Kelly quickly calmed down and explained the situation, "Kendall, we have joint projects with Whittle Holdings, after all. Furthermore, Jackson and I have been friends for years. I was worried that Whittle Holdings would get in trouble. That would affect our collaboration and could result in our company's loss as well."
There were no forever friends or foes in business. Profit was what made the world go round.
A lot of major corporations and businesses were acquainted with each other in one way or another. The Parker Corporation and Whittle Holdings, too, had engaged in business numerous times. This was something that Kendall wasn't aware of.
"I was too agitated just now, and I didn't control my tone very well. I apologize for that." After Kelly said she was sorry, she started nagging at Kendall again. "You have been back for a year now, Kendall. Even though you have never directly been involved in our company's business dealings and you may not know much about the company, you should at least understand how powerful connections can be. You have obviously gotten on Master Dylan's bad side, and you were even brought back to the Coleman Mansion to be their unpaid nanny. Are you sure you want to make the Whittles your enemy too? I don't ask you to help shoulder Daddy's and my troubles, but the least you could do is to not drag us down."
After Kelly said that, Kendall let out a half smile on her face. "You said it yourself. Dylan brought me back to be their unpaid nanny as his little act of revenge. Why would I ever do something as thick-skinned as provoking him into harming Whittle Holdings?"
Kendall still wasn't at a place where she could easily accomplish something like sabotaging the Whittle Holdings.
Kelly looked at Kendall with scrutinizing eyes, and upon realizing that her sister might be telling the truth after all, she smiled and tried to hook her arm around Kendall's, only for Kendal to inch away before she could do it.
"Is there anything else bothering you?" Kendall asked.
"I am really sorry about what happened earlier, Kendall. I am responsible for a lot of business dealings in the company, and one of them is with Whittle Holdings. It is because I know more about the internal situation that I got anxious and have scolded you."
"Yeah, right." Kendall mocked, the corners of her lips upturned. "You were unbelievably agitated. There is not one person in Orapolis that doesn't know how calm and steady the vice president of the Parker Corporation is. This sort of extreme agitation really isn't you, Kelly."
Kelly had the audacity to boost herself up even though she was actually doing this for Jackson. Not only that, she was also insinuating that Kendall was the one who didn't know the family business, and that she was the one who offended someone she shouldn't have, and had caused the company a loss.
"Kendall, you said that you have let go of the grudge between you and Jackson?" Kelly abruptly changed the direction the conversation was heading into. "Are you… really planning on giving up on him? It was love at first sight for you, wasn't it? And he also has feelings for you. You both are meant for each other."
In all honesty, this was something that Kelly was very concerned about.
She wondered if Kendall had really let him go, or if Kendall was only baiting her to reveal the truth herself because Kendall had already found out about her and Jackson.
"Kelly, did you know that Mrs. Whittle came over to our home today?" Kendall suddenly asked.
Kelly had a bad feeling about it all of a sudden. "What did she come here for?"
Kendall only stared at her without saying a word.
Seeing that her sister wasn't replying, Kelly asked again, "What are you looking at me like that for, Kendall?"
"I want to congratulate you!" Kendall smiled. Just as Kelly was starting to wonder what she was talking about, Kendall explained, "Mrs. Whittle was here to deliver the dowry."
"Dowry?!" Kelly shrieked. However, her voice turned calm again the next moment. "She must have brought the dowry to you on behalf of Jackson. I should be the one congratulating you, Kendall."
"Mrs. Whittle came to propose to you," Kendall unexpectedly told her. "And she even directly prepared and brought the dowry over in broad daylight. She even said it outright that she wanted you as her daughter-in-law. This is a joyous occasion. Congratulations!"
Ignoring the dumb, baffled look on Kelly's face, Kendall leaned in and whispered, "But Mommy was really angry about it. She rejected the proposal."
After saying that, Kendall walked past Kelly and sauntered in the direction they came from.
Kelly, on the other hand, couldn't calm herself down after learning about this.
If only she was the Parker couple's biological daughter, she would definitely have had a grand wedding with Jackson.
However, Kelly was not happy at all about Rosemi coming to their house personally to suggest a proposal between Kelly and Jackson. Instead, she was enraged.
Why would Rosemi do something like bringing the dowry over without telling her beforehand?!
Almost all of Orapolis knew that Kendall liked Jackson. Jackson, too, had said that he would marry Kendall. However, the one Rosemi was proposing to now was Kelly. Truth was, it didn't even surprise Kelly that Charlotte had reacted negatively at that. Not only that, Rosemi's actions would only make Adam and Charlotte think that she was robbing Kendall of her groom…
Kelly immediately took out her phone and called Jackson. As soon as he picked up the call, she blurted out, "Jackson, did you know that your mother brought dowry over to my house and proposed to me on your behalf today?"
Jackson was stunned upon hearing that. "How could my mother do this?" he hissed in a low voice. "She didn't inform anyone before she brought the dowry over? Kelly, I didn't know about this. I honestly had no idea."
"I had a feeling you didn't. Now that your mother has interfered with our plans, I am afraid we will need to come up with a new plan."
"Kelly." Still in a low voice, Jackson asked, "How did your mother react when my mother brought the dowry over? Why don't we just get married if she has agreed to it?"
Kelly stayed level-headed despite everything that was happening.
She knew she couldn't get married before Kendall did.
Because as soon as she did, Adam would definitely be more cautious of her and her husband's side of the family.
When Kelly used to be an only child, she was supposed to be the one who would inherit everything from the Parkers. Adam had once told her that she must protect the family name and never let her husband have any of their property under his name.
But now, there was Kendall in the equation. Kelly knew that Adam would train Kendall to be the successor of the company if Kelly were to get married first. After all, Kendall was the biological daughter and Kelly was not.
After collecting her thoughts, Kelly calmly explained, "We can't be together now, Jackson. I cannot get married before Kendall does. It is not that I don't love you, Jackson. It is my dream to be your bride. You know what my plans are. Can you please wait for me for a little longer? Your priority now is to get your company out of its current crisis. I asked Kendall about it earlier. She told me that she wasn't the one who talked Master Dylan into taking revenge on Whittle Holdings. I don't think she lied. Think about it—does Master Dylan look like a man who will move mountains for a woman? We might have overestimated Kendall. Also, I know how busy you are, but you need to make time to explain to Kendall that you have nothing to do with your mother's unplanned visit with the dowry. Kendall likes you too much that I find it hard to believe she has let go of her feelings for you in just a little more than a week's time."
Kelly realized that she had been a little too impulsive lately, and it was because of this that Kendall had her suspicions on Kelly's relationship with Jackson. Today was a prime example of the consequences.
Jackson's anticipation was starting to fade away.
The very woman who said that she was crazy about him was pushing him to another woman because of her own interests and ambitions.
He still remembered how he used to despise Kendall, but it was for his lover's thirst for more that he had no choice but to pretend that the one he loved was Kendall.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love Knows No Bounds novel (Kendall and Dylan)
Beautiful story....