Chapter 86
Gilmore, David, and Christine exited the villa, seen off by members of the Carter family. They then entered a Rolls-Royce. Including the driver, they departed the manor and headed for the Foster family residence.
En route, David said to Gilmore, "You and Claire finally escaped the crisis tonight."
Gilmore replied, "Your cooperation with Christine was excellent. Otherwise, I would have died tonight, and Claire would have been harmed."
However, Christine, seated beside Gilmore, disagreed. Gilmore wasn't actually her boyfriend. Her actions weren't solely about cooperating with her father; they were for her own benefit. Of course, she wouldn't dare say this to David; he would erupt in rage, just like her grandfather.
Remembering Denton's perception of Gilmore as Claire's boyfriend, David told Gilmore, "You pretended to be Claire's boyfriend to help her. Even though my father-in-law considers you her boyfriend, you can't fall in love with her."
Gilmore replied awkwardly, "Mr. Foster, I'm afraid I must continue the pretense with Mr. Carter. Otherwise, he'll discover our collusion."
David was in a dilemma. It seemed Gilmore could only remain Claire's "boyfriend" for now. If Mr. Carter learned the truth, David might not withstand his father-in-law's anger. Fortunately, Gilmore and his daughter, Christine, were in a relationship. Even if Gilmore was pretending to be Claire's boyfriend, there wouldn't be any problems. David was confident in this because Gilmore had once wagered $200 million to date Christine. Therefore, David believed Gilmore genuinely loved Christine.
David looked at Christine and asked, "Christine, Gilmore is only pretending to be Claire's boyfriend. You don't mind, do you?" He was concerned about her feelings.
Christine wasn't unhappy about Gilmore's pretense, as there was no difference between him pretending to be Claire's boyfriend or her own. However, since her father had inquired, she couldn't reveal her true feelings. Affecting a sullen expression, she said, "Of course not. He's helping my cousin."
David forced a smile. It seemed Christine did care about the pretense.
The Foster family manor was close to the Carter family's, so the Rolls-Royce quickly arrived. Gilmore, David, and Christine alighted. Gilmore's Mercedes was still in the manor's parking lot.
Chapter 86 (Continued)
He had arrived before dark, having pre-planned with David's family regarding their actions at the Carter family manor. After exiting the car, they walked to the largest villa. Under the lights, a beautiful woman stood at the door—Jessica, Christine's mother. Hearing a car, she assumed her husband and daughter had returned and came to greet them.
Upon their arrival, a worried Jessica asked, "David, how did it go? Is Claire alright? Did Dad do anything to Gilmore?"
Gilmore, standing beside David, smiled and answered, "Mrs. Foster, I'm fine. Mr. Carter didn't harm me."
Jessica immediately asked, "And Claire? Is she alright?"
David replied, "She's fine. Let's talk inside."
Jessica nodded, and they entered the villa, settling onto the living room sofa as a maid served coffee.
After sipping her coffee, David recounted the evening's events at the Carter family residence. Jessica was shocked, her face paling, upon hearing her father had ordered dozens of axe-wielding guards to torture Gilmore. She breathed a sigh of relief upon learning David and her daughter had quelled her father's anger and that Gilmore and Claire were safe. She was also pleased to hear her father had canceled the engagement with the Palmer family.
"The Palmer family is despicable," she exclaimed. "They did terrible things to force Claire to marry Benjamin, attempting to harm Gilmore and create chaos in the Carter family. Father was right to cancel the engagement. If Claire married Benjamin, I fear she'd regret it later!"
David nodded. He wanted to tell his wife that his father-in-law now viewed Gilmore as Claire's boyfriend, necessitating the continued pretense, but he remembered the car conversation. Christine's unhappiness prevented him from mentioning it, and he wasn't sure how his wife would react.
After some conversation, Gilmore departed, and David asked Christine to see him off.
Chapter 86 (Continued)
She accompanied Gilmore to the parking lot. He unlocked his Mercedes, entered, and then addressed Christine: "Christine, thank you for tonight." His words were sincere; without her cooperation, the Palmer family wouldn't have lost face.
Christine waved dismissively. "You don't need to thank me. I didn't do it for you. I was telling everyone you weren't my boyfriend. Now we don't have to pretend to be a couple. You're my cousin Claire's boyfriend now."
Gilmore smiled. "Marco isn't bothering you anymore, so you no longer need me as a shield—or boyfriend. Am I right?"
Christine nodded. "Although it's a bit of a blow to your self-esteem, I really don't need your help anymore. But by pretending to be my boyfriend, you've gained a mansion worth tens of millions of dollars, and this car is yours. You didn't suffer any losses."
Gilmore smiled and said nothing, producing a document and a bank card, which he handed to Christine. She was stunned.
"Christine," he said, "this is a copy of our contract. If I remember correctly, it clearly states that to terminate the contract, both parties must agree. Otherwise, the defaulting party must pay two billion dollars in compensation." He looked at her with a mischievous expression.
Christine was confused. "Yes, there is such a clause, and I agree to dissolve the contract."
Gilmore smiled. "But I don't."
Christine anxiously asked, "Gilmore, are you trying to be underhanded?"
Gilmore, already buckled in, smiled at Christine outside the window. "You asked me to sign the contract. You're the one who played foul first. There are $40 million on that card—for the villa and car. I bought them for you, as your boyfriend. Good night, my dear!"
He started the car and sped away. Christine, her hair disheveled by the wind, stood trembling with anger, clutching the document and bank card. She gnashed her teeth. "Gilmore, you bastard! I'm going to kill you!"