Robert heaved a deep sigh of relief before preparing to alight from the car, but Simon held him back. "Young master," he said, his head bent in a plea. "I am sorry for not telling you the whole truth."Robert wriggled out of his grip and asked, "What do you mean?""I know you hate partying, but firstly, the meeting won't be held. Your hotel room and everything you need have been prepared for."Robert's eyelids fell in exhaustion as he inquired again, "So, Simon, what the hell am I here for?""Today is the 25th anniversary of this investment, and since Madam President won't be coming, you need to attend the party happening tonight. It's quite compulsory. I had to lie to you about the meeting so you would cooperate as fast as possible. Please, I am sorry. I am ready to take on any punishment you're about to give me."Robert's shoulders slumped in a mixture of defeat and disappointment. At this point, he really didn't know what to do with Simon. How could he trick him that way? Firstly,
Robert couldn't help but turn to see the owner of the voice, only to find a good-looking young man who looked to be around the same age as him and almost the same height. Looking at the young man, he was wearing a Moncler suit, so it was evident he was rich. Well, apparently, he is the son of the highest shareholder of the investment.Robert sneered. "Let go!""Mr. Gideon touched the glass first," the bartender tried to convince him.He grinned, and the next second, his face dissolved into a deep frown. "Who cares who touched it first? I said I want it, and he should let go!"The bartender shuddered in fear. She knew him; it wasn't the first time he was coming for the anniversary and any other parties held. He was known to be prideful, and most people actually did get scared of getting on his bad side because of how much power he holds."Young man, I just asked that you let it go now!" He flashed a knowing smirk at Robert, pushing to grab the glass from his grip, but Robert's grip was
He turned and looked at Robert with his fists clenched tightly, as if he was ready to kill him at that moment. He couldn't believe that what he had planned to do to Robert had backfired on him, and now he was the embarrassed one."You must be happy, huh?" He hollered. "Well, you should be worried about what you have just done to yourself!"Meanwhile, Robert stood tall, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of triumph and amusement. "Looks like you're the one who should be worried about stains, Gideon," he quipped, his voice dripping with sarcasm.The bartender gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh no, Mr. Gideon! I'm so sorry, let me get you a towel!"Gideon's face turned beet-red as he snarled, "This isn't over! You'll pay for this humiliation!"Within the next couple of minutes, lots of people in the hall had gathered at the scene, and Gideon was now the center of attention. Most of them were gossiping and murmuring about what had just happened. They took a close look at Robert, and
Meanwhile, Stanley was still confused as Robert got into the hall. He turned back to him and asked in a stern tone, trying to use his authority over him. "How the hell did you get in here? Who let you in?"Robert snorted. "I was invited by a friend, and I have every right to be here, just like you."Stanley let out a low chuckle. "Here, like me? That is highly impossible! A friend? Ha! You mean some desperate soul who felt sorry for you? You're a charity case, Robert. Don't forget your place. Now, I will urge you to bow and apologize.""My place is wherever I choose to be, Stanley. And right now, I'm standing in front of you, calling you out for your condescending attitude. And while at that, I will never apologize to a bully!"Stanley shouted, "You spilled wine all over his wine. Do you know how much that cloth is? You should be on your knees apologizing.""Well, I am not on my knees, and I won't ever be on my knees. He spilled wine over himself. All I did was an act of self-defense.
…….45 minutes later.The hall was in full buzz and people were dancing and having fun, waiting for the CEO to step up to the stage and give her final speech before the real party gets started. Most of the people in the hall were drinking and toasting each other, while some others were dancing to the pop music playing in the background, and some were still talking about what just happened, unable to stop laughing at how Robert had been dragged out of the hall. Gideon was seated in the front row of the hall, wine glass in hand; he had had to remove his jacket, as it was partially stained and wet.The hall was in full swing before the host quickly called everyone to order."Please, ladies and gentlemen, please be ready. The CEO will be here to address you all in a minute!"The giggles, whispers, and murmurs went into a hush after the announcement, and all eyes went straight to the stage as they anticipated Madam Dorothy. Some of the ladies whipped out their phones, ready to take video re
Gasps ripped through the crowd as they froze in absolute shock once they heard the news that he was the new CEO. Robert watched their reactions before he continued. "I am Robert, and I will be representing Madam Dorothy until the heir to M&P Financials is ready to take over."The crowd went up in giggles and audible gossips. Most of them didn't know of Madam Dorothy's son or what he even looked like, while most of the high-ups knew she had a son but they didn't also know him; they haven't seen him before."Oh my, I thought her son would be her heir? I actually thought it was her son.""No one knows what her son looks like. What if this is him and they're playing mind games with us?""I don't think so. I really don't think this is her son. If it is, then I think she would have made an announcement earlier."Stanley couldn't believe what he was hearing. Robert was now the newest CEO of M&P Financials? How was that even possible? He still saw him on the school group headline where he was
Turning around, Robert was surprised to see Gideon in front of his car."Hey, Mr. Simon," Gideon casually greeted with a soft smile.Simon reciprocated the smile with a handshake. "Hey, Gideon, how have you been? It's been quite a while since I saw you."The two of them greeted each other awkwardly, and Simon quickly excused the two men. Hearing Robert tell him to cut their profit by 50 percent, he just knew something was up, so he quickly connected the dots and left the place for them to have a one-on-one talk with each other.Gideon finally cleared his throat and said, "Look, Robert, ehm, I think I'm sorry about all that happened inside. I didn't know you were the new CEO, and you know, Stanley came along to say you're just a broke campus nerd, so I misunderstood."Robert growled, "So even if I was a broke campus nerd, you get to treat people the way you did? Does it make any difference to whom I am for me to get treated right?"Gideon's face flushed with embarrassment. He kept mute
.After the first ring, Ben picked up the call."Hello?" he said in a hesitant voice. "Hey, Rob?"Robert inhaled sharply. "Who the hell posted all these lies?""I don't know, man. I was offline for my family lunch when Jacob called me and informed me of what was going on. He said it was Olivia who started the rumors."Robert's fists began to clench slowly and his face started to turn red as he muttered coldly, "That bitch!""The news is all over the place, not just the school group. Different blogs are beginning to carry it with much more appealing captions and headlines," Ben complained bitterly.Robert's heart began to pound in his chest. All he could think of was Lily - she was the most vulnerable one amongst the two of them. If the news was really hitting the outside world, the scrutiny was going to be harsh. For over ten minutes, Ben explained to Robert how everything started to trend. Apparently, Olivia was only getting back at her for exposing her fake life with Owen.After he