Evie, standing aside, looked utterly dumbfounded.
Westley said softly, "Don't worry, Eden. I'm fine,"
Eden blinked rapidly in disbelief before masking his stunned reaction.
Evie was about to leave when Westley suddenly asked, "May I ask why you were running so frantically?" Evie hesitated, unsure of how she should reveal what was going on to this man. She noticed his lingering gaze fixed on her wedding dress and couldn't help but move a step backward.
Seeing she wasn't speaking, he said in a surprisingly gentle voice, "You should be more careful next time, Miss."
Evie nodded obediently like a puppy. She never expected him to be this form of a gentleman, but rather a domineering tyrant, which she had guessed he was, according to rumors.
Westley was essentially a stranger to her. She had never met him in person but had only seen him in daily business newspapers, magazines, TV, and on the Internet.
However, Evie drifted her gaze to Eden, standing beside his boss, and was shocked to see his mouth wide open in surprise. She quickly looked away, pretending not to have noticed him.
Ring! Ring!
Eden's phone began to ring. He took out his phone from his pocket and checked the caller ID.
"Master Lu, it's Miss Mo. She might have arrived and got inside the Civil Affairs Office, waiting for you," Eden said, amusingly.
Westley firmly nodded.
He then turned, leaving Evie behind, and walked towards the entrance of the Civil Affairs Office.
"Answer the call, she might want to tell us where she is, inside the Civil Affairs office."
Eden instantly did as he was told, but after a few conversations with Miss Mo, his face turned blank in confusion as he scurried to keep up with Westley. "Master Lu, Miss Mo said I should give you the phone," Eden said.
He hushed, "She's on the line."
Westley snatched the phone. "What is it?" He snapped, barely keeping his temper in check because she was an hour late to their marriage registration.
"Westley," Miss Mo said flatly, with none of her usual sweet tones. "I'm not coming."
Westley's jaw clenched. "Don't be ridiculous. We have a marriage registration appointment. Everything is set."
"No," she insisted, and that one word just hung there, heavy with finality. "I'm not marrying you, Westley. Not now. Not ever."
Blood drained from Westley's face. He stopped dead in his tracks. Never in his life did he expect this kind of thing to happen to him.
Basically, he had everything he thought every woman ever wanted from a man: wealth, charm, and fame. What else would they actually need apart from those?
"What are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke?" He demanded, stupefied.
"Do I sound like I'm joking?" She responded in a serious voice. "I've been thinking, Westley. Really thinking. And I have come to realize that I can't do it. We're just not right for each other. And honestly," she paused.
Westley could practically hear her taking a deep breath over the phone, "I don't think you're ready for marriage. Not with anyone."
Westley opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The phone just slipped from his numb fingers and clattered onto the pavement.
Eden rushed to pick it up, his face totally shocked.
Westley stared at the doors of the Civil Affairs Office, which now seemed to mock him. He had spent an hour waiting at the marriage registry, only to be utterly rejected by the woman he was supposed to marry
The carefully constructed foundation of his life, his image, and his control, was now crumbling. If not for the pressure he was getting from the company board and his family, he wouldn't have even bothered remaining single for the rest of his life. But because his position as the President of the Lu Group was on the line, he had to search for a woman from an elite family. That was when he came across Miss Mo, who made him feel a bit settled by promising him a marriage after six months of their relationship, which had eventually ended in a crash.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go…. Not for Westley.
He felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead and couldn't believe he had been played so easily.
Turning to Eden, he said coldly, "Drive me home. Tell the board I've decided to resign as the president of Lu Group since I'm no longer getting married." He issued the command with a look of total indifference.
Evie, who had been eavesdropping on Westley's conversation on the phone with his fiancée all this time, felt pity for him. She was, however, stunned that they were both caught up in the same dilemma and were completely heartbroken.
It was quite unfortunate because Westley Lu, the most powerful figure in the country, had just been played by his fiancée to the point that she made him wait in the Civil Affairs office for minutes without even showing up, only for her to reveal her lack of interest in their relationship at the very last minute.
Nobody would believe this, not even Evie herself. Everyone knows that countless girls are willing to cater to his taste and throw themselves at him, so why would anyone even think of playing him, a powerful man?
Watching Westley walk past her with Eden at his side, a weird idea suddenly popped into Evie's head, making her eyes go wide.
Since she was looking for a way to avenge herself for all the mess her betrayers had put her into, she didn't hesitate to take the risk she was considering. After all, the country's most feared person was just about to drop his position because of heartbreak and not getting married within the time frame his board gave him.
Maybe this could even work out for him, too? She reasoned.
Taking a deep, long breath, Evie immediately put on her heels and then rushed towards Westley. She gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder from behind.
Westley froze, and his shoulders tensed.
He slowly turned, his icy narrowed gaze landing on Evie, who now stood boldly, though breathless, in front of him.
He asked in a low voice, "Is there a problem, Miss?"
Eden, on the other hand, frowned deeply. He wondered why this woman was such a trouble to his master and began to think of what she was up to this time.
Evie's eyes locked with Westley. She dug her nails into her palm to maintain her composure and slowly moved closer to him in confidence.
"Mr. Lu, it seems we're both victims of circumstance. My groom has abandoned me for my sister, and your fiancée has run away. Why don't we turn this awkward situation into an opportunity?" She smiled boldly. "Let's get married, right here, right now!"