Sheffield turned around to leave.
Peterson ignored his harsh tone and continued to explain with a sigh, "I just want you to formally come back to the Tang family. You are a strong man now. Even without my protection, you can take care of yourself. I'm relieved."
Ignoring him, Sheffield opened the car door.
"Sheffield," Peterson called desperately.
As far as Sheffield knew, Peterson was only acting sentimental to get his forgiveness. He stood there and impatiently scratched his hair. "You don't have to play the love card with me. I couldn't care less. If it weren't for Evelyn, I would've left Y City after proving Mom's innocence. I wouldn't have taken over Theo Group either. But because I did, I am being targeted by enemies from all over the place, and some of them are closer than you think, just waiting to stab me in the back. I don't want more trouble." And on top of the danger to his life, there was an endless storm of files to go through every day and he had no time to rest. It was frustrating.
The only reason why he hadn't quit his job as CEO was Evelyn.
If Sheffield was the unruly legendary beast, then Evelyn was the beast tamer, the only one capable of conquering him.
Peterson tried to persuade him. "Since you've already come this far for Evelyn, wouldn't it be good if you took back your place in the Tang family and included Evelyn's and your daughter's names in our family tree?"
"No, thank you. I'll build my own family. It'll be just the three of us in our residence booklet. No other Tangs! I need peace!" He didn't want a single other person intruding in their paradise, except maybe another cute kid.
And anyway, what was so good about being a part of the Tang family? Nothing! There was no good reason to insert their names in that family tree.
Peterson sighed heavily at his son's stubbornness and let him leave.
The old man stood there, pondering for a long time. And then, he had a better idea to persuade Sheffield.
At ZL Group
Evelyn was working on her computer when Nadia walked in. "Miss Huo, Mr. Tang from Theo Group is here to see you."
"Which Mr. Tang?" She was sure that it wasn't Sheffield. He wouldn't have waited for permission to get into her office. So, the visitor was either Peterson or Sterling.
'Most likely Peterson, ' Evelyn guessed.
"It's Peterson Tang," Nadia reported.
Evelyn didn't know why Sheffield's father wanted to see her. Nonetheless, she quickly saved the files on her computer. "Let Mr. Tang in, and get us some tea."
"Yes, Miss Huo," Nadia said.
A minute later, she led Peterson in. When he saw Evelyn sorting through some files, the old man apologized, "Evelyn, I'm sorry to have interrupted your work."
He was quite fond of Evelyn. She was a better woman than any of his other daughters-in-law. Moreover, she was Carlos' daughter. It would do Sheffield good to be with her.
Evelyn got up from her chair and invited him in a soft voice,
"That's quite all right, Uncle Peterson. Please have a seat."
They sat on the sofa and chatted for a while about work. After that, Peterson skipped straight to the point. "Evelyn, I came here to ask you a favor."
'A favor?' "Please, tell me what you want, Uncle. I'll try my best to help."
He heaved a sigh and continued, "You must have heard all about the unpleasant past between me and Sheffield."
Evelyn nodded, "Yes. More or less."
"Sheffield was mad at me at the time, so he had his name removed from the Tang family's residence booklet. He hasn't registered back yet. Since he's about to get married, I wanted to register his name into our booklet again, so that you and your baby can also formally become a part of our family. But he refused me outright. He doesn't want anything to do with the family."
Evelyn knew what the favor was about now.
"Please, Evelyn. Persuade Sheffield to bring you and the baby back to the Tang family and register your names in our family tree. He won't listen to me, and I can't do anything to convince him. I have no choice now, but to turn to you for help." Peterson's voice was full of exhaustion and was filled with regrets.
Evelyn stayed silent as she listened to his wish. She had disappointed Sheffield once because of Dollie.
And now this. "Uncle Peterson, I know that you only want the best for us, but I think we should respect Sheffield's decision. I'm afraid I can't help you. I'm really sorry."
Peterson's face fell. "It's okay, Evelyn. You don't need to apologize. But if you do get the chance, just mention it to him. I'm not forcing you to do anything. After all, your relationship is more important. I only want you to be happy." Evelyn's reaction was just as he had expected.
"I will see what I can do," she said with a smile. Peterson had been so nice to Evelyn that she felt guilty about not being able to help him.
Since he had asked, she decided to try to persuade Sheffield. But she wouldn't force him to do anything he didn't want. She didn't want to ignore Sheffield's feelings like she had done two years ago. His happiness was most important for her right now.
"Thank you, Evelyn. But remember, don't quarrel with him over this, okay?" Peterson advised.
"Don't worry, Uncle, I won't."
After seeing Peterson off, Evelyn thought about what he had said.
She was confused, but she wanted to try her best to help him. After all, it was the wish of a father.
A few days later, Peterson chose a sunny day to visit the Huo family manor with Sheffield.
After hearing that they were going to bring betrothal presents to the Huo family, Sheffield was thrilled and immediately got into Peterson's car.
At first, Peterson had planned on taking Lea with him, but Sheffield disagreed. In the end, the father-son duo, along with a few of Sheffield's friends, went to the Huo family manor.
In the Huo family manor
The manor was bustling with people. Most of them were Carlos' friends. Wesley and Blair were already at the manor. Then came Damon and Adriana, followed by Curtis and Colleen. Ivan and Kasie were present too, along with Dixon and Garnet, Xavier and his wife and even Kinsley and Yates, accompanied by their wives.
On the way to the manor, Sheffield picked up Joshua and his parents. Gifford was headed to the manor on his own.
The manor was large. Even with over twenty people and a few servants in the living room, it still didn't seem crowded.
Since it was an important event, everyone was dressed formally. The men were in suits, and the women were delicately dressed.
The living room was bustling with excitement. Gwyn was playing with a windmill in her hand. Everyone took turns to hold her, and the little girl was very happy to see all these people in one place.
She exclaimed loudly when she saw Sheffield, "Daddy! Daddy!" She ran to him with a big smile on her face.
The little girl was dressed in purple, and she looked so adorable that even Peterson, who wasn't fond of kids, was excited to see her. He was so glad that this cute little girl was his granddaughter.
