Chapter 57 - Chapter 57. The Camping Trip

The evening after the groundbreaking for the Salix Leaf Hotel, Lily and Rachel went home and spent some time chatting with Dorothy. Rachel was excited to be the vice president of Kevin's new company, but it was awkward to talk about her job without mentioning Kevin. When he came in, she got even more nervous and couldn't relax until he finally went upstairs.But Dorothy was unhappy that Kevin hadn't been a better host and complained to Lily, "Did you see that? Rachel came to visit and he didn't even bother to offer her something, not even a piece of fruit."Oh Dorothy, it's no big deal, I'm not even hungry," Rachel replied pleasantly. But Dorothy's attitude was very distressing for her because of how grateful she was to Kevin for her new job. Dorothy wanted Kevin to wash fruit for her? If only she knew how powerful he really was."Then I'll go get you something to drink. How about some water?" Dorothy said very enthusiastically.Now that Rachel had moved up the corporate ladder, Dorothy naturally wanted to get in her good graces.Meanwhile, Kevin was lying on the bed, using his phone to surf for more information on healing stones that might increase the effectiveness of his herbal medicine.Suddenly, Lily opened the door and asked him expectantly."Kevin, there's an event we've been invited to the day after tomorrow. Do you want to go?"What event?" Kevin asked curiously."The Jones family lost a lot during that whole mess caused by the Williams family. So, the Blair family is getting together more than a dozen wealthy families to invest in a huge high-end real estate development!" Lily explained."Are you sure you want me to go along?" Kevin asked in confusion. He didn't like to have anything to do with these people, but not because he didn't like to socialize. It was just that they ran in different circles."Now that I have 60% of the Jones company shares, I'm going to represent the family. Since you're my husband, it's only right that you should be there too," Lily told him."Come on. We've never gone camping like this," Lily pleaded."How could I say no? When do we head up there?" Kevin asked enthusiastically."Tomorrow." Lily started to say, then she looked at the clothes Kevin was wearing and said, "Um, do you think you could change your clothes? Now that you have a good job, I'm sure you could afford to get something nicer. There's no reason for you to go around dressed in rags."But isn't it just a camping trip? You really want me to get new clothes to go camping?" Kevin protested.Lily sighed and replied, "Yup. Anyway, you won't have anything to do but be my arm candy. After all, it's my business trip."Alright. I guess I can pretend I'm your gopher. I can get you sparkling water, carry your bags, things like that," Kevin joked as he put down his phone."Don't tell me you want people to go back to calling you a freeloader," but just as she said this, Lily caught herself, "I'm sorry, Kevin. I shouldn't have said that."That's okay. Anyway, you're my wife. You can say whatever you want to me," Kevin said casually. It didn't hurt his feelings at all."Then let's go right now!" Lily said excitedly as she smiled and took Kevin's hand. So they headed out to go shopping together.*The problem was Kevin just wasn't used to wearing fancy clothes. He preferred casual wear. Not only was it cheaper, but it was also a lot more comfortable.Finally, after making Lily roll her eyes in frustration at least a dozen times, Kevin had no choice but to give in. He ended up buying two short-sleeved shirts, some pants, and three jackets.When he got to the register, the associate scanned the items, then smugly looked Kevin up and down before saying, "The total is eighteen hundred thirty-two dollars. Cash or credit?"Kevin took a deep breath and reluctantly said, "Credit!"Wait a minute!" Lily suddenly said as she grabbed Kevin's hand. "We've been married for how long, and I've never bought you anything. This is on me!"When he heard this, Kevin smiled broadly and said, "If you insist!"The next morning, as the sun was starting to rise over Lake Michigan, the Blair family sent a car to pick up Lily and Kevin at Corwin Tower.After about two hours, the caravan of over a dozen limousines stopped at their destination up near Rockford."So this is where you plan to build?" Kevin whispered to Lily as they got out of the limo."Yes! Isn't it beautiful? It cost a little over two hundred million for the land. Then each family is going to spend another 45 million for the construction costs," Lily replied with a smile.Kevin shook his head when he heard her say this. He didn't think that it was a good place for a luxury housing development.There