Chapter 7 Convinced She Was Forced

It was the first time Gardenia saw Ian, who was always gentle and refined, furious. He was frowning heavily, and there was a tired look in his eyes. He had probably stayed up all night looking for her. But… it was Ansel Leager he was trying to interrogate! Was Ian not afraid of death? She saw Ansel opening the car door from the corner of her eye and quickly grabbed his arm. "Wait, Mr. Leager. Let me go and explain the situation to him." Ian was doing something so impulsive right now out of a moment of rage. Once he calmed down, he should realize how he was as good as courting death right now. Although Ansel had washed his hands of shady business and established his place in the business world by founding Leager Group, he used to control the largest gambling mecca in Auridia. Everyone was aware of the shady deals involved in that sort of business. As soon as he made his debut in the business world, he was respected and treated well everywhere he went. The biggest reason for Leager Group's speedy rise to the top was that nobody dared to compete with him. In business competition, it was usually money that was at stake. But when competing with Ansel, it might be their very lives that were at stake. Ansel's gaze swept over the back of her pale hand, but he said nothing. He seemed to be considering it. Gardenia said pleadingly, "You promised me you wouldn't make things difficult for Ian." There was silence in the car for a while. A few seconds later, he leaned back and said, "I'll watch from here, so don't leave my sight." Having received his permission, Gardenia sighed in relief. "Okay." As she opened the door and was about to step out of the car, she heard Ansel's low voice again. "Don't let him touch you." Otherwise, she'd be solely responsible for the consequences. … Nobody would have expected it to be possible for such a huge change to occur overnight. The next time Gardenia found herself standing face-to-face with Ian, she was already married to Ansel. When Ian saw her, he reflexively stepped forward to hold her hand. "Nia." She hurriedly retreated a few steps, looking as if she was facing off against a huge threat. "Don't come over! Just say what you want from where you are!" Ian looked at her in confusion and helplessness. "You… What's wrong with you? Did someone do something to you?" They both knew exactly who he meant by "someone". Gardenia shook her head. "No. Why don't you just head back to the company? I'll send you the project plan for Wagner Entertainment via email after I finish writing it. After that, you just have to pay more attention to the due diligence investigation." She was more or less carrying out a handover of her job. In addition, Ansel's assistant—Oliver Papier—had already negotiated with Chandler Corporation early in the morning, so Ian actually already knew everything. However, he couldn't accept the situation and insisted on asking, "What about you, then?" Gardenia subconsciously glanced toward Ansel's car. She summoned up the courage to reply, "I'm going to work for Leager Group." Ian's fingers tightened into fists. "He forced you into it, right? I should've noticed it earlier! He was already looking at you strangely yesterday! But we were already about to get married, and you personally accepted my proposal! "I know he must've threatened you with something, Nia. Don't be afraid and come over to me! I'll protect you! Even if Ansel Leager is powerful and influential, he still can't just take my fiancee from me so openly!" Gardenia said nothing. There was a lot she couldn't say right now because Ansel was watching from inside the car. She just wanted Ian to leave safely for now. Before she could speak, Ansel was already rolling down his car window. He arched an eyebrow and repeated playfully, "Your fiancee?" Ian looked directly at him, his back straight. "That's right! We're both in the business world, Mr. Leager, so we should at least adhere to the first come, first served rule!" Ansel sneered inwardly. Ian was bringing up the concept of first come, first served in front of him? He laughed so much that his Adam's apple bobbed visibly. "How old were you when you first came with me, Fleur?" he knowingly asked Gardenia.