Chapter 272 - A Man’s Promise
Tom was emotional that he slammed his hands on the table with a loud sound. The other guests turned their head towards them, but he didn't care. The man's gaze was solely directed on Jean, who returned his gaze coldly.
"Have you forgotten that we always played together when we were little? How could you ask Brother Samuel to arrange a wedding for her!" Fortunately, Tom still remembered to control his volume. "Is the Hiroshi Family so weak that they need a contract marriage to streamline their business?!"
Tom's words gave Lilia a jolt. She knew Tom didn't mean to offend her, but the words stabbed her heart. Why couldn't Sasha have a contract marriage when she herself was sold in the same marriage? What made them so different?
Jean glanced at Lilia and saw pain coloring the woman's expression. He immediately fixed his knife-sharp gaze at Tom. He was willing to tolerate Tom's rudeness as he was being blinded by his love for Sasha. But Jean wouldn't let anyone hurt his wife. Even if that person was his own best friend.
Tom's face turned deathly pale as he realized what he had just said. His eyes were fixed on the painful expression on Lilia's face. Then he slowly shifted his gaze towards Jean. His best friend gave him the most dangerous look he had ever seen. Tom had a feeling that if he didn't apologize now, he wouldn't be able to survive!
"B-Bro, S-Sis, I-I don't ... I didn't mean to offend you, okay?" Tom returned to his seat on the sofa, his excitement vanished immediately. He cleared his throat and continued, "It's just… does Sasha really have to get married? Is there no other way to cancel the marriage?"
Tom was afraid of Jean's anger, but he couldn't just stand by and watch the woman he loved marry someone else. The man did not understand why Jean and Samuel deliberately forced Sasha to marry. Tom was sorry for her. Yet he too, was wracked with regret.
Until now, he still hadn't dared to express his feelings for Sasha. And now Sasha was getting married without ever hearing Tom's love for her. The man felt so pathetic.
Jean stared at Tom for a moment, then he returned his gaze to Lilia. He was more worried about his wife's feelings than his best friend. Jean took a cup of tea from one of the servants who passed by, then put it in Lilia's hand.
"Didn't you walk outside with Sister Irene earlier? Drink something warm so that your body won't feel cold." Jean said.
Lilia accepted the cup obediently. She gave Tom another glance before starting to take a sip of his tea. The tea was mixed with honey and warmed Lilia's throat. The sweet taste of honey made the corner of Lilia's mouth lifted into a smile. She drank the tea until only half remained in the cup before returning her gaze to Tom.
The model was indeed hurt by what Tom said just now, but the man meant no harm. In addition, Tom always called her 'Sis' with great intimacy and helped Lilia to become comfortable with Jean's other friends. Lilia couldn't bear to let Tom look so heartbroken.
"Tom, do you really love Sasha?" Lilia asked carefully.
Lilia's sudden question took Tom by surprise. He stared at the model blankly. Did he love Sasha? Of course he loved that woman!
But just as Tom was about to answer, another question came to the man's mind. Why did he love Sasha so much? Until now, Tom himself had not found the answer to that question.
Tom could only open and close his mouth without making a sound.
He realized that he had always been running away from that question. Tom had become so used to being by Sasha's side that the news of this marriage rocked him. The man could not accept the fact that the woman he loved would marry a man who was not himself.
As Lilia saw Tom's disoriented expression, she began to understand something about Tom. The number of artists who had dated Jean's best friend was not a secret in the entertainment world. That's what distinguished Tom from Jean. Even though they both had the woman they loved in their hearts, Tom didn't stop playing around.
But when Tom was asked about the woman he loved, the man couldn't answer. He might not be so sure of what he wanted.
At that moment, the atmosphere between the three of them felt awkward and heavy. Each of them was thinking about something different.
Lilia shook her head and stopped her thoughts. She didn't know anything about Sasha's marriage. She had no right to express her opinion on that. Personally, Lilia felt that Sasha was not worthy of pity, like Tom did. In addition, her matters with Sasha about the sabotage effort in Magetan had not been settled. Lilia chose to remain silent and watch the situation first.
But Tom seemed to have reached the opposite conclusion. The man opened his mouth with an expression that looked even more cheerful than before. "Sis Lilia, if I can make Sasha fall in love with me, do you think this contract marriage can be canceled?" he boldly asked.
Lilia looked at the man in surprise. But before she could respond, Jean had answered Tom's challenge.
"If you can do that, I will consider it." Jean replied calmly. Even though his tone sounded light, Jean's gaze said that the man was really serious.
Lilia turned to Jean with an astonished look. Why did she feel that Jean was trying to force Tom to give up on this challenge? Lilia was sure that this man had absolutely no intention of canceling Sasha's marriage. Even she could see that Tom and Sasha were completely incompatible!
But Tom seemed oblivious to Jean's hidden intentions. The man actually looked full of enthusiasm after getting Jean's promise. Tom jumped up and asked once again, "Bro, are you serious about what you said just now?"
Jean returned Tom's gaze. "I'm serious," he calmly answered.
Tom immediately took out his cell phone to call someone. He laughed as he said confidently, "Bro Jean, Sis Lilia, just wait for good news from me, Okay! I will definitely cancel Sasha's wedding!"
Without waiting for their reply, Tom marched away from the living room. Lilia could only sigh and shake her head. Even though Tom was Jean's age, the man was still not mature enough. He tended to lose his mind when it came to anything that concerned Sasha.
Lilia finished her honey tea, then put the cup on the table. Then she tugged at Jean's sleeve and asked, "Did you push for Sasha's wedding?"
Jean shrugged his shoulders. "I am not doing anything. I just told Brother Samuel that we are all old enough to have a family," he replied calmly. His voice was evenly devoid of emotion and showed that he had intentionally pushed Sasha's marriage with these words.
Lilia thought for a moment, then stared at Tom's figure. "Do you think Tom can win Sasha's heart?" she asked.
Jean chuckled and stroked Lilia's head. His gaze was so sweet and full of love that it made other people who saw him get diabetes. However, the man's words were far from 'cute'.
"There's nothing wrong with Tom having occasional failures in his life."