Chapter 14

Wilbur shook his head. "Not really." "Why have you been getting close to my father?" Gordon asked. Right at that moment, a voice rang throughout the banquet hall. "General Gordon Grayson of the Kardon Province army has arrived." Those words brought about an explosion of applause for quite a while. Someone of that level of power was present at Blake and Yvonne's wedding. It made all the guests look at both Gordon and Wilbur with increased respect. Gordon frowned in disgust. Wilbur said calmly, "Not everyone is out to use your family name. You're of no use to me." Gordon's face darkened. "Well, what are you trying to obtain by getting close to my father on purpose and trying to trick him with your cultivation crap? What’s your catch? I've dealt with many people like you." Wilbur took a sip of champagne and replied, "Is that so? Would you believe me if I said that I was just helping him live a few more years on account of what he has done for the country?" "Of course not," Gordon said coldly. Wilbur shook his head. "Well then, I've got nothing to say." "You're going to pay for what you’ve done," Gordon said. Wilbur shifted in his seat. "I wasn't breaking the law." "This is a family affair, so I'll handle it personally. Don't worry. I won't abuse my power," Gordon assured him. Wilbur could not help but laugh at those words. "Your power's not going to do much, and you're no match for me either. You should leave before you embarrass yourself." Gordon roared angrily, despite his training to maintain his composure, "How arrogant of you! I've been training since I was a kid and was in the army for decades. Do you think you'll scare me with your bluff?" "You can give it a try," Wilbur said, not backing down in the slightest. Right at that moment, another announcement was made. "Weston District Manager, Xavier Channing, has arrived." The crowd exploded into applause again, promptly cutting the pair's conversation off. After the cheering died down, Gordon seemed to have cooled down enough to say, "It seems like we should find somewhere else for our conversation." Wilbur said calmly, "I don't mind, but I've got some personal affairs to take care of here. I'm all yours the moment I'm done here." "I'll wait." Gordon leaned back in his seat, staring at Wilbur intently. Wilbur did not seem to mind in the slightest as he stared at the stage quietly. It was almost noon, and almost every guest invited had arrived. A local celebrity walked onstage and spoke into the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen! First of all, I'm so happy and honored to host this wedding of Mister Blake Woods and Miss Yvonne Willow. Please give them your warmest wishes!" The banquet hall rang with applause once again. Once it had stopped, the host piped up, "Now, I'd like to welcome our Weston District Manager, Mister Xavier Channing, to the stage and deliver a speech." Another round of applause broke out as Xavier took the stage and walked to the microphone. Xavier uttered smilingly, "Ladies and gentlemen, Woods Corporate has always been one of the star corporations in Weston District, and they've contributed a great deal to Seechertown's development. Here, I'd like to congratulate the married couple on behalf of myself as well as Weston District." The crowd cheered and whooped once again as if they were at a concert. The applause finally ended a long time later, and the host came up to the microphone once again. "Now, let's hear a few words from the married couple." Following that, Blake and Yvonne took to the stage arm in arm. Blake smiled and nodded at the crowd. "First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for coming to my wedding. It's truly my honor to have you here. I, Blake Woods, thank all of you from the bottom of my heart." After a round of applause, Blake handed the microphone to Yvonne. Yvonne was so excited as she bowed to everyone in thanks before saying, "First of all, I'd like to thank everyone here for coming to our wedding. I can't thank all of you enough. Here, I'd also like to say a few words from the bottom of my heart." The crowd listened to her quietly, anticipating the bride's heartfelt story. "I'm sure many of you know that I was once in an unhappy marriage." Here, Yvonne's eyes welled up with tears as the crowd broke out in low whispers. The Willow family was quite popular. Everyone present was from the same industry and knew that she had been married before. Yvonne choked between sobs and then continued. "Wilbur Penn lived off the Willow family for three years, lazing around and refusing to get a real job. He could not be what a husband was supposed to be. It can be said that he's hardly a man. Given no other choice, I had to resort to getting a divorce. However, God looked out for me by letting me meet Blake. He's responsible, trustworthy, and a perfect husband." Right then, Yvonne grew emotional, and her voice grew stronger as she spoke. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life loving and caring for Blake so that he can reach new heights in both his career and his life. This is my promise to Blake, and I'd like everyone to bear witness to it." Yvonne's words shot into the crowd like a missile, erupting into a sea of applause and cheers once again. When the cheers died down, the crowd began to mumble and whisper about the name Wilbur Penn, which they just heard. Meanwhile, Wilbur himself was taking a leisurely sip of champagne. Gordon scoffed coldly, "I knew you were a liar. Seems like I was right." "Don't be so sure. Sometimes, what you see isn't always the truth. Besides, this is just hearsay," Wilbur said calmly. Gordon smirked. "I must say that I respect you for remaining this calm in such a situation." Right then, the host started speaking again, "Now, we'd like to invite the CEO of Cape Consortium headquarters in Kardon Province, Faye Yves, to the stage to bless the newlyweds." The crowd burst out into applause once again. Everyone knew how powerful the Cape Consortium was. Faye might only be the CEO of a branch, but she was still above the Weston District Manager in terms of power and influence. Everyone knew that when the Cape Consortium made plans to expand into Seechertown, even the district manager had used his own connections to help establish the Cape Consortium's Seechertown branch. It could be said that the Cape Consortium's power and influence were monstrous. Faye was supposed to be the first person to speak at the wedding, but Xavier was placed in front of her because of his position as a government official. Right then, Faye walked up to the stage slowly in her ivory evening dress. Blake, Yvonne, Xavier, and the other guests erupted into thunderous applause. The applause was much greater than when Blake and Yvonne went on the stage. It was only when the applause had stopped that Faye smiled lightly and spoke into the microphone, "Thank you for all your support. To be honest, as a mere guest, I don't think I'm qualified to be speaking for the married couple." The crowd chuckled at the words. Miss Yves was far too polite. She was probably the most qualified person present. However, Faye continued, "I think we should have the real boss, the owner of Cape Consortium, Mister Wilbur Penn, come up here and say a few words." The crowd was in shock and doubted whether they heard it wrong.