As they neared the private room, Priscilla's nerves tightened like a knot. She found herself frozen in place. "Grace, maybe we shouldn't attend."Grace was buzzing with anticipation and practically dragged her forward. "What are you talking about? Prissy, are you crazy?" Priscilla bit her lip, a blush heating her cheeks. "I just... I don't like Mr. Sirius that way. What if he makes things official, like you said? What then?"Grace rolled her eyes. "Prissy, grow up! Mr. Sirius has supported you for three years. If you ditch him now, what makes you think that support will continue? We just lost that lawsuit, and the company can't survive without him!"You're not a kid anymore. Think about your mom, June, and Mitchell! Do you want to go back to that miserable life you had with Frederick? Are your feelings more important than your family's future?"Priscilla trembled slightly, her heart wavering.She absolutely did not want to return to her past life, nor did she want her family t
Sirius deliberately repeated the words "one of our own," hoping to create a sense of closeness with Priscilla."Your success will be ours as well!"Priscilla couldn't help but shiver at his declaration. If he made this public, her company would become irrevocably linked with the powerful Monroe family.The generosity of his offer surprised her…Such an honor was something she wouldn't even deserve, for large clans fear nothing more than disgrace that could bring massive losses.This was an honor she could never claim; powerful families guarded their reputations fiercely and would never hand such power to an outsider. If Sirius truly told the public that their successes were linked, he would be placing the reputation of the Monroe family in her hands, which was a liberty that no major family would allow.Priscilla was deeply moved!Understanding the implications, Grace excitedly waved her fists. She was thinking about solidifying the relationship between the two.She smiled at
Priscilla stepped into the private room, her eyes widening. Here were the giants of Graceland's business world—the names she usually only saw in financial newsprint.Being able to dine with them seemed like a dream. She excitedly looked around, knowing that all of this was made possible by Sirius, the godbrother she had just acknowledged.Her gaze suddenly snagged on a familiar face. It was Vivianne who was staring right at her. She was standing beside Theodore, the pair looked as though they'd just reached the cruise.But how could Vivianne be here? Jenaire City businessmen didn't usually qualify for an event like this.The reason for Vivianne's presence was simple. Theodore had taken her to Stanva City to meet an old friend, a prominent real estate mogul named Ken Garner.Ken had only recently joined them on the cruise and had extended the invitation to this very dinner.The other guests were reluctant to begin without their guest of honor, Sirius. The Monroes held immens
It seemed that Sirius considered Priscilla's status even above his own. Who exactly was she?As Priscilla elegantly walked toward the head of the table, her pristine white gown gave her the air of a celestial being, and everyone couldn't help but gaze up in awe."What? Shouldn't her attendant be assisting her? Why is she walking ahead?" someone remarked.Sensing the crowd's attention, Priscilla's heart fluttered with excitement as she reached the table. The guests were far from fools, and they realized Sirius' elaborate introduction was about to culminate."Mr. Sirius, do introduce us to this extraordinary lady.""With such poise, her background must be impeccable!"Sirius cleared his throat. "Allow me to formally present Ms. Priscilla Miller, CEO of a company from Jenaire City."The crowd was taken aback. They had assumed Priscilla hailed from a powerful family, not the unremarkable Jenaire City. In the eyes of these business titans, the city held no figures of consequence.
Grace poured herself a glass of red wine and stepped forward. "Thank you all for supporting Ms. Miller. Since Ms. Miller isn't a strong drinker, please allow me, Grace Anderson, to toast you all on her behalf."Her intentions were clear; she wanted to showcase herself and ensure the regional tycoons recognized her importance.The crowd exchanged confused glances. This was a highly unusual move for an attendant. They were there out of respect for Sirius and to build connections with Priscilla. Engaging with an attendant wasn't on the agenda, especially when they'd much rather be toasting Priscilla herself.Sirius's expression conveyed his discomfort with Grace's breach of etiquette. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Priscilla subtly tugged at Grace's clothes in an attempt to stop her. Confused by the lack of enthusiasm, Grace whispered to Priscilla, "They're disrespecting me by not wanting to drink. Perhaps they don't know I'm soon to be the young madam of the Harmon family. Le
Everyone suddenly realized that Nelson belonged to the prestigious Harmon family, one of the four major families in Stanva City.They turned to Priscilla, offering their admiration. "Ms. Miller, you truly have amazing connections. Having a Harmon as your attendant's boyfriend reflects their immense respect for you. And for an attendant, she does possess a certain presence. She certainly outshines some others I've seen."Due to wealthy families often having many children, the four major families had numerous members over the generations, including many side branches. Naturally, not every descendant could bask equally in their family's influence, resulting in varying social statuses within Stanva City.Unless they held important roles within the family, like Clifford, many would be considered ordinary members of the wealthy elite, sometimes even less.Though from a direct line, Nelson was ultimately comparable to run-of-the-mill wealthy heirs. However, no one paid him much attent
Theodore proactively poured a glass of red wine, intending to toast with Grace.Although his previous dealings in medicinal herbs with Priscilla had ended disastrously, he had won the lawsuit and the matter was now in the past.Feeling old enough to be a mentor rather than a foe to Priscilla, he decided not to dwell on past grievances. Bumping into Priscilla in Stanva City and seeing her secretary's toast made him think a toast could be a good way to move on.His magnanimity was evident.However, Grace was not as forgiving, especially when facing Vivianne.When she saw Vivianne's father approach her with a toast, her expression soured. "Oh, I wouldn't dare accept a toast from Mr. Danbury, I'm afraid of being framed by Mr. Danbury once again."Theodore's face darkened at the accusation. Before he could respond, Vivianne erupted. "What nonsense are you spouting, Grace? Your underhanded business dealings are why you lost the lawsuit! Now you have the nerve to make accusations?"G
Grace pretended to be innocent. "I didn't do anything! I'm just a little tipsy and lost my balance, that's all. I wouldn't dream of bumping into such a distinguished gentleman like Mr. Danbury. Surely, you wouldn't hold such a minor incident against me? That would be rather petty, wouldn't you agree?"Vivianne bristled. "Don't play coy, Grace! Everyone saw it! That's a deliberate bump and then a flimsy excuse about being drunk. You're just itching for a fight!"Ignoring Vivianne's outburst, Grace turned to the room. A sly smile played on her lips. "Gentlemen, be honest. Did it appear intentional?"Naturally, the tide turned in Grace's favor."Ms. Anderson did have quite a few drinks, and those high heels can be tricky. It was a simple loss of balance, I'm sure.""A grown man getting flustered over a bump? That's a bit childish, wouldn't you say?""Indeed, we wouldn't want to share a meal with someone so easily ruffled."Vivianne was about to confront the crowd when Theodore gent
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