.
His gaze rested nonchalantly on the floor below. Matthew could only see the heads of the crowd.
Frowning, he withdrew his gaze.
âHello, Mr. Nelson!â
Matthew looked back, seeing the mayor heading his way. The mayor smiled and said, âI thought I saw an illusion. Itâs really you, Mr. Nelson â are you here for the annual White Group party too?â
I was quite unsure because I had not heard that there was any cooperation between the WY Group and the White Group.
Charles was young and outstanding, and Matthew was the best of the younger generation.
Matthew told his daughter to wait a moment and hung up the phone.
He put it away.
âNo, Iâm not.â
When she answered, the kind look on her face immediately disappeared. He put on his usual socializing mask.
The mayor held out his hand. âItâs a great pleasure to see you here.â
Find your adventure at gαâηÏνððsâ¤Ã§Ð¾m (uso de âçâ y âоâ cirÃlica)
Matthew extended his right hand and shook the mayorâs hand. It didnât take long. They withdrew their hands quickly.
Matthew didnât want to waste his time with him. However, he had to consider the mayorâs dignity. Since ancient times, citizens were not supposed to fight against government officials.
In particular, Matthew was a merchant.
âMr. Nelson, Mr. White wants to set up a factory in my place. We need to talk in detail.â Charles still had something to discuss now, so the mayor went upstairs to wait for him.
He planned to talk to Charles over dinner.
âWhy donât we have dinner together so they can get to know each other?â The mayor wanted to introduce them. However, he thought of something and smiled awkwardly. âDo they know each other already?â
Based on Matthewâs identity, he wouldnât have shown up here unless he had cooperation with the White Group.
âI donât know him,â Matthew replied neatly and frankly.
âLook. Thatâs Mr. Charles White over there, the owner of the White Group. Although he canât walk, heâs very capable. I like him very much. Of course, the White Group could not be comparable to the WY Group. Mr. Nelson, I hear you have invested in many overseas projects and set up investment banks with your partners. You are the ultimate.â
Matthew was not interested in Charles at all. However, the mayor said Charles could not walk, which piqued Matthewâs curiosity. A wheelchair-bound leader must stand out in some way.
Otherwise, his subordinates would not have obeyed him.
He looked down to the first floor.
A few managers were surrounding Charles and Dolores, making fun of them.
Charles had never had a girlfriend. Suddenly, he brought a beautiful woman before all the employees, so they were all quite curious as to what the relationship was between them.
âMr. White, youâve hidden her so well! You havenât even told us, who have experienced life and death with you. It has not been good.â
âNoâ¦â
âYou canât deny it. If they have nothing to do with each other, why did you bring her here?â someone interrupted Charles directly as he tried to explain himself.
Charles smiled, âI wish I could, butâ¦â.
âBut what?â the managers asked in unison. In an instant, they all understood what he hadnât finished. Then they looked at Dolores in unison. âDonât you like our Mr. White?â
Just at this moment, Dolores felt she had been framed by Charles. There was a lot of cheating going on at this party.
She was about to explain, but Charles pulled her arm to come closer to him and whispered in her ear, âPlease donât embarrass me in front of my employees. If you want to turn me down, you can do it after we go home. Please. I beg you.â
When Matthew looked over, he happened to see Charles whispering to a woman. Because of the angle he was at on the stairs, he didnât see Doloresâ face but only her slender figure.
âI have agreed to be your date tonight, but I have not agreed to pretend to be your girlfriend.â Dolores was very determined.
Charles was not angry at all. He could tell that Dolores was quite intelligent with a strong self-awareness. âDo you still want to meet the master who knows how to make watered gauze?â
Dolores was speechless.
It wasnât until now that Dolores understood why he had shown her the watered gauze.
âYou did it on purpose!â she said affirmatively without question.
Charles did not deny, smiling very cheerfully. He looked charming in this way.
