1221 Each With an Agenda
These two families were from Arizona and Nevada, but they had never had much of a relationship with the families of California. It was unclear why they suddenly came here.
Although they didn’t know why the helmsman Anthony and Joel were here, Bruce wouldn’t ignorantly turn them away since they had already come all the way here.
“Invite them in!” Bruce instructed.
Before long, Joel and Anthony brought their families’ elite bodyguards into the reception hall.
!!
Bruce stood up and said courteously, “Mr. Gillen, Mr. Cross, it’s an honor to have you here!”
Although Bruce had long handed over the position of the Hales’ helmsman to his grandson Connor, Connor was still too young, and the helmsmen who visited were both in their sixties. So Bruce showed them respect by greeting them personally.
Joel was a thin and petite elderly man with a sparse beard and slanted eyes. He was obviously someone to be trifled with.
Standing in the hall, he said mystifyingly, “Mr. Hale, save the formalities and pleasantries. We have already heard about it. The top families of California are facing a crisis, but you didn’t even inform us. Are you looking down on us?”
Anthony, the chubby helmsman of the Cross family, said, “Mr. Gillen is right. We live so close to each other, but you didn’t even inform us about such a major matter. If we didn’t get the news by chance, I’m afraid the Hales would have been eradicated, and we wouldn’t have even known about it!”
What these two people said was puzzling and harsh, as if they were close to the Hales. They actually thought that Bruce should tell them about the trouble the Hales encountered.
Connor was speechless, and he immediately wanted to say that the Crosses and the Gillens were in no place to meddle in their affairs.
On the other hand, Ethan stood up and said to them, “We are grateful for your goodwill in coming here, but we didn’t contact you because we didn’t want to implicate you.”
He thought that since several top families of California were now facing the threat of the Hamiltons, they might be able to increase their chances of dealing with them if they could obtain the support of the two top families from neighboring states, whose helmsmen had come uninvited.
At this juncture, it was better not to offend them even though their tone wasn’t pleasant.
Hearing what Ethan said, Joel and Anthony finally seemed satisfied.
“Don’t worry. We live in neighboring states, so we should be considered friends. We’ve already heard about what happened to you, so we’ve specially brought our experts here to join forces with you. With so many families standing together, even if the Hamiltons really want to cause trouble for you, they might not dare to do anything!” Joel said firmly.
Anthony said, “Yes. Since you are in trouble, we obviously won’t stand by and do nothing. Mr. Gillen and I brought our experts here with good intentions. As long as we stand strong together, even though the Hamiltons are a royal family branch, they will definitely be scrupulous facing so many of us!”
He wasn’t lying. They had indeed brought about a hundred experts, who were now waiting outside.
Edmund and Ethan had brought their expert bodyguards as well. Including the hundred-odd experts of the Hales, there were around 400 experts present. It was a rather grand scene.
This was an extremely powerful force.
Edmund, sitting quietly on the couch, looked at Anthony and Joel coldly. After hearing what they said, he snorted coldly and mocked, “Hah, you two make it sound so nice!
“Why would you be so kind as to help us? The Hamiltons must have gone to your families and threatened you to pledge allegiance to them too. You’re unwilling, so you’re here to seek an alliance with us, right?
“Since you’re looking for allies, you should show us the proper attitude instead of acting self-important and condescending like you’re doing us a favor!”
As soon as Edmund said this, Joel and Anthony turned sullen.
They indeed had such plans in mind, but Edmund saw through them so quickly!
Joel narrowed his eyes and said with displeasure, “Mr. Cole, what do you mean? Mr. Cross and I brought our experts to your aid with kind intentions. However, not only are you not thanking us, but you’re even mocking us. Is that how the families of California treat your friends?”
Anthony touched his belly and said threateningly, “Exactly. We were kind enough to help you, but you’re maliciously suspecting us. How disappointing! Mr. Cole and Mr. Hale, if you don’t want our help, just say so. We won’t bother to worry about you! Once you get wiped out by the Hamiltons, you’ll regret it!”
Edmund didn’t buy it at all. “Don’t bother to play tricks in front of me! I’m much older than you two. Do you think I can’t see through your tricks?
“If you want to form an alliance, do so properly. I can’t stand how you’re pretending to do us a favor. If you’re not happy, leave!”
Among everyone present, Edmund, who was in his seventies, was indeed the oldest and the most senior person. He had the confidence to challenge Joel and Anthony.
They were about to get into a heated argument, and tension arose in the reception hall.