Chapter 78 Feeling Better?

When most of the guests had shown up, a little charity auction kicked off. The items up for grabs were brought by the guests themselves, and all the money raised was going to elementary schools in the mountains.

Carl threw in some bids here and there, showing his support for the cause, which ended up costing him a cool few million.

After the auction wrapped up, it was dinner time, and everyone started mingling and grabbing food.

Daphne was feeling pretty hungry, so she tagged along with Carl to the buffet. Her eyes lit up when she spotted some adorable mousse cakes.

Noticing her interest, Carl grabbed one and placed it on a small white plate, handing it to her. "Just one piece, though. Try some other stuff too."

Daphne nodded happily and took a small fork to dig in.

She couldn't shake the feeling that someone had been giving her the stink eye all night. To see if she was just imagining things, she glanced over and saw James looking furious.

Carl's attention to her must've caught his eye.

Quickly looking away, Daphne scooped another piece of cake and offered it to Carl.

Carl was about to refuse, thinking it might not look great to eat a cute cake in public.

But since it was Daphne offering, he didn't mind.

He took a bite. Daphne asked softly, "Isn't it delicious?"

James saw the whole thing. He'd never seen her smile so brightly, or look at anyone with such tenderness as she did with Carl.

Suddenly, Carl wiped a bit of cream from the corner of Daphne's mouth and licked it off his finger.

Even Daphne was caught off guard. Her ears turned a bit red.

James had moved to the other side, probably thinking "out of sight, out of mind."

Seeing that Daphne had eaten enough, Carl got ready to say goodbye to Dwayne and head out.

Dwayne and his wife, Layla Smith, didn't seem to notice James's sour mood. They wanted to see Carl off personally, but Carl declined, so they quickly asked James to do it.

Showing respect was important, after all.

Even though Dwayne was from the same generation as Carl's parents, they had to show Carl extra respect and courtesy.

This showed Carl's unique and prestigious status in Irvingport.

Despite his annoyance, James had to patiently see Carl and Daphne out of the lobby.

The staff had already brought Carl's car around.

Before leaving, Carl helped Daphne put on her beige fur coat. It was still snowing outside, and under the snowy sky, Daphne looked absolutely stunning.

By the car, Carl shook off the snow and suddenly leaned in to kiss Daphne.

Caught off guard, Daphne, in her high heels, lost her balance and fell backward.

Luckily, Carl caught her waist just in time and deepened the kiss.

There was no one outside the hotel, but behind the glass doors, James was staring daggers at them.

Carl didn't seem in any hurry to end the kiss. One hand was on Daphne's back, pulling her closer, while the other held her chin, guiding her to respond.

Daphne initially tried to pull away, but she couldn't withstand the intensity of Carl's kiss. Eventually, she started to respond, a bit awkwardly, to his advances.

Just as Daphne was about to run out of breath, Carl finally let her go, though he seemed a bit reluctant.

Carl's eyes had a hint of satisfaction, but his words were teasing, "Your kissing skills need work; you need more practice."

Daphne stayed silent.

Carl wiped the smudged lipstick from her lips before opening the car door for her.

He had driven himself today, so he only had some juice.

Before getting into the driver's seat, Carl shot a glance at James standing behind the glass doors. Though it was brief, James seemed to get the message loud and clear.

Daphne also noticed James standing there.

At that moment, she felt a sense of satisfaction!

In the past, Emily and James would always flaunt their relationship in front of her.

Now, Emily was married off to the Harris Family, and James hadn't dared to object. Last time, he even confronted her, which was utterly ridiculous.

Thinking about it, Daphne couldn't help but smile.

Seeing her smile, Carl was pleased too, though it was because he had kissed her, even if her kissing skills were lacking.

He wanted James to see it on purpose. He had noticed James talking to Daphne at the Smith Family event last time but didn't say anything.

After seeing him a few more times, Carl got the sense that he had some ulterior motives towards Daphne. Men had intuition too.

In the car, Daphne tried to talk to Carl, but he ignored her, focusing on driving as if she wasn't there.

"Feeling satisfied?" Carl finally asked.

Turning to look at him, Daphne understood.

Nodding, she smiled, "Of course! You don't know how over-the-top he and Emily were before. I know you were helping me, so thank you."

How over-the-top could it have been? It was as bad as them deliberately showing affection in front of James today.

Daphne had no romantic feelings for James; she was simply grateful for his assistance during her darkest hour of need and desperation.

But so what? They were not the same kind of people.

In the dimly lit car, Carl paused for a couple of seconds before asking, "Daphne, don't you have anything else to say to me?"

Daphne blinked, confused. "I already thanked you sincerely."

Carl stayed silent.

Seeing him not speak, Daphne asked softly, "Carl, are you upset?"

Everything seemed fine just a moment ago, so why did the atmosphere suddenly get so tense?

Carl still didn't respond. Now he was just thinking about giving Daniel a good scolding!