Chapter 45
William promptly rushed to the front while throwing looks at Jared, signaling him to leave posthaste. He blocked Walter’s path and fibbed, “Mr. Grange, that’s a server at the hotel, and he’s probably taken a wrong turn and came here instead.” Right then, Josephine had also caught up to Jared. She dragged him away while muttering, “Just how inattentive were you that you didn’t even watch where you were going and ended up here instead?”
“Wait a moment!” Walter called her back at once. Halting in her tracks, Josephine dropped her hold on Jared. “I apologize for my mismanagement that a server barged in, Mr. Grange. I’ll be sure to give you an explanation later.” William was sweating bullets, afraid that Walter would fly into a rage. Unexpectedly, Walter was taken aback. “Are you saying that Mr. Chance is an employee of your family?” “Yes!” William nodded in affirmation, but in the next second, he froze. “M-Mr. Chance?” Huh? How does he know that Jared’s family name is Chance? And he’s even addressing him as “Mr.?”
“Yes, that’s right. The guest of honor of my banquet this time is Mr. Chance. All the other guests are just here for the company,” Walter explained with a nod. This time, William and Josephine were stumped and couldn’t make sense of the entire situation. “I hope I’m not late, Mr. Grange?” Jared inquired with a smile as he took two steps forward. “You’re right on time, Mr. Chance. And this is?” Walter queried, pointing at Josephine. “This is my daughter, Mr. Grange. She’s friends with Mr. Chance.” William was indeed a veteran in the business field, for he gathered his wits about him in no time.
When Walter heard that, he chuckled. “They’re simply a match made in heaven, one handsome and the other beautiful!” Following that, all the other guests complimented Jared and Josephine on their compatibility. That had Josephine flushing bright red, and she didn’t even dare lift her head. “Do be seated, Mr. Chance. We’ve been waiting for you!” Tommy stepped forward and made a sweeping gesture at Jared. Jared didn’t dither either but walked straight toward the main seat. The crowd gathered around him, for despite having no idea who he was, they knew that he would undoubtedly be an influential person in Horington in the future.
Not only was he greatly respected by both Walter and Tommy, but he was also the son-in-law of the Sullivan family, the wealthiest family in the city. As such, none of them dared to offend him. After exchanging a glance, William and Josephine followed as well. When Jared had taken his seat, Walter sat beside him. The other side of him was empty, for no one dared to sit there. “This seat is reserved for you, Ms. Sullivan. You two should sit together since you’re a couple.”
All smiles, Walter beckoned at Josephine. With her face bright red, Josephine shyly sat down beside Jared. The seat a step down from hers was given to William. It should have been Tommy’s seat, but if Jared and Josephine were in a relationship, William would then be the former’s father-in-law. Thus, Tommy wouldn’t dare sit above him. When everyone was seated, Walter lifted a glass of wine and said to Jared, “I’ll toast you first, Mr. Chance!”
He knew that he didn’t need to bother about anything else after doing so since not a single person there was a fool. Thus, they would naturally know what they should do. “You flatter me, Mr. Grange!” Picking up his wine glass, Jared downed it in one go. Right as he put his wine glass down, shock deluged Walter, for he had glimpsed the spit on the man’s brand-new suit. “What happened to your suit, Mr. Chance?”
he exclaimed, pointing at the saliva stain on Jared’s suit. “Ah, some uncivilized person spat at me twice when I was outside earlier,” Jared replied mildly. “Who was so bold to spit on you, Mr. Chance?” Walter’s expression darkened, and he swept his gaze over all the guests there.
It was no secret that the people outside were family members and the like brought by those seated there. That was why he turned his gaze on them. All at once, everyone’s heart leaped to their throats, and they fervently prayed that it wasn’t the doing of their family members.