Chapter 364 – After the One-Night Stand with a Heartless Billionaire

Peter paused for a long moment before setting his glass down. He told Ryan, “You and Emily should definitely get married. You’ve been busy recently, but you’ll be busy after you get married. So, you should get married right away.”

“I only have three days off, Grandpa. Will you let us have the wedding tomorrow or the next day?”

“I didn’t say that you two should hold the wedding right away. You only need to give me the exact date. Then I’ll arrange your wedding. You don’t have to worry about anything; all you have to do is attend your wedding.”

Hearing that, Ryan and Emily looked at each other, both resigned. Ryan said, “The problem is, we both can’t really settle on an exact time. We’re about to be sent on a mission, and we have no idea when we’ll return home. Emily left for a symposium two days ago, and I have no idea where she went. We both were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Neither of us will know when the other is going on a mission, let alone when both of us would be available.”

They used this reason to turn down Peter numerous times. Unhappily, Peter said, “Can’t all military people get married? Can I still attend my grandchildren’s weddings before I die?”

No one said anything, and everyone knew who Peter was referring to. Wayne had rarely returned home in recent years. Even when he returned, he would leave right after he finished dinner. He was even more reserved than before and less chatty than Matthew.

Jennie realized Wayne was also upset, so she said, “Dad, the kids are now adults. They have the freedom to decide when they want to get married, or if they want to get married at all. “

Peter became even more enraged and exclaimed, “I raised him, so he owes me at least some of my wishes. He cannot simply do whatever he wants!”

Jennie came to a halt, knowing she couldn’t persuade Peter. Wayne placed his fork firmly on the table at that moment. “Don’t get me wrong, but I’ve been dating according to your arrangement,” he said calmly.

Peter’s eyes widened as he exclaimed, “You have no right to bring that up! After they go out with you, every girl complains to me about you! Why would you say something like that to them?”

Henry whispered to Peter, “Let’s talk about this later. Don’t forget that Miss Lewis is still here! You don’t want to embarrass her, do you?”

Peter couldn’t control his anger just now. However, he sat down anyway after hearing this. He paused and looked at Ryan and Emily.

Jennie immediately said, “Well, stop fighting. Try the salmon I made. Emily, do you think it’s good?”

Emily took a bite of the salmon, smiled, and said, “Mmm, this is delicious! My mom loves to make salmon, too. Why don’t you two get together sometime?”

“All right, I happen to be free these days.”

“So does my mom!”

They talked and tried to lighten the mood. Peter refrained from losing his cool because Emily was present. But after a while, he left, saying he wasn’t feeling well.

After Peter left, Wayne asked Ryan how he was doing. He then left without eating, taking Matthew with him. Then Jennie exhaled a sigh.

Emily winked at her and assured her, “It’s all right, Jennie; we’re still here. Ryan and I enjoy eating your food.”

Jennie said with a smile, “Thank you, Emily. You’re so sweet. Peter has a bad temper, and he always fights with Wayne. Actually, he’s just worried about Wayne.”

Emily asked, perplexed, “Why is he worried? Wayne’s son is already in his adolescence, so who cares if Wayne’s married or not? He has everything, in my opinion.”

Ryan said, “Grandpa is not forcing Wayne to get married. He just doesn’t want him to keep getting caught up in the past. Or, Wayne will be sad for the rest of his life.”

Emily paused for a moment before asking, “You mean, Grandpa is worried that Wayne will never get over Anna?”

Ryan nodded, “When Anna left, Wayne had a big fight with grandpa about Matthew’s custody. Wayne insisted at the time that Anna bring Matthew to the United States, but Grandpa disagreed. To make Grandpa agree with him, Wayne even said that Grandpa could decide his marriage.”

“No wonder Wayne talked about matchmaking.”

“Matthew didn’t leave with Anna, and Grandpa still remembered Wayne’s promise. He has been arranging blind dates for Wayne for the past few years, but they often fight with each other over it. “

Emily said in astonishment, “Why? What are they fighting about? I thought Wayne is a mature man.”

“He isn’t the gentleman he seems to be. He said he’d do it for Grandpa, but he’s not going to do it. That’s why Matthew was born. Mom, what exactly did Wayne say on the blind date?”

After a brief moment of thought, Jennie frowned and said, “He’d begin by informing the girls that he had an eleven-year-old son. He’d also tell them that they’d have to have their property notarized before getting married and that they’d be separated afterward. The girls from wealthy families would not agree to such requests, so they complained about it to Peter. Peter was humiliated and got into a fight with Wayne because of it.”

