Chapter 272 Leave Now

Chapter 272 Leave Now

Sawyer stood in front of him and looked up.

Matthew was a good six inches taller than Sawyer, with broad shoulders and a tight jaw.

"Let's go." Sawyer's voice was quiet. "You've seen what you came to see."

Matthew didn't move.

"Abigail is doing well now," Sawyer said. "Better than she was with you. You know it."

Matthew's throat moved.

"I know you can't let her go." Sawyer went on. "But you need to ask yourself something—is it really her you can't let go of, or is it everything you failed to do for her?"

Matthew's fingers curled into a fist inside his pocket.

"Come on." Sawyer patted his arm. "I'll walk you out. And the evidence on Jeremy and his family that I asked you to pull together—is it ready?"

Matthew closed his eyes for a moment.

"It's ready. Nico has everything."

"Good." Sawyer's expression darkened. "Since he doesn't know when to back off and had the nerve to show up at a Hubbard family event with that bastard kid, the Gonzalez family won't be holding back."

Sawyer patted his arm again. "Let's go. I'll walk you out."

Matthew closed his eyes once more.

Then he turned and followed Sawyer toward the parking lot.

Nico walked behind them and quietly let out a breath.

The three of them moved through the corridor by the side entrance, the light from the main hall fading behind them, the noise slowly falling away.

Matthew's steps were heavy, like something was weighing him down.

He kept his head low and kept walking.

They had just reached the bend in the corridor when three people came around the corner toward them.

Jeremy. Hannah. Jason.

Jason was in a black suit, hair perfectly in place, holding a neatly wrapped gift box, with a polite and well-practiced smile on his face.

"Grandpa!"

His voice was pitched just right—loud enough to carry to both ends of the corridor.

"We're here to congratulate the Hubbard family."

Sawyer stopped.

Ryder, standing nearby, went quiet, his expression dropping.

Hannah had on a dark red dress with diamond earrings, her lips carefully done. When she smiled, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes moved with it.

"Dad, what a coincidence." She nodded at Sawyer. "Sorry we're a little late—we meant to get here earlier but hit some traffic."

Some coincidence.

The three of them, with a gift, showing up at a recognition banquet they were never invited to.

And calling it a coincidence.

Sawyer didn't respond. He didn't even look at her.

His eyes were on Jeremy.

Jeremy stood half a step behind Hannah, in a dark suit, leaning on a cane. He hadn't been out of surgery long—his face was pale, though he seemed steady enough.

"Dad, I know this is the Hubbard family's event. We're not here to cause trouble." Jeremy spoke up. "Jason wanted to bring Abigail a gift himself and say sorry. He knows he handled things badly. He knows that."

He gave Jason a pat on the shoulder.

"Right, Jason?"

Jason lowered his head on cue, looking sincere.

"Yeah, I wasn't thinking straight back then." Jason said. "I came today to apologize to Ms. Thomas in person."

He held the gift box out a little and raised his voice just slightly.

"Grandpa, just let me go in and say a few words to her. That's all. Then I'll leave."

The corridor connected to the main hall through a side door that was left half open.

Jason's voice slipped through the gap and reached the edge of the hall near the door.

A few guests standing nearby turned and looked over.

Sawyer stood where he was, his face unreadable.

He looked at Jason for a couple of seconds.

Then he spoke—not loud, but every word came through clearly.

"Who told you to come?"

Jeremy's expression stiffened.

"Dad."

"I'm asking who told you to come."

Sawyer said it again, same pace, same tone.

The corridor went quiet.

Hannah still had her smile on, but her eyes had started to shift.

Jason's hand stayed in the air, the gift box still held out, and nobody moved to take it.

"This is the Hubbard family's event." Sawyer tapped his cane on the floor. "Only people with invitations from the Hubbard family are allowed in. Which one of the three of you received an invitation?"

No one answered.

Because everyone there already knew the answer was none of them.

Jeremy's expression changed. His mouth opened like he was about to say something, but Hannah lightly tugged his sleeve.

"Dad, we're not here to make a scene." Hannah took over, her voice soft and soothing. "Jason just wants to apologize. He's been thinking a lot lately, and we felt as his parents that he needed to say it to her face."

"That's enough."

A voice came from the other end of the corridor.

Everyone turned.

Ethan walked out through the side door from the main hall. Abigail followed behind him. Craig came last and pulled the door shut behind them.

The corridor suddenly had more people in it.

Ethan walked over and stood beside Sawyer, his eyes moving across the three people in front of them before settling on the gift box in Jason's hands.

"Jason Gonzalez."

He used the full name.

Jason's smile slipped for half a second, then came back.

"Mr. Hubbard, I came today to—"

"You came today without an invitation." Ethan cut him off. "This is the Hubbard family's recognition banquet. It's not an open event. I put together the guest list myself and verified every name on it. Your name isn't on it."

He paused.

"Your father's name isn't on it, and neither is your mother's."

Hannah's fingers tightened around Jeremy's sleeve.

Jeremy pressed his lips together and brought his cane down hard on the floor.

"Mr. Hubbard, I wouldn't put it that way." Jeremy finally spoke. "What happened between Jason and Abigail was indeed his fault. But since today is Abigail's recognition banquet, and most people here have known each other in Marentis for years, it's only natural for him to come over, apologize, and give everyone a chance to move past this, isn't it?"

"Mr. Gonzalez." Ethan's voice stayed level. "When you talk about giving everyone a chance to move past this, who exactly is that for? For your son, or for my sister?"

Jeremy's words caught in his throat.

"I don't need anyone putting on an apology show at my sister's recognition banquet." Ethan took a step forward. "She's wearing a new dress today. It's the first time she's stood in front of her own family. And it's a day I've been waiting twenty-five years for."

His voice dropped.

"The three of you showed up at my event with no invitation, no notice, carrying a gift box, and you're telling me you're here to apologize?"

He looked at Jason.

"You want the whole room to watch you bow your head in front of my sister? So that tomorrow everyone's talking about how Jason from the Gonzalez family came in person to make things right, and Abigail still wouldn't forgive him?"

Jason finally lowered his hand.

He held the gift box at his side, his knuckles white from gripping it.

"That's not what I meant."

"What you meant doesn't matter." Ethan cut him off. "What matters is that you don't have an invitation."

He turned to Craig.

"See them out."