Chapter 185 The Green Family Breaks Off the Engagement
After Arabella left the coffee shop, Jennifer stood up with obvious displeasure. "Look how arrogant she's gotten! She never talked to me like that before. If you ask me, apologizing to her is a complete waste. She doesn't give a damn about us anymore!"
Anthony frowned. "Mom, don't forget the situation we're in."
Jennifer wasn't clueless about priorities, but ever since her husband left and her son took over the company, she hadn't been humiliated in years. Being forced to grovel to Arabella now? How could she stand it? Lately even her usually obedient son kept snapping at her. Frustrated beyond measure, she said tersely, "The Watson family's already in this state. If you want to remarry Arabella, fine—I won't object. But I'll only apologize to her this once. I won't bow to her again. As long as you keep me out of it, handle things however you want!"
She pulled out her phone and walked away, already making calls.
Anthony took several deep breaths, watching Jennifer exit the coffee shop. He forcibly suppressed his violent impulses. Right now, even though he felt like killing someone, the priority was solving this crisis.
He pulled out a business card—Gary's private contact that Rachel had gotten from Evelyn. When he dialed, a steady male voice answered. "Hello?"
"Mr. Green, this is Anthony. Do you have time? I'd like to meet with you."
Expecting a polite brush-off, Anthony was surprised when Gary paused then said, "Actually, I have something to discuss with you too. But I'm not in Majestic City right now, so..."
Anthony jumped in before he could finish. "No problem. Majestic City and Seaside City aren't far apart. I'll catch the next flight over."
Gary agreed. "Contact me when you land." No pleasantries, just hung up.
Anthony lowered his phone, not annoyed. He puzzled over Gary's words. What did Gary need to discuss? Had the Green family decided to bring the Watson Group into their projects? He couldn't think of anything else worth Gary personally addressing.
Outside, Jennifer climbed into a taxi while frantically trying to call someone. But Bruce's phone wouldn't connect. She grew increasingly anxious. Bruce always prioritized her calls—even in class, he'd answer immediately. What was going on today? She'd called dozens of times with no answer.
Worried he might be sick, she changed her mind about going home. "Driver, take me to a club instead."
At the club, a server greeted her warmly. "Jennifer! Here to see Bruce again?"
Jennifer forced a smile. "Bruce hasn't been answering his calls. I'm worried. Where is he?"
The server looked confused. "After you left this morning, he said he was going to find you. He left and hasn't come back. Wait—you two haven't been in touch?"
Jennifer's face went pale. She spun around and left immediately, calling Anthony.
He answered quickly, tone flat. "Mom, what is it?"
Jennifer's voice was cold. "Anthony, you promised not to touch Bruce."
"I didn't."
"Impossible! I checked with the club—he left right after me this morning. If you didn't do something, how could he just disappear?"
Anthony sounded exasperated. "Mom, he's a college student. Young and handsome. You really think he's devoted to you? These guys who sell themselves are just playing around. He's probably in some girlfriend's bed right now. Take it seriously and you've already lost."
"Don't use your cynicism to insult what Bruce and I have," Jennifer snapped. "He's different. His feelings for me are real."
Anthony just laughed, saying nothing.
"It really wasn't you?"
"I've been drowning in work lately. I don't have time for your drama."
Jennifer hung up, unconvinced. She asked the receptionist, "Do you know where Bruce lives?"
The receptionist shook her head apologetically. "No idea, sorry."
"Fine. When he shows up, tell him to call me. I'm worried sick." As Jennifer left the club, unease gnawed at her. Thinking of certain past incidents made her face go white. It couldn't be Anthony. Since he'd denied it, it definitely wasn't him. She kept telling herself that, over and over.
Meanwhile, Anthony caught the fastest flight to Seaside City.
Sitting across from Gary in his office, Anthony couldn't believe his ears. "Call off the engagement? Why?"
He'd thought Gary wanted to discuss business partnerships. Instead, right off the bat, Gary announced he was canceling Ethan and Rachel's wedding! Anthony rarely felt this rattled anymore, but cold sweat broke out across his back. The Watson family's current state was precarious at best. If the Green family marriage held, the Watsons could maintain their status temporarily. But if the Greens backed out? The Watson Group would collapse immediately. Those fair-weather shareholders wouldn't give him a chance.
Anthony forced himself to calm down. "Why cancel? Did Rachel do something wrong? Or did the Watson family offend you somehow?"
Gary, a cheerful middle-aged man, smiled and waved his hand. "Not your family's fault. Nothing to do with Rachel either. It's my boy—he agreed to everything, then suddenly changed his mind. What can I do? If I don't call it off, he'll disown me. Puts me in a tough spot."
Looking at Gary's relaxed smile, Anthony didn't think he seemed all that troubled.
"But we've already had the engagement party. Calling it off now..."
Anthony looked appropriately distressed. At this point, the Green family had clearly decided. He couldn't change their minds, so his only option was leveraging this for benefits. After all, breaking an engagement was the Green family's breach of etiquette. With the woman being rejected, her reputation took the hit—the Greens owed compensation.
Gary nodded understandingly. "Don't worry, this sudden cancellation is on us. How about this—remember those projects you were interested in before? If you're still game, I'll bring you in. Sound good?"
