Chapter 309 If You Dare to Snatch the Bride, I'll Go with You

Chapter 309 If You Dare to Snatch the Bride, I'll Go with You

"Really? Congratulations."

Michael's face lit up with surprise as he was the first to raise his glass, clinking it directly against Luke's.

"This toast is for you and Miss Ramirez - may you have a hundred years of happiness together."

Luke first took the fruit juice handed to him by the waiter and personally filled Lyra's glass.

His gesture was intimate.

Then both raised their glasses together, clinking with Michael's.

Evelyn muttered something under her breath and set down her wine glass.

"Excuse me for a moment."

She turned and walked away, not wanting to stay another second.

She needed some fresh air.

The elevator descended from the fourth floor to the first. As soon as the doors opened, cold wind rushed in.

She stood at the lobby entrance, watching the fine curtain of rain outside. The chill made her shiver violently.

She'd only had two small glasses of brandy, yet her chest burned fiercely, and her eyes felt hot and swollen...

She didn't want to stay in that place.

Even less did she want to see Luke and Lyra standing together.

"If you don't go back soon, that little assistant of yours is going to be drunk under the table."

A familiar male voice spoke behind her.

Who else could it be but Luke?

When had he followed her out?

Evelyn's cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, making them particularly noticeable in the cool air.

"Shouldn't Mr. White be upstairs taking good care of Miss Ramirez instead of having time to come down here?"

Her tone was sharp, carrying a cold edge.

Luke didn't answer. He leisurely lit a cigarette, smoke curling from his thin lips, blurring his handsome features.

Only then did he ask casually, "Jealous?"

Evelyn snorted coldly. "Jealous? Are you worth it? Don't overestimate yourself."

Luke watched her stubborn act, his deep eyes boring into her.

"Evelyn, do you still love me?"

Evelyn froze completely.

She quickly recovered her cold expression. "Mr. White, you're about to get engaged to Miss Ramirez, and now you're asking your ex this kind of question. Don't you think that's particularly ridiculous?"

"Ex?" Luke repeated the word, his lips curving into a mocking smile.

"Evelyn, have I ever been your ex? Have you ever acknowledged my identity to any friends or family?"

"Wasn't I always just the bed partner who couldn't see the light of day?"

Evelyn's breathing hitched.

She had nothing to say because everything he said was true.

She forced herself to take a deep breath, pushing down the churning stuffiness in her chest.

"Luke, whatever happened between us in the past, whoever was right or wrong, none of it matters anymore."

"Since you already have someone you love, I wish you happiness."

After listening, Luke stubbed out his cigarette and suddenly stepped closer to her.

The cold air and tobacco scent from his body instantly surrounded her.

"Evelyn, you can choose not to want Luke."

His voice was pressed very low, carrying a hint of hatred.

"But will you also abandon Hawk?"

Evelyn's heart jolted violently.

Was there a difference between these two men?

Luke saw through her thoughts at a glance, the disappointment in his eyes too thick to dissolve.

"Weren't you the one who cried and begged to find Hawk? Now he's back, standing right in front of you, alive and breathing, and you want to discard him like trash."

"Don't put on that pitiful victim act. Tell me, who really wronged whom?"

Evelyn was struck speechless by his questions. Suddenly, she changed the subject: "Have you slept with her?"

Luke fell silent.

He just looked at her, his gaze complex.

"What answer do you want to hear?" he asked back.

"The truth!" she demanded stubbornly.

"No." Luke's answer was crisp and decisive.

But he immediately added, "However, after the engagement, that's hard to say. After all, I'm also a normal man, and you know this very well."

Evelyn's fists clenched tightly, her sharp nails nearly embedding into the soft flesh of her palms.

She didn't dare think about it, couldn't bear to imagine him entangled with another woman.

Luke's tone suddenly softened.

"Evelyn, I'm putting the choice in your hands now."

His gaze locked onto hers, each word clear and distinct.

"As long as you dare to crash the wedding, I'll leave with you."

Evelyn's pupils contracted sharply.

What did he mean by this?

"Luke, is marriage just a game to you?" she asked in disbelief.

"But in your eyes, I'm not even worthy of being a game," he replied quickly, even with a hint of a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes.

Luke uttered another sentence, like a final ultimatum.

"Evelyn, there are only five days left."

"If you don't come, we'll never see each other again."

With that, he stopped looking at her, turned, and strode away with long steps.

His tall figure disappeared resolutely at the elevator.

Evelyn stood frozen in place, the icy air penetrating her limbs.

He was forcing her.

Forcing her to make a choice.

He was betting his entire second half of life on one decision from her.

That night, Evelyn tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Finally, she called Emma.

At that moment, Emma was being pursued by Nicholas. They were in bed, the atmosphere charged with desire, on the verge of passion.

The phone's ringtone rang out abruptly, breaking the room's sensual mood.

"The phone's ringing. Quick, let me go."

Emma tried to reach for the phone.

Nicholas grabbed her slender wrist, his eyes deep and dark.

"Don't answer it."

His voice carried the huskiness of just having bathed, particularly alluring.

"Let me go. It's Evelyn calling. There might be something wrong at home." Emma grew anxious, struggling a bit.

Nicholas gazed at her domineeringly, his thin lips curving into an arc.

"Then, will you give me extra benefits later?"

Emma bit her lip, her cheeks flushing crimson.

"Fine. Give me the phone."

