Chapter 169 Bad Man William
There were many reporters at the scene, and countless people watching the live stream—everyone was waiting for William's answer.
Backstage, Isabella nervously watched William. At the Jenkins Villa, Amelia looked at Briar, who was staring at the kitten, while listening to William's response.
Under the barrage of camera flashes, William finally spoke.
He said, "Regarding the first question, Isabella and I do have feelings for each other, but the divorce was a result of discussions between Amelia and me—it has nothing to do with Isabella."
"As for the second question, we have disagreements about our divorce settlement, and may need to go through litigation, so I can't confirm right now what I'll be taking with me."
He paused briefly before continuing, "However, as I mentioned before, we signed a prenuptial agreement that ensures the integrity of the group, so there won't be any issues regarding equity."
The flashes kept going off. On the screen, William was acknowledging Isabella and defending her.
Amelia looked at William on the screen.
That night, it had clearly been his unilateral insistence. She had asked him multiple times, but all she got was—"Amelia, don't make me think you're cruel."
If this was what he called a mutually discussed result.
Moreover, he hadn't directly addressed whether their marriage fell apart because of Isabella.
Even now, she still didn't understand why so many years together, so many years of love, countless times entrusting their lives to each other, going through life and death together—why it all couldn't compare to Isabella, whom he'd known for less than a year.
A reporter was still asking, "Mr. Brown, according to what you're saying, is Amelia leaving with almost nothing?"
This was a very sensitive topic.
The two had been together for years—almost everyone in Shadow City knew this. And it wasn't some unofficial relationship either, but a legally married couple.
She was a wife who had gone through hard times with him.
If she was leaving with nothing now...
While everyone was watching, William lowered his eyes slightly.
"Everything will be announced after the litigation concludes," William said.
The reporter wanted to ask more, but William had already indicated that today's press conference was over.
"Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown, we still have questions!"
"Mr. Brown..."
But William had already left under escort.
The shareholders were temporarily stabilized, but whether the stock price would fluctuate when the market opened tomorrow was still unknown.
What was certain was that this had sparked a huge wave of discussion online.
Most of it was about the property division between Amelia and William—
"Seven years, and she didn't get any shares!"
"Normally an employee who worked at a company for seven years would get severance pay, let alone this isn't an employee—this is his wife!"
"Is he planning to just throw some money at her and call it done? Money is the least important thing to William. With shares, he'll earn it all back in no time. The most valuable thing about the Brown Group is the Brown Group's shares!"
"William is such a bad man!"
"I don't know how that bad man got those injuries on his face, but whatever—he deserved to get beaten!"
...
Everyone was up in arms.
At that moment, at the Jenkins Villa, York took the remote and turned off the screen.
Amelia looked up at York standing beside her.
He no longer wore his usual smile. His eyes were full of heartache and sadness.
"Forget about the past," he said. "Life's road is still very long."
Amelia looked at York before her.
He always seemed to know what she was thinking, and he was gentle and understanding with her.
This was a completely different feeling from William. Back when she was with William, it was about mutual support and moving forward together.
But York... he always seemed to appear at just the right time. With just a few words, he made her feel grounded and at ease.
If she were younger, if she hadn't been through so much, perhaps she would have longed for a passionate, earth-shattering romance.
But now, wounded and exhausted, she might yearn more for something simple and warm.
"What's wrong?" York asked softly.
Amelia shook her head.
She just suddenly had a feeling that she'd seen him somewhere before.
Not in business settings, but somewhere else.
"Haha, kitty!" Briar had taken advantage of the cat's inattention and suddenly grabbed it.
The cat looked like it wanted to push away but didn't use much force. Its paws rested lightly without extending its claws, looking helplessly toward the two of them.
The cat meowed, and Briar kept nuzzling it.
The person and cat rolled around together.
The two watching them both had smiles on their faces.
...
Time flew by quickly.
On the other side, Isabella and William had finished dinner.
It was completely dark now. William was taking Isabella back to Floral Haven.
They rode in silence.
William kept looking out the car window, while Isabella beside him kept messaging Zaid using her alternate account.
They exchanged many messages. Finally, Isabella sent—"So whether we can make a profit this time depends on how we both operate!"
After sending it, Isabella put away her phone.
She looked at William's profile and thought for a moment before saying with "concern," "William."
William withdrew his gaze and looked at her.
"William, I'll help you," Isabella said earnestly. "What she could do, I can do. What she couldn't do, I can do too."
But William just looked at her quietly.
"Trust me," Isabella smiled.
But what came to William's mind was Amelia by his side in the past, countless times when facing difficulties, she would grip his hand tightly.
They used to fight side by side, breaking through obstacles again and again.
But now, they stood on opposite sides.
Before his eyes appeared again those cold, decisive eyes she had when looking at him at the Brown Group earlier.
William's heart filled with sadness.
He had hurt her so deeply. If it weren't for the Martinez family and that bet with Isabella, she probably wouldn't even interact with him at all now.
He couldn't help wondering if he had made a mistake.
But at this point, there was no turning back.
He could only hold onto the Martinez family's things to trap her.
He could only keep going this way.
The car sped along toward Floral Haven.
At the same time.
An entertainment gossip site broke the latest news—
#York on a date with mysterious woman#
The accompanying photo showed two figures from behind.
It was by the riverside—York gently draping his coat over a mysterious woman's shoulders, his expression tender.
The night wind from the river blew through the woman's long hair. Her silhouette was beautiful, but her figure was hidden under York's coat, making it impossible to guess who she was.
All people could see was that even in the darkness, York's eyes were filled with extreme tenderness.