“Well, he must have offended a lot of people over it,” Ryan remarked.

Jennie said with a nod, “Yeah. The good news is that the Wrights are well-known and prestigious, and no one dares to say anything to discredit us. However, our reputation will be harmed later.”

“Whatever! We all know what Wayne is thinking, don’t we?”

Jennie sighed and explained, “Anna has been gone for five years. He never speaks of her, but I can tell that he still loves her.”

“Then why doesn’t he try to get back together with her?” Emily couldn’t help but ask.

Back then, a lot had gone wrong: Anna had been kidnapped by drug dealers, and Wayne had rescued her before being hospitalized for a month with pneumonia. Therefore, Emily believed that Wayne could have kept Anna with that good opportunity.

“She had already made the decision to leave, so he couldn’t keep her.” Jennie exhaled a sigh.

“He could’ve at least given it a shot! He wouldn’t have any regrets if he failed. And if he and Anna reconcile, they will live happily ever after.”

“He had tried,” Ryan said at the time.

Emily’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s why he insisted on returning Matthew to Anna. Matthew is their strongest connection. Wayne assumed that after all the years he had spent raising Matthew, Anna would bring him back frequently. But Matthew didn’t leave with Anna.”

***

At that moment, Wayne and Matthew walked into the house, and the sound-activated lights turned on all around them.

“It’s getting late. Good night,” After saying goodnight to Matthew, Wayne walked to the study on the second floor.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Matthew asked, “Great-Grandpa says he wants you to get married as soon as possible. Will you marry another woman?”

“No,” Wayne answered firmly.

Matthew didn’t look nervous anymore. He said firmly to his father’s back, “Well, my mom will definitely be back.”

Hearing that, Wayne remained silent and shut the study door. After that, he stood motionless in the study doorway.

Anna had not returned to England for five years. Still, Matthew insisted that she would return. And Wayne had no idea why he thought that. Wayne used to think he was a favored child of God and that his life could unfold as he desired. But he made a mistake five years ago and lost everything.

Five years ago, Anna had just escaped from the island and lived in Jasper’s house. Wayne had pneumonia and stayed in the hospital for two days before waking up. When he awoke, the first thing he did was talk to his grandfather about custody.

Gabe was by the bedside at the time. When he heard Wayne’s decision, his eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, “Are you sure you’ve thought this through? Matthew is your only son. You raised him for six years!”

Wayne leaned against the bed’s side. His face was as pale as a vampire’s, his gaze as calm as stagnant water. Then he uttered, “She’s stubborn, and I’ve hurt her before. She blamed me for being self-centered and never thinking of her. There was already a gap between her and me. I saved her, and she might forgive me. But we already have a lot of disagreements, and it’s difficult for us to reconcile with each other.”

“How come you gave her Matthew if that’s already the case?”

“You don’t get it.” Wayne simply said that without further explanation.

Later on, when Wayne couldn’t find Anna on the plane to America, he dashed to the airport reception and stopped all international flights from departing. The airport police apprehended him, and the story made headlines and was widely discussed throughout the town.

Everyone was baffled as to why he did it. They knew that he was the one who let her go and made no attempt to keep her. Everyone thought they would break up for good. Anna would have left sooner or later, so she didn’t see the point in telling him. They all assumed Wayne had seen too many romantic movies and was trying to impress her at the airport.

Gabe later traveled to America with Wayne. They did not find Anna, but they did meet Jasper. Then Gabe knew everything.

Jasper said to Wayne, “You are all aware that Anna returned to Birmingham in the first place for the sake of her two children. The fact that she’s leaving without the kids shows that she’s given this a lot of thought. Her life will have nothing to do with you after she gave you Matthew. I have no idea where Anna has gone, and even if I do, I wouldn’t tell you. Let it go, Wayne, and stop interfering with her life.”

Wayne became very ill after returning from America and didn’t leave the house for three months. Peter paid him a visit but did not see him. Nobody knew what he did during those three months.

Jennie later took Matthew to his door and begged him to come out. Wayne left the house because he hadn’t seen Matthew for a long time. Wayne had been taking Matthew to business events ever since. Matthew was only eleven years old but was already helping Wayne with small business decisions.

***

Wayne stayed up late reading until the early hours of the morning. There was an open jewelry box on the table, and the emerald necklace glowed brightly in the light. Outside the window, he could hear birds singing. Before leaving the study, he closed the jewelry box and carefully locked it in the safe.

Then his phone rang. “Wayne, did you get the invitation?” Karl asked cheerfully as he answered the phone.

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