton Family was excellent, and the mutual love between Zander Hamilton and Mia Sullivan was exceptional.

Mia Sullivan is the precious daughter of the Sullivan family, who has been cherished like a pearl since childhood. After marrying Zander Hamilton, the Hamilton family also pampered Mia like their daughter, and Zander Hamilton was extremely devoted to Mia.

How could the Sullivan Family not be satisfied with this?

Adrian Zhekova wants to come after the Lopez Family, and although the Hamilton Family has no business dealings with the Lopez Family, the Sullivan Family does. Naturally, the Sullivan Family is willing to do this small favor for Adrian Zhekova on behalf of the Hamilton Family.

Although choosing Ling Yun seemed to be at a higher price, it appeared they suffered some loss.

But in reality, although Ling Yun is expensive, their product quality and reputation are indeed much greater than the Lopez Family’s, so choosing them doesn’t count as taking a loss.

Why the Sullivan Family would help was something that Richard Lopez naturally considered as well.

It’s just that, in the spur of the moment, he couldn’t help but blurt out those words before.

“Now I’ve truly witnessed it. People say that when there’s trouble, the Big Eight families band together like one. And now, not only are the Big Eight families banding together, but even their in-laws are getting involved.” Is this really acceptable?

Richard Lopez was so angry that his chest felt stifled: “If it were someone else’s family, I could just watch the excitement. It’s only when it happens to you that you realize how terrifying this power is.”

The assistant was somewhat surprised, did Richard Lopez know why Adrian Zhekova was targeting their company?

Richard Lopez said to the assistant, “You go out first.”

The assistant replied and then left Richard Lopez’s office.

“Let’s go,” Richard Lopez said to Edward Lopez.

Edward Lopez was startled, “Where to?”

“Where?” Richard Lopez said coldly, “Of course to Pingla to apologize to Adrian Zhekova!”

He knew the address of the family mansion, but he didn’t dare disturb the elders.

This is Adrian Zhekova’s doing, so naturally, they could only go to him.

Going to the elders for an apology would instead suggest using the elders to pressure Adrian Zhekova.

Not to mention whether the elders would listen to them or not, if Adrian Zhekova found out they bypassed him and went straight to the elders, wouldn’t he make things even worse for them?

Edward Lopez moved his lips and said, “I already apologized to Adrian Zhekova that night, and I even pleaded with him in front of so many people.”

“So what? If he doesn’t forgive you, he still doesn’t forgive you, does he?” Richard Lopez said angrily, “Since he hasn’t forgiven you, you’ll have to apologize again! You already apologized in front of so many people that night, it’s no big deal to apologize in front of the whole Pingla Group today.”

With that, Richard Lopez dragged Edward Lopez out with him.

Edward Lopez quickly said, “Dad… Dad, let me go first, I can walk by myself.”

Mrs. Lopez also persuaded, “You have to give your son some face. Dragging him like this, what will the people outside think when they see it? ”

Richard Lopez snapped, “He’s already ruined the company, and he still wants face?”

However, despite saying this, he let go of Edward Lopez’s collar and coldly said, “Keep up!”

Mrs. Lopez followed them as well.

She was afraid that Richard Lopez would lose his temper and give Edward Lopez a good beating.

At least with her around, she could try to stop it.

So, the three of them went to Pingla Group together.

However, the three of them encountered difficulties at Pingla Group.

As soon as they entered the main entrance, they were blocked by security. Although they were allowed inside the building, they couldn’t get past the front desk.

Richard Lopez could only swallow his pride and politely tell the front desk: “I’d like to see Adrian Zhekova, Mr. Zhekova.”

The front desk had already received instructions from Sheldon Rowland and knew Richard Lopez would come.

As for when he would arrive, Sheldon Rowland didn’t know and only told the front desk not to panic when they arrived. Just treat Richard Lopez as an ordinary visitor to Pingla and do the usual procedures.

Sign the required documents, register, and report to the front desk.

If they were looking for someone from another department, they would just need to sign a record and be let in.

But since they were looking for Adrian Zhekova, the front desk couldn’t let them in easily. Keeping Sheldon Rowland’s words in mind, they knew that Adrian Zhekova probably wanted to make things difficult for Richard Lopez.

So they put on a smile and said, “Hello, may I know who you are?”

Richard Lopez quickly replied, “I am Richard Lopez, the CEO of Wellingo Group, and I would like to see Mr. Zhekova.”

Who would have thought, upon hearing his esteemed name, the front desk didn’t even raise an eyebrow and asked, “Do you have an appointment?”

Richard Lopez endured and replied, “No, the matter came up suddenly, so I didn’t make an appointment before coming.”

The point is he wouldn’t have been able to make an appointment even if he wanted to, as he couldn’t contact either Adrian Zhekova or Sheldon Rowland.

The front desk nodded, maintaining the smile and said: “Please wait a moment, I will contact them first to see if the CEO is available.”

Mrs. Lopez waited patiently, feeling that Pingla Group’s attitude was too pompous.

But there was nothing to do, who made them so powerful? They could only tolerate it.

Before long, the front desk made an internal call: “Assistant Sheldon, Richard Lopez from Wellingo Group, Wellingo’s CEO, came over wanting to see the CEO.”

“Alright.” The front desk soon hung up and said with a smile, “Mr. Lopez, I’m sorry, the CEO is currently in a meeting. I can only ask the three of you to wait here. There are sofas over there where you can sit. After the CEO finishes the meeting, we’ll inform him of your arrival and then find out if he has time to meet you.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lopez knew that it was Adrian Zhekova’s doing, even if they had to wait, they could be asked to wait outside Adrian Zhekova’s office. There was no need to sit in the busy lobby where every passerby could see them and cause them to lose face.

Moreover, Adrian Zhekova still hadn’t given a clear answer on whether he would meet them, only saying that they would know after the meeting if he had time.

If Adrian Zhekova said he had no time, they would have waited in vain here.

Sheldon Rowland was Adrian Zhekova’s assistant and had control over his schedule. How could he not know whether Adrian Zhekova was free or not?

Even if he couldn’t be sure, what’s wrong with asking Adrian Zhekova during the meeting?

They insisted on waiting for Adrian Zhekova to finish the meeting and then confirm whether he had time to meet them afterwards. It was like a king meeting ordinary citizens – there was no need to be so dismissive!

Mrs. Lopez knew that this was caused by her son Edward, but she was still angry.

Adrian Zhekova was so petty, making such a big deal out of something so small, and holding such a grudge.