Only then did Nicholas release her hand, passing her the phone while casually grabbing a bathrobe and walking leisurely to the balcony to smoke.

The balcony door wasn't closed tightly, and the night breeze carried the faint scent of tobacco into the room.

Emma talked for a long time.

When Nicholas finished his cigarette and came back in, her expression was somewhat heavy.

He embraced her from behind, his warm lips falling on her snow-white neck, kissing delicately, causing Emma an indescribable tingling sensation.

Emma pushed at him with her hand.

But he stubbornly pressed closer again, like a clingy big cat.

After hanging up, Emma asked a question.

"Did you know Luke is getting engaged?"

Nicholas's movements paused slightly, somewhat surprised.

"They're moving that fast?"

Emma turned around to look at him and added another sentence.

"But the person he's getting engaged to isn't Evelyn."

"It's a woman named Lyra."

She stared into Nicholas's eyes. "Do you know this woman?"

Nicholas was stunned for a moment, then replied seriously for once, "I've heard of her, never met her. Surname Ramirez, should be from Novaria's the Ramirez family."

Emma looked completely dejected.

"How did Luke just fall for someone else? Doesn't he want Sadie and Annie anymore?"

Nicholas scooped her up horizontally and strode toward the hydrotherapy pool upstairs.

His deep voice resonated in her ear.

"I think it's Evelyn who doesn't want Luke."

"Luke's heart is hurting, so he just grabbed someone random to get engaged to. It must be like that."

His analysis actually sounded quite reasonable.

"You need to talk some sense into her. Don't be too willful. There won't be a second Luke in this world."

Emma instinctively tightened her arms around his neck, her cheek pressed against his solid chest.

"Honey, let's go back tomorrow. I'm a bit worried about her."

"That depends on how you please me tonight."

Nicholas gently placed her in the warm hydrotherapy pool. As ripples spread across the water, his tall frame pressed close as well.

"If I'm satisfied, I might consider letting you leave early."

His eyes held undisguised mischief.

Emma proactively wrapped her arms around his neck, offering her kiss, her small hands boldly wandering over his firm abs.

Before long, Nicholas was completely captivated.

This little vixen was getting better and better at this.

He melted her entirely in that pool of churning warm water.

The night was deep.

Their last night on Happy Island was filled with passion.

It was a glorious chapter of their lives.

...

The next day at the company, Evelyn was completely listless.

She sat at her workstation, staring blankly at her computer screen, unable to focus on a single word in the documents.

This state was completely inconsistent with her usual persona of being confrontational and full of energy.

But whenever she thought of Luke's face, she felt terrible all over, her mind a complete mess, full of confusion.

At noon.

Daryl couldn't stand watching anymore and took her to her favorite Michelin restaurant.

The table was filled with exquisite dishes, from escargot to beef Wellington, aromatic and appetizing.

But Evelyn just held her knife and fork, absent-mindedly poking at the food on her plate, with no real appetite.

Daryl watched her listless appearance and spoke up.

"I'm planning to transfer you to a different position. Which department would you prefer?"

Her performance in the business department had been outstanding, and now she had graduated from that role. He wanted her to continue training in other departments so she could take over the company as soon as possible.

Evelyn was stunned for a moment, looked up, her eyes showing no emotion.

"You're the chairman. Whatever you arrange is fine. I'm good with anything."

Daryl was fairly satisfied with this answer and nodded.

"Having you say that is enough. Just don't come complaining to me if you're unhappy with the work later."

Evelyn finally showed some reaction, looking up at her father.

"Don't worry, I won't."

"At most, I'll complain to Mom."

Daryl fell silent.

She cut off a small piece of steak and slowly put it in her mouth, then added,

"Can I take my assistant with me?"

Daryl raised an eyebrow, his eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"Want to use the back door?"

He leisurely swirled the red wine in his glass, his tone carrying some teasing.

"It's not impossible, but finish everything on the table."

Evelyn's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Do you think I'm Nina?"

At the mention of this name, the smile on Daryl's face faded.

He sighed and gently set down his wine glass.

"I wonder how she's doing now. Your mother and I really miss her."

Seeing her father's expression suddenly turn melancholy, Evelyn's heart softened.

She forced a smile.

"She's fine, don't worry. Someone's taking special care of her. She can eat and drink, full of energy."

"You know where she is?" Daryl's expression immediately brightened, his body leaning forward slightly, his face full of surprise.

Evelyn deliberately kept him in suspense, blinking mischievously.

"When you and Mom have a third child, she'll come back to help you babysit."

"Are you teasing me?"

Daryl was amused by her, reaching across the table to skillfully pinch her beautiful cheek as a small punishment.

Evelyn immediately rolled her eyes at him, covering her face.

"Oh my, I'm so old now, and you're still pinching my cheeks. Is that appropriate? Do you still think I'm that 140-pound little chubby girl?"

Before age sixteen, Evelyn had indeed been chubby. Later, when she fell for Daniel, she lost the weight.

Daryl withdrew his hand, his gaze becoming gentle.

He sighed softly, "In Dad's heart, you'll always be that most adorable little chubby girl."

This sentence finally completely lifted Evelyn's gloomy mood.

She broke into a brilliant smile.

Little did they know, this warm scene was being observed by a fashionably dressed woman from a corner not far away.

She quietly raised her phone, aimed it at them, took several photos, and revealed a meaningful smile...