Chapter 398
The bouquet remained in front of me, unmoving, as if it would never budge unless I took it.
Soren stared at Edward, his gaze dark. With a tilt of his head, he signaled to Sean.
Sean understood and stepped forward to retrieve the flowers. But Edward dodged him.
“Come on, Tay. I’m here, choosing to overlook the fact that you played a part in my family’s suffering because I genuinely wish you well. So why can’t you accept a simple gesture of kindness from me?” he said.
Plenty of people around us knew who we were, including the aforementioned fashion titans. Some journalists and media personnel still lingered nearby.
I could tell Edward had timed this perfectly to pull off yet another stunt. If I didn’t handle it well, it could easily tum into the next viral story.
I finally accepted the bouquet and handed it to Sean. “Thanks for the flowers, but if you’ve got a whole speech- prepared, save it. And for the record, the only reason this brand is still called the ‘Edwardian Tailor‘ is that rebranding is a hassle. It has nothing to do with sentimentality.
“Though, thanks for the reminder. I’ve come to realize that some things are worth doing, no matter how troublesome. Once the fashion show is over and I’m back home, I’ll start working on it.”
I had once loved the Edwardian Tailor, but at this point, it needed to go. Edward was deluded enough to see it as proof I still had feelings for him.
He smiled faintly, glanced away, and drew a deep breath. “Rebranding is your prerogative. But what about my role in founding the company? My blood, sweat, and tears? How do you erase that?”
“By your logic, I should ask for the blood running through your veins back, too. I was the one who donated it.”
He went silent.
A small crowd had begun to gather–exactly the kind of attention I didn’t want.
I shot Soren a look. “Let’s go.”
He nodded.
As we brushed past Edward, Soren paused, smiled faintly, and said, “A bit of friendly advice, Mr. Kennedy: you’d be better off focusing your time and energy on your family’s business. Trust me, you can’t afford the luxury of reminiscing about the past.”
Edward glared at him coldly.
I tugged on Soren’s arm. “Come on. Don’t waste your breath on him.”
We exited the hall. I glanced back
Edward didn’t follow. That was a relief.
“What did you mean, Soren? You found something rotten in the Kennedys‘ business?” I asked.
Soren nodded. “Yes. And it’s worse than what you described I only held off on exposing them because I wanted them to spend the Brigidlia Festival in peace.”
“Worse? How bad are we talking?”
“Every part of the Kennedys Aesgard project was riddled with serious oversights. You mentioned someone died,
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Chapter 398
right? And that it was resolved?”
He paused, then continued grimly, “They “resolved it by paying off the victim’s family and forcibly relocating them to another town. They threatened them into silence and banned them from ever returning to Metropolis.
“And that incident? It wasn’t an accident. It started as a dispute between workers and their boss. Their wages had been delayed, so they rioted, demanding fair pay. The conflict turned physical, and someone pushed the victim from a high floor.”
