“Gerald, is this the new car you bought?” Sharon asked in surprise.“Yeah. I got it a few days ago. Just a means to get from point A to B,” replied Gerald as he casually tossed the keys on the table.This excited but distressed Lilian, as she was afraid that the expensive key to the car would be damaged.What excited her more, though, was that Hayward’s face had already turned green.“By the way, I heard Lilian saying that you've recently bought a car? I haven't seen it yet. What did you get yourself? A BMW 7 Series, a Mercedes-Benz, or an Audi? Worth more than a hundred fifty grand?” Gerald asked with a smile on his face as he looked at Hayward.“Hehe! Hayward procured the Passat for more than thirty grand, but how could that compare to your three hundred thousand dollar car?” scoffed Lilian as she rolled her eyes at Hayward.Hayward inhaled sharply, as his hands started going into an uncontrollable tremor.“Oh? You bought a Passat? Why did you buy that?” replied Gerald with a
Lilian looked at Gerald reproachfully, “You did a pretty good job but I don’t want you to be touching me. Do you really think that I am your girlfriend?”“Oh? So, now that Hayward’s gone, what should we do?” asked a perplexed Gerald.“Hmph! Don’t worry. He will definitely come back for me... One, Two, Three...”Lilian counted with her fingers when suddenly, Sharon’s voice suddenly came over her shoulder.“Hayward, what are you doing?”“Lilian, there are some things that I need to clear up with you. I don’t know what you think of me now, but I admit I was wrong for not standing up for you when Sharon hit you yesterday. I’ve been regretting it a lot. I sincerely hope that you’ll give me a chance. I wish to prove that I am way stronger and capable compared to a nouveau riche like Gerald!” replied Hayward, his tone contrite, much humbler than he always sounded.Obviously, his self-esteem seemed completely diminished, which was once held so highly by him. Gerald couldn’t help feelin
“Miss Cole?”A woman looking to be about twenty-five years of age strutted over, calling Lilian as she gazed upon her respectfully. Lilian, on the other hand, pretended not to know the woman the moment she saw her.Who was she?She was none other than Quartney, the business manager who rented this car to her.“Oh? Is it urgent? Should there be anything urgent, perhaps you can talk to me on WeChat when I am home. It’s not a really convenient time at the moment.”Lilian’s face was drained of its color.Oh god! How could there be such a coincidence?She actually ran into the manager of the rental car here.Why couldn’t it happen later? She just got back together with Hayward.“It’s okay, Miss Cole. I just wanted to let you know that I did not pay attention to the time when I rented this car to you. I wrote that you should return the car tomorrow, but I made a mistake. You have to return the car before 4 p.m today as we will have to deliver the car back to the customer before fi
Hayward mocked Gerald before ushering Sharon away with him happily.Lilian squatted and started sobbing.“Oh! Mr. Crawford! How come you’re here?”A voice suddenly spoke.A middle-aged man clad in a suit and leather shoes trotted towards Gerald.“You are?”Gerald thought he looked really familiar, but couldn’t put a name to it.“Well, Mr. Crawford, it’s normal for you not to know who I am. But I know who you are. I was also there at your last reception meeting in Serene County. I witnessed how you took the day with grace. My name is Blake Wadford. Mr. Lyle has just recruited me into the group as the events planning manager. Are you also here to attend Miss Larson’s birthday banquet?”The man smiled and rubbed his hands nervously.Lilian’s sobbing stopped, as she stared at the men blankly.Even Hayward and Sharon who were about to enter the hotel were confused with the statement they heard.“Oh! Hello, Mr. Wadford. So you planned Miss Larson’s birthday banquet too?”Gerald c
”F*ck! Gerald, we really got in!”Lilian breathed, stupefied.She barely showed any resistance, although Gerald was still hugging her waist.It was all only too exciting, now that the tables have turned.They were in the venue. Elena’s birthday banquet was exceptionally grand this time. This was mainly because Mr. Larson wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to host a large gathering for all the business owners too.As Hayward was from the Yorknorth Mountain, that automatically qualified him on the banquet attendees’ list.There were more than a hundred guests on the scene. Most were rich and young heirs, and there were many bosses too.The layout of the event was a bit similar to that of a wedding ceremony. There was a long aisle in the middle, and the banquet tables lined both sides of the aisle.Gerald managed to find a seat for both of them.After all, there were many people here, and most would just be casually looking for a place to sit with their friends.Hayw
Leila too introduced herself after everyone. She had learned a lot from these people. Leila always thought that the rich only talked about luxurious cars, but these people did not. Their discussions had a depth to them—money management and a healthy lifestyle, and Leila was very much impressed.Douglas, who loved to flaunt his wealth, or Gerald, of whom she thought was loaded by sheer luck, were nowhere to be compared to this sophisticated bunch of technocrats.Lilian was upset after listening to the manner in which Hayward spoke. She knew Gerald would not keep up to his self-proclaimed status since everyone there was well off. Hayward had been doing pretty well and knew many people. Thanks to that, Lilian couldn’t bear to raise her head, feeling as though today had been an utter failure.“When is Elena Larson coming?” quizzed a few young chaps. For most of them, it was their first time meeting Elena Larson, and they were very excited. Meanwhile, backstage. “Mr. Wadford, are
Gerald had not seen Elena in a while, and she seemed much prettier now. “Elena Larson is gorgeous!” a stunned Hayward exclaimed. Sharon, nonetheless, wasn’t jealous at all. She had to admit that Elena was a real beauty.“Of course, she is! Elena is Mr. Crawford’s godsister. She has to be!” Liam smiled. “Then why isn’t Mr. Crawford here, Liam?” Leila asked. She was really hoping to see who Mr. Crawford was. “Let me tell you why. My dad mentioned he’s someone who keeps a low profile and doesn’t like banquets and functions as such.” Liam explained as if he knew about Gerald very well. “Aw!” Leila was disappointed. “Hey Leila, would you like a drink? This fruit juice is imported, it’s excellent! Let me get you some!” Douglas was unhappy seeing Liam and Leila hitting off well. “I’m good. Just leave me be.” Leila frowned at Douglas and turned towards Liam again. “I need one, please!” A waiter passed by Lilian, and she reached out for a drink. Lilian was parched after w
Gerald tried to calm her down. “Who were these two? How did they even come in here? Did they know the rules?” exclaimed a middle-aged man from the other table. The entire room fell into a hushed whisper. It was nothing but plain rudeness stealing Elena’s limelight while she was still talking on stage. All the more, standing up while everyone else was seated must have caught the attention of the Larsons. Everyone’s attention then shifted back to the stage to see how Elena would react. Tears welled up in her eyes as she dropped the microphone in her hand.“You came!” Elena cried. Gerald cleaned his pants, and when he heard Elena’s voice, he realized she was looking right at him. “Yes. Happy birthday!” Gerald replied awkwardly.He looked around, realizing he didn’t actually bring any gifts for her except his car keys. “I’m sorry I didn’t manage to prepare anything for your birthday. I can only wish,” Gerald said apologetically.“I thought you’d forgotten me!” Elena wipe