The Billionaire Stands Up for Me-Chapter 164: Adrian Gordon Is Here Too

After more than ten busy days, the fashion show finally commenced.

All day long, I was busy back and forth, without almost any time to sit down and rest.

My designs were divided into several series. Besides the Pleated apron Skirt series with a national style, there was also the Bridal series and the Professional series.

During the intermission, I was busy communicating with the models about the upcoming details. Cherry murmured in my ear, "Ms. Lily, several of our colleagues said they saw President Gordon. He’s watching the show in the VIP seats."

I was adjusting the clothes on the models, and upon hearing this, I frowned and looked back at her, "Which President Gordon? Adrian Gordon?"

"Yeah, Young Master Gordon." Cherry nodded.

I froze for a moment, but only briefly, "Don’t mind him. If he wants to come, I can’t stop him."

During this festive season, Daniel came from afar and could say he’s here to accompany me.

But Adrian Gordon...

His family has a bunch of troublesome issues, and he’s also not in the best health, yet he comes at this time of the year, for what reason?

When the company was under his charge, he indeed used to come to see the fashion week shows.

But now that the company has nothing to do with him, and I’ve had a fallout with him, why would he still come to watch?

However, since Cherry mentioned it, I kept a bit of an eye out.

Sure enough, in the prime VIP seats by the runway, Adrian Gordon sat in a suit and tie. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

He seemed a bit thinner, but his spirits were good. It seems his illness has indeed been controlled, no wonder he didn’t need a wheelchair last time we met.

Daniel was seated on the other side of the runway’s VIP section, also in the best vantage point to watch the show.

The two of them were directly opposite each other; they must have seen each other by now.

I felt a little uneasy.

Worried that Adrian Gordon’s intentions weren’t good.

If he came to directly trouble me, it’s easier to handle.

I’m just afraid he’d mess with Daniel or do something erratic to affect my show.

I had no clue about Adrian Gordon’s intentions, so I stared at him for a while, then continued with my work.

Just as I retreated backstage, my phone rang.

Took it out to see it was Daniel calling.

"Adrian Gordon is here, did you see him?"

"Yeah." I said softly, "Cherry just told me earlier. I have no idea when he came to Veyrona, and he hasn’t reached out to me."

"Got it." Daniel, seeing my concern, comforted, "Don’t worry, I’m here. I won’t let him cause trouble, you just focus on your work."

"Mm."

With Daniel’s reassurance, I felt a lot more at ease.

The subsequent show ran smoothly, and the industry bigwigs were quite pleased with our brand’s overall presentation.

After the Pleated apron Skirt series show concluded, I went on stage to take photos with the models.

Wennie made a success gesture from the audience, and I returned her a smile.

This being the first fashion week show I led as a boss with my team, I held high expectations.

Having my best friend and beloved partner there cheering me on was like putting the cherry on top.

The only downside was the unwelcome presence of my ex-husband joining the festivity.

After a busy day, I bowed to thank everyone involved, including the organizers, and then faced media interviews.

There’s a gala tonight, and I planned to take Daniel with me as my male companion.

But unexpectedly, just as the interview wrapped up and I was about to leave the venue, Adrian Gordon, who had quietly lingered all day, stepped forward.

With a half-smile, he even had a bouquet of flowers in his arms.

To someone unaware, it might appear as though he and I were a couple or married.

Daniel and I both saw Adrian Gordon, and our expressions turned serious.

Adrian Gordon, however, smiled calmly, stepped closer, and offered the bouquet, "Lily, are you that surprised to see me? Evening Party is, after all, a brand we founded together, named with one character from each of our names—regardless of our relationship now, I want the company to thrive. Today’s show was very successful, congratulations."

The bouquet hung before me, unmoving, as if he wouldn’t retract it unless I accepted.

With one arm around my waist, Daniel glared at Adrian Gordon sternly, and then with a slight nod of his head, Eric Shaw got the signal and came forward to accept the bouquet on my behalf.

But Adrian Gordon dodged and avoided it.

"Lily... you dragged me and the Gordon Family through so much, I didn’t hold you accountable, yet you won’t even accept a bouquet from me?"

There were still quite a few familiar faces around, including some prominent figures I knew in the industry and a few journalists who hadn’t left yet.

I realized Adrian Gordon chose such a public scene to disgust me. Not wanting to cause a scene that would lead to a big fuss, I unwillingly accepted the bouquet.

"I’ll take the flowers, but the rest needn’t be said. The brand was indeed founded by both of us. Using its name isn’t because I hold any lingering feelings for you, but simply because renaming a brand is a hassle."

Taking the bouquet, I handed it immediately to Eric Shaw and then explained righteously.

"However, what you said today made me realize that this matter should be addressed no matter how troublesome it is, so after the fashion week ends and I return home, I’ll proceed with it immediately."

Although I liked the "Evening Party" brand, now I’ve no choice but to give it up.

Otherwise, Adrian Gordon might delude himself into thinking I still harbor feelings for him.

Adrian Gordon chuckled softly, turned to take a quiet breath, then looked at me and said, "You can change names... but how can you erase the efforts I’ve put into the company’s founding and development?"

"If you have to put it like that, then should I reclaim the blood flowing in your body that came from me?"

"..."

My words left him speechless.

The crowd around had increased, a lot of eyes on us, which I didn’t want. Turning to look at Daniel, I said, "Let’s go."

Daniel nodded, and as we walked past Adrian Gordon, he stopped once more.

"Young Master Gordon, rather than reminiscing here, perhaps you should pay more attention to your family affairs." Daniel offered the advice with a smirk.

Adrian Gordon turned serious, staring back at Daniel.

"Let’s go, no use talking to him." I pulled on Daniel’s arm and left first.

Upon exiting the venue, I looked back. Seeing no sign of Adrian Gordon, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Daniel, what did you mean by what you said earlier—have you found issues with the Gordon Family’s project?"

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have advised Adrian Gordon to "pay more attention to family affairs."

Daniel nodded, "We’ve found issues, and it’s more serious than you initially mentioned. I planned to let them have a peaceful New Year, so I’ve temporarily held back from exposing anything."

"More serious than I mentioned?" My curiosity piqued, "How serious could it be?"

"The Gordon Family’s ’Wisterden’ project had problems in every phase, from bidding to final acceptance. You mentioned an incident during the project, which was later settled—the so-called settlement came with hush money to send the family away, threatening them from speaking out or returning to Fallhaven. That incident wasn’t an accident but due to unpaid wages. Workers demanded their pay, leading to a conflict, during which someone was pushed off a building."