The CEO’s Billion Dollar Bride
Chapter 1018 - 998: Where is everyone?

Chapter 1018: Chapter 998: Where is everyone?

Roy Thompson and Bella Gordon had just entered when they were greeted by an overwhelming smell of alcohol, yet they didn’t see anyone like Rio Gordon in the hall, only Chani Gordon who was quietly waiting, and who got excited upon seeing them.

"Sis, brother-in-law, you’ve finally arrived. If you hadn’t come soon, I would have tied him up!"

Seeing her sister and brother-in-law had arrived, Chani Gordon finally breathed a sigh of relief, "That guy, I don’t know what got into him. He started acting odd the day before yesterday, skipped school yesterday, and went completely mad today..."

"Where is he?"

Bella Gordon didn’t let her younger sister finish rambling and directly asked.

"He’s in his room. Uncle Adam brought him back from the bar, and he’s been in his room ever since!"

Bella Gordon nodded, then glanced at Roy Thompson who went straight upstairs. When he pushed open the door of Rio Gordon’s room, he realized that Chani Gordon’s words were not an exaggeration at all. The room’s wine bottles and cigarette butts, and the whole room permeated with a degenerate air — if it weren’t for the person inside, Bella Gordon would have thought she entered the wrong room.

"Rio Gordon, you are quite something, aren’t you? At such a young age, you’ve learned to smoke and drink; do you want to ruin yourself like this?"

Initially worried, Bella Gordon, seeing the scene inside, suddenly lost her temper and then turned to Uncle Adam politely, "Uncle Adam, please go home and keep Auntie Ariana and Kiki company. We’ll handle it here!"

Seeing Bella Gordon and Roy Thompson, Uncle Adam nodded, then instructed Bella Gordon to speak nicely before he left; he was getting old and sometimes couldn’t understand the thoughts of the young, who might understand their own generation better.

After Uncle Adam left, only Bella Gordon, Roy Thompson, and Rio Gordon remained in the room. Bella Gordon’s temper was just like Ivy Aretha’s—fiery right from the start, and her words were sharp, especially seeing her brother looking so dejected and giving up on life, which made her even more furious.

"Rio Gordon, talk to me! Who are you acting so desperate and miserable for?"

"I’m fine, sis. You don’t need to worry about me!"

Rio Gordon still didn’t speak, just lay on the bed reaching instinctively for the wine bottle on the nightstand, only realizing it was empty as he tried to take a drink, which nearly drove Bella Gordon to spit blood from anger.

"Don’t need to worry about you? So, should I just let you go mad here? Drinking yourself to a bleeding stomach, or smoking until you get lung cancer?"

Roy Thompson: "..."

His wife’s words were a bit harsh. Although this kid seemed fairly deserving of a scolding, he was obviously in a bad mood!

"Cough, Bella, why don’t you go downstairs and check on Chani, she seems quite shaken!"

Seeing his wife’s temper flare up, Roy Thompson quickly patted her shoulder to send her away, "I’ll talk about some men’s matters with Rio. I’ll come down and find you soon!"

Seeing Bella Gordon looking somewhat skeptical at him, Roy Thompson quickly added another line: "Don’t worry, I’ve had my crazy moments too, so I understand how to handle this!"

Bella Gordon: "..."

Alright then!

Let him treat it. After Bella Gordon left, the room grew even quieter. Rio Gordon wanted to continue drinking, but clearly, there were only empty bottles left in the room. Roy Thompson closed the bedroom door and slowly walked over to him before sitting down beside him.

He didn’t speak immediately, just stared at him steadfastly for a while before softly throwing out three words, "Heartbroken?"

Even though it was a question, he stated it as if it were a fact.

"No!"

Rio Gordon instinctively retorted without thinking, inadvertently revealing a fact.

"To deny it means it’s true!"

Roy Thompson gently smiled and then patted the man’s shoulder, "People always instinctively rebut when someone points out their weaknesses or the truths. Being heartbroken is nothing significant; doesn’t everyone lose a few loves during their youth?"

As the words left his mouth, Rio Gordon could clearly feel the man who was despondently leaning on the bed stiffen up a bit, the sensation of his truth being exposed undeniable. Then he continued, "Heartbreak, like growing up, is a journey every man must go through. It’s nothing to fret over!"

"It’s nothing to fret over?" Rio Gordon looked down and scoffed at himself, then spoke tiredly, "That’s because my brother-in-law has never been heartbroken, so he can speak so freely. Heartbreak means that person is gone from your life forever. My sister has never left my brother-in-law since childhood, so naturally, he doesn’t understand what heartbreak feels like!"

But he knew what heartbreak felt like—it meant a complete departure, no more chances!

"Who told you I’ve never been heartbroken?"

Roy Thompson lightly arched an eyebrow, seeming to find the man’s words as expected, "I’ve been heartbroken continuously from childhood to adulthood. Your sister and I have been apart in different places, never together. The fact that your sister has never left my side is merely emotional. So let me ask you, is your so-called heartbreak about the girl you like telling you she doesn’t like you, then leaving you?"

Clearly, Roy Thompson felt such a scenario was almost impossible for Rio Gordon.

"If only she would say that!"

Rio Gordon’s heart tightened, his mind instinctively recalling the images of the woman who used to regularly appear before him, pestering him. It wasn’t long ago, yet recalling it now felt like something from centuries ago. Hearing Roy Thompson say this, his heavy heart seemed to find an outlet, pouring out swiftly, "But she didn’t say a word, just disappeared from my sight. I even agreed to let her continue to pester me, yet she didn’t show up, and why didn’t she even want to stay at the school? It was my fault before, but I’ve apologized to her, and she forgave me. But why leave without saying goodbye, without making a sound?"

"I know I was wrong before, and even if she didn’t forgive me, she could have punished me. Why did she have to leave? Why? I was wrong, I can change. Why did she have to leave? Are all women so cruel?"

They say men should not easily shed tears, but little do they know the latter half of that saying suggests it only applies until their heartache has not hit. As Rio Gordon spoke, he finally choked up, seldom being a man of many words. He seemed to vent all his repressed emotions all at once, most likely because he was talking to another man, or perhaps because he had always trusted Roy Thompson.

Rio Gordon could no longer control himself, tears dropping one by one, falling like broken strings, no need to say, Roy Thompson already knew something must have happened.