Filed to story: I Got Married Without You
At this point, Martin coughed, and Natalie immediately changed her tone. “She’s still waiting for you abroad, enduring hardships…”
Jayden’s handsome face gradually darkened. “Mom, Jenny and I are in the past. Don’t mention her in front of me anymore.”
Seeing that her son’s face turned cold, Natalie could only follow along helplessly, “Okay, I won’t mention her. Anyway, once you receive your medical award, there are countless talented women in the academic community abroad waiting for you. I just hope you won’t rush into marriage. Finish your award first and then make a good decision…”
Jayden impatiently grunted, “It’s my own business, and I will make my own decisions. You guys shouldn’t interfere. Also, Mom, when you were questioning Eva just now, it made her uncomfortable. I didn’t say anything to respect you as my mother, but when Eva comes out later, say something nice to her, be polite.”
Natalie understood that her son still wanted to marry Eva. Even if she was reluctant, she could only go along with her son’s wishes for now. Later, she would find a way to force them to break up. “Fine, since you’re my pride and joy, I’ll listen to you…”
Eva just wanted to find an excuse to take a breather. She spent some time washing her hands in the sink and then came out. The restaurant was quite large, and the server led her around a few corners before returning to the reserved table Jayden had booked.
After Eva came back, she thought Natalie would continue questioning her, but she didn’t expect Natalie to ask nothing. Instead, she grabbed her hand and said with concern, “Good girl, you’ve suffered in the first half of your life. In the second half, you won’t have to struggle for a living by following Jayden. You will be happy for the rest of your life.”
Eva felt a bit uncomfortable and wanted to withdraw her hand, but when she saw Natalie’s caring expression, she held back. “Auntie, even if I marry Jayden, I won’t neglect my career.”
She made it clear that she didn’t want to be a housewife, and Natalie not only didn’t oppose it, but also supported her. “With your large entertainment venue and high annual income, that is all yours. I just want to tell you that Jayden will always be your support.”
Eva felt awkward and smiled, “You change your mind pretty quickly.”
Natalie’s face stiffened for a moment, then she smiled brightly, “What do you mean by that?”
Eva spoke directly, “Just now, you asked so many questions. I thought you were not satisfied with my background and career. I didn’t expect that in the time it took to wash my hands, you agreed. Did you say something to your mom?”
The last sentence was directed at Jayden, who nodded with a smile, “She asked you so many questions, some of which were a bit excessive. I said a few words to her, sorry about that. During the questioning, I didn’t interrupt because I was afraid of giving those two intellectuals another reason to criticize me for being impolite and disrespectful to elders. That’s why I said a few words afterwards.”
Jayden had always been like this. When someone criticized her in person, he didn’t say anything, but he apologized later at a suitable time. And the excuses he came up with were always so reasonable, making Eva wonder if she’s being too suspicious.
Later, Eva learned that it’s called gaslighting, but at the moment, she didn’t know. She just thought that Jayden finally helped her…
Natalie was afraid that Eva wouldn’t have enough to eat, so she ordered two more dishes for her. While serving the food, Natalie smiled and asked, “Miss Miller, when do you plan to get married? My family wants to prepare in advance.”
Eva lifted her clear eyes and looked at Natalie and Martin. “Uncle and Aunt, I haven’t been dating Jayden for long. We still don’t know much about each other’s personalities, values, and thoughts. I want to spend more time together and talk about marriage later.”
Eva could tell that Jayden’s parents didn’t think highly of her. Coincidentally, because of their previous conflicts, she also had no intention of getting married. She planned to listen to Rosalyn’s advice and take more time to see if they were compatible. Rushing into marriage would be too late if they discovered it wasn’t right.
Hearing this, Natalie was still quite happy, but it was Eva who rejected the proposal first, which made her feel protective of her son. “Miss Miller, Jayden has had a crush on you since high school. Isn’t all this time enough to understand each other?”
Eva responded gracefully with a bright smile. “Jayden understanding of me is certainly enough, but my understanding of him is only a little over two months.”
Natalie and Martin felt awkward, and Eva didn’t care about their feelings. She just smiled and looked at Jayden. “Senior, what do you think?”
If it weren’t for Paul, Eva probably would have agreed right away. Jayden instantly felt a bit more resentment towards Paul, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he graciously picked out the fish bones, put the fish slices on Eva’s plate, and said, “Take as much time as you want to talk. I’ll listen to you.”
Relieved that she wasn’t being pressured into marriage, Eva let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t even realize that she had become more cheerful while eating.
