Chapter 124 Celebration Banquet
Noah tossed the torn resignation letter into the trash, dusted off his hands, and looked at Daisy with something indescribable in his eyes.
"Ms. Hart."
Daisy looked at him