The door to the study swung open, and Thomas stood in the doorway. “I’ve shown them to the living room.”
Jayden nodded.
“Don’t worry, the situation has already been resolved. He can’t say anything now.” Jayden noticed the concern in Victoria’s eyes and reassured her.
Victoria lowered her raised eyebrows. “I’m not worried.”
“You never admit it.” Jayden held her hand. “Let’s go!”
In the living room, Landon sat on the elegant mahogany sofa, with tea being poured for him, and Warner stood behind him.
When Jayden approached, Landon stood up. “Jayden, this is a complete mess. I can only implore you.”
“Implore me?” Jayden burst into laughter. “Don’t tease me! Why would you implore me?”
Landon let out a heavy sigh. “If it weren’t for my two useless children, this would never have happened.”
“What happened?” Jayden pulled Victoria along and settled on the sofa opposite Landon.
The servant also served them tea.
“You didn’t watch the news today, did you?” Landon inquired.
“No.”
After retiring, Jayden had lost interest in keeping up with current events. He preferred spending his days in familiar routines with Victoria, engaging in calligraphy, taking walks, or playing chess.
“Perhaps you should take a look at this first.” Landon motioned for his son to show Jayden the news.
Warner handed him the phone.
As Jayden glanced at the news, he felt a twinge of surprise. It wasn’t the outrageous nature of the news that startled him, but rather the fact that the matter had unfolded within his own family. Why had it come to him?
With the Herbert family’s connections, it shouldn’t have been difficult to cover up such an incident.
“Landon, is it…” Jayden raised his head and locked eyes with Landon. “Could this have something to do with me?”
Why else would it have reached him?
Landon sighed again. “I’m not as fortunate as you. You raised a good son, retired early, and now you’re enjoying a peaceful old age. My children only bring trouble and infuriate me.”
“Landon, why are you saying that?”
Landon pointed to the child with blood on his face in the news. “This child, I’ve heard that he is the son of the woman Matthew liked. Maria believes that this woman broke off her engagement with Matthew. And… it’s embarrassing to admit… Sampson, in his hot-headedness, took a liking to this woman and resorted to kidnapping her child to pressure her into leaving Matthew.”
Landon deliberately avoided mentioning the heinous acts Sampson had committed and focused on the less severe aspects.
He didn’t mention that his own daughter had wanted to marry Matthew for the benefit of their family, nor did he bring up Sampson’s desire to marry the woman.
Those details would tarnish his reputation.
Jayden and Victoria exchanged glances.
Who was this woman?
And what was the story behind the child?
Wasn’t the reason their engagement had ended Dolores?
Since there were no photos of Dolores in the news, they were unaware that the woman in question was indeed Dolores.
Matthew had made sure that Dolores’ photo wasn’t published in the news article.
He didn’t want to drag her into such a scandal.
“This incident must have provoked Matthew, which is why I’m here,” Landon sighed once more. Even at his age, he found himself humbling before his peers due to his children’s foolishness. His heart felt uneasy.
“We both hold positions of reputation and status in society. If this gets out, I won’t be able to show my face anywhere. I wouldn’t have come to seek your help, but if a conflict arises between our families, it will only harm both of us, don’t you think?”
Landon was skilled in negotiation. He wasn’t begging for mercy, but he wanted to avoid a clash between the two parties that would disrupt the peace between them.
“You know my son’s temperament. If I could have controlled him, our engagement wouldn’t have ended back then.” Jayden wasn’t a fool. He couldn’t simply listen to Landon’s one-sided account and blindly agree or make promises.
Landon’s expression fell. Did Jayden truly not care about this? he wondered.
“Jayden, even though we couldn’t be in-laws, we have known each other for a long time. Do you really want to witness both families losing their peace over this minor incident?”
“Our Matthew isn’t an unreasonable person. Of course, if someone provokes him first, we won’t turn a blind eye. As you know, father and son have been at odds for a few years now. But we’ll do our best. We’ll call him tonight, understand the situation clearly, and offer our best advice.” Victoria spoke with a soft yet firm tone. Her initial statement implied that they had provoked Matthew and were at fault, while her concluding words made it clear that they did care, but it was a separate matter.
Landon was left speechless by her words.
“As long as both of you understand, it’s best to maintain peace,” Landon stood up.
“Of course, we don’t want to disrupt the peace,” Jayden assured.
Landon forced a reluctant smile. “I should be on my way now.”
“Stay for dinner,” Victoria suggested with a dignified smile.
“No, they’re waiting for me at home,” Landon declined.
“Thomas, see them out,” Victoria instructed. She chose not to personally escort them to the door. Regardless of what happens later, they must stand by Matthew’s side now.
Clearly, it was their own fault to begin with.
Victoria carefully chose her words to convey to Landon that if Matthew doesn’t let them go, it would be their own doing. They brought it upon themselves.
They also needed to acknowledge that their friendship had been damaged.
“No need to see us off,” Warner told Thomas as he headed toward the gate.
Thomas smiled and still opened the car door for Landon. “Madam asked me to see off the guests, how could I neglect my duty? Mr. Herbert, please!”
Landon glanced at him and got into the car.
Warner took the driver’s seat.
The car soon pulled out.
Watching the villa shrink in the rearview mirror, Landon exclaimed, “Matthew is truly smart, not without reason. When parents possess such high IQ, how could the son be foolish?”
He had just witnessed Jayden’s intelligence and strategic thinking.
“Dad, what are you talking about? Matthew’s biological mother is Jayden’s ex-wife,” Warner reminded him.
“Oh, right! Look at me, I’m getting old,” Landon held his forehead.
“Dad, what will happen if Jayden can’t persuade Matthew?” Warner expressed his concern.
Landon pondered for a while, considering all the options, weighing the pros and cons. However, he couldn’t bring himself to openly confront the Nelson family.
After all, they were now a powerful business force, and he couldn’t afford to offend them.
Engaging in a fight would only cause harm to his own family.
“The one who provokes is responsible,” Landon closed his eyes slowly.
It wasn’t that he was heartless; it was just that he couldn’t help but prioritize the well-being of his own family in this situation.
If Matthew refused to let them go, the situation would inevitably escalate.
In that case, the Herbert family’s reputation would be tarnished, which would have severe consequences for their jewelry business. They couldn’t afford the backlash from a boycott.
In the living room of the Nelson family…
Jayden leaned back on the sofa cushion, holding Victoria’s hand and gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. He squinted his eyes, lost in thought.
“Are you wondering who that woman is? And what about the child?” Victoria asked.
She, too, felt perplexed. Previously, she had believed that Matthew was interested in Dolores, but now there was another woman with a child involved.
This concerned her.
Jayden reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He spoke softly, “Don’t worry, I will go to the villa to speak with him.”
He intended to have a conversation with Matthew about this incident.