At this moment, the butler walked in and said, "President, Mr. Gu, Miss Qiao, and Mr. Chen are here."
The president's frown deepened and his face darkened. He was no longer in the mood to eat. "Bring them in," he said.
"Yes," the butler replied and left. Then, he invited them in.
Gu Zhou and the others walked into the living room and saw the President sitting on the sofa with a dark expression.
Gu Zhou and Qiao Nian exchanged glances. They knew that the president already knew what had happened last night.
"Mark called?" Gu Zhou's eyes darkened as he asked in a low voice.
When the President heard Gu Zhou's words, he glanced at his secretary beside him and said, "I have something on today that I can't attend."
When the secretary heard the president's words, a trace of surprise flashed across his eyes. "This…"
It was almost time for the meeting. Many people from the royal family had already arrived. If the president said that he would not partic.i.p.ate now, it would probably be inappropriate.
The President naturally understood what the secretary meant. His tone turned cold. "Do you want me to repeat myself?"
"I understand." With that, the secretary hurriedly walked out.
Only the President, Gu Zhou, and the others were left in the room. The others had already left.
The president tugged irritably at his tie, suppressing his anger. "Mark is already on his way. What happened last night?"
Seeing the President like this, Qiao Nian thought of Lina, who had resolutely pushed her out of the window last night. Her neck felt like it was being strangled.
She was getting more and more worried about Lina. If only she had always been by Lina's side.
Gu Zhou naturally knew that Qiao Nian had been blaming herself. He reached out and held Qiao Nian's hand. He said gently, "It's fine. I'll tell him."
Qiao Nian shook her head and took a deep breath. Then, she said, "I'll say it myself."
Qiao Nian looked up at the President. She knew that the President would definitely be very angry. If she hadn't suggested that Lina stay by Mark's side, Lina would have long escaped.
She said that she would protect Lina well, but she let Lina be caught by Mark.
"Last night, Lina and I went to Mark's castle. We found Song Ling's body, and then a group of guards rushed in."
"So you left Lina behind and escaped alone?" The President looked at Qiao Nian sharply, his body burning with flames. He questioned word by word, "Lina trusted you so much. Even if your plan sounds so strange, how could you put her in danger?"
The president became angrier as he spoke. "I didn't believe in your plan from the beginning. If I had known, I would have stuck to my point of view. If anything happens to Lina, I'll definitely put you in jail."
Gu Zhou frowned slightly. Like Chen Qing, he stood in front of Qiao Nian, using his actions to show that he would protect her.
"Nian Nian didn't leave the Seventh Princess behind. I know it's useless to say anything else now. The Seventh Princess has been captured by Mark. It's normal for you to be angry now, and it's normal for you to suspect us. Now, Mark will definitely contact you. Let's listen to Mark's conditions first before making a decision," Gu Zhou said rationally and clearly.
Hearing Gu Zhou's words, the President suppressed his anger. Although he was very angry, he did not completely lose his mind. He still had to form an alliance with Gu Zhou and Qiao Nian for the time being. "Mark said that he would rush over now. Just wait!"
As time pa.s.sed, Qiao Nian realized for the first time that half an hour was so long.
The butler hurried in and said in a low voice, "Earl Mark has already arrived at the entrance of the palace."
"Send him in," the President said, putting down the coffee cup in his hand.
"Yes."
The President stood up, his mind filled with thoughts of how to negotiate with Mark. He saw that Qiao Nian had been staring at the photo above the fireplace.
It was a photo of their family of three. At this moment, the president's anger had dissipated a lot. He walked to Qiao Nian's side and took the initiative to say, "That was taken on the day of Lina's coming-of-age ceremony."