11. So close, yet so far
"Yeah!" Michael Gordon took a sip of the coffee handed to him by Aunt Wagner and added, "But I don't like her either, so Dad, you don't have to be embarrassed. We're just not a good match!"
Calvin Gordon was so furious with his unfilial son that he could barely catch his breath.
"Not a good match? You're already old, and you think everyone is not a good match. What kind of person would be suitable for you? Are those headline actresses suitable for you?"
"Calvin, calm down. Michael already said it's not a good match—you can't force these things."
Just as the tension between father and son was about to escalate, Risa Scott's gentle voice came over, and she descended the stairs, speaking as she walked.
Risa Scott was the second wife Calvin Gordon married after the death of Michael's biological mother. They even had a younger son, Skyler Gordon. Although Risa Scott was not Michael's biological mother, she treated him quite well.
"Don't keep sticking up for her. If I don't push him, I'll never have grandchildren in my lifetime!"
Calvin Gordon was completely enraged. When Risa Scott defended Michael, his anger deepened, "No feelings? When he sleeps with those actresses, he has feelings. How could I, Calvin Gordon, have a son like this!"
Michael was already thirty this year, and as the eldest son of the Gordon family, he showed no interest in starting a family. His scandals made daily headlines, and he rejected every woman introduced to him by the family.
"Dad, you just want grandchildren, right? I'll find a girl with a good background and decent qualifications to be a surrogate mother for your grandchild. No need to get so upset!"
In Michael's eyes, surrogacy was a simple matter. But having his prime years tied down by marriage was something he absolutely couldn't do.
However, when considering a surrogate, the person would have to have good genes, be beautiful, intelligent, and…
Why was it that when he thought about potential surrogates, the first person that popped into his head was Ivy Aretha?
Michael was startled by the image in his mind. How did this woman, whom he had met only twice, leave such a deep impression on him? It must be because his anger had impacted his mental state.
"Surrogacy? I can't believe you came up with that. Are you trying to kill your father with anger?"
Calvin Gordon was so angry that he was breathing heavily. His son had gone way beyond what he could tolerate, even considering such a disgraceful thing as surrogacy.
"Michael, your father's health isn't great. Maybe you should hold your tongue so as not to anger him!" Risa Scott quickly intervened.
"Fine, fine, if you don't agree I won't do it. I don't want to sleep with some random stranger either!" Seeing Calvin Gordon's face change with anger, Michael compromised, considering his father's health.
Calvin Gordon: "..." As if his son hadn't been casually sleeping with other women.
"At his age, you were already five years old. I can't let him mess around any longer!" Calvin Gordon took a deep breath as if making a momentous decision.
"Risa, what was the name of the girl you showed me last time who you wanted to introduce to Michael but didn't manage to? I think she's quite nice."
Calvin finally remembered that there was another option on the table and hurried to bring it up. It was time for him to take some control over his thirty-year-old son's life.
"Her name is Alya Larson. Calvin, do you think she and Michael are suitable too? Why don't we have them meet first, get to know each other, and see what Michael thinks?"
Risa Scott was clearly keen on the matter, and her enthusiasm was not without reason.
"What about the girl's opinion? Has she met Michael?" Calvin looked at his son, who was sipping his coffee nonchalantly, then asked Risa Scott, "I'm quite satisfied with the girl!"
"Alya has met Michael and seems to like him. It's up to Michael now. I think they should get to know each other first. That would be better!"
"If the girl is willing, why bother with getting to know each other? Just pick a date, get them married, and be done with it. Have you ever seen this kid satisfied with anyone? Forget about his opinion, it's not important!"
Calvin had learned his lesson. Having them get to know each other would only be a waste of time. Only by arranging the marriage would it be most effective.
"Dad, I don't agree with this arranged marriage!"
Michael Gordon glanced at Calvin and walked out the door with his car key, leaving his father to roar in anger.
Ivy Aretha had just put Bianca Aretha to sleep when she received a call from Madeline Harrison. She was at the night bar, feeling down, and asked her to come over. Ivy changed her clothes and went straight there.
Ivy rarely went to bars, as she did not like the thick smoke hanging in the air. It took her a while to find distraught Madeline in a corner of the bar.
"You must have been dumped by that useless man. What brings you to a place like this at this hour?"
Seeing Madeline's lifeless demeanor, Ivy was furious. She wanted to grab Madeline and leave right away, but to her surprise, Madeline burst into tears.
"Why does he get to just break up with me? I refused so many blind dates for him and waited so long. Why can he just say we're breaking up?"
Upon seeing Ivy's familiar face, Madeline's suppressed emotions imploded. She sobbed, ignoring her own image. Ivy didn't need her to explain. She knew that her deadbeat boyfriend must have felt insecure and brought up breaking up again.
"Alright, cry if you want. But make sure there's no next time!"
A man who constantly threatens to break up is not reliable. Ivy sighed and patted Madeline's trembling shoulder.
Ironically, these two girls were in a similar situation. One had an unreliable boyfriend, and the other didn't have a man worth giving her all.
The mere thought of Zach Gilbert caused Ivy's clear eyes to darken.
"Hi, beautiful, what's got you so sad?"
"Let us keep you company for a few drinks, and all your troubles will disappear!"
"As the saying goes, 'drowning your sorrows in drink'—come, let's have a few!"
As Madeline was sobbing on Ivy's shoulder, three men carrying cups approached. Their brown-dyed hair looked similar to chicken feathers, and their leering eyes were fixed on Ivy's face.
