Chapter 401 Summer was quietly on its way, with the midday sun scorching the cement ground and its heat sneaking into the nostrils.
Meanwhile, at the Landor Group.
Edward had arrived at the company early in the morning. Recently, he had been experiencing consecutive nights of insomnia, unable to wrap his head around certain matters. Finally, last night, he managed to organize his thoughts and was prepared to take action today.
Regardless of the outcome, he had to give it a try this time. Otherwise, it would remain an unknown variable.
A man walked through the entrance of the Landor Group. He wore sunglasses and a black short-sleeved shirt. He exuded: casual yet rebellious air. He looked handsome but not easy to get along with.
He strode up to the front desk and tapped the desktop a few times. “I'm here to see Edward.” The receptionist looked up at the casually dressed man with an air of indifference. His impolite address for the boss made her think he was some hooligan. “I'm sorry, do you have an appointment? If not, | might not be able to announce your presence.” “You're doing your job really good, just like Trevon’s receptionist, he said.
a She didn’t quite catch whether his words were a compliment or an insult, but since she didn’t understand, she didn’t dare to speculate. She couldn't afford to take risks. If anything went wrong, she’d be held responsible.
Frank had initially planned to head upstairs, but it seemed Edward would have to come down himself. Edward's office was not easily accessible.
Leaning lazily against the front desk. Frank rested one hand on it and tilted his body, taking out his phone and dialing Edward's number. The call was quickly answered. The voice on the other end was still as gentle as ever, but it sounded particularly grating now.
Perhaps his sister had been bewitched by this sophisticated charm.
Frank didn’t give Edward a chance to speak and cut to the chase. “Mr. Landor, it’s not easy to go visit your office.” Edward immediately understood, guessing that Frank was currently downstairs. Without any hesitation, he responded, “I'll come down.” Frank was quite satisfied with this response. Edward hadn't said he would call the front desk. Instead, he implied that he would come down himself.
After hanging up the phone, Frank nonchalantly stood at the front desk, playing with his phone. He didn’t say another word to the receptionist.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBefore long. Edward did indeed come down. He was dressed in a crisp and well-ironed silver-grey suit, wearing glasses that perched on his nose. Even from a distance, he exuded an air of refinement and dignity completely different from Frank's aura.
He walked purposefully toward Frank.
The two men were nearly the same height, with only a one-year age difference between them.
Edward adjusted his glasses and said courteously, “I apologize for the wait.” It was worth pondering why Frank had come to see him so early in the morning. There was no doubt that it was something important. This was a rare event, like snowfall in the desert.
Before turning away. Edward took a moment to instruct the receptionist. “In the future, when Mr. Roberts comes to the company, he can take the dedicated elevator and doesn’t need to report.” “Understood, Mr. Landor” Walking ahead, Frank suddenly spoke, “Such special treatment. Mr. Landor, are you seeking something?” Edward sneered. Perhaps he really was seeking something. He hadn't expected Frank to come charging in so quickly, catching him off guard.
He didn’t even know if he could proceed according to his plan.
Side by side, the two of them arrived at Edward's office, with Frank's steps slowing slightly as he walked behind. Edward opened the door, and Frank followed suit.
They naturally took their seats on the sofa, making themselves comfortable. Frank glanced around the simple room, which had a very minimalistic style. Even the sofa lacked unnecessary throw pillows, It was clean and tidy.
Edward was quite polite, walking over gracefully and asking, ‘Still water or coffee?” “Water.” Frank didn’t have the habit of drinking coffee in the morning unless he hadn't fully woken up and needed it to stay 08:521 alert.
Edward poured a glass of water and personally placed it in front of Frank, saying, “It's freshly boiled, so it might be a little hot.” He really was attentive.
Frank leaned back on the sofa in a casual posture. Edward sat across from him, waiting for Frank to speak.
“Today, | mainly came to ask you about something. | hope you'll give an honest answer” Frank cut to the chase. He wasn't one to beat around the bush.
Edward was just as straightforward. He nodded, saying. “Please go ahead, Mr. Roberts.” Apart from matters of cooperation, the only connection between them was likely Rose. Edward had this inkling.
And indeed, the next moment confirmed his suspicion. Frank was indeed very direct. “I heard that you went to Artroyland with my sister and took good care of her. | also heard that you saved her. Can | ask, Mr. Landor, was it purely an act of heroism, a mere coincidence, or a carefully orchestrated coincidence?” Frank fired off a series of direct questions at Edward, who remained composed. He casually adjusted his glasses, looking even more sophisticated. He wasn’t in a rush as he answered. “It was a coincidence as well as an aspiration of my heart.” What a response. A coincidence as well as an aspiration of his heart.
Frank chuckled and leaned back on the sofa. His gaze fixed on Edward's eyes, trying to see through the lenses to glimpse any emotions beneath, to detect the truth from his expression.
Edward said, “Mr. Roberts, you came here today to find out whether | deliberately approached Miss Roberts or if it was a coincidence. You also want to know what's my thoughts. Am | correct?” Frank was direct and straightforward. Edward didn’t pretend and knew his true thoughts.
Frank replied. “You could say that. It seems you know the purpose of my visit, so why not share your thoughts?” Silence. Edward had never revealed his innermost thoughts to anyone except for Kyle. At this moment, Frank was another exception. There was no avoiding it. After all, he was Rose’s older brother.
