Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law

Even Hansen Ruiz, that powerful smiling tiger, lost to Glades Horne. Who did Nicholas Coldwell think he was? Anyone who offended this man would meet such an end.

Helen Griffin sneaked a glance at Glades Horne, whose handsome face was taut.

Glades Horne glanced at her, his voice tinged with cold mockery, "What? Did you do something you feel guilty about? Sneaking peeks?"

She had only stolen a glance, and just as the thought that he might have noticed crossed her mind, he indeed had. It made her blurt out, "Honestly, Glades, do your eyes have to be so sharp? We feel completely transparent in front of you."

His hawk-like eyes assessed her briefly, lips pursed, but Glades Horne offered no response.

Helen Griffin pouted and continued to eat her meal.

A moment later, Edo Hanley appeared before them. Dressed in a white suit today, he looked particularly suave. A notorious playboy, he always paid meticulous attention to his appearance when he went out, as his motto was: "Women adore elegant men."

When he had entered the hotel earlier, he was arm in arm with a voluptuous woman, his umpteenth girlfriend. However, when he appeared before Glades Horne, he was alone. He had instructed a waiter to escort his girlfriend to another private room to wait for him. He generally avoided bringing his girlfriends to meet Glades Horne. The reason was simple: he wasn't as handsome, as formidable, or as wealthy as Glades. His girlfriends were all attracted to looks, power, and money. If he brought them before Glades Horne, there was no telling if they wouldn't dump him on the spot and throw themselves at Glades instead.

That would be utterly humiliating.

"Well, well, what's this? You two on a date?" Edo Hanley casually sat down beside Helen Griffin, a cheeky grin on his face as he teased Glades Horne. "Glades? Where's Little Julia? Don't want her anymore? Then give her to me. I've had my eye on her for a long time."

The words had barely left his lips when a powerful hand shot out, seizing his collar and yanking him to his feet. In an instant, Glades Horne's handsome face turned terrifyingly grim. An exceptionally rare, deathly cold aura enveloped him, making him seem as dreadful as Satan from the eighteenth layer of Hell. The glare from his hawk-like eyes was piercingly cold, like a biting, gusty wind. He stared icily at Edo Hanley, his voice devoid of any warmth, each word hammering into Edo's eardrums, "You'd best crush any such ideas about Julia in your head. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind cracking open your skull myself to sever your lecherous designs on her."

Grabbed by the collar, Edo Hanley looked utterly undignified, yet he wasn't angry. He simply enjoyed provoking Glades Horne; after all, besides being best friends, they were also rivals.

Beside them, Helen Griffin chuckled, trying to mediate. "Glades, you're usually the most composed person I know. But whenever it concerns Julia, you lose your cool. This guy is obviously provoking you on purpose, and you fell for it." She glanced at the daredevil Edo Hanley, shaking her head and sighing. "Then again, some people really do need their heads examined. They get beaten countless times and still never learn their lesson."

Glades Horne's chilling aura didn't recede, and his hawk-like eyes remained locked on Edo Hanley. Only when Edo raised his hands in surrender, swearing never to drag Julia Bluen into things again, did Glades release him.

"I've never seen anyone ask for my help and still act so damn cocky," Edo Hanley grumbled, his usual cheekiness returning the moment he was free. He then unceremoniously picked up his chopsticks and dug into the food, making a point to snatch bites of whatever Helen Griffin seemed to enjoy. He'd grab a few mouthfuls of any dish she liked, irritating her so much that she, too, felt like yanking his collar.

Glades Horne pursed his lips. This habit of Edo's was probably incurable.

As long as it wasn't in front of Julia, he didn't particularly care.

A memory surfaced: Julia playfully tugging at his lips, her soft complaints tinged with a charming pout. At the thought, a faint smile touched Glades Horne's lips. Just moments ago, he had looked like a demon, but now he was suddenly smiling. The abrupt change nearly made Edo Hanley and Helen Griffin's eyes pop out of their sockets in shock.

"Glades, you said earlier you needed my help with something," Edo Hanley said, reigning in his surprise. The only one who could make his best friend genuinely smile like that had to be Little Julia.

Before Glades Horne could reply, Helen Griffin had already explained the situation to Edo Hanley.

After hearing Helen Griffin's explanation, Edo Hanley deliberately arched an eyebrow, looked at Glades Horne, and said, "Glades, I can help you. But we're both businessmen, right? It doesn't make sense to turn away customers. Cosmos hires our transport fleet almost daily. They're a long-standing client, after all. If I don't provide them with our fleet, wouldn't I be taking a needless loss?" Edo Hanley adopted a thoroughly business-like tone.

Helen's move against the Griffin Family was purely beneficial for her, with no drawbacks. So why, when it was his turn, was it all downside and no upside? Glades Horne was being too unfair! He was always taking advantage of him—no, more accurately, he was using this as an opportunity to sabotage the Hanley family's business!

Glades Horne leaned back against his chair, remarking casually, "You're right. I can't have you conducting losing business, can I? Oh, by the way, the Valence Group's transport fleet contract with the Richmond Consortium is also up for renewal. I'm not sure whether we'll extend it."

All products shipped by the Richmond Group were handled by the Valence Group's transport fleet. The two companies had a signed, long-term contract, unlike businesses that hired different transport companies on a day-to-day basis.

Edo Hanley had once been extremely eager to sign a contract with the Richmond Consortium, but Glades Horne had beaten him to it.

"Don't! Don't renew it, Glades!" Edo Hanley exclaimed, instantly grasping the implication in Glades Horne's words. "You've already made a fortune from it several times over. You have to let me get a piece of that juicy meat, or I'll waste away to nothing!"

If the contract between the Valence Group and the Richmond Consortium was expiring and hadn't been renewed yet, he could go after it. As long as Glades Horne was willing to forgo renewal, Edo was one hundred percent confident he could win over the Richmond Consortium. After all, when it came to transportation, the Hanley family reigned supreme.

"Well then..." Glades Horne eyed him askance. So, he wants a piece of the juicy meat? It's not something you get just by asking. He'll have to open his mouth wide for it, won't he?

"My dear brother, since you're asking for my help, of course, I'll give it my all!" Edo Hanley replied with a smooth, playful grin.

"Good. I'll await the results," Glades Horne said, quite satisfied. He straightened up, then rose to his feet and addressed his two friends, "Enjoy your meal. I'm leaving first. I'll settle the bill; you can cover any overage yourselves."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room. From start to finish, he hadn't taken a single sip of alcohol or a single bite of food.