They managed to spend a short time together in the yard before the old master went to look for them. The old madam could not spend so much time outdoors in her condition. She would have to head back into the house to rest.
Michael was with the old master. Hence, when Old Master Williams and the maid took the old madam into the house, only Michael and Elena remained in the yard, among the flower beds.
The old madam’s words still rang in Elena’s ears. “You must make Michael fall in love with you…”
Was that not an impossible mission, to make such a cold-hearted man fall for her?
She had pursued and yearned for his love in her past life. However, she got nothing back from him, even until the day she died. Why would she put effort into something that she knew to be futile?
Both of them strolled along the path between the flower beds. It looked as if they walked shoulder to shoulder, but there was no interaction between them. There were times when Elena wanted to peek at him, but whenever she was about to lift her head, she forced it down again in sadness.
He had been clear with her the night before that. They were only an alliance of contract. Since it was only a relationship on paper, she only needed to be friendly to him in public. If there were no one around, he might even shove her away had she tried to get closer to him.
Michael maintained his usual cold self. He did not try to get close to her, nor did he deliberately keep his distance. Elena took a deep breath to calm herself. Why could she not learn to be like the ascetic Master Williams?
Finally, they arrived at the backyard. The family had decided to have lunch in the yard, and so the garden was decorated and set up with chairs and tables for the event.
The old master and the old madam were not there, and thus the atmosphere in the backyard had been more lively. When she noticed that Michael had arrived, Tabby brought two of her friends to greet him.
“Where were you, brother? I have been looking for you.”
“Master Williams, my brother is here too, and he would like to meet you.”
“Master Williams, it is my pleasure to meet you. I am Lewis Hans from Golden Summit Group…”
Whenever there were people, they would always greet and welcome Master Williams. Sure enough, a crowd had gathered around him. That crowd had forced Elena out of the circle that enveloped him, but she did not feel like nudging her way back into it. She turned around and walked to the side. Then she took a glass of drink and had a tiny sip.
The Williams family’s feast was different than the parties in other families. Even a simple gathering would attract countless uninvited guests. The family feast was arranged in the evening, and that was only a warm-up with pre-dinner drinks.
She was about to look for a place to sit down quietly. She did not expect to hear a familiar voice from behind her.
“Is this Michael’s Eldest Young Madam? Why are you here all alone? Has my brother abandoned you?”
Elena felt uneasy when she heard the voice. Since he hated her so much, why could he not keep his distance from her? She kept her hold on her drink. She pretended as if she did not hear anything and continued to walk away.
Suddenly, a towering figure darted toward her and blocked her way.
“Ugly bitch! Michael doesn’t want you anymore. Why are you acting so stuck up?”
Since she could not avoid him, Elena turned and looked at him reluctantly. A group of girls still surrounded Michael. He held a glass of wine in his hand, and he was in the midst of a conversation with two men.
Every time Master Williams said something, the girls around him would revel in his words. Elena could not deny that the eldest young master had that ability, but she was put off by their behavior. Had they not seen a man before? Did they not know that he was already engaged?
“So, what happened? Were you abandoned in just two days?”
Dylan leaned against the table and stared at Elena’s annoyed face. He liked seeing her in a bad mood. He enjoyed it whenever she suffered.
“You should have predicted this. How could someone with a face like yours be with Master Williams?”
He looked on at the figure from a distance. He did not want to admit it, but it was the truth.
“Master Williams’s appearance, temperaments, identity, and status. Could you measure up to any of his characteristics?”
“You’re right. How could I ever be his match?” Elena shrugged in disdain. “Even so, I have become his fiancee. Life is so unfair, don’t you think so?”
With a somber expression, Dylan stared at her hideous face.
“Ah, the world is unfair, indeed. You have worked so hard to overtake him, but Master Williams does not even want to be compared to you.”
Suddenly, he broke into a mirthless smile. Her words had hit his sore spot. “Some things come naturally. For example, someone did not even need to study hard, but his results were always better than yours. And you…”
She took a step forward abruptly. Miraculously, Dylan retreated half a step.
“And you. You studied hard day and night because you thought that your hard work could surpass his. However, over the years, you have never overtaken him, not even once.”
“After graduation, when you started working, you’ve exhausted all your connections and got the best position you can from Old Master Williams. However, your performance was unsatisfactory.”
“Whereas for Master Williams, he never wanted to work in Williams Group. He nominally put his name in there just for the sake of the old madam’s peace of mind.”
“However, over the years, even when he had only spent one-tenth of the time you spent in Williams Group, he had achieved results that were ten-fold better than yours!”
“Shut up!” Dylan clenched his fist tightly. It seemed like he had almost thrown punches at her!
“Bitch! Stop your nonsense! I could beat you with just one punch if you continue with your gibberish again, do you believe it?”
“Second Young Master Williams, is that all that you can do? Are you only capable of bullying the ladies?”
Heck, I dare you to bully Master Williams!
Elena had not wanted to provoke him, but the Williams family’s second young master had tried to find faults with her every time they met. He wanted an opportunity to humiliate her.
She was not a benevolent person. The sight of those girls around her fiance also angered her. It seemed like the second young master had picked a bad time to step all over her.
“I advise you to control your anger. Old Master Williams and Grandmother are home.”
Elena felt weary, and so she walked around him. Dylan could only stare at her back. His fists were balled tightly, but he did not release them.
It was true that he would not dare to do anything since the old master and the old madam were around!
He had finally accomplished some good results in Williams Group, and it was a rare achievement! He was not like Michael, who could do good for the company with only some brain teasers. He had done rigorous hard work for every single one of his achievements!
God had not been fair to him. He had lived with injustice for more than twenty years! It was bad enough that Michael had made him suffer indignity, but who did that ugly bitch think she was? How could she treat him the same?
“Do you care for your friend?” Suddenly, he released his clenched fists and scoffed. “The one called Layla?”
Elena stopped in her tracks. She turned around and stared at his face with a grim look. “What did you say?”
“I heard that she was admitted to the hospital because she was shocked by a little prank. She is still alive, right?”
He leaned against the side of the table as his lips twisted into an evil grin. “She is so timid. If she was scared a couple more times, do you think it would… Do you think it would kill her?”