Anthony's heart soared. "Seriously?"
Gary smiled. "Of course! Like I said, breaking the engagement is the Green family wronging you. Whatever compensation I can offer, I will."
Anthony stood immediately. "You're too generous. Honestly, Rachel's background never quite matched your son's status. I'd been worried about problems down the line from the mismatch. Now that it's off, it's actually a relief."
Gary grinned. "Then it's settled. Wedding's canceled, and you're in on the Green family projects."
"Thank you for this opportunity." With his biggest worry finally resolved, Anthony's smile was genuine.
When he left Gary's office, his steps felt noticeably lighter.
Gary watched the door close and let out a quiet sigh of relief. Once the footsteps faded, he immediately grabbed his phone and dialed.
"Moris? I told Anthony exactly what Mr. FitzRoy instructed. Yeah, he's thrilled. The Watson family's backed into a corner—he desperately needs those projects to breathe."
"Right, I'll keep following Mr. FitzRoy's plan, get him deep into those projects, guide him to stake everything on them. Got it, I'll handle it!"
On the other end, Moris chuckled. "Mr. Green, when this wraps up, your reward will reflect your efforts. You know how we operate."
"Please tell Mr. FitzRoy I'll do everything in my power to help!"
After hanging up, Gary's grin nearly split his face. When Mr. FitzRoy's people had initially wanted Ethan to marry Rachel, he'd been reluctant. Who knew the situation would flip this fast? First Ethan voluntarily confessed he'd found someone he actually liked, then Mr. FitzRoy's team instructed him to lure Anthony into these new ventures.
Yesterday when he'd cautiously mentioned Ethan wanting to break the engagement, he'd expected pushback. Instead, Mr. FitzRoy had simply acknowledged it without objection. Perfect timing to dangle those projects as "compensation" for Anthony.
Sure, he couldn't spot any obvious issues with those ventures, but if Mr. FitzRoy had orchestrated this play, the trap would be flawlessly designed and devastating when it snapped shut.
Anthony was probably finished.
Back in Majestic City, Anthony told Rachel about the broken engagement.
She initially thought he was messing with her. "Break it off? How's that possible? Ethan and I are already engaged! The wedding date's set! If you're going to lie to me, at least make it believable."
Anthony had zero patience for explanations. "I personally flew to Seaside City. The Green family confirmed they're calling it off. Just prepare yourself—they'll probably announce it publicly soon."
Realizing he wasn't joking, Rachel's voice rose. "This is insane! I didn't do anything wrong. Why bail at the last second? What about my reputation?"
"The Green family's made their decision. We can only deal with it. To compensate for your loss, they're bringing us into some major projects. Once the company's stable, I'll transfer you spending money for a trip abroad."
"The engagement was fine! I told everyone in my social circle. Now it's off—how am I supposed to..." Anthony cut her off by hanging up.
Rachel sat there seething. After a long moment, her expression turned ugly. Everything had been fine until the Tucker family wedding. That's when the Greens had canceled. It had to be Arabella. That bitch must have said something to Lady FitzRoy, who then pressured Mrs. Green. Arabella!
Rachel grabbed her purse and bolted. She wasn't going to take this lying down. If Arabella thought this would make her roll over quietly, she had another thing coming.
That afternoon, Alexander parked outside Arabella's office and sent her a message. [I'm here.]
Seeing it, Arabella's chest tightened. Though she'd agreed to dinner with Chloe tonight, she hadn't expected Alexander to actually pick her up. Then again, she wasn't that surprised—this morning he'd boldly declared he had the right to pursue her.
Her mind churning, Arabella grabbed her bag and headed down. The moment she stepped outside, she spotted a crowd gathered by the curb, gawking at some limited-edition luxury car. A sinking feeling hit her, and sure enough—the car door opened and Alexander stepped out, waving at her with a smile.
Arabella pressed her lips together and climbed in under dozens of envious stares. If she'd known he'd show up in this flashy monstrosity, she would've just grabbed an Uber.
Alexander seemed to read her mind. "The car from this morning got totaled. I don't keep much in Majestic City—just a couple business vehicles. Figured showing up in one of those would be weird for picking you up, so I borrowed this from Blake."
All of Blake's cars followed one aesthetic—obnoxiously flashy. This was actually the most understated option in his garage.
Arabella didn't know what to say. She felt like since they were breaking up anyway, she shouldn't be too nice to him. So she replied flatly, "You don't need to explain yourself to me."
She'd expected him to look annoyed—after all, someone of his status getting attitude like that? Instead, Alexander just smiled indulgently. "Okay."
Arabella fell silent, thrown off balance.
Just then, aggressive banging erupted on the car door. The windows had one-way tint, so Arabella was shocked to see Rachel pounding away outside. What the hell was she doing here? How had Arabella managed to piss her off this time?
Alexander lowered the window, his expression cooling. "Can I help you?"
Rachel looked frantic. "Mr. FitzRoy, you have no idea what kind of person the woman you married really is, do you? She acts all innocent and sweet, but she's nothing but schemes underneath. She's done so many shady things—she doesn't deserve someone like you!"
"If you're interested, I can give you the full rundown on just how manipulative she is! She's only after your money. She doesn't love you at all!"