Chapter: 374
Of course Bethany knew. But she had already made her decision clear to him.
Meanwhile, Jonathan returned to Bates Group. Before he could meet the shareholders, Nikolas rushed in.
“You're back at the company!" Nikolas blurted out, then quickly corrected himself. "No, wait, you're going to get married. I don't even know who you're going to marry."
Nikolas couldn't believe the news when he first saw it online. It wasn't until Jonathan's parents called him, asking about Jonathan's bride-to-be, that he realized it was true. But he didn't know either.
“It doesn't matter." Jonathan remained focused on reading through the document in his hands, seemingly unaffected by Nikolas’ presence.
Frustrated by Jonathan's apparent indifference, Nikolas reached out and snatched the document from his grasp.
"I thought we were good friends, and you didn't even tell me you were getting married. Are you going to marry Bethany? You two haven't contacted all these years. What's going on?"
At the mention of Bethany's name, Jonathan's hand paused over the desk.
Jonathan raised his head, finally meeting Nikolas' gaze. “I have nothing to do with Bethany."
"Not her?" Nikolas was taken aback. He couldn't think of anybody else.
Jonathan had become even more consumed by work over the years. There seemed little chance of any romantic entanglements.
"Then who could it be? Maddie?" Nikolas asked.
"I will never marry her!" Jonathan said coldly and glanced pointedly at the office door. "We're in the middle of work. Is there anything else?"
It was clear Nikolas was being dismissed. But he refused to back down. “As a shareholder of Bates Group, I have the right to know. Your sudden marriage announcement affects the company's image. If there's any scandal, it could harm us."
Over the years, Nikolas had become smarter and learned to use the name of the company.
"You can sell your shares if you're not satisfied," John said without any hesitation.
Nikolas chuckled, undeterred. “Jonathan, now I'm certain it's Bethany. You can't hide it from me."
Jonathan didn't respond, his mind clearly elsewhere, unable to concentrate on his work.
"I've known you a long time. Apart from Bethany, you've never made an exception for anyone else. You're always meticulous and strict with yourself. So don't lie to me. Have you reconciled with Bethany? Are you two back together?" Nikolas asked.
"No."
"You're not getting married. It's just a facade." Nikolas' words hit the nail on the head, leaving the usually composed Jonathan at a loss for words.
Seeing Jonathan's silence, Nikolas sighed and continued, "I get what you're doing. Your mother pushed you to marry Maddie, but you couldn't accept it, so you staged this whole scenario to make them back off and show that you'd never marry Maddie, right?"
“I just don't want to be hassled anymore."
For years, numerous women had sought his attention, some even camping out at his company's doors, desperate for his phone number.