After about half a minute, Edward answered truthfully, “I think I've fallen for your sister.” Hearing this response, Frank didn’t seem surprised. Trevon had shown him pictures, and Edward had indeed been protecting Rose. Frank slightly parted his lips and squinted before asking straightforwardly, “Do you understand your feelings? Do you understand what you just said?” Frank didn’t hold back and immediately tried to expose Edward. Have you completely removed Natalie from your heart? She's completely out of the picture now?” “If I were to tell you right now that I've completely removed her from my heart, that | see her as a younger sister from the past until now, do you believe me?” Edward asked in return.
After contemplating for several nights, Edward had figured things out quite clearly. His thoughts were fully consumed by Rose now Before going to bed, he would habitually check Rose’s ‘social media posts. If she hadn't posted anything, he would wonder if she was feeling down that day.
Edward's various behaviors should have made it clear to everyone. If Edward himself didn’t understand it, he would be foolish.
He had initially planned to send a message to Rose after handling his affairs today to let her know his thoughts. However, Frank's sudden appearance had thrown him off course.
Frank replied, “What do you think? | have some doubts, but | believe that you like my sister. I'm not blind. Your rescue at the hospital wasn't a coincidence, and going to Artroyland wasn't either.” Without feelings involved, only a fool would abandon everything and chase after a woman.
Edward discerned from Frank's tone that he didn’t want to obstruct anything but wanted to delve into his inner thoughts.
With this understanding. Edward’s mind cleared up a lot. He smiled with a hint of mischievousness and asked, “Mr. Roberts, may | pursue your sister? “I'm sincere, with no ulterior motives.” Edward reassured Frank.
“You're not pursuing me. Do you really need my approval?” Frank shot him a glare, picked up his glass, blew on the hot water, and took a sip. Talking so much early in the morning was indeed a bit tiring.
Frank's intention in coming here wasn’t to stop anything. He just wanted to confirm whether Edward liked Rose. He wanted to know if Edward's heart was truly open. As for the rest, he had no plans to interfere.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIt wasn't easy for his younger sister to develop feelings for someone, and Edward wasn’t seen as a bad catch in Frank's eyes.
At the very least, Edward looked refined and wouldn't be abusive.
Rose had an open and carefree personality. When she got angry, she would shop like crazy. Edward seemed like the kind of person who could help her open packages.
There was a moment of silence before Frank continued. “Are you capable of doing manual labor, like opening packages, for example?” The atmosphere suddenly shifted, and Frank's unexpected question left Edward baffled.
Edward furrowed his brow and asked. “What do you mean?” As Frank finished his glass of water and set it down, he continued. “Since you like my sister, let me tell you about the shortcomings of our family’s young lady. When she goes crazy, there are no limits. Her shopping desires can explode, and there's no limit to how much she can spend. She comes from a well-off family, and you'll be dealing with all sorts of strange things every day. Are you sure you want to be with someone who will disrupt your rhythm at any moment?“ “Mr. Roberts, don’t you have a girlfriend too? Didn't you find someone with a different personality? Maybe I'm like you and fell for a girl with a different personality from me?” Edward retorted.
Frank had no words to retort against this argument. He understood everything he needed to. He stood up and turned to leave.
But before he reached the door, he gave a solemn reminder. “Rose has had an unhappy past, and she wasn’t as joyful as she is now. She can’t accept a heart that holds feelings for two people. Mr. Landor, if you can’t handle that, don't disturb her.” “I understand. | won't let her entertain any thoughts of self-harm again. | can assure you of that,” Edward replied.
Hearing this. Frank paused at the door for a few minutes as if he was thinking about something. He said, “Remember your words.” He left these words before he left.
After Frank left. Edward was alone in the room. He lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, eyes narrowed in contemplation.
He replayed all of Frank's words in his mind.
Just a few minutes into his thoughts, the quiet environment was interrupted by the sound of the door being pushed open. Kyle entered, having seen Frank arrive earlier and pause at the door for several minutes. Noticing that there was no commotion inside, he moved on..
However, Frank and Edward spent some time in conversation. Kyle couldn’t fathom what they had to discuss. The dock contract had already been signed, and there shouldn't be a need for extended contract negotiations.
Concerned, he asked, “Is something wrong? Do you need me to handle something?” Edward opened his eyes, adjusted his suit, and stood up. The room was air-conditioned, maintaining a spring-like temperature.
“There’s not that much going on. Are you just bored?” Feeling much more at ease after coming to terms with his feelings. Edward could now even crack a joke with Kyle. And, of course, Kyle, being observant, picked up on it. “What happened? You seem to be in a good mood.” “It's alright,” Edward replied. After all, Frank hadn't indicated any intention of obstructing him from pursuing Rose.
“You're free. Should | find something for you to do?” Edward urged Kyle to leave.
Not taking offense at being urged to leave, Kyle chuckled and said. “Sure, you busy yourself. | hope you're always this busy. I'm heading out.” Edward picked up his phone and leaned back in his chair. For the first time, he was not working during work hours. Playing with his phone, he clicked on Rose's profile picture, preparing to type a message, and organizing his thoughts before putting them into words.