The group soon arrived at the offshore hotel, a majestic cruise ship docked along the shore."Mr. York, welcome to the Monroe family's offshore hotel," Wayne introduced.Frederick took a moment to assess his surroundings after Wayne's words. The cruise ship was truly immense, easily capable of accommodating thousands of guests.He and his group followed Wayne's lead into the ship, where they were greeted by a grand hall resplendent with gold.They appeared to be the first guests, as the space was entirely empty. Frederick's gaze was then drawn upward to a large, pure gold plaque hanging above the hall.It bore a simple but bold inscription, writing, "Welcome Mr. York."Seeing this, Frederick couldn't help but offer a wry smile. The Monroe family's extravagant wealth was undeniable."The Monroes have never welcomed guests with words or speeches," Wayne offered quickly."But this time, Mr. Sirius specifically commissioned this golden plaque to emphasize your status as their disti
Frederick was taken aback. "Flirt with me?"As a man, the concept seemed foreign. Surely, the flirting would target beautiful women like Scarlett.Scarlett replied, "Yes. At events like this, there are always some women aiming to climb the social ladder by cozying up to powerful men. Be on your guard."Frederick shook his head with a touch of helplessness. "People really try to latch onto wealth, huh? Do I look like someone with money?"Scarlett studied him. His clothes were certainly simple, and nothing about his appearance screamed affluence.Thinking of Frederick's capabilities and how he had supported Priscilla with the backing of the Monroe family for three years, Scarlett felt it was unfair to Frederick. Despite helping Priscilla make so much money, Priscilla hadn't even bought Frederick a few decent outfits."What a neglectful wife," she thought.She gently adjusted Frederick's collar. "Darling, I'll treat you to a new wardrobe when we go back to Jenaire City."Frederi
Grace's bold strut, her declaration, and the curious stares from others sent a wave of embarrassment washing over Priscilla and June. They lowered their heads and hurried to keep up.The offshore hotel's grand hall was breathtaking. The floor was covered in imported carpets from Motheca, and overhead, hung a chandelier worth millions of dollars from Fancenia, with all the decorations around being luxurious imports.Rows of fine red wines and imported delicacies lined the hall. Grace snatched a bottle at random, her eyes wide with disbelief. This was a vintage beyond her wildest dreams, yet here it was, offered freely to the guests.Grace turned to June behind her and asked, "What do you think?"June blinked in confusion. "About what?"Grace sighed exasperatedly. "Look at this empire your future brother-in-law's stepped into! This is just the beginning. You can forget about Frederick."June's lips formed a stubborn pout. "Hhmph. There's only one brother-in-law for me. This 'new'
After walking over, the man greeted June warmly, "Junny, why didn't you tell me you were in Stanva City? I would have personally welcomed you. How did you get to attend this auction?"Seeing the man's enthusiasm, June's face almost contorted.Her dislike for the man was evident. He was Nelson Harmon, a senior from her college. He was a relentless pursuer despite being well-known as a playboy. Nelson relied on his family's wealth to juggle multiple girlfriends, quickly losing interest after a few days.Despite this, he was still persistently chasing June, which greatly annoyed her."Hey, Nelson, I've asked you before, please just call me June. The 'Junny' thing has to stop."Sensing June's rising annoyance and familiar with her personality after his pursuit, Nelson quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, June. Seeing you just caught me off guard."Noticing Nelson's designer clothes and the exclusive nature of the auction, Grace realized he wasn't just another wealthy young man.She i
Nelson nodded subtly. "That's right."Grace was so excited that she almost jumped up. It was clear that Nelson had a crush on June.With Priscilla already being engaged to the next head of the Monroe family, adding a Harmon family member as her brother-in-law would give her immense power in Stanva City.But silly June, oblivious to her own good fortune, seemed uninterested in Nelson's advances.For the sake of her future wealth and status, Grace had to help Nelson out.She quickly turned to Nelson and said, "Honestly, we are not familiar with anyone in Stanva City. Why don't you join us, Mr. Nelson? It would be nice to have someone to look after us." Nelson was delighted to hear this, knowing Grace was helping him out. He replied, "Sure, that's my pleasure. Don't worry, ladies, with the Harmon family's reputation, I will surely take good care of you." June was so annoyed that she almost cried. She was already sick of Nelson, and now Grace was keeping him around too. "Grace
