Cordy led Richard to a corner of the banquet hall, with his bodyguard in tow but keeping a distance. Richard did not like him getting too close, after all."You brought him here, sis?!" Noel exclaimed just then.She was there with Mandy to get some desserts. Though the debacle earlier left them infuriated, they calmed down after considerable effort… only to run into Cordy again.Still, Cordy promptly growled a warning. "Noel Sachs, your father should have told you that you shouldn't embarrass yourself at this banquet. If you keep messing with me, I can't guarantee I'll keep holding back from doing something outrageous!"Noel's face fell—she was definitely afraid to upset Cordy.Mandy was not, but she left them, having seen Jay Parker arrive at the banquet hall just then.He was the reason she came here tonight. He was a famous director who worked under Windmill Pictures, a subsidiary of Levine Ventures, and he was also directing the TV series which she was removed from. Nat
Mandy's face turned green even as she glared at Zoe's haughty figure. What right did she have to attend the banquet tonight? Was she brought here to sing and dance for Alan just because she took the role of that Windmill Pictures TV series?Even if Mandy did not actually have any status in showbiz, she got to belittle others—even A-list stars like Zoe—because of her family connections.And Zoe must have taken the casting couch countless times over her long career. What right did she have to mock Mandy?!"Please show some dignity, Ms. Jessop," Jay said, leaving without taking her note.Mandy was shaking with rage—the banquet tonight certainly left her with a belly full of grievances!Even Noel did not want to stand by Mandy's side now. She was keeping her distance—not because she was worried that she would upset Mandy, but because Mandy might embarrass her as well.Thankfully, the emcee began to speak at that moment, signaling the commencement of the main event. Everyone seeme
Impossible!How could John Levine be so handsome?!And yet, Mandy and Noel had to believe it with the scene before them—the man who had constantly shown up around Cordy was John Levine!It was not surprising now that she could behave with such conceit, and that she had an invitation to the Levines' banquet here. John must have personally sent her invitation, too! Even so, they could not accept it—that Cordy had anything to do with the king of North City!Beside them, someone could not help exclaiming, "Wow! He's not some middle-aged man with a belly?""He's so gorgeous!""North City's sexiest man alive. Has to be.""He's more than what I could've imagined.""His son is so handsome too… He's just like a fairytale princeling!"The entire banquet hall erupted in a chorus of gasps and exclamations. They were all stunned and bewitched by John, who was far too different from what they expected.Cordy stood in the crowd, simply watching that towering, composed and noble man with c
Kyle almost lost his temper from Cordy's contempt. "Cordy Sachs…!""There's many people watching right now," Cordy warned him nonchalantly. "Do what you will—if you think you haven't been humiliated enough, that is.""You…!" Kyle growled through his teeth.However, he could not resist looking around just then, and he found some of them whispering while gesturing at him.Having no dignity left to speak of, he stormed out of the banquet hall.Cordy watched as he left, her smirk turning icy.She turned to glance at John, who was being encircled and fawned over constantly, and decided to leave as well.She only answered John's invitation to witness an important moment in his life, while meeting up with Richard.And since she had done all that, she had no reason to stay. If anything, she did not like socializing unless it was absolutely necessary!"Ms. Sachs." Randy Martin suddenly appeared before her, stopping her. "My name is Randy Martin—I'm Mr. Levine's personal assistant. Hi
While Cordy's eyes narrowed, Mandy started to leave with a strut, confident that Cordy would not linger now!However… Rip! The tear of fabric abruptly echoed through the banquet hall.Mandy was left staring blankly for a couple heartbeats—her chest gown had suddenly torn open, revealing her skin-color breast padding in front of everyone! The sheer humiliation…!Nearby, Noel was stunned for a moment, but decided to shift a couple paces to the side. She was clearly just going to watch as Mandy made a fool of herself, while distancing herself.And when Mandy came to her senses, she promptly wrapped her arms around her own chest and turned to glare viciously at Richard.His squeaky clean leather shoes were standing firmly on the hem of her skirt, and he said with innocence showing all over his little face, "You wouldn't harass a little boy like me, right? I'm only six—it was an accident."Mandy flushed all the way down to her neck.How dare that brat use her own words against
Mandy froze, well and truly stunned by John's intimidating demeanor.However, she threw all caution in the wind and started screaming the next instant. "John Levine, do you think Cordy Sachs is some sort of treasure? You've just returned to the country, so you wouldn't know of her debauchery—but she already started sleeping around at eighteen, and even had a child! She even refused to break up with my brother, and shamelessly latched her fingers on you! Don't fall for her trap!""That's Cordy Sachs? Amazing. She actually managed to hook up with Mr. Levine so quickly!""Didn't someone say her gown was worth a billion dollars? She really spared no expense to seduce a man.""Didn't his son call her mommy? Did she bewitch the boy too?""She really is a succubus…"Mandy smiled smugly even as everyone mocked Cordy—she was bent on humiliating Cordy, so that John would understand what Cordy was really like! She would never believe that John could accept Cordy after knowing all that,
Mandy eventually lowered her head—even though the humiliation almost left her suffering a breakdown. "I'm sorry.""It's fine." Cordy's smile became even more obvious, but she was still being magnanimous. After all, this alone was more than enough suffering for Mandy.And seeing that her daughter apologized, Dandy quickly turned to John. "Mr. Levine, do you think I can leave with my daughter now?""This must never happen again.""Of course, of course—I'll definitely straighten her out when I get home."And with that, Dandy firmly dragged Mandy along as their family fled, cutting a miserable figure.Once they were gone, things returned to normal at the banquet hall.Naturally, many still had their eyes on John and Cordy, studying them and wondering how the hell two people from two different worlds managed to hook up!And yet, it was happening right in front of their eyes! "I'll be a little busy tonight," John told Cordy then. "Wait for me. I'll take you home later.""It's
Cordy raised her glass, offering Jay a toast. "Long time no see, Mr. Parker.""You should not drink too much when you already have a bad stomach, Ms. Sachs," Jay told her, though he took a sip from his glass in turn to acknowledge her toast. Cordy took a sip too, but said nothing else—they were still not that close, and did not have much to talk about. "Johnny…" Jay suddenly said, watching as John Levine continued to mingle with his guest. "Is a good man."…Johnny?It took Cordy a while to realize that he was talking about John.Jay was Alan Levine's adopted child, and everyone knew that he and John were close.Even so, Cordy was silent and did not comment about John. "It's late. I should get going," Jay said then, and elegantly put away his glass.Alan himself had long since left—only John was left to handle the guests."Goodbye." Cordy smiled politely.Jay returned her smile with a nod.He was certainly no different from his public image—well-mannered, soft-spoken, and