Chapter 623: Suitable Candidate
Jordan abruptly raised his head and looked at Lucas. But less than a second later, he turned his head away and clenched his fist without saying anything.
Lucas sighed. “I’ve told you before that you like Maddy, but you haven’t been able to profess your feelings to her. If she really chooses to marry a man she doesn’t love, you’ll definitely regret it!
“Moreover, you’ve always felt that you’re not worthy of Maddy. But if you hadn’t chosen to leave everything behind in Calico to stay by my side, even the Stones wouldn’t dare to look down on you, given all your previous achievements and status. In fact, I’ve also told you before that as long as you’re willing, I’ll be able to help you ask the Stones for Maddy’s hand in marriage immediately. But you refused to let me. What a shame!”
Lucas had called Jordan last night and asked about things between him and Maddy, but Jordan seemed to be full of worries.
Jordan hung his head low without saying another word. After a long time, he finally said with a bitter expression, “I want to give Maddy happiness, but after spending the past few days with her, I don’t think she likes me that way. She’s always treated me as a brother and comrade, and she has never been romantically interested in me. So I don’t want to force things, lest the relations.h.i.+p between us becomes awkward.
“At least, we can now still get along as comrades and friends, and that’s enough for me.”
Hearing this, Lucas was both angry and amused. “You’re so silly! I don’t know if Maddy has any romantic feelings for you, but if she doesn’t like you, how could she possibly allow you to stay by her side for the past few days? She’s not the type who likes to get too close to men. You should be very sure about that. But has she shown any displeasure toward you the past few days?”
Jordan pondered for a bit and realized that this really seemed to be the case. Maddy had an independent and resolute character, just like a rose with thorns. In the past few years, there had been many men who had professed their feelings to her or went out of their way to do nice things for her. But she didn’t hide her displeasure and disdain toward them, much less treat any of them nicely.
But for the past few days, Maddy had been chatting with Jordan merrily until they suddenly ran into the obnoxious Roy yesterday.
“In that case, does Maddy… really like me a little?” Jordan raised his head to look at Lucas as he asked apprehensively, feeling rather worried.
At this moment, Jordan was like a young man who had just fallen in love for the first time in his life. He was no longer as suave, unfettered, and demonic as he usually appeared.
Lucas smiled lightly. “You must be too muddled and paranoid. As I’ve said before, if you like Maddy, take a brave step forward and pursue her. Even if things don’t work out in the end, you’ve at least tried your best and won’t keep regretting the chances you didn’t take. Don’t you agree?
“Can you really accept it if you suddenly receive a wedding invitation from Maddy one day and end up seeing her holding hands with another man, exchanging rings, and sharing a kiss with him while you can only watch from the corner of the wedding hall? Do you want to end up having to force yourself to give her your blessings?
“You know that Maddy doesn’t fancy anyone now, and if she chooses to get married when she returns to DC, it’ll only be a compromise to her family. But she will have to be bound to a man she doesn’t love at all for the rest of her life. Her talent and smarts will diminish day by day after she gets married and gives birth to children. Eventually, she will become a dull and miserable person. Can you bear to see that?
“Moreover, the man she marries might be a playboy who has domestic violent tendencies or emotionally abuses her. Or he might also be a philanderer who loves womanizing all day. Take Roy Smith for example. Can you bear to see Maddy spending the rest of her life with an incompetent scion like him?”
Lucas’s words were like sharp daggers stabbing straight into Jordan’s heart.
The thought of the scene Lucas described and the possibility of his beloved woman being horribly mistreated made Jordan’s heart ache in misery.
“If… If her husband dares to mistreat her, I’ll definitely seek justice for her and not let anyone bully her!” Jordan clenched his fists and a.s.sured angrily in a soft voice.
“How can you a.s.sure that?” Lucas looked at his best friend expressionlessly. “Once she really gets married, she’ll be someone else’s wife, while you’ll just be an outsider. How can you guarantee that no one will bully her then? When the time comes, you’ll be in no place to show her concern at all!”
Lucas’s seemingly cold and heartless words immediately destroyed Jordan’s forced comfort.
Jordan closed his eyes in agony. Yeah, just as Lucas says, if she really ends up marrying someone else, what right would I have to meddle with her affairs?
If he appeared beside Maddy at that time and stood up for her, they would definitely face countless criticism and push her into an even more unfavorable position.
The thought of it made Jordan overwhelmed with a ma.s.sive wave of regret, leaving him in so much pain that he started pulling his own hair.
“Lucas, what… should I do?” he murmured.
Lucas sighed. “Jordan, I hope you can understand that whether you want to give up Maddy or not, it not only concerns your own happiness and determines if you will regret later in life, but it also concerns her future happiness. You haven’t confessed your love to her or fought for the happiness you want. How can you be so sure that it’s impossible between you and Maddy then? Think about it carefully yourself.”
After saying this, Lucas decided not to persuade him any further and instead left him to figure it out quietly by himself.
But in the end, he said, “I intend to send another person to DC to help Flynn with the matters there.”
Jordan was stunned for a moment before coming to a sudden realization. He asked in shock and disbelief, “Lucas, do you mean that… that I can go to DC?”
Lucas nodded. “That’s right. I intend to send you to DC. The Huttons’ control over the Stardust Group headquarters is even greater than I expected. Flynn is getting overwhelmed handling the matters there on his own. Stanley has already put in a lot of energy to protect Flynn, while the Huttons are constantly making things hard for him. So there’s no way Stanley can continue to help him. Therefore, if I want to break the situation in DC, I have to send a competent and reliable person over.
“You’re undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.”