was a river nearby, which was picturesque, but he wondered if anyone had even looked into the chance of flooding.As Kevin was thinking about this, he heard a familiar, annoying voice."Kevin, what are you doing here? Did Lily finally let you out of the house?" Jason said with disdain.Lily had more status in the Jones family, but Jason still looked down on Kevin. Of course, this brought on whispering from the other guests. They were wondering if Kevin was the worthless freeloader Jason had been talking about. "Isn't that obvious? He must have tagged along with his wife to get free food and drinks," Jason sneered, "Otherwise, he could never afford to take part in a high-end camping trip like this."They all burst into laughter.Kevin glared at Jason but didn't say anything. It was better to ignore him.However, this teasing made Lily very unhappy. "Jason, what do you mean by that? We all came out here to have fun. If you pick another fight with Kevin, don't blame me for what happens to you."Lily's right, Jason. You really talk too much," Matilda reminded him. As she said this, she gave Kevin a little nod.Jason just grumbled and walked away.By now, a lot of them had already started to set up their tents. Of course, some of them wouldn't lower themselves to do manual labor, so they just sat in the shade on lawn chairs and watched. Most of the people on the camping trip were young. They were the future of the various companies involved in the business venture. And what they were interested in most of all was networking.But they all were distracted by the sight of Lily and Matilda Jones when they changed into their camping outfits. They were the most attractive women there.Suddenly, a man walked up to Lily and said, "Hi Ms. Jones. My name is Doug Butler. I've been hearing about you for a long time and I'm so glad to finally meet you!"When he heard the man say his name, Kevin did a spit take and couldn't help laughing, "What's your name? Doug Butt? Who gave you a name like that?"What are you laughing at, you bum?" Butler growled."Nothing, nothing!" Kevin said as he casually waved his hand, but he still couldn't hold back his laughter."What the hell? Why are you still laughing at me?" he shouted again, "Tell me, what the hell is so funny?"I just think your name's a little funny," Kevin said with a smile.When they heard Kevin say this, everyone started to mutter Doug Butler's name. Pretty soon, everyone in the group started laughing.Butler rolled up his sleeves and snarled, "How about if I wipe that smile off your face?!"Just as Butler was about to attack Kevin, Lily stepped between the two men and said, "Mr. Butler, please don't be angry. We're all here to enjoy ourselves. Let's just relax and have a good time."Butler looked at Lily and calmed down a little. Then he turned to Kevin and warned him, "As a favor to your wife, I'll let you off this time. But if you do it again, I'll break your freaking legs."Kevin just gave him a blank stare. He didn't want to upset Lily, but he clearly remembered that when Jason mocked him earlier, Butler had also joined in, and he had been the one who laughed the loudest. Now that the guy was hitting on Lily, Kevin wasn't going to give him a pass.Right at that moment, Kevin heard a lot of commotion and turned around to see Officer Emmett and Phoebe Anderson walking out of the changing room.But to everyone's surprise, the two women went straight to Kevin."I really didn't expect you guys to get here so quickly," Phoebe said while smiling at Kevin.Lily noticed Phoebe looking at Kevin and suddenly felt uncomfortable."Kevin, I didn't expect you to be here either," Officer Emmett said as she stood there with her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have ridden together!" "Oh, I don't know about that. Remember what happened the last time we took a drive together!" Kevin replied. Officer Emmett knew he was talking about chasing the bank robbers in his sports car.Lily wasn't sure what to think when she heard them talking like this. In fact, everyone was surprised to hear them teasing each other and acting like old friends. How did this freeloader have such a close relationship with these two beautiful women? Blair walked up to Officer Emmett and said very bitterly, "Kelly, you might not know, but Lily is now at the helm of the Jones family's business. Kevin only came on this camping trip because of her."As he said this, Blair made sure he gave Kevin a snotty look."What are you talking about? Do you have to make things so awkward?" Officer Emmett said in an irritated tone.In her eyes, Kevin was a brave and fearless hero. He was way stronger than any of these useless rich posers."Kelly, why are you