Praise for Layla flowed endlessly, and Kimber couldn’t have been prouder.
She reveled in the process.
As the young lady was adored, even a servant like her shared in the glory.
Standing beside Layla, Kimber’s gaze swept around proudly, like a peacock showing off.
It was a perfect opportunity to make an impression.
She wanted to make it known to the dignitaries present that she was Layla’s servant.
They should remember to show her some respect in the future!
But just as she was basking in her vanity, her eyes landed on someone, causing her to frown and say,
“Hmm? Flynn, what are you doing here?”
Layla turned her head, equally surprised.
Flynn ignored them, continuing to eat his meal.
“Ms. Woods, I invited Flynn,” explained Harriet Hamilton.
“Flynn?” Kimber’s lips curled into a barely noticeable sneer as she approached him:
“Since Mrs. Hamilton calls you ‘brother,’ what gift have you prepared for her?”
“You didn’t come empty-handed, did you?”
Kimber scanned Flynn from head to toe, her gaze settling on a bag next to him as she smirked disdainfully:
“Or perhaps you did bring a gift, but after seeing the extravagant presents for my young lady, you felt too ashamed to present yours?”
Flynn had embarrassed her several times over the past months, and today was a perfect opportunity for revenge.
She was determined to force Flynn to show his gift and then thoroughly humiliate him.
The onlookers, including Zion, turned their attention to Flynn, curious about what sort of gift such a lowly person could bring.
To someone like Zion, Flynn was barely worth a glance on any normal day, but he had been too conspicuous just now.
Madeline shook her head, feeling embarrassed even to be at the same table as Flynn.
Layla looked indifferent, unwilling to pay much attention to such an insignificant person.
She knew Flynn couldn’t possibly afford anything of value.
Even if he spent thousands on jewelry or a handbag, it would only sit at the bottom of the gift pile, subject to everyone’s mockery.
“Too precious?” Flynn scoffed. “To me, the Glacial Balm is as insignificant as sand on the ground. It doesn’t pique my interest in the slightest.”
The room burst into murmurs again.
Wow!
This guy really has a death wish!
Touch him and you get stung.
Now he had truly offended two towering giants-dead man walking!
“Sand?” Kimber suppressed her anger, sneering, “If you think my young lady’s gift doesn’t catch your eye, then let’s see yours!”
“Let everyone see how ‘impressive’ your gift is!”
Harriet Hamilton quickly intervened: “I think that’s not necessary. Just having Flynn here is the best gift for me.”
She didn’t want Flynn to be targeted any further.
“Kimber, today is Mrs. Hamilton’s birthday, let’s just go along with her wishes,” Layla said indifferently, glancing at Flynn before heading back to her seat.
Kimber smiled at Flynn: “You’ll spend your life hiding behind women. Without a woman to protect you, your face would be stepped on a dozen times a day!”
As Kimber turned to leave, Flynn finally took out a small jar.
“Happy birthday, Harriet!”
Just as everyone’s interest waned and they turned away, Flynn’s words made them look back.
What was this? A jar of mud?
Flynn held a dark red clay pot, similar in size to an old salt pot used decades ago in rural areas.
Upon opening it, it revealed a thick, greenish-brown medicinal paste, emitting a faintly bitter scent.
“My goodness, what is that? It looks like something an old lady might produce when she’s ill-disgusting!”
“Must be some kind of pickled vegetable-such trash also counts as a gift? Hilarious!”
“After attending countless birthday parties, seeing this kind of gift is definitely a first. Is he sick?”
Expecting something impressive from Flynn, and this was it?
Northeastern soybean paste?
Zion’s face darkened.
He could allow the quality of gifts from guests to be subpar, understanding that not everyone has the same financial resources.
As long as there was effort, he wouldn’t comment.
Besides, at his level, what hadn’t he seen?
Even a gift of a mine wouldn’t excite him, just like at today’s banquet.
With so many families presenting gifts worth over a hundred million, had he ever been perturbed?
Never!
Only Layla’s Glacial Balm had surprised him, given its rarity and divine properties.
But what had Flynn brought?
A jar of burnt porridge?
Looking at the thick, greenish-brown paste inside the jar, Chen Yumeng felt nauseous, nearly vomiting.
Was this man insane?
To retaliate against the Hussain family for taking his woman, he brought a jar of filth to create a scene?
Madeline gasped in relief, thankful she had divorced Flynn; otherwise, the Kaur family would have been doomed too!
Bringing such filthy stuff might deeply offend Lysander King.
Such a large jar of the sticky substance, not to mention applying it, one glance was enough to induce vomiting!
Embarrassing!
Too embarrassing!
Especially when big shots from Pelens and nineteen surrounding cities were present.
Flynn, about to lose face internationally!
Ignoring everyone’s reactions, Flynn smiled at Harriet Hamilton and said, “This is The Elixir of Vigor I have brewed for you. Apply a little to your face daily, and you’ll become more beautiful!”
“Since I brewed a large amount, two pounds to be exact, and couldn’t find a suitable container, I stored it in a pottery jar instead.”
What?
His own brewed The Elixir of Vigor?
Layla couldn’t help but shake her head, sighing internally at Flynn’s nonsensical actions.
All this time and still not knowing how to give a proper gift?
What is The Elixir of Vigor?
An Ancient Formula lost for a thousand years!
Seventeen top-quality medicinal ingredients, mixed in precise proportions.
Ancient medical texts barely mention The Elixir of Vigor, noting only its effects and two of its ingredients, with the rest of the formula lost to history.
Regular application could improve physical constitution, strengthen muscles and bones, nourish the vital energy, and extend life-a truly miraculous medicine!
It could even enhance the skills of a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
That’s why Layla had been researching The Elixir of Vigor for the past five years.
Its preparation was meticulous, the process extremely complex, with each ingredient’s measure critically important-miss by a little, lose by a lot.
Far harder than the Glacial Balm.
Because while Glacial Balm only improved facial skin, and the lung governs the skin with about twenty related medicinal ingredients to find, combining her unique medical understanding could gradually reconstruct the six lost formulas of Glacial Balm.
But The Elixir of Vigor affected the whole body, nourishing all internal organs, impossible to even start without the missing dozen formulas.
Thus, Layla had struggled to find any leads for a long time.
Yet here was Flynn, claiming he had brewed The Elixir of Vigor-wasn’t it a joke?
“Can’t you act normal?”
“If I remember correctly, you scammed millions of dollars, did you spend it all?”
“Can’t you spend a few thousand on a decent gift?”
Madeline, with a cold expression, reprimanded Flynn.
In doing so, she was not just genuinely angry but also making a statement, telling Zion and others, “I, Madeline, stand against Flynn!”
Chen Kimber was blunt, looking at Flynn with a cold laugh:
“Can a layman, hardly even a half-doctor, research an Ancient Formula?”
“And apply it daily?”
“You want to ruin the face of Lysander King’s newly recognized daughter?”
Zion’s expression suddenly turned frigid.
He slowly advanced towards Flynn.
Like a towering kilometer-high tsunami, he moved, casting shadows and imposing terror.
Before he even arrived, a terrifying pressure overwhelmed the surroundings.