Chapter 78 Want to reconcile? Drink it
Lachlan didn’t think too highly of the two people in front of him. Miranda was sizing them up and asked, “Miss Ellis, what brings you here?”
Both were from Edoland. Although Miranda wasn’t friends with Betty, she recognized her as the heiress to Ellis’ Jewelry.
“Ms. Lowe, is there something we can help you with?” Betty smiled.
“Well… we were hoping to invite Mr. Willis out for dinner. Would that be possible?” Orion asked in a hoarse voice.
Lachlan’s expression turned strange at the invitation. “Invite me out for dinner?”
“Yes! We’re sincere about it and hope you can accept,” Betty explained.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a unique cuisine restaurant.
Orion poured Lachlan a glass of wine and said, “Mr. Willis, I’m so glad to see that you’re safe!”
Lachlan raised an eyebrow at his words. “What do you mean? Are you threatening me indirectly?”
“No! No! That’s not what I meant.” Orion shook his head repeatedly before continuing with a bitter smile on his face. “Mr. Willis, did Tiger lead you there earlier? Did Zak send troops to help?”
Lachlan had no idea what was going on but nodded anyway. “Yes… so what about it?”
Orion smiled and said, “To be honest you, I was the one who passed on the information about you being trapped in Tiger’s headquarters to Zak. So, you see… I’ve actually helped you, haven’t I?”
As he finished speaking, Nora shook her little head and blinked her big eyes, saying, “Daddy, is this uncle trying to ask you for a favor?”
Despite her young age, Nora was very clever and had picked up on Orion’s subtle hints.
“Mr. Moore, if you have something to say, just say it,” Lachlan said.
“Okay…” Orion laughed awkwardly. “Mr. Willis, I heard that your medical skills are superb. I was burned by alcohol before and the doctor said there would be some permanent damage. Do you think you can treat me?”
He had attended the lunch party today specifically for this purpose.
As it turned out, Lachlan was not only a distinguished guest but also a skilled doctor. However, he hadn’t spoken much during lunch and left early.
“Well…” Lachlan remained noncommittal.
Seeing his lukewarm response, Orion cleared his throat and said earnestly, “Mr. Willis, I know what I did before was wrong but if you’re willing to help me out now then please name your price. Whatever needs doing in the future – just let me know.”
“After all, it’s better to resolve conflicts than to hold grudges, don’t you think?”
Lachlan looked at Orion and nodded with interest. “You’re right. Here, let’s drink this and forget our grievances.” He poured a full glass of white wine into Orion’s cup.
Orion’s face changed as he saw the alcohol in his cup.
Betty showed an angry expression. “Hey, why are you like this? Orion wants to make peace with you, but you’re still treating him badly? His esophagus is already burned by alcohol, and yet you still give him more?”
Lachlan ignored her and raised his own glass as a signal to Orion.
He stared at Orion with his starry eyes, observing every micro-expression on his face. He wasn’t doing this aimlessly; after experiencing the ups and downs of life and human nature, Lachlan didn’t mind showing maximum hostility towards anyone who had previously been in conflict with him. Especially those who were insincere about making amends.
He could be gracious but not foolish.
Wanting to reconcile?
Of course it was possible – as long as it was genuine.
Lachlan was testing Orion; if he showed any signs of hatred that Lachlan could detect, he would kick him out immediately.
“Betty, stop talking!” Orion waved his hand at Betty and lifted his glass. “I apologize for any offense I may have caused earlier. Mr. Willis, your demeanor at lunch today was admirable, and as a soldier, I don’t beat around the bush. I believe with your character, you won’t hold a grudge against me.”
“I’ll drink!” Orion said, clinking glasses with Lachlan before downing his drink.
After finishing the alcohol, Orion’s face quickly turned red and showed signs of pain.
Feeling like his throat and esophagus were being cut by a knife, he struggled to breathe.
Betty noticed this and became anxious, “Orion, are you okay?”
Lachlan also finished his drink before reaching out to Orion.
Despite the pain that made him twitch uncontrollably on the face, Orion still reached out to shake Lachlan’s hand.
“Mr. Moore, I’d appreciate!” Lachlan smiled warmly in response.
Orion wanted to smile bitterly but suddenly widened his eyes.
He felt warmth flowing into him from his right palm which repaired all of his injuries including the burning sensation in this throat which now felt warm instead of hot!
“Thank you so much Mr. Willis!” One minute later after feeling rejuvenated, Orion spoke with excitement while showing gratitude towards Lachlan!
The pain on his face disappeared, and his voice was no longer hoarse.
“Cheers!” Lachlan raised his glass to himself and Orion, refilling both of their drinks.
“Cheers!” Orion downed his drink in one gulp before excitedly wiping his mouth. “Great wine.”
“Orion, are you… are you feeling better?” Betty asked with wide eyes, looking confused.
…
Thanks to Orion and Betty’s efforts to get closer and lighten the mood, the dinner went smoothly.
Nora even made friends with the two.
“After we finish eating, do you have any plans with your wife?” Orion asked Lachlan between belches from all the drinking he had done.
“Not really. I thought I might go check out a jade shop for my mother-in-law,” Lachlan replied with a smile.
Hearing this, both Orion and Betty’s eyes lit up.
“Why go to a jade shop? My family deals in jade and we just received a shipment of raw stones at the gambling den tonight. If you’re interested, I’ll treat you to some stone gambling,” Betty enthusiastically suggested.
“If we find good material, we can make our own jade jewelry for Auntie. Wouldn’t that be more meaningful?” she added.
At 8 pm that night, the group arrived at Betty’s gambling den where the batch of jade had just been delivered. A middle-aged man was standing there exchanging something with a young man.
“Dad, the raw stones are here! Perfect timing! I brought my friends over to play!” Betty greeted her father Anton Ellis who was also the CEO of Ellis’ Jewelry Group.
This batch of raw materials was said to have been recently discovered in a rich vein in Moclington country with high chances of producing green jade. As such, it came at an exorbitant price tag totaling over 80 million dollars.
Anton personally came to oversee its quality control and when he saw his daughter bringing friends over for fun instead of business matters, he waved her off impatiently. However, just then a familiar voice rang out.
“Miranda? Oh, and you brought along your gigolo?” The young man who was exchanging something with Anton had a stunningly beautiful woman standing next to him.
It was none other than Harlow, Miranda’s cousin. She looked absolutely gorgeous.