still standing up for him? You're my fiancée!" Blair said anxiously."I'm just being honest. Also, if you keep acting like this, you may not call me that much longer," Officer Emmett said as she gave him a cold stare.Blair immediately dropped his tough guy act, "Okay, okay, Kelly, whatever you say."But he still gave Kevin another dirty look. His father, Neil Blair, suddenly stood up and interrupted them saying, "Thank you all very much for coming on this camping trip. I'll be brief. Have a good time. And be careful!"Then he added, "This is a great place to get in touch with the outdoors. You can fish down by the river and there's small game out in the woods. It will be up to you to find your food over the next few days. We'll provide drinks and snacks. Just grab whatever you need and enjoy yourselves."As Neil Blair finished talking, everyone smiled.They were all from wealthy families, and they already knew how to eat, drink, and have fun.They immediately broke up into cliques. Some picked up fishing rods to go fishing by the river. Others got ready to head into the woods to hunt for small game. And there were a few who had started drinking and hanging out. After all, the main goal of this outing was to make friends and get to know each other.Phoebe suddenly asked, "Kevin, are we hunting or fishing?"This is the best part of the fall hunting season. There should be a lot of small game in the woods," Kevin said as he went over to the table and picked up a sharp hunting knife."But why don't we go fishing? The fish must be nice and plump!" Officer Emmett asked."We'd do better at a lake. The current's too fast down by the river. The fish would be swept away before they had a chance to bite. And it's illegal to fish with a net around here. Of course, we could all afford the fine, but it just wouldn't be sportsmanlike," Kevin replied plainly."So what you're saying is none of those guys will be able to catch a fish?" Blair said mockingly.If Officer Emmett hadn't been there, Blair definitely wouldn't have been hanging out with Kevin."I didn't say absolutely," Kevin explained."Then why are you so serious? Are you just bragging?" Blair scoffed.Kevin ignored him. He turned around and said to Lily, "Let's head into the woods and see if we can catch a wild rabbit."Lily nodded in agreement. She didn't want to stay here and feel everyone's eyes on her."Let's go," Phoebe said as she smiled and picked up a wicker basket.Then Blair stood up and announced to everyone, "Why don't we have a competition and see who catches the most fish or game?"Someone in the crowd agreed, "So what's the reward?"Good idea. Each family will put ten million dollars in the pot. Winner takes all," Blair said casually.This caused an uproar. A lot of them wanted to participate, but ten million was a lot of money. How many of them could bet that much just for fun?Blair sneered at Kevin and Lily. His goal was clear. He was goading them to play his game.Blair had already sent some of his people ahead to set things up. The Jones family was guaranteed to lose and he'd put Kevin in his place."Jason, will the Jones family participate?" Blair asked with a sneer.Lily wasn't pleased to hear this. She was the leader of the Jones family now, and this game involved a huge amount of money. Why did Blair ask Jason instead of her?"We'll think about it," Jason replied, but he didn't agree immediately."What? Can't you make a decision by yourself? It's just ten million. Don't tell me your family's so poor that you can't scrape that much together. Or are you as useless as that guy who married into your family?" Blair sneered.Kevin frowned and thought to himself, "What's with this guy? Why does everything have to do with me? It's not like I did anything to him."Kevin could tell that Blair was purposely provoking Jason.As expected, Jason took the bait and said, "Don't worry. We can still afford ten million."Then Jason turned to Lily and said, "Since Mr. Blair has kindly invited us, should we join the game?"Blair frowned when he heard the Joneses start talking with each other about Jason's response. They all knew that the decision was up to Lily. While they didn't want to back down, they also knew ten million was a lot of money.Jason wasn't happy about this either. He thought of himself as the family representative, but as long as Lily held most of the shares in the company, he was no longer in the limelight. On the other hand, if Lily went along with the wager and lost, Grandma Jones might force her to hand over her shares. "Alright, we're in!" Lily replied as she gritted her teeth. "You're braver than I thought," Blair said with a cocky smile.But Lily wasn't sure this was really a good decision.