After the four of them left the restaurant, Anthony raised his hand and reached for his phone. “I’ll edit this recording when I get back and send it to Miss Miller.”
The man next to him gave him a cold glance. “Don’t meddle in other people’s business.”
Anthony, who had put his phone in his suit pocket, suddenly paused. “Paul, are you saying you don’t plan to get involved in Miss Miller’s affairs?”
Paul raised the glass of red wine and took a sip. “Forget about it. If I push too hard, they’ll turn around and blame me. Let it go.”
Anthony weighed his phone in his hand. “I have recordings as evidence. It’s not just empty words.”
Paul said calmly, “Jayden defended his mother and spoke up for Eva. What can the recording prove?”
Anthony rolled his eyes at him. “What did Jayden actually defend? He let his mother interrogate Miss Miller, knowing he had a woman waiting for him overseas. And from his tone, it’s clear he didn’t really love Eva. He’s just bitter about not getting her. This recording has enough information to expose Jayden’s true colors. Why aren’t you doing anything about it?”
Paul shrugged nonchalantly and swirled the wine in his glass. “With Jayden’s silver tongue, he can turn black into white. If you bring out this recording now, Jayden will definitely say I fabricated it to ruin their relationship.”
Anthony’s mind went blank for a moment. “So you’re saying we should just let it go?”
Paul didn’t reply. Anthony raised an eyebrow. “Paul, this isn’t like you. You used to be fearless when it came to Miss Miller.”
Based on Paul’s past behavior, he would have already confronted those who insulted Miss Miller with their words. But today, not only did he keep his cool, he even told Anthony to mind his own business. It was truly disheartening.
Paul put down his wine glass and said calmly, “I’ve learned my lesson. I don’t want to end up in the hospital for another month.”
Anthony glanced at the wheelchair beside them. Paul had spinal injuries and had to rely on the wheelchair for mobility. The price he paid was indeed significant. However, Anthony asked, “Did you hear that Miss Miller wants to postpone the wedding? Is that why you’re pretending not to be in a hurry?”
Paul chuckled self-deprecatingly. “What’s there for me to pretend? I’ve done everything I can. If she doesn’t want to come back, then let her go. It’s not a big deal.”
Listening to his indifferent tone, it seemed like he had truly let go. Anthony stared at him, pondered for a few seconds, and then spoke up, “I don’t know what you’re really thinking deep down, and I can’t control that. But I’ll keep this recording just in case it becomes useful one day.”
Paul didn’t reply, which was as good as agreeing. Anthony quickly put the phone in his pocket, then looked up and glanced towards the door.
“By the way, the representatives from the UK are quite arrogant. I wonder how Sebastian can tolerate it.”
“They wouldn’t dare to be arrogant with Sebastian. It’s only because they found out that I’ve become the new CEO of the European region that they deliberately neglected him.”
Paul was quite distressed about the fact that no one in the company respected him. “When the representative from the other side presents the contract later, you must carefully check it for me. Don’t let Andrew clean up the mess again if something goes wrong.”
“Don’t worry.”
Just as he finished speaking, a woman wearing sunglasses, a custom-made long dress, and carrying a Chanel bag, swayed her hips and walked over.
“Which one of you is Mr. Evans?”
Anthony and Paul glanced at each other.
“It’s me.”
Paul answered and asked her, “And you are?”
The woman gently placed her bag on the sofa and said, “I’m Camilla Hill, the representative from England.”
Camilla walked up the steps and stood in front of Paul, extending her delicate hand. “Mr. Evans, sorry for the traffic delay.”
Camilla ‘s hand was so fair that it seemed to glow. In the past, Paul would have been excited to see such a beauty, but now he just glanced at her briefly and looked away. “It’s okay, please have a seat.” Camilla noticed that he wasn’t as frivolous as rumored, but instead had a hint of coldness. It made her unsure. “Mr. Evans, for discussing projects and contracts, we should go to a more upscale entertainment venue. This elegant restaurant doesn’t seem suitable…”
Paul gestured towards the wheelchair next to him. “I’m injured. I can’t go to an entertainment venue in a wheelchair. People would laugh, and besides, it’s just a matter of signing a document. There’s no need to go to such a place…”
Camilla was taken aback by his distant attitude. The company sent her here to charm Paul with her beauty and gain some advantages for the Evans’ headquarters. But little did she know that the notorious playboy didn’t even spare her a glance and rejected her insinuations. Camilla was at a loss.
After observing Paul for a moment, she slowly sat down. “Mr. Evans…”
“
