Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You -
Chapter 203
As soon as Ashley and Joseph got off the car, Mike quickly stood between them. He wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulder. Flashing her a smile, he said, “Let’s go.”
Joseph, who had been left alone, glared at Mike. His eyes fell on the hand that was wrapped around Ashley’s shoulder. He was evidently unhappy.
“Mr. Marshall, our deal only prohibits me from third wheeling. It doesn’t say anything about me bonding with my sister, does it?” Mike noticed Joseph’s cold and fierce eyes. He was, however, unperturbed by it. Calmly, he said, “I would be extremely thankful if you could stop looking at me with that frightening gaze of yours, Mr. Marshall.”
Mike, who looked gentle and elegant on the outside, was fighting against an arrogant man, Joseph. Before it could become worse, the two of them decided to stop.
Ashley, who was the object of their battle, chose to remain silent. The last thing she wanted was for things to become worse. She wished to avoid a fight at any cost.
Once they entered the party, they noticed that the gathering of the Guzman Group was very lively. The sudden appearance of two handsome men and an elegant woman caught everyone’s attention.
As Mike was the CEO of the Guzman Group, people clamored around him when he entered. The host invited him to the stage. “Mr. Guzman, we’re very happy to see you here. Now we invite you to say a few words that would sum up the company’s performance of this year and encourage us all.”
Once the host uttered these words, the audience broke into a thunderous applause. All the employees looked at Mike, expectation evident in their eyes.
Mike was now pushed to the front of the crowd. Seeing the love that was being showered upon him, he behaved elegantly. He went up to the stage and said, “In the twinkling of an eye, another year has passed. With the joint efforts of everyone, the business revenue of the Guzman Group has increased significantly. I hope you all will continue to put similar efforts in the coming years. If this happens, I am certain we will get to see even more brilliant result!”
His words inspired more enthusiasm amongst his employees.
Everyone’s eyes were glued onto Mike who stood under the spotlight. Standing below, Ashley noticed how admired he was by his employees. She muttered under her breath, “Nowadays, handsome men are very popular.”
There were many young female employees in the Guzman Group. Ashley noticed they were ogling at Mike, the handsome and noble CEO. She knew it wasn’t the speech that had gotten their attention. Instead, her brother’s outstanding physical appearance was the cause of their admiration.
Ashley’s gaze shifted to Joseph. In spite of being extremely handsome, the cold aura that emanated from him kept people from approaching him. Ashley was glad her man was unapproachable. As she thought about this, she gently held Joseph’s arm, declaring her ownership silently.
Then she stood on tiptoe and whispered seductively in his ear, “Let’s sneak out of here.”
“Okay,” Joseph said, as his eyes scanned her beautiful face. There was mischief in her otherwise innocent face. He was more than happy to oblige to her request.
The two of them preferred privacy over this hustle bustle. Mike was their only barrier. But now that he was occupied with the speech, they thought it would be a good opportunity to slip away.
However, after the two of them took two steps towards the door, Mike’s voice boomed from the microphone. “Now, my dear sister, Ashley, the wonderful daughter of the Guzman family, would like to honor us with a few words.”
Mike had caught them leaving. The crowd was now looking at her expectantly. Ashley had no choice but to remain here. She glanced around helplessly.
Mike, who was standing on the stage, wasn’t done. He went on, “I think everyone must be curious about the man beside Miss Guzman. To satiate your curiosity, I would like Mr. Marshall to join me on the stage. Would you all like that?”
“Yeah! Welcome, the son-in-law of the Guzman family!” the crowd screamed happily. Joseph received enthusiastic response from the audience. It looked like his efforts weren’t in vain. He had come to the Guzman Group several times and most of them were familiar with him.
Listening to this, the smile on Mike’s face froze. He couldn’t believe his employees had already considered Joseph as a part of their family. He felt bitter emotions. ‘You are such an arrogant man! You are trying to overtake my turf even though you don’t belong here. What would happen if you marry Ashley,’ he wondered angrily.
Joseph, who had become the center of attention, glanced at Mike. He walked onto the stage, holding Ashley’s hands. Once he was up there, he held the microphone. In his usual cold and magnetic voice, he said, “I am going to marry this beautiful woman right beside me, the daughter of the Guzman family. I’ll be sure to invite everyone to my wedding. None of you have to give us a red envelope.”
The audience listened to his words carefully and gave a cheerful uproar.
They admired the beautiful couple who now stood on the stage. They were excited to see them get married. Some of them gave their blessings hastily. Someone said, “Get married as soon as possible. And give birth to beautiful children!”
As this spectacle happened, the two siblings of the Guzman family were experiencing very contradictory emotions. Listening to everybody’s cheerful uproar, Ashley tightened her grip on Joseph’s warm hand. Undisguised happiness began to flow through her heart. But Mike, on the other hand, was beginning to regret his decision. He had called them onto stage, in order to stop them from fleeing. Mike hadn’t thought Joseph was such a crafty man. He had taken advantage of this opportunity, announcing to the crowd he would be the future son-in-law of the Guzman family.
Then, Ashley raised her hand slightly to silence the audience. Her sweet voice began to address the crowd. She said, “The Guzman Group wouldn’t have reached this glory without all of your hard-work. On behalf of the Guzman Group, I express my sincere gratitude to you all. Have a blast today!”
Ashley’s uplifting words made everybody in the crowd even more cheerful than they already were. The couple walked down the stage slowly. Right behind them, Mike followed, looking sullen.
“Mike, why do you insist on following us everywhere?” Ashley demanded, looking at him with disgust. The three of them were in a relatively quiet corner, away from all the hustle bustle of the party.
“Can you blame me? I’m afraid the two of you will run away. And don’t forget you have promised to keep me company. You can’t go back on your word.” After saying that, Mike picked up a glass of wine and began to drink alone.
The couple was evidently disturbed by his presence. However, they decided to not make a fuss about it again.
Mike noticed they had decided to ignore him. He couldn’t stand being ignored. He stepped between the two and said, “Come on, Mr. Marshall, would you like to have a drink with me?”
Before Joseph could say something, Ashley said, “You shouldn’t drink too much. Don’t forget Dad asked you to drive me home safely.”
“Mr. Guzman, Ashley is right. The driver shouldn’t drink too much,” Joseph said with mock seriousness. His face was bereft of any expression. However, one could easily tell he was teasing Mike. After all, this future brother-in-law of his had been giving him a hard time.
Their annoyance with each other was palpable. Standing in the midst of these angry men, Ashley sighed and said, “Have a nice chat. I’m going to the bathroom.”
Joseph’s eyes watched Ashley’s receding figure. There was gentleness in his eyes. Mike noticed this and asked, “Mr. Marshall, you really like my sister, right?”
Hearing Mike’s unusual question, Joseph looked at him, puzzled. There wasn’t a trace of humor in Mike’s expression. Joseph couldn’t help but think it was indeed a serious question. “Yes,” he answered with utmost sincerity.
“Are you confident that you can marry into my family?” Mike asked as soon as he received a response for his first question.
Joseph knew Mike didn’t want him to become a part of his family. His actions had made it evident. He began to wonder what Mike had to say.
However, Joseph, who had decided to patiently see where this was going, suppressed his curiosity. “Of course. I am pretty confident Ashley will become mine one day.”
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