Approaching Dolores again, he said, âIâm rather curious to know what kind of man can control you.â Dolores pushed him away, standing up.
When she turned around, Matthew clearly saw her face on the second floor.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
The mayor sensed nothing wrong. Looking at what was happening in the lobby, he said with a smile, âMr. White is quite funny: heâs never had a girlfriend, but suddenly heâs brought a date with him tonight. The woman is quite beautiful.â
âSheâ¦â Boyce also saw the womanâs face below. He turned to look at Matthew.
âSheâsâ¦â
He was about to ask Matthew if it was Dolores, but Matthew was already down before he could finish his question.
Boyce followed him immediately.
It was still noisy downstairs. People were making fun of Charles and Dolores.
Although Dolores disagreed verbally, Charles knew she agreed.
As he was about to introduce Dolores, a tall, strong figure appeared in the doorway. With an annoyed look on his face and a strong charisma that drew on all his life experiences, he attracted peopleâs attention as soon as he appeared.
Doloresâ gaze strayed to the back of the lobby. She was stunned by the beauty of the clothes and her eyelids were tingling. She stared at the emergence of the entrance without blinking.
Soon, she saw a familiar figure, and her heart stopped beating.
Behind the crowd, Matthew was walking toward her against the light. He walked steadily and slowly.
Thatâs how the others felt as they watched him. He had been on the battlefield of business for a long time and wore steel armor. No one could know what was going through his mind.
He was used to being calm and indifferent. The more excited he was, the calmer he seemed.
Every muscle in his body was tense. His heart was trembling.
He stared at the familiar but strange face at this moment.
Dolores remained motionless, as if silent and meditating. Inwardly, she was very excited to see him, but she realized that she could not utter a sound because her throat was choked.
In Matthewâs opinion, Dolores had never dressed so charmingly. He had missed her very much after her disappearance and could not sleep at night. Yet she had dressed up for another man in a way Matthew had never seen before.
âWhat are you doing?â his voice was like atmospheric pressure shifting. It was the voice in his chest, sounding muffled and high-pitched.
He wondered if she knew how tormented he had felt over the past few days.
Did she know how worried he was?
Did she know how much he missed her?
Did she know that he couldnât sleep at night and kept thinking about her?
He doubted she knew.
âWhy donât you answer me?â
âIâ¦â
âYou know each other?â As soon as Matthew appeared, Charles knew the man was coming for Dolores, but he still raised the question.
Just then, Matthew looked at Charles, curving his lips into a wry smile.
âMr. White, do you like a married woman?â
Charlesâ expression changed slightly. Dolores had said she was married and had children, but he never believed it. He thought she was lying on purpose to get rid of him.
Now, however, he wasnât so sure.
âShe looks very youngâ¦â
Matthew took Doloresâ hand and raised his eyebrows slightly. The muscles in his face quivered as he smiled horribly. âShe married me at eighteen, why wouldnât she be young?â
Charles frowned. In his opinion, Dolores was an assertive woman. He doubted why she had married Matthew at such a young age.
âAre you kidding?â When he asked, he looked at Dolores as if he were confirming with her.
She doubted the truthfulness of Matthewâs words.
âSamuel and Simona are still waiting for you.â After she finished her words, Matthew pulled her to let them go.
He did not allow her to say a word to Charles.
He was so overbearing as a child, he realized that someone was competing for his favorite toy now.
Like a pincer, his hand pinched Doloresâ with extreme force. He dragged her away quickly.
Doloresâ ankle hadnât fully recovered, and she was wearing high heels, so she couldnât reach him at all. Enduring the faint pain in her ankle and sole, she said, âSlow down.â
Matthew looked back at her. âArenât you willing to get out of here?â
Dolores shook her head. âNot really.â
Just after finishing his words, Matthew picked her up and carried her in his arms. Dolores let out a silent exclamation, wrapped her arms around his neck out of instinct, and closed her mouth tightly.
.
.
.