As they spoke, they laughed so hard that their saliva droplets flew out.
"Sorry, we're leaving!"
12.
At a glance, Ivy Aretha knew she had run into some womanizing wealthy young men at the bar. Knowing it was meaningless to argue with them, she was about to leave with Sienna Harrison.
But at that moment, someone blocked their way.
"Hey beautiful, you can't just leave when you see handsome guys like us. That's not cool!"
Unexpectedly, the men had stopped teasing and wanted to play for real. Ivy's clear, sharp eyes scanned the three of them, and immediately she spat out one word: "Scram!"
In another corner of the bar, Michael Gordon drank one cocktail after another. As the wine glasses piled up on the table, Jaysen Smith couldn't help but express his feelings.
"Did you invite me out just to watch you drink like a bear?"
Seeing that Michael still hadn't said anything, Jaysen continued: "Is your old man pressuring you into marriage again? Isn't that a bit much? It's not like it's your first time being forced!"
Michael's forced marriage had been an ongoing issue. At the age of twenty, he took over the Gordon Group, renamed it Allure International, expanded the business within a year, and turned the small family business into a multinational media group in just over a decade.
Calvin Gordon had never interfered with anything, nor was he a stubborn old-fashioned man, but he was constantly meddling with the issue of marriage and having children.
Not only Michael, but even onlooker Jaysen was also puzzled.
This time, it's not as simple as a forced marriage!" Michael finally lifted his head from the wine glass, "Do you know who that stepmother wants to shove into my life?"
"Seriously, your stepmother is quite something, making trouble at this kind of time!"
"Making trouble? She has been plotting this for ages, it's that clueless old man who's making trouble!"
With a sigh, Michael's brilliant plan was thrown into disarray by the clueless old man's insistence on forced marriage.
"Sigh!"
They fell silent. Suddenly, a piercing voice filled with scattered anger rang out.
"I'm telling you, get lost, or don't blame me for being rude!"
The two men looked up simultaneously. Instantly, Michael froze, frowning, with a hint of rage flashing in his eyes. This simple action had conveyed his feelings to Jaysen, who was familiar with him.
"What, I thought you didn't care for the Miss Harrison, why are you acting like this now?"
Jaysen naturally recognized Sienna from a single glance; he saw her completely drunk, and Madeline's unexplained gloomy face, and made a wrong assumption, thinking it was because Ivy had some feelings for Sienna that seeing her this drunk upset him.
But when he looked back in the direction of his gaze, he found that it wasn't focused on the drunk woman, but instead...
"Well, when did Miss Harrison get such a delicate and beautiful friend?"
Jaysen squinted, examining Ivy. His curious gaze swept through her entire figure: the average height, almost translucent fair skin, and exquisite facial features.
Such an ethereal woman would be striking in the bar just by standing there, not to mention next to a drunk person. It was no wonder that they surrounded her.
"It's a shame to leave such a beauty to these low-quality young masters. Why not give her to one of us high-quality men instead, don't you think..."
Before Jaysen could finish his sentence, he heard a "crash" as the wine glass was crushed in Michael's hand. Blood started to mix with the glass shards.
"Michael..."
Before Jaysen could finish, Michael stood up abruptly, kicking the chair aside and heading towards Ivy.
"Move!"
This was already the third time Ivy had spoken. Her fists were clenched tight, and if the hooligans still wouldn't make way, she would have to put up a fight.
However, there were three of them, and she had only herself plus a drunken Sienna.
"Wow, you've got quite a temper. Turns out, you're a spiky rose!" One of the thugs drew near, while sniffing and saying, "You smell great, but not like a rose. More like a lily, a spiky lily. I like it!"
The instant he finished claiming his fondness, his filthy hand reached straight for Ivy's cheek...
Seeing that repulsive hand about to touch her face, Ivy slapped it away without hesitation.
With a crisp sound, the slap echoed beautifully in the noisy bar. Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent, so quiet that even breathing could be heard.
"You dare hit me? Woman, do you know who I am?"
As the leading man covered his face in disbelief, his hooligan visage turned menacing. "In this bar, no woman has ever dared to hit me. Do you really have a death wish?"
"Death wish? Those who dare to talk about death in front of me haven't even been born!"
In the midst of the confrontation, a sharp, ice-cold voice arrived. It sounded casual but sent chills down the spines of those who heard it. As everyone looked at the approaching figure, they collectively gasped.
"Young Master Gordon?"
The previously arrogant man's face fell instantly when he saw Michael. His fists, ready to swing, instantly loosened up.
Without even glancing at him, Michael walked towards Ivy with a stern face.
"Young Master Gordon, why...why are you here?"
The leader, Sony Hunt, was the nephew of the bar's boss. His father was a businessman, and he was a typical playboy. He spent his time in the bar, ogling beautiful women and hunting for one-night stands. As soon as he found an attractive woman, he would make a move and had never failed before.
When he saw a pure-looking girl like Ivy here, he became excited right away. He hadn't expected the woman was not just any ordinary one, and she seemed to have a mysterious connection with Michael Gordon.
Just his luck. Playing with a woman led him straight to this powerful character. In Andras City, Michael was a legend, not only a business prodigy but also controlling Allure International. He had the ability to crush any business within minutes. He was also ruthless, feared by both legal and underground circles.p>
Offending him meant there would be no place for the offender to be buried!