The scene was still vivid in Presley’s mind. She could never forget the sight of Jerome kneeling.
Jerome Stevens was a giant in Hiphia’s jewelry industry, worth billions. Even Beckett had to address him as Mr. Stevens. Yet, Jerome had knelt before Kayden and even wept. That scene was unforgettable for anyone who witnessed it.
After Presley spoke, everyone fell silent.
It wasn’t that they thought Presley made a good point, but rather that her family background was far more influential than anyone else’s in the room. Her mother was a successful businesswoman, and her father was a man of authority. They could offend others, but no one dared to offend Presley.
Of course, some people also realized that their earlier words had been out of line.
Lorelei was the first to apologize to Georgia, “I’m sorry, Georgia, we were just joking around earlier.”
“Yeah, we were just joking,” Jasper chimed in casually, trying to move the conversation along.
As the atmosphere lightened, everyone’s mood quickly returned to normal.
Georgia never expected that the first person to speak up for her would be Presley. She had thought Lorelei would come to her defense, but reality surprised her.
Georgia glanced gratefully at Presley, but Presley avoided eye contact, deliberately avoiding Georgia’s gaze.
The conversation soon picked up again. Quentin asked, “Mr. Robinson, I assume your family received the invitation from the Vincent family, right? For their centennial celebration three days from now.”
Jasper chuckled indifferently, “Of course! How could our family not be invited to such an event? You should know, Old Mr. Vincent did business with my father back in the day. They were quite close.”
“I figured as much,” Quentin replied with a smile. “I heard the Vincents also invited Sariah Faulkner, the most beautiful woman in the Southwest.”
“Sariah Faulkner? The one they call the Ice Widow?” Jasper asked with keen interest.
Quentin nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, that’s her-Sariah Faulkner, the most beautiful woman in the Southwest. She’s stunning, a real knockout. Just one look, and you’ll be mesmerized. Many people find it hard to even get a glimpse of her. Rumor has it that anyone who catches her eye at that event might get to spend an evening alone with her.”
“Really? That’s fantastic,” Jasper’s eyes lit up with excitement.
Sariah Faulkner was a true beauty, someone even more beautiful than Georgia.
“Who are you talking about? Sariah Faulkner?” Kayden suddenly asked.
Quentin glanced at Kayden with disdain, “Yeah, so what? You want to see her too?”
Jasper couldn’t help but laugh, though he quickly stifled it.
He knew everyone loved to see a beautiful woman, but he was surprised that someone like Kayden would be interested too.
Quentin scoffed, “Too bad you won’t get to see her. Old Mr. Vincent only invited people with substantial wealth. Anyone without a fortune of at least fifty million won’t be invited. So, the attendees will all be well-established in Hiphia. It’s a chance for local entrepreneurs to network and collaborate.”
“Do you have fifty million?” Quentin asked, eyeing Kayden’s outfit, which was worth less than two hundred bucks. He probably didn’t even have five thousand dollars.
But Kayden didn’t respond. He was lost in thought as soon as he heard the name Sariah Faulkner. ‘That name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. Could Sariah Faulkner be an alias for Wood Faulkner?’
Wood Faulkner was the only female general among Kayden’s Zodiac Generals.
Quentin assumed Kayden had wisely decided to shut up and said, “I think it’s safe to say that no one here has a net worth of less than fifty million, right?”
Quentin’s family was also in business. He was the type to flatter those wealthier than him and bully those less fortunate. Back in high school, he was notorious for bullying poor students.
“Georgia’s family might be a bit behind the rest of us,” someone suddenly pointed out.
They had just moved past the topic of Georgia, but it was brought up again.
Quentin cleared his throat, “I didn’t include Georgia in that statement. She hasn’t attended many of our reunions, and this time she’s just with us by chance. So, what I said didn’t apply to her.”
His words stung. Was he implying that Georgia wasn’t worthy of being with them?
But Jasper dismissed it, “That’s no big deal. Georgia, if you want to go, I can take you. Getting a ticket is easy for me.”
Georgia looked at Jasper and replied, “No, thank you.”
“Come on, Georgia, let’s go together! It’ll be fun,” Lorelei urged, holding Georgia’s hand.
Georgia, feeling awkward, said, “Sorry, our family didn’t receive an invitation, so I don’t want to intrude.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Robinson said he’ll bring you along,” Lorelei continued to persuade her.
Georgia shook her head, “No, it’s just that I’m not really interested in going.”
“You need to go. You’re now the head of Adams Group. This is a chance for you to meet more people. The attendees will all be business leaders from Hiphia. Don’t you think it’s worth it?” Lorelei insisted.
Georgia hesitated. Lorelei had a point. It was indeed an opportunity. She wanted to go.
But she still bit her lip and said, “No, you guys go ahead. I’ll just…”
“No, we’re going. Why wouldn’t we?” Kayden firmly grabbed Georgia’s hand.
“I only said I’d take Georgia, not you,” Jasper said.
“Mr. Robinson, he also wants to see Sariah. Why not take him along?” Quentin mocked.
With Quentin’s remark, everyone at the table started laughing.
But Kayden replied, “I don’t need you to take me. The event is hosted by Coleman, right? I just had dinner with him before coming here. If I want to go, I just need to give him a call.”
Everyone thought they had misheard. Did this man just say he had dinner with Coleman Vincent?
Coleman Vincent was the head of Hiphia’s second-largest family and the chairman of the Seclela Tai Chi Association. He was a prominent figure in both wealth and status.
‘This guy must be crazy!’ Everyone at present thought.
“Kayden!” Georgia nudged him anxiously with her elbow.
She knew it. Kayden’s delusions were acting up again.