John’s lips curled in distaste. “It seems like you’re not aware, but I, John Stovall, always do whatever I like. These are my final words to you. Don’t ever appear before me. If I see you coming to the Stovall residence or my company again, don’t expect to get away unscathed. I can get really creative when it comes to tormenting people, so you better do as I say.”
Tears rolled down Yvonne’s cheeks as she stared at John pitifully. “John, I don’t know what I did wrong, but don’t force me to leave. Just tell me what I did wrong and I’ll immediately change. As long as you don’t make me leave, I’ll do whatever you ask me to do!”
Irritated by her persistence, John sneered, “Are you sure you’ll do whatever I ask you to do?”
Yvonne nodded profusely. “Yes! As long as you don’t force me to leave!”
“Then just die,” John ordered, behaving like a ruffian. He was never one to think before speaking. Hence, he had said that to her on a whim.
Thinking he was being serious, Yvonne peered at him expectantly. “Does this mean I can stay by your side as long I die?” She looked like she was actually taking his words seriously.
John nodded and cocked a brow. “Yes. Go on, then.”
With that, he looked past her at Ashton and me. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
Before we could respond, a loud noise came from the pond outside Stovall Corporation, and following that, we saw the water inside splash a few meters high.
I realized with a start that it was Yvonne. Whipping my head toward John, I exclaimed, “I think she jumped in!”
John glanced back fleetingly but remained aloof as he replied blandly, “Mm, I guess so. C’mon, let’s go for lunch now.”
Then, he walked out without a care in the world. Ashton didn’t even bat an eyelash. Meanwhile, I was flabbergasted.
Similar to me, the security guards outside and the front desk personnel were taken aback. Looking dumbly at the pond, one of them cautiously asked, “Mr. Stovall, how should we deal with this?”
John’s brows knitted together in annoyance. “Deal with it as you see fit, of course. Send her to the hospital if she doesn’t die and if she does, call the funeral home to take her away. Make sure to make it a grand funeral. I think she’d like that very much.”
Without faltering in his steps, he directly got into my car.
The security guards and I were wearing similarly stunned expressions.
But none of us protested. Instead, we looked toward the pond to see Yvonne struggling pathetically in the water. The weather was so cold and I couldn’t imagine how she brought herself to jump into the pond like that. In short, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the whole thing.
It must be freezing in there!
In the car, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at John. “You—”
He suddenly looked at me and cut me off, “Uncle Louis arranged a blind date for me. It’s this afternoon. Help me assess her later. If she’s suitable, I’ll get someone to prepare for the wedding.”
I was taken aback and stared at him blankly for a while. After recovering from my surprise, I asked, “You’re going on a blind date later?”
He nodded curtly. “It’s a friend of Uncle Louis’. She’s almost the same age as you. Married and divorced. No kids. Uncle Louis asked me to meet her.”
I was utterly floored by this revelation and scowled at him. “Why the hell are you bringing us along for your blind date?” I really thought that he genuinely wanted to buy us lunch, but it turned out that he was taking Ashton and me along to be his third wheel.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “You know I’m not into all these things. Besides, I’m a bad judge of character, so I need your help. If you think she makes the cut, I’ll prepare for the wedding. Anyway, we’re of equal social standings, that’s for sure.”
I felt like he had completely given up on satisfying his emotional needs. All he wanted right then was to find someone suitable to be his wife in name.
After giving it some thought, I looked at him again and said, “John, you can wait until you’re more emotionally stable to think about what kind of wife you want, then only go on blind dates. By doing this, you’re not only being irresponsible to yourself but that woman as well.”
He frowned at that. “You’re so weird. You don’t like Yvonne, but now you’re saying I’m being irresponsible to another woman by going on a blind date with her. What exactly do you want me to do? I’ve already lost a good relationship. Do you still think there’s a chance for me to find love again?”
I mirrored his frown and was slightly stunned because I detected a hint of accusation in his tone. “So are you saying I shouldn’t interfere in your life?”
He pressed his lips together as pain flashed across his eyes. Gazing at me with an anguished look on his face, he apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t mean what I said, but I just really don’t know what I should do. I’m completely lost now. I’ve lost the most important thing to me and I’m a complete mess now.”
Sighing, I felt my heart clench painfully while seeing the agonized state he was in. I shot a helpless glance at Ashton and he coincidently looked at me reassuringly before comforting me in a steady voice, “Let’s just go with the flow. Many times, people appear in our lives for a reason. It’s all fate, so let’s allow fate to take its course.”
Since when did this guy become so religious?
However, there was indeed some truth in his words. Hence, we could only think this way for the time being.
After regaining control of my emotions, I glanced back at John and advised, “John, since Uncle Louis arranged this date for you, you should take it seriously. When we get there later, treat her respectfully and politely, regardless of what you think about her. Don’t be distant or cold. It doesn’t matter whether you like her or not, make sure you behave yourself.”
