Chapter 851 Close-Kin Marriages Are a Long-Held Tradition

William glanced over as well and shook his head. "You've bombarded Ms. Thornton with so many messages. If she hasn't blocked you by now, then she's probably just muted you."

Elias snatched his phone back. "One of you has a wife who's not around, and the other has a wife who's with someone else. You two men with unhappy marriages are teaming up to bully me, a man in a happy marriage. This really proves the old saying that you're either afraid that your brothers will suffer or afraid that they'll drive a Range Rover."

William smirked and looked over at Jayden. "Now, do you believe the stuff I told you earlier?"

This guy was just as nuts in court as he was outside it.

Jayden hadn't believed William before, but now he did. "He's been quiet for three years, so I really thought that he had no desires left."

It turned out that instead of breaking his silence with an outburst, Elias had turned into a massive weirdo.

Elias took a sip of iced water, but then something came to his mind, and he frowned. "It's so annoying. I've got a dinner to attend tonight." He nodded toward William. "Will, since you're now wifeless, you should go."

"Am I the CEO of Xanther Group, or are you?" William replied calmly.

Elias clicked his tongue. "Xanther Group is on the verge of collapse, but here you are, delaying your cozy nights with Ash. You really deserve to die for that."

William chuckled. "It's getting late. You should get ready for your dinner. Mr. Fisher doesn't come to Capebatt City often, so make sure to host him well. You'll benefit from it."

Elias figured that William had a point. Glancing at the time, he realized that he needed to leave soon.

He shoveled some food from his plate into a bowl, then grabbed a few taco shells and stuffed them all in his mouth. Just like that, he finished the whole meal in minutes. After wiping his mouth with a napkin, he waved and said, "I'm out."

Jayden pinched the bridge of his nose.

Ugh... What was going on? Why did he feel like his friend was becoming more and more like a dog?

Meanwhile, William continued eating at a leisurely pace.

Jayden lowered his hand and studied his expression before saying, "You seem to be in a good mood today."

William looked up at him. "Do I?"

Jayden said, "Ever since you got back from Mercianna, I've noticed that your whole demeanor has become more relaxed. But Ms. Hoven still hasn't reconciled with you. In fact, she's even getting ready for her wedding with Wesley in April. So, what's there for you to be happy about?"

William replied, "They won't be getting married."

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Ms. Hoven refuse to take a DNA test?"

"The fact that she refused shows that she believes what I told her. Otherwise, with her personality, there's no way that she wouldn't take the test."

Emelie had never been one to let things slide. She would dig into anything that raised questions. If she was not investigating, it meant that she already knew the answer.

Jayden, however, thought that William was being overly optimistic. "But from what I know, the wedding's going to be huge. Invitations have already been sent out, and canceling the wedding at the last minute would look bad. People will start gossiping and wondering if something has happened with the Filo family.

"You need to understand that the Filo family is not like Xanther Group. They're Faldorian nobility with hundreds of years of history. After what happened with Natalia, their family's reputation was hurt. They won't allow another incident to tarnish the Filo family's name so soon."

William's chewing slowed down.

Jayden continued in a low voice, "Ms. Hoven must know this. That means...'

That meant that she was silently agreeing to allow the wedding to go a ahead.

William leaned back in his chair and picked up his tea.

The tea had been steeped for too long, so it had a slightly bitter taste.: text © owner.

Jayden added meaningfully, "Speaking of that, it's pretty common for Valantis nobility to marry their close relatives to keep their bloodlines pure. It's an old tradition that's still widely accepted."

William set down his cup before standing up and buttoning his jacket. He said, "Enjoy the rest of your meal." Then, he left.