"Eva?!"
"Ethan?!"
The two of them exclaimed in unison as they stood face to face.
"Do you two know each other?" Scarlett asked, still feeling a little shaken. She offered Eva an apologetic smile and tried to change the subject.
Eva's eyes remained fixed on Ethan. Ethan had not expected to run into Eva here either. He was quite surprised and did not know what to say for a moment.
"Hey, Ethan, I'm asking you! Do you know each other?" Scarlett nudged Ethan with her elbow.
Ethan snapped out of it, gave an awkward smile, and nodded. "Yeah, Eva and I are good friends. I just didn't expect to run into her here."
Eva also came to her senses and looked at Scarlett standing beside Ethan. She was looking radiant. Ethan had also dressed up specially today, wearing a sharp black suit that made him look even more handsome and upright.
They looked perfect!
Eva thought to herself, feeling a bitter pang in her heart.
"Yes, but there are many more things I didn't expect. Shouldn't you tell me about them, Ethan?"
Sensing the questioning tone in Eva's voice, Ethan knew that his presence here had already revealed many things. Although he had not intentionally hidden them, he had at least been guilty of deliberate concealment.
Just as Ethan was unsure how to answer, a female attendant walked over from inside, clearly looking for Eva.
"Miss Snow, Victoria asked me to come and bring you over!"
Eva gave Ethan a deep look, then glanced at Scarlett. For some reason, even though she had thought Scarlett was beautiful just a moment ago, at this moment, she felt that this woman was not pretty at all.
"Go ahead and get to work, Eva. Let's get in touch when you're free!" Ethan said with a smile.
Scarlett faintly sensed something from Eva's gaze. She turned and took Ethan's arm, walking away side by side with him.
"They really make a great couple!" the attendant complimented.
The man was handsome and bright, with a successful career, while the woman was stunningly beautiful with an elegant temperament. Such a pairing was not at all inferior to today's main couple, Beckham and Victoria.
"Is that so?" Eva retorted coldly, then turned and walked away.
The attendant stood there stunned, reflecting on what she might have said wrong to upset the usually approachable Eva. If Victoria found out, she would surely get a lecture.
On the other side, after turning through two corridors and seeing no one around, Ethan immediately broke free from Scarlett.
"Hey, Miss Reporter, could you not hold on so tightly?"
Scarlett had a sly smile on her face as she stared at Ethan, as if making him angry made her very happy.
"Sure, but you have to tell me, what exactly is your relationship with Eva? How do you know each other? It seems like you have a pretty good relationship!" Scarlett asked several questions in one breath.
Ethan frowned. He was someone who did not like being constrained or controlled by others.
"Miss Scarlett, have you fallen in love with me?"
Scarlett's face flushed pink, and her eyes widened. "Who... who's in love with you?"
"Then that's fine." Ethan made an exaggerated gesture of relief. "You nearly scared me to death. I was thinking about which man in the world would be unlucky enough for eighteen lifetimes to be liked by you or marry you. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. That man definitely, definitely won't be me!"
Hearing Ethan say this, Scarlett's pink face immediately darkened. "Ethan, the feeling is mutual!"
"Thanks for your concern. At least I won't go out of my way to be someone's boyfriend!" After saying that, Ethan turned to leave.
Before leaving, he suddenly thought of something. "Oh, right, Miss Scarlett, I forgot to remind you. After the wedding ends today and we leave this castle, you mustn't stay attached to me."
Scarlett was fuming. She wanted to give Ethan a piece of her mind, but as a self-proclaimed lady, she could not bring herself to do it. She could only walk toward the ladies' area in a huff.
...
The wedding was scheduled for the afternoon. Starting from noon, guests began to arrive at the castle one after another.
Looking down from the second-floor hall of the castle, the entire castle garden was decorated like a royal palace garden. Outside, it was filled with all kinds of luxury cars, and some guests even arrived by helicopter.
As the most prominent star in English football today, Beckham was marrying Victoria, a wildly popular British star. With the two of them joining forces, the guests invited to the wedding were naturally celebrities and dignitaries from all walks of life in Britain.
The entire Manchester United team received invitations, and half of the England national team was present to offer their congratulations. In addition, the Mayor of Manchester and members of the House of Commons were invited. British national treasure singers Elton John and George Michael also attended in person.
It was precisely because of the high profile of this wedding that many British media outlets had been calling it the "Wedding of the Century" even before it took place, believing it would be one of the most famous celebrity gatherings in British history.
The wedding took place punctually at 4:00 PM. Since it was impossible for everyone to attend the ceremony itself, only the families of both Beckham and Victoria were present for that part.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, the Beckhams walked out, both wearing the diamond rings the other had placed on their fingers. Then came the traditional English wedding custom of releasing doves, followed by receiving blessings from the guests.
By the time all the ceremonies were over, night had already fallen.
All the guests were invited to the castle garden, where a massive canopy had been erected. A highly paid band began to play, and beautiful fireworks erupted in the night sky over the castle in brilliant and magnificent colours.
Ethan followed the crowd from start to finish. After all, he was not familiar with English weddings at all and was afraid of accidentally making some mistake.
In a setting where political and business elites gathered, any mistake would inevitably become a lifelong blemish. So he remained cautious throughout. Scarlett, who usually loved causing trouble for him, was clearly attending such an occasion for the first time as well. She appeared particularly careful and stayed by his side constantly.
Having finally made it to the banquet, Ethan breathed a visible sigh of relief.
The main figures of the banquet were undoubtedly the Beckhams and their eldest son, but at dinner, many familiar people clustered together to chat, as it was impossible for everyone to mingle in one large group.
"The two Knights!" Ethan shook off Scarlett and approached the circle where Ferguson, Bobby Charlton, and others were talking. This circle was basically composed of Manchester United people, including the current CEO Edwards and Peter Kenyon, who would be poached by Chelsea a few years later.
Roy Keane, whom Ethan thought would be standing with Ferguson, was currently in a very tense standoff with Manchester United over contract renewal issues. It was said that he had a major grievance with Edwards, so he was standing with his teammates in another cluster.
Seeing Ethan take the initiative to come over and say hello, the reactions of these Manchester United people varied. Ferguson still wore that kind, smiling face. He had maintained that expression all night. Bobby Charlton seemed very happy. Edwards swept a look of disgust over Ethan, while Peter Kenyon remained expressionless.
The reactions of these people were understandable, especially Edwards'.
Ethan's establishment of New Manchester United had caused Edwards to suffer the harshest criticism from fans. He had spent almost the entire year enduring their curses. Naturally, he wanted to vent his inner resentment on Ethan. Especially when he saw that Ethan only had eyes for Ferguson and Bobby Charlton, he gave a very disrespectful cold snort.
"Mr. Edwards, do you have a toothache? If so, I know a very good dentist. I can introduce you to his clinic, though he is also a Manchester United fan, so I can't guarantee that you'll be safe!" Ethan mocked with a smile.
Edwards' expression was very unsightly, but he would not go so far as to argue with Ethan on the spot. He considered himself a gentleman, so he turned and walked away in a huff, with Peter Kenyon following suit.
"Why bother, young man?" Bobby Charlton naturally knew why Ethan could not stand Edwards.
In fact, since Edwards agreed to sell Manchester United shares to Murdoch, his status in the hearts of Manchester United fans had plummeted. By now, he had become the target of verbal and written attacks from almost all Manchester United fans.
"He doesn't understand the Red Devils' spirit at all! All he sees is money!" Ethan said indignantly, staring at Edwards' retreating back.
Although he was mocking the CEO of Manchester United, Ethan's actions actually won the approval of Ferguson and Bobby Charlton.
After clinking glasses a few times and discussing a bunch of empty topics, Ethan turned to the area he cared about.
"Sir Alex, I heard that Manchester United's relationship with the FA has been very tense lately?" Ethan asked with concern.
Manchester United had just won the Treble last season, and the upcoming season's schedule would be very congested. Therefore, Ferguson had declared that Manchester United intended to withdraw from the FA Cup, which sparked strong protests from the FA.
"But I heard that you have a very good relationship with the FA!" Ferguson said with a smile.
"Yeah," Ethan admitted unexpectedly, but quickly changed his tone. "So those old fools agreed to fast-track us into the National League. I believe if the level above that wasn't the professional leagues, they would probably have fast-tracked us straight into the Premier League!"
Ethan's words immediately made the two burst into laughter.
"The Premier League schedule is too congested, especially during the winter break when other European teams are resting. The Premier League, however, faces its most intensive fixtures, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and Manchester United also have to go to Brazil for the first World Club Championship. This is very unfavourable for the team's second half of the season, so I don't need to affect the league and the Champions League for the sake of an FA Cup," Ferguson said very frankly.
In fact, he had never hidden what he wanted to do. Introducing a winter break had long been a call from many Premier League teams, but the FA had always turned a deaf ear.
And this was not just a dispute over the arrangement of the competition system, but also an English Civil War concerning the conflict of interests between the FA and the Premier League.
(To be continued.)