The dignitaries saw a casually dressed young man wandering around, grabbing snacks and pairing them with red wine. He took a sip of the wine, found it too bitter, and asked for a cup of Sprite to mix in.
The security guards almost stepped in to eject this apparent gatecrasher, but someone stopped them. “He’s a guest we’ve invited from Atraria. Leave him be.”
“Yes, sir.” The guard glanced at Ramiro in surprise.
Ramiro watched Leo devour the food with a smug smile. As expected, he thought, this country bumpkin is finally showing his true colors.
Ramiro intended for Leo to make a fool of himself at the banquet and then turned his attention to finding Chloe. He had dressed meticulously for the occasion, even hiring a renowned stylist to outfit him.
The stylist had assumed Ramiro was preparing for a film festival, not just an ordinary reception at the Ewha Institute. Thus, among the formally dressed guests, Ramiro stood out conspicuously.
Ramiro chatted absentmindedly with a few professors from the research institute until he finally spotted Chloe. She had been hard to see because of the crowd around her.
Davon was being entertained by Tyrese, while Dakota was busy handing out business cards, especially to single women. Despite the language barrier, his eagerness made it hard for anyone to refuse him.
Chloe was an exception. As soon as she entered, she drew everyone’s attention. People kept asking who she was. Most of the guests knew each other, and even those who didn’t could find out with a few inquiries.
Soon, everyone knew that this stunning woman was part of the Atrarian team here for the exhibition and that she had led the excavation of the Western Xia Treasury. A crowd quickly gathered around her, and Chloe’s proficiency in Korean, indistinguishable from a native speaker’s, enchanted everyone.
Ramiro’s face darkened as he realized he had many competitors. He had focused on Leo and overlooked several second-generation tycoons at his level. Though confident in himself, he was annoyed by the swarm around his goddess.
Ramiro approached Chloe. “Miss Chloe, are you feeling better?” he asked with concern.
“Much better, thank you, Mr. Ramiro,” Chloe replied calmly.
The others picked up on Ramiro’s underlying meaning. A tall young man raised his glass and smiled. “Ramiro, when did you meet this lady? How come I didn’t know?”
This was Reginald, son of the Serene Group’s director, whose wealth rivaled Ramiro’s. Though they were around the same age and Reginald’s tone seemed friendly, it was far from it.
Ramiro didn’t think much of Reginald and thought, Do I need to report every pretty woman I meet to you? But he kept these thoughts to himself and maintained his composure.
Ramiro smiled and said, “I was responsible for welcoming Miss Chloe to Goryeo.”
He hoped Chloe would respond in a way that highlighted their special relationship but was disappointed when she only smiled politely without adding any pleasantries.
Reginald ignored Ramiro and turned to Chloe with a smile. “Miss Chloe, may I have a photo with you?”
He signaled to his staff, who immediately prepared a camera. Reginald moved to Chloe’s side and reached out to put his arm around her shoulder.
His actions were blatantly inappropriate, but no one dared confront him due to the Serene Group’s power. Ramiro was furious; Reginald was notorious for his vile behavior towards women and even had a history of using force when resisted.
As Reginald’s hand neared Chloe’s shoulder, ready to slide down for an inappropriate touch, the photographer aimed to capture the moment. The men present knew this was Reginald’s usual tactic: groping beautiful women on first meetings and taking photos to assert his claim over them.
Despite his anger, Ramiro felt paralyzed. He knew that challenging Reginald was beyond his or the Ewha Institute’s capabilities.
Chloe noticed Reginald approaching and frowned as his hand reached for her shoulder. She considered dodging and possibly delivering a discreet kick since her floor-length dress would conceal it.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her left shoulder pulling her away from Reginald. Leo’s voice rang out beside her. “Let’s all take a photo together! Say cheese!”
Leo had appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Chloe. Reginald’s hand ended up on Leo’s instead.
The flash went off as the photographer captured the moment.
Reginald’s face turned dark with rage. For a moment, he wanted to beat this unknown young man senseless.