Who Cares About Him When I'm Married to the Richest Man?-Chapter 180: He Was the One Who Sent the Anonymous Message...
Zion Fitzwilliam slightly frowned, "Don’t speak of yourself like that, Elara, you’re wonderful, you’re kind, brave, gentle, and strong. You treat people sincerely, have the courage to love unreservedly, and the courage to walk out of a wrong marriage. In my heart, you are amazing, truly."
He gently covered her hand, feeling it cold to the touch, his heart filled with some anxiety, but with things as they were, he could only clarify to prevent her from misunderstanding.
"Elara, I married you because I like you, I love you. Maybe you feel these words are just light, but don’t doubt my sincerity, everything I’ve done is in the hope that you would accept me."
Elara Hale gently pulled her hand back from his, looked up at him, and softly asked, "Aren’t you gay?"
Zion Fitzwilliam pressed his lips together and shook his head, "No."
"The top insurance salesperson?"
"The insurance company is just a small firm under my insurance industry sector."
"You and Attorney White..."
"Brandon White is a good friend of mine, he’s a top-notch attorney overseas."
"My dad’s leg..."
"Felix Ford brought in a top-level specialist from abroad, it took a great deal of effort."
Elara Hale fell silent, suddenly not wanting to ask anything else. So many unreasonable things, it turned out she had been making excuses for him in her mind all along.
The truth was simple, that he...is from a wealthy family.
Because he’s from a wealthy family, every issue is not an issue.
"Why do you like me?" She was silent for a long time before asking this question.
Zion Fitzwilliam hesitated for a moment, "Do you remember when you lived in The Ten-Mile Ward as a child?"
Elara Hale was taken aback.
After a long pause, she said, "I was in a car accident in middle school, I don’t remember my childhood."
Zion Fitzwilliam smiled and took her hand again, his eyes filled with reminiscence, "When I was young, I was groomed as the Fitzwilliam Family’s successor. There was a time when I was being chased very closely, so Grandma Fitzwilliam took me to reside anonymously in Tenth Mile Square, Northgarde. At the time, we were neighbors."
Elara Hale suddenly remembered some scenes.
"Zion, let’s go play throwing stones, okay?"
"Zion, why don’t you ever talk? You won’t make friends like this."
"Zion, don’t be afraid. With me here, I won’t let anyone bully you!"
That small alley, that dilapidated building...
She finally remembered why Grandma Fitzwilliam’s place felt so familiar.
Zion Fitzwilliam reminisced, "Back then, I had just gone through a sudden upheaval and nearly lost my life. My parents were abroad living happily, only Grandma took care of me, hiding me away. Life felt so meaningless to me, I spoke very little each day. It was you who pulled me out to play, telling me to stay strong no matter what happens."
"We vowed to go to the same university and work together, and said we’d get married one day, have two kids, one with your last name, one with mine."
Elara Hale’s face flushed with embarrassment. Did she really have such a naive stage?
Zion Fitzwilliam sighed and continued, "Later, I was brought back to the Fitzwilliam Family, facing oppression from my uncle and second uncle. Over the years, I have been accumulating my strength, striving to grow, because I didn’t want to drag you into my troubles. So I held back from contacting you. Later, I resolved everything, gaining enough power, but when I returned to find you, I discovered you were in love with Mason Jacobs."
No one knew, three and a half years ago, when he returned with great anticipation wanting to reunite with her, only to find that her eyes were full of Mason Jacobs, how despairing that was.
He hid in her shadow, watching her fall in love, be happy, and sweet.
It was also then he noticed a trace of oddity regarding her parents’ car accident.
He went against all odds, establishing a branch company in Northgarde. Thereafter, under the pretext of managing the new business, he quietly watched over her from Northgarde.
But most times, he didn’t even have the courage to look at her. He didn’t want to proactively seek news about her, for each result shattered him to pieces: she and Mason Jacobs were very much in love and happy, what they did while dating, their plans to marry – each were needles in his flesh.
So he forced himself not to look or think, diving into work. During those days, the branch company’s performance skyrocketed, the old fossils back at headquarters were astonished by his management ability once more, even his grandfather praised him by name at the shareholders’ meeting. He had firmly secured his standing.
Just when he thought his life would pass like that, he discovered Mason Jacobs had cheated.
Though it was an accidental encounter, with his ability, investigating further was just a word away.
The findings were even more heartbreaking than expected, with the person he cautiously cherished, whom he even felt it sacrilegious to mention by name, being worn down to such a state in two years of marriage to Mason Jacobs.
She was facing deteriorating in-law relations, husband-wife issues, and childbirth pressures. As such a kind person, she never took the initiative to attack anyone, yet she was bullied. He could only imagine how painful and helpless she must have felt.
Thus, like a malicious third party, he did something.
That night, Elara Hale successfully caught them in the act at a hotel.
Three days later, Elara Hale filed for divorce.
To his surprise, the divorce proceedings dragged on for a while because Mason Jacobs was unwilling to part.
But it didn’t matter, he could fuel the fire a little more.
He sent someone to whisper into Cecilia Quincy’s ear, and under her pressure, Mason Jacobs finally agreed to the divorce.
After a month of cooling-off period, she finally got divorced smoothly.
Knowing the predicament she faced, he arranged a supposedly coincidental meeting with her the day before her divorce. He fabricated a perfectly matching identity, meticulously set up their marriage for the next day, and swiftly ensured a seamless transition this time—nobody would beat him to it.
Elara Hale was utterly shocked. This domineering CEO falling for the innocent flower story actually played out in her life, and she was the protagonist?
She wrestled with her thoughts for a long time, asking, "Was the anonymous message I received about Mason Jacobs’ cheating from you?"
Zion Fitzwilliam hesitated momentarily before admitting it.
Elara Hale felt emotionally conflicted. He had set up such an elaborate plan, from establishing a branch company in Northgarde three years ago, discovering Mason Jacobs’ infidelity, approaching her, and their eventual marriage, leading up to where they are now...did her affection for him also fall within his calculations?
That was somewhat frightening.
But then she thought, since he did it all for her, perhaps...it wasn’t entirely unacceptable.
The person she likes also likes her, even far more than she imagined. She should have been happy.
If he were an ordinary man, she would not hesitate to throw herself into this mutually committed relationship.
But... thinking this far, she hesitated again.
Zion Fitzwilliam noticed the struggle on her face, and his heart grew increasingly uneasy. He understood her, and precisely because of this understanding, he had always resolutely waited for the right time to confess everything to her.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, and he never got the chance for that perfect timing.
With a gentle sigh, Zion Fitzwilliam covered her hand again, tightening it slightly, "Elara, give me a chance, let me stay by your side."
Elara Hale’s heart trembled, and she subconsciously swallowed, speaking in a strained voice after a moment, "Zion, I need to think about it."
Such a response already made Zion Fitzwilliam ecstatic, for he had prepared for the worst scenario: that she would be furious at his concealment, deciding he was insincere, and directly pronounce a death sentence on him.
Now he received a reprieve of sorts... He couldn’t deny that he felt rather happy.
Elara Hale gently pushed his hand away and stood up, "You stay here, I’ll go out for a bit."
Zion Fitzwilliam immediately stood up as well, "Where are you going? I’ll drive you."
Elara Hale quickly refused, "No need, I already arranged to have dinner with Esther Carter tonight."
Zion Fitzwilliam nodded calmly, "Then be careful on the road."
Watching her silhouette walk out the door, the door clicked shut, and he immediately took out his phone to call Esther Carter.
Esther Carter quickly answered, asking sneakily, "The great Mr. Fitzwilliam?"
Zion Fitzwilliam succinctly told her the current situation, then asked, "Did Elara ask you out?"
Esther Carter breathed a sigh of relief after listening, "So she reached out to me because of this, huh. Gosh, I almost thought... scared me to death."
Zion Fitzwilliam frowned, "Is this not serious?"
Esther Carter thought, how could Elara inquire about her love life not be serious? But facing the great Mr. Fitzwilliam, she quickly changed her tone, "Serious, serious, but still... not so serious though."
She calmly analyzed with Zion Fitzwilliam, "You’ve heard me say, Elara likes you, right? She likes you, you like her, now that the paper window is pierced, she’s not upset about you hiding things from her, what could possibly stop you two from being together?"
Zion Fitzwilliam wasn’t optimistic and frankly said, "It’s my identity, that’s her biggest concern."
Esther Carter responded indifferently, "Mr. Fitzwilliam, if you ask me, although you’re great at business, you don’t really understand women. Elara is my friend, of course, I understand her!"
She patted her chest confidently, promising boldly, "Don’t worry, leave it to me, after tonight, I’ll bring you a devoted little wife who’s head over heels in love!"
Zion Fitzwilliam couldn’t help but smile, then tightened his lips again, "Yeah, if you can really convince Elara, then from now on, you can pick any script in the entertainment industry."
Esther Carter was overjoyed, making guarantees as she hung up the phone.
Yet Zion Fitzwilliam wasn’t optimistic about this matter; he hesitated a bit and called both his mother and Grandma Fitzwilliam.
Elara Hale and Esther Carter arranged to meet at a newly opened restaurant.
Upon meeting, Esther Carter spilled everything Zion Fitzwilliam had said.
"The great Mr. Fitzwilliam does care about you," Esther Carter said looking at her, "If you ask me, just say yes to him. From now on your life will be like climbing mountains and crossing rivers, infuriate that Mason."
Elara Hale glanced at her discontentedly, "So am I the last one among the three of us to know about his identity? When did you and Zara Dalton know?"
Esther Carter looked down guiltily, pressing her fingertips together, peeking at her, and answered cautiously, "Shortly after you got married."
"What?" Elara Hale was in disbelief, "You knew so early but kept it from me? I thought we were best friends!"
"We are!" Esther Carter quickly swore, "I truly acted for your good. At the beginning, Zara Dalton and I didn’t know his intentions towards you, the opposition was so strong we dared not make rash moves, and then... Grandma Fitzwilliam offered too much..."
Elara Hale laughed angrily, "So you sold me out for honor?"
"Really not," Esther Carter explained, "We also didn’t know what to do, fearing provoking them and causing you harm, we stayed cautious, then suddenly found they were eventually treating you like a precious gem, so we felt relieved, optimistically watching things unfold."
Elara Hale suddenly recalled, "Zara’s going abroad was also arranged by Zion Fitzwilliam, right? Later I heard the Dalton Family weathered their difficulties, was it his doing too?"
Esther Carter nodded, acknowledging, "Think of it this way, since you met him, almost every stroke of luck around you likely has his imprint, which normal person is this lucky? Leaving the career field for three years, rushing back to work, yet orders start flooding in like snowflakes."
Elara Hale sighed upon hearing this.
Esther Carter saw this and asked, "What are you planning?"
Elara Hale hesitated for a moment and truthfully said, "I’m planning to cut ties with him completely."
Esther Carter’s eyes widened, incredulous, "Sis, are you crazy or am I? Such a man: handsome, wealthy, devotedly enamored with you, battles earth and sky and air for you, yet you are not interested? He’s ten thousand times better than that Mason, Mason you managed to swallow, but is this amazing man too hard to digest?"
Elara Hale curled her mouth slightly, "It’s not that I’m ungrateful. He has been wonderful to me, and I’m thankful, but he’s not suited for me."
Esther Carter’s head was full of question marks, "You don’t like him anymore? Did you really change your heart that quickly?"
Elara Hale shook her head, a shadow of bitterness appearing in her eyes, which turned to determination and unprecedented clarity in an instant, "Esther, liking isn’t sustenance, nor can it support two people from entirely different backgrounds walking hand in hand for a lifetime. What I learned most from Mason Jacobs was not to attempt solving the problems that arise from such starkly different identities."
She softly laughed, her gaze becoming more determined than ever, "He was born noble, his lifestyle, life plans are bound to be completely different from mine. While I’m not against another relationship, I just want to live an ordinary life with an ordinary man. Someone like him, I can’t afford. I can’t deal with the problems his family background brings. Rather than allow this relationship to slowly erode, it’s better to cut it off swiftly."
Esther Carter’s mouth hung slightly open, at a loss for words.
Elara was too rational, and being so rational, having thought of every problem, she made her choice, leaving Esther with no ground to persuade her.
Her marriage to Mason Jacobs seemed to have made her more realistic. Yet, it’s hard to say that this kind of realism isn’t right, even... The future she fears is bound to happen.
Elara Hale looked at her with a smile.
"Zion Fitzwilliam called you, didn’t he? You can inform him of my decision now."
Esther Carter finally realized, Elara had long known that she would try to persuade her for Zion Fitzwilliam. She intentionally came to say these words to Esther, but really, it was meant for Zion Fitzwilliam.
She wanted Esther to relay her rejection to Zion Fitzwilliam from her own mouth.
