“Miss Melanie, please hear me out…”The department head was afraid that Melanie might get angry, and explained everything in a hurry.“We had no choice. We didn’t invite them in the first place…but this afternoon, Daniel Jones brought a bunch of men and caused a scene at our office. He said he had a part to play in Jones Enterprise since its establishment. Although he was no longer part of the enterprise right now, he insisted on being at the anniversary celebration.“There were many people crowding around, including reporters. We had no choice but to agree to his request to avoid any negative press coverage…”“I got it,” Melanie said with a nod.The moment Daniel and his family set their minds on causing trouble, the outcome would be the same even if Melanie tried to stop them from attending. She decided to just wait and see what happens.Melanie assured the department head, “Don’t worry, there’s no need to be so tense. Just send someone to keep an eye on that family.”Upon hea
That evening, Jones Enterprise’s anniversary celebration was held in its banquet hall. Invited guests started streaming in two hours ahead of the start time.Annie and William returned to the country in advance to help Melanie with the event. When they saw Gabriel arriving, Annie asked in surprise, “Mr. Lindsey, why are you here today?”“Today’s occasion is so important to Melanie, of course I have to come,” Gabriel said sincerely. Annie pursed her lips. After much hesitation, she said, “You’re right, it’s a very important occasion for Jones Enterprise and Melanie herself. See how romantic the event decoration is… Jefford…will be proposing to Melanie during the banquet later…”“I know…” Gabriel said with a nod.He had long heard about it. That was why he said that today’s occasion was very important to Melanie. He wanted to witness it for himself.Annie saw the sincerity in Gabriel’s eyes, and her heart ached for him. She couldn’t help but say, “Mr. Lindsey, you might not be f
Melanie heard the mockery in her voice and turned to see Lena, whom she hadn’t met for a while. Lena’s parents were standing right behind her, as if they were her bodyguards.“Relatives?” Melanie sneered.She couldn’t even be bothered to take another glance at Lena. Instead, she turned to the reporters’ camera. “How do all of you understand the term relatives? She never once appeared when either I or Jones Enterprise met with trouble. Conversely, she insists on being part of the picture when Jones Enterprise is at the peak of its glory. People like this can hardly be considered family!” she said.“Well said, Miss Melanie!”Some of the media partners remembered what Lena had been guilty of before, and eagerly stood on Melanie’s side.Just then, Annie squeezed through the crowd and grabbed Melanie’s hand.“Lena Jones! Are you trying to get yourself on the headlines once more, now that news of your scandal have just been suppressed? Or shall I look back on your glorious achievemen
Five minutes ago, at a junction one kilometer away from the banquet hall, Jeffrey’s car was trapped in between three cars. He found himself stuck in the corner of a street.A few masked men rushed down from the three cars to his car, and knocked on the window. “Mr. Yancey, please come with us!”“The likes of you, trying to take me away?” Jeffrey said in disdain, as he glanced into the rearview mirror.“There are more of us coming,” said the masked man standing outside his window.Jeffrey could see a few more cars in the distance, parked discreetly along the roadside and blocking off all possible exits on the road.“You can forget about taking me away if I’m not willing!” Jeffrey said confidently.The masked men chuckled.“We know that. If you really want to pit yourself against us, we are ready to perish with you. But… I trust you won’t choose that, Mr. Yancey.”“Oh?” Jeffrey looked up at the masked man, who spoke confidently.He pulled out his phone from his pocket, and showed
“Call him one more time,” Annie said to Melanie. “He’s supposed to come and propose to you. There’s no reason for him to ignore your call!”Melanie suppressed the uneasiness rising in her chest, and dialed Jefford’s number again. This time round, she heard the automated voice saying that the number she just dialed was unable to respond.The anniversary celebration was in full swing now, and it was held in the most lively district in Harbor City. Even if Jefford hadn’t arrived, he would at least be nearby and certainly within signal range.If he were out of signal range, he probably wouldn’t be able to make it to the anniversary celebration in time.Her eyes dimmed.Annie saw the change in her eyes, and comforted her, “It’s fine. Perhaps he’s driving down a street where the signal is poor? And he’s always trying to be secretive and mysterious. Perhaps he might walk in and propose to you at the very last moment.”Annie went on, “I found out that staff members have all the engagemen
Everyone realized that something was wrong, and Melanie herself sensed the temperature in the air dipping.If this were truly a surprise, it was a huge one indeed. So much so, it had become frightening!Jefford even arranged for international media partners to live-stream the event to hype up the engagement ceremony, and make sure that every single shareholder in Yancey Group didn’t miss the news.International media partners, invited guests, friends, and relatives of the Jones family were in shock.Proposal segment? Did the groom flee the scene?At that moment, the crowd burst into an excited flurry of murmurs.Lena’s brow arched. Hah! Melanie was now as embarrassed as she was proud just now!Her mother Lily jabbed her back, and said, “Hurry up! Add fuel to the fire that your good sister started!”“Yes!” Lena received her mother’s hint. She hurriedly leaned into the crowd, focusing on the area where reporters were nearby. She pretended to be a passer-by, and said, “Hey, do y
In order to get on with the engagement segment, the groom-to-be leapt on stage instead of walking up the stairs on either side of the stage and stood right next to Melanie.Seeing Melanie’s dazed face, he stepped forward and said sincerely, “I’m sorry I came so late. I promise this won’t ever happen again.”He said it softly and without a microphone, but his voice echoed through the silent banquet and everyone could clearly hear what he said. His voice was deep, affectionate and emotional, pure and untainted.Melanie remained in a daze. He leaned in closer to her and said with a smile, “What’s the matter? Are you still shocked? Here, give me a hug…”With that, he pulled Melanie in his arms and hugged her gently, whispering into her ear, “If I don’t come onstage, you won’t be able to give everyone else a satisfactory explanation. Just give me this chance to put on this show with you.”Gabriel’s voice rang in Melanie’s ears.Tears fell down her cheeks, and landed on his suit.He d
The gift inside the brocade box wasn't just any jewelry, but an exquisitely polished, top-quality emerald necklace with gold embellishments. Seeing this necklace, Melanie was somewhat bewildered. Hadn’t this been in Ermin's room? After Jefford gave it to Ermin, she had stored it in Ermin's bedside cabinet the same day... She blinked, carefully examining it, and noticed that this emerald seemed newer. It was likely that this necklace was an imitation of the one given to Ermin... Why did Jefford give her this? What did it mean? Even Gabriel was puzzled. At this moment, laughter erupted from the audience. The host couldn't resist teasing, "Mr. Frost, you are impatient... to give Miss Melanie a necklace right after your engagement? It seems that not long from now, everyone should prepare to attend your and Melanie's wedding!" Upon hearing this, Gabriel tensed up. He suddenly remembered Annie's worries before the anniversary celebration. At that time, Annie expressed c