Chapter 104: You Have a Child?
Chase Ford’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he was still smiling. "I’m looking forward to your wedding invitation, too."
Knowing full well how their marriage came about, Vincent Fuller gave a meaningful smile. "It’ll be soon, very soon."
He turned to look at Wanda Sutton, then said to Chase Ford with a teasing grin, "You’d better treat our dear Wanda well. If you don’t, you’ll have me to answer to."
Wanda Sutton felt like her world was collapsing.
This wasn’t the outcome she wanted at all.
’How could it have been Chase Ford the other night!’
’Why, why, why!’
Caroline Whitman pulled her gaze away from the spectacle and heard an unfamiliar voice next to her.
"Adrian."
They both turned to see Gene Carson.
’Her brother, Zane Carson, was nowhere to be seen. He probably hadn’t fully recovered and was still in the hospital.’
Gene Carson said, delighted, "My brother told me you weren’t coming today. I can’t believe I ran into you here."
Just then, the man behind Gene Carson turned at the sound of her voice. His gaze swept past Caroline Whitman and Adrian Grant before landing on Caroline, and he asked in surprise,
"Caroline Whitman?"
Caroline Whitman looked up at the sound of his voice, but she didn’t recognize his face.
Ethan Xavier must have noticed her confusion, as he gave a helpless smile and explained, "An old classmate? You’re breaking my heart. It’s only been a few years, have you really forgotten me already?"
"I even sent that planning proposal to your email last time, and you just casually turned me down. It was quite heartbreaking, you know."
’That jogged Caroline Whitman’s memory.’
’Ethan Xavier.’
’Gene Carson hadn’t expected Ethan Xavier to know this woman.’
When she had asked Zane Carson about Caroline Whitman the other day, he had just said something along the lines of "I don’t really know her either."
So she had looked up Caroline Whitman’s name herself.
’So she’s from the Whitman Group.’
"You two know each other?" Gene Carson asked in surprise, her gaze shifting between them.
Ethan Xavier smiled. "Of course. She went to St. Hector’s High School with us. She’s one year below you. When I transferred in, she just so happened to be my deskmate."
Gene Carson was utterly shocked.
She looked at Caroline Whitman with curiosity in her eyes. "Oh, so you’re an upperclassman. Hi, I’m Gene Carson."
Gene Carson extended her hand in a friendly gesture.
One doesn’t turn away a friendly gesture. Caroline Whitman extended her hand and shook Gene’s. "Caroline Whitman."
"It’s a small world. I can’t believe I ran into you here. Oh, right, this is my cousin."
Ethan Xavier remarked on their connection before introducing his relationship with Gene Carson. Finally, he turned the topic to Adrian Grant.
"And this must be President Grant of the Grant Group, Mr. Zoe Grant. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s an honor to finally meet you in person."
’In truth, he knew this wasn’t Zoe Grant.’
’He’d heard Gene Carson call him ’Adrian’ just moments ago.’
’It had to be Adrian Grant.’
’Rumor had it that Adrian Grant had suddenly appeared this year to take over the Grant Group, while the well-known Zoe Grant seemed to have vanished without a trace, not making a single public appearance for a long time.’
’It was hard not to read into it.’
"No."
Adrian Grant didn’t bother to explain the deliberate misidentification, simply uttering a single word.
Caroline Whitman, however, was secretly shocked to hear the name Zoe Grant.
’Who was that?’
It wasn’t surprising she wasn’t familiar with Zoe Grant.
After all, this person didn’t exist in her awakened memories.
Besides, during the years Zoe Grant had been out of the public eye, she was still in college.
Back then, she was just starting to take over the family business, dealing with smaller companies on a similar scale to their own. She’d never had any dealings with a corporation on the level of the Grant Group.
She suppressed her curiosity as Gene Carson spoke up with a laugh. "Oh, that’s not Zoe. He’s his younger brother."
Ethan Xavier looked apologetic. "My apologies, I’ve made a fool of myself. I only recently returned to the country, so I’m not completely up to date on the situation here. I hope you’ll forgive my mistake, President Grant."
That’s when Gene Carson seemed to remember something. "Oh, that’s right. Zoe doesn’t seem to be here. I haven’t seen him at all since I got back. Where has he been?"
Adrian Grant’s expression was placid. "He’s busy."
Seeing that Adrian didn’t want to continue the conversation, Ethan Xavier tactfully changed the subject, turning back to Caroline Whitman. "By the way, are you sure you won’t reconsider my project?"
"My team’s R&D capabilities are just as good as any you’ll find in the country, if not better."
After returning to the country and learning about Caroline Whitman’s accomplishments, he had become even more determined to work with her.
Caroline Whitman gave a helpless smile. "This isn’t really the time or place to talk business, is it?"
The smile on Ethan Xavier’s face didn’t fade. "You’re right. It’s not every day we get to see each other. We should definitely catch up."
Caroline Whitman smiled without refusing.
In truth, anyone paying attention would realize that most guests at the engagement party weren’t here for the wedding celebration. They were here looking for opportunities to benefit their own companies.
Gene Carson wanted to take the opportunity to get closer to Adrian Grant, who was now standing alone, but a middle-aged man with a wine glass approached Adrian and began to reminisce with him.
"So, are you married?" Ethan Xavier suddenly asked.
Caroline Whitman gave him a strange look. "Is this your idea of catching up? You sound like a gossipy old auntie."
Ethan Xavier laughed. "Hey, I just need to get the lay of the land, right?"
But just then, a sneer came from nearby, answering the question for her. "She’s not married, but she does have a child born out of wedlock."
Caroline Whitman turned to see a woman with bright red lipstick and a sultry gaze watching her, a faint, mocking smile on her lips.
It was Molly Lawson.
"..."
Adrian Grant heard the remark as well. He frowned and turned his head, but when Molly Lawson saw his attention on her, she only became more animated.
"President Grant, don’t be fooled by her innocent looks. I saw her myself with a child who was calling her ’Mommy’. You can’t fake something like that."
Ethan Xavier, however, looked surprised. "You have a child?"
’No wonder her tone felt so distant.’
’So she’s already settled down?’
’What a shame.’
Caroline Whitman: "..."
Considering she was at someone else’s engagement party, Caroline couldn’t just lash out. She was forcing a smile and preparing to say something when Adrian Grant beat her to it, his voice cold.
"Are you referring to what you supposedly saw with your own eyes at Serene Garden Villa that day?"
Molly Lawson’s mind went blank for a second, as if a string had snapped. ’How does he know?’
Then it hit her. "You were the one holding the child that day?"
’How is that possible?’
Franklin Whitman, who had been observing quietly from the sidelines, heard his daughter being slandered and immediately stepped forward.
"Young lady, why are you spouting such baseless nonsense? This is the Ford and Sutton families’ engagement party. Don’t tell me you’re deliberately trying to drag my daughter through the mud on such a happy occasion."
Molly Lawson was genuinely startled by the sudden voice behind her. When she turned, she was taken aback by Franklin Whitman’s ferocious expression.
’This was the first time she’d ever seen Caroline Whitman’s father.’
’No one ever told her Caroline Whitman’s father looked so terrifying.’
’He looked like he had a few kills under his belt.’