Grace was convinced that Nelson was a rich and generous man. If June could get him, she would have a good life in the future.June emerged from the restroom to find Grace and Nelson engrossed in conversation. Their laughter echoed through the space, reaching her ears even from a distance. Her pout deepened, and a flare of annoyance sparked within her. "If you like him so much, why don't you date him yourself? Chat all you want. I'm not going back! I'll let you wait for nothing."Saying this, June turned and stormed off in the other direction. Just as she spun around, she collided with a sturdy chest, sending her tumbling backward.Immediately, a strong hand caught her waist, pulling her close. June was momentarily stunned and struggled to break free. Then a familiar voice floated toward her. "Silly girl, watch where you're going."That familiar, gentle voice made June look up in disbelief. There was the man she had been longing for! "Frederick! Is it really you?" she cr
Frederick frowned at June's words. "Why aren't you eating properly? That's not good for you."Seeing Frederick's face fall, June said with some grievance, "I'm worried about you, so I can't eat."Frederick's heart softened. "Let's go find something delicious to eat then. I saw some great food over there."June's eyes brightened, and she quickly nodded. She glanced warily at Grace and Priscilla; it was a good chance to move away from them with Frederick and avoid Grace bothering him."Alright, let's hurry."With her small, soft hand, she took Frederick's and lifted her dress slightly, hurrying along in her heels.Frederick chuckled. "Slow down. High heels are unstable, so be careful not to fall."Soon they reached the Westargian food section.Looking at the wide variety, June felt amazed. Her high school life had been too busy for this kind of experience, and even with her sister's generous allowance in college, she'd always been careful to eat simple meals at the cafeteria.Th
Frederick continued the story, "That evening, the homeless man smashed the old lady's window, prompting her to confront him. "She roared, 'You heartless vagrant, I kindly gave you bread during the day, and you repay me by smashing my window with a stone at night!'"June was engrossed in the story, her indignation rising. "That man is awful! People try to help him, and he responds with wickedness. He doesn't deserve kindness."Frederick continued, "The homeless man was furious too. He yelled back at the old lady, 'I didn't use a stone! I used that Fancenia baguette you gave me!'"June burst out laughing. "How could bread be that hard?"Seeing June's tears replaced with laughter, Frederick finally smiled in relief.That was when June realized he'd made up the whole story to cheer her up. Frederick was always so thoughtful, yet her sister couldn't see that.Thinking this, June couldn't help but embrace Frederick. "Frederick, please, consider remarrying my sister."Frederick stiff
Mary's case was the most severe, while Ivan's symptoms were the mildest, and Frederick could roughly deduce the sequence of transmissions among them. It was clear that Mary infected Nigel, who then passed it to Kimberly, then finally passed it to Ivan. Frederick also saw that Ivan was actually a decent person who unfortunately ended up being betrayed and infected. However, Nigel was primarily worried that Ivan might start trusting Frederick, as he wanted Ivan to believe in his capabilities to carry out his plan.Originally, he intended for Mary to insult Frederick for being poor and unskilled, but she ended up attacking him for having an unpleasant odor, which backfired when Frederick exposed her for contracting syphilis. Now, Nigel had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, he then said to Frederick, "Hehe, Frederick. We all know Ivy is a director, what exactly do you do to be worthy of her?"Nigel assumed that Frederick was just a low-level salesperson, something
Hearing Frederick's words, Kimberly jumped with joy and stopped crying. While wiping her tears, she pointed at Mary, laughing and said, "You're covered in syphilis, yet you're making fun of me.""Slut, I wonder how many people you've slept with!" After being pointed and insulted, Mary was furious and she was ready to fight Kimberly. "You bitch! I am going to teach you a lesson!" At this moment, Nigel felt terrible. If Mary was diseased, he'd be the first victim. He grabbed Mary and shouted, "Bitch, let me teach you a lesson first. Now I know why you always wanted the lights off! I thought you were shy, but you just didn't want me to find out."In a fit of anger, Nigel slapped Mary hard across the face. Just as Mary was about to explain, she was interrupted by another slap. Holding her face, she yelled angrily, "Nigel, how dare you hit me?! Do you want me to expose all your little schemes and tricks?"Nigel froze in horror; if Mary exposed him, it would have been disastrous.
Kimberly heard her laughter, and body odor had always been a sensitive issue for her; a wound she'd tried to cover up over the years. For Frederick to bring it up in front of everyone felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. Yet what hurt even more was Mary's laughter; as a fellow woman, it felt like salt to the wound, then roasting it. Kimberly was furious, pointed at Mary and said, "What are you laughing at? Do you want me to come over there and shut you up?"Mary felt wronged, she had only let out a reflexive laugh, but now Kimberly's anger was directed at her. "Did I laugh at you? What proof do you have that I laughed at you?""You're the one with body odor, yet you're taking it out on others. You're such an unreasonable woman!"Kimberly grew even angrier after hearing Mary's retort. "You're the one with body odor, your whole family has it!" "Look at what you're wearing, it's like you just threw on two pillowcases. You're a shameless woman, just trying to show off t
When everyone heard Ivy's words, they laughed even more. Her words effectively confirmed that Frederick did indeed have an unpleasant odor. It wasn't entirely her fault as Kimberly's words had been a bit of a trap. "Haha, if you smell, just take a shower and don't embarrass yourself here.""With all that cheap stuff on, no wonder he has a smell."Hearing this, Frederick simply gave a slight smile and then asked Mary and Kimberly, "Are two really that fragrant?"Mary and Kimberly lifted their heads proudly after hearing Frederick's words. "Why don't you ask everyone here, ask them if we smell good or not?""Exactly, go ahead and ask."Both of them considered themselves beautiful, and of course, they would smell pleasant. The men around them quickly chimed in, especially those eager to admire Mary, who was dressed in a way that gave them a bit of eye candy. "Of course, they smell good. How could these two beautiful ladies not smell good?""Hehe, Frederick with his cheap, th
In a hidden corner, Nigel said to Mary, "Damn it, that bumpkin Frederick keeps stealing my spotlight. I am worried that our plan won't go well later.""You should help me humiliate him properly, and Ivan's girlfriend will back you up."Mary pursed her lips and said to Nigel, "Every time something comes up, you just ask me to handle it. My bag hasn't been bought yet, and you've lost 300 thousand dollars"Although Nigel was annoyed by Mary hitting a sore spot, he kept his tone calm and replied, "Help me humiliate Frederick and talk him down in front of Ivan. After that, leave the rest to me. Once it's done, I'll get you more than one bag, I could get you ten bags and it wouldn't be a problem. I don't care about that small amount of money. You saw that Porsche just now, right? I wouldn't mind burning it if I had to." Hearing this, Mary was delighted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, babe." She hadn't realized that Nigel was so wealthy and even had a Porsche. Up until th
Knowing Martin as someone who knew a lot about wood, everyone immediately looked as though they were ready for a good show. They were convinced that the Saint George statue couldn’t possibly be made of anything valuable.Martin let out a strange exclamation. "What the hell!"Kimberly, thinking that Martin was angry, quickly said, "Mr. Lawson, tell us what’s so disastrous about this wood. Are you saying it’s just a piece of junk?"Contrary to expectations, Martin replied angrily, "I’m saying that whoever preserved this Saint George statue was a jerk. This is genuine sandalwood, and yet it’s completely neglected, covered in dust."Most of the group had no idea what sandalwood was worth, but judging by the name alone, it sounded impressive.Kimberly asked curiously, "Mr. Lawson, are you saying this is really antique wood?"Martin examined the statue carefully, scrutinizing every detail. "Judging by the texture, this carving must have been made at least 150 years ago."Everyone was
"The Saint George statue was indeed a fitting choice for a karaoke." Nigel chuckled, turning to Ivy.“Why didn’t you just go on Amazon and buy a new one for a few dozen bucks? This one is obviously second-hand. Or was it picked up from some junk stall?”Frederick heard Nigel’s mockery and nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his lips. “You’re not wrong. This statue actually was picked up from a street stall.”“At the Treasure Hall in the antique trade market, no less. And yes, it’s an antique.”The truth was, the statue was from the Victorian era. Even the owner of Treasure Hall, Dominic, had recognized its age but dismissed it as worthless, tossing it onto a stall outside.Frederick had picked it up casually, thinking it would come in handy one day, and now it was the perfect gift for Ivan.Hearing this, Nigel burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “An antique? Treasure Hall? You’re really trying to fool us.”Kimberly chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she glance
The group’s attention was fully captured by Frederick’s words, their eyes all on him. Nigel, knowing that Kimberly had informed Ivy at the last minute and that she likely didn’t have a gift, sneered at Frederick."Well, if you’ve got a gift, go ahead and show it.""Considering Ivy and Kimberly’s relationship, the gift should be pretty decent, right?"Everyone was now staring at Frederick with anticipation, curious to see what kind of gift he could produce.Ivy, on the other hand, was completely flustered. She hadn’t handed any gift to Frederick, though she understood he was trying to help her out of a tough spot. But wasn’t this making things even more awkward?Nigel continued to press him, "Where’s the gift? Come on, take it out already.""After all this time, you still can’t take it out. Don’t tell me you don’t even have one."Frederick glanced at Nigel with a calm smile. "Oh? Are you planning to bet 300 grand with me again?"Nigel froze. There was no way he had another 300 t
Ivan was deeply moved, feeling as though all the unpleasantness from their school days had been swept away. A sense of childhood nostalgia, unique to old classmates, welled up within him.The crowd continued to shower Nigel with praise, giving him thumbs up one after another."A gift worth 10 grand is no small amount. Nigel is truly generous.""That’s right. These days, even classmates hesitate to prepare gifts, but Nigel has shown such generosity.."Most of the attendees had come because of their connection with Kimberly. Each had prepared gifts with costs ranging from a few hundred dollars. Compared to Nigel’s grandiose gift worth 10 thousand, their contributions paled in comparison.Hearing the compliments, Nigel waved his hand dismissively, feigning modesty. "It’s nothing, really. After all, Ivan and I are good friends from way back."Then, Nigel’s expression shifted slightly as he added, "Speaking of good friends, I’m sure it’s not just me and Ivan here who share a special b