Chapter 148

Chapter 148

While America spans 3,796,742 square miles, there are only a handful of Marquess families — a little over a thousand. It's perfectly normal for Earls not to know each other, but Marquess families tend to have some connection, even if they're hundreds of miles apart.

On top of that, William had told her more than once before that if she ever ran into trouble, she could come to him anytime.

With that in mind, once the call went through, Rowan carefully brought up the invitation to William.

"What's going on?" William asked directly.

Rowan knew this wasn't something she could explain in a few words over the phone. She said quietly, "If you have some time, could we meet somewhere and talk?"

From her tone, William could tell she had something important to discuss. Thinking about how she had looked after Emily for the past eight years, he barely hesitated. He got out of bed and said, "Sure. You pick the time, and I'll come to you."

Rowan was thrilled. "Are you home right now? I can come pick you up."

"No need," William said with a smile. "Just tell me where, and I'll meet you there."

Rowan thought for a moment and chose a quiet coffee shop she often visited.

About half an hour later, the two met at the café.

Once they found a relatively secluded spot and sat down, William got straight to the point. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Rowan looked a little embarrassed. "The reason I reached out to you..."

She stopped mid-sentence. She didn't want to put William in an awkward position.

William gave a slight smile and said sincerely, "I told you before — come to me whenever you need help. Tell me what's going on. Is it a money issue, or something else?"

Rowan seemed to make up her mind. "Here's the thing. My family wants me to reach out to Mr. Tilden today to work out a business deal. But as you know, I've never been involved in the business side of things. And Mr. Tilden is the eldest grandson of the Tilden family, one of the six major Marquess families in Georgia — I have no connection with him whatsoever. From our time together, I get the sense that you know a lot of people, so I wanted to ask you privately whether you have any ties to the Tilden family."

At the mention of the Tilden family, William's brow furrowed slightly.

After the Garcia family was wiped out last time, Albert had mentioned that the Tilden family had already sent people to Novaria to investigate what happened. He hadn't expected that of all people, Rowan would now come to him asking about the Tilden family.

Figuring he'd have to deal with the Tilden family sooner or later, William let his frown ease and said with a smile, "I don't have any direct ties to the Tilden family. But I can go with you to see Patrick. With my help, maybe the Blair family can work something out with them."

He paused for a moment, then shifted gears with a curious look. "Ms. Blair, there's something I'm not sure I should bring up."

Rowan's face had already lit up now that William had agreed to help. Without hesitation, she said, "Go ahead, Mr. Brown. Given our relationship, I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

William gave a small nod. "From what I know, the Tilden family doesn't have the best reputation. If the Blair family is looking for a partner, wouldn't it make more sense to find a family in Georgia with a solid standing? Why go to the Tilden family specifically?"

Rowan let out a sigh. "Mr. Brown, the truth is, my father and I are both well aware of the Tilden family's reputation. But the situation right now is unpredictable, and the Blair family has been scraping by for years. If we can't find a powerful backer soon, and the fighting reaches our doorstep, we could end up just like the Garcia family and the Turner family — completely wiped off the map in Novaria."

William laughed and said confidently, "Ms. Blair, don't worry about that. As long as I'm here, the Blair family will never become the next Garcia family or Turner family."

Rowan looked at him with grateful eyes. "Of course, there's another reason. This morning..."

Over the next ten or so minutes, Rowan told William everything that had happened in the boardroom that morning, holding nothing back.

After listening, William thought it over and said, "If that's the case, let's go find Patrick right now."

Rowan's eyes were full of gratitude. She stood up and extended her hand. "Mr. Brown, I really can't thank you enough."

As they shook hands, William said plainly, "I do have to be upfront with you though — there's no guarantee this deal with the Tilden family will go through. But if it doesn't work out, don't worry. I'll introduce you to another family and help the Blair family find a partner."

Rowan nodded quickly. "Understood, Mr. Brown. Let's go find Mr. Tilden now."

With Rowan leading the way, the two arrived at noon at Crestwood Estates in Novaria — the neighborhood where the city's wealthiest residents lived.

They stopped in front of the most lavish villa in the area, and Rowan stepped forward to ring the doorbell.

The gate opened, and two bodyguards dressed in black came out to meet them.

They looked Rowan over, and one of them asked, "Miss, what can we do for you?"

Rowan stepped forward with a smile and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Rowan, daughter of Cade, Chairman of the Blair Group. I'm here to meet with Mr. Tilden to discuss a potential partnership."

The two bodyguards burst out laughing.

One of them said with a grin, "Ms. Blair, isn't that a little bold? Did you really think just anyone could walk up and see Mr. Tilden?"

Rowan kept her composure. "Could you please go inside and let Mr. Tilden know I'm here?"

The bodyguard waved her off. "Move along. Unless Mr. Tilden personally invites you, nobody gets through that gate."

At that moment, William stepped forward and looked at the two bodyguards, speaking slowly and clearly. "Go tell Patrick I have something to say — ask him if he wants to know the truth about what happened to the Garcia family."

The two bodyguards visibly froze, exchanged a glance, then both turned their eyes to William.

Before either of them could respond, a man's voice came through the intercom by the gate. "Let them in."

The two bodyguards immediately turned toward the camera and bowed respectfully. "Yes, sir."