On the fourth floor of Windford Hotel, the banquet hall was brightly lit, featuring twenty tables filled with colleagues from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals’ sales department and numerous company executives.
As Darnell walked in, the place was buzzing with excitement. Handsome men and beautiful women gathered together, chatting and laughing. Although the party was still half an hour away, the atmosphere was already lively.
Not familiar with any of them, Darnell had no interest in socializing. He headed straight for the Python Team’s table in the corner.
Though the seating arrangement wasn’t ideal, the treatment was the same. There was an abundance of tea, fruits, and drinks.
Casey, Bailee, and Shayla were gathered together, laughing and joking.
While other tables had ten people, the Python Team’s table only had three, which seemed a bit out of place.
However, everyone knew that the Python Team was a dark horse, so no one came to mock or ridicule them. They were given plenty of freedom.
Darnell rushed over and sat down, immediately taking Casey’s wine glass and taking a sip.
“Mr. Halford, what’s wrong?” Casey asked with concern as she saw Darnell’s panicked expression and his drinking.
She patted Darnell’s back gently while asking attentively. Shayla and Bailee also leaned in, their eyes shining. “Yeah, you look pale. What happened?”
“On my way here, I almost got molested by an old lady,” Darnell replied.
He took Bailee’s glass and drank another gulp to calm himself down. “Luckily, I ran fast. Otherwise, I would have lost my virginity.”
Upon hearing this, Shayla scoffed along with the other two women, “Mr. Halford, you do love making up stories. We should be grateful that you didn’t assault an old lady.”
Darnell looked at them with a frustrated expression. “I wasn’t lying!”
He then took out a wad of cash from his pocket and slapped it on the table.
“This is the compensation for my loss that I demanded from her. If you don’t believe me, it’s fine. But I want to give you a piece of advice. Be cautious when you see old ladies. They might pounce on you and take advantage of you.”
Seeing Darnell’s serious expression, the three women burst into laughter. Casey playfully tapped Darnell’s head. “Stop joking around.”
Shayla didn’t engage in Darnell’s nonsense either. She looked up and scanned the banquet hall before suddenly spotting someone at the entrance. “Oh, Miss Fanshaw is here too.”
Darnell looked up with his glass in hand and indeed saw Areli and other company executives sitting in the most prominent position.
Tonight, Areli wore an elegant and sophisticated black skirt that flowed gracefully down to her calves, enhanced with some fashionable elements. The top featured an intricately designed white blouse, tucked neatly into the skirt, and she draped a black cashmere shawl over her shoulders.
“Miss Fanshaw looks absolutely stunning,” Bailee remarked, gazing up at the poised Areli with genuine admiration on her pretty face. “To become a woman like her is my lifelong aspiration.”
“I would be satisfied if I could achieve half of what she has,” Shayla added.
Curious, Casey asked, “What exactly has she achieved?”
After hesitating for a moment, Shayla lowered her voice and said, “She entered Cambridge University at fourteen, earned dual PhDs in Business Management and Medicine by sixteen, and at eighteen, she returned home to join the Matson Group’s Spectrum Pharmaceuticals lab. Three of the top ten most profitable drugs were developed under her guidance, and at nineteen, she became a part of the management team at the Matson Group.”
“At twenty, she was the first person to have lunch with Mr. Matson.”
“At twenty-two, she was personally appointed by Mr. Matson to oversee a lab in Whiteville while also serving as the general manager of the Whiteville branch, with an annual salary of a hundred million.”
Hearing this, Bailee and Casey gasped in awe. “Miss Fanshaw is that impressive? She’s had lunch with Mr. Matson?”
As employees, they might not have had direct access to the upper echelons, but they were well aware of Spencer.
Spencer was a living legend in Westergold.
If Spectrum Pharmaceuticals was merely a toy of the Matson Group, then the Matson Group itself was just a toy of Spencer. Hearing that Areli had dined alone with Spencer left Bailee and Casey both shocked, and their gazes toward Areli grew even more admiring and fervent.
Darnell was also momentarily taken aback, not by Areli’s abilities, but by how much Shayla knew.
“I heard it through the grapevine,” Shayla admitted, clearly realizing she had shared too much, and quickly put on a smile to cover it. She then pointed toward the entrance. “Mr. Izzard is here.”
Darnell turned to look, and sure enough, Eliezer appeared, flanked by several associates, along with a stunning unfamiliar woman.
The woman wore a knitted long-sleeve top and a short black skirt, with elongated, alluring eyes and full lips painted with red lipstick.
She resembled a blooming rose, making one want to rush forward and take in her intoxicating fragrance, though Darnell could sense an air of sophistication about her.
“Come on, Zoey. There’s a spot here for you,” Eliezer called out.
As Casey and the others speculated about the identity of the unfamiliar woman, Eliezer was already leading a group over, arranging for a few assistants to take their seats.
Then, he positioned the woman in the black skirt next to Darnell. “Mr. Halford, we have quite a few company executives and guests here tonight, and we’ve exceeded the seating arrangements.”
“Fortunately, the Python Team only has four members, so there are six extra spots. You don’t mind if I arrange for a few guests, do you?”
Eliezer was polite, displaying unprecedented humility. The three women didn’t respond, only gazing at Darnell.
Darnell laughed heartily and waved his hand. “Mr. Izzard, you’re the organizer tonight, and we’re just here to enjoy the food and drinks. You can arrange whoever you want. We won’t have a problem with your arrangement. Besides, a gathering is much more lively with ten people than just four.”
“Mr. Halford, thank you for your consideration. I truly admire you,” Eliezer said, giving Darnell a thumbs-up before introducing the woman in the black skirt. “Zoey, this is Mr. Halford, a young and accomplished man with impressive achievements.”
Then, ignoring the jealous expressions from the three women, he pointed at Zoey and said to Darnell, “My niece, Zoey, just returned from Paris. I didn’t have time to entertain her, so I brought her along for some excitement. Although she grew up abroad, she’s a bit shy. Mr. Halford, please take good care of her.”
“Mr. Izzard, rest assured. I love taking care of beautiful women,” Darnell said with a hearty laugh, disregarding the three women pouting in response. He extended his hand toward Zoey and said, “Miss Izzard, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Zoey smiled coyly, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Halford!”
As they shook hands, Zoey’s fingertip traced a teasing circle on Darnell’s palm, her eyes sparkling with flirtation.
The three women, who had been watching intently, simultaneously thought, “What a vixen!”
“Take your time chatting. I’ll go greet Miss Fanshaw,” Eliezer said with a laugh, ready to lead his two assistants away. He suddenly turned around and reminded Darnell again, “Mr. Halford, please take good care of Zoey.”
Once Eliezer left, Zoey pulled her chair closer and smiled sweetly at Darnell. “Mr. Halford, I heard from my uncle that you can diagnose illnesses.”
“I’m not feeling well lately. Could you help me check if there’s something wrong with me?”
Casey and the other women stared at her, but Zoey completely ignored them and extended her delicate hand. “Please do a check-up on me, Mr. Halford. Do you need to check my pulse first?”
Darnell was about to speak when he nearly choked on his drink.
A soft foot slid up to his ankle.
Though the small foot wasn’t wearing stockings, it felt as smooth as satin, cool and soft.
It was a blatant seduction! Darnell’s favorite kind of seduction!
He grasped her delicate hand and looked at the alluring woman with a serious expression, saying, “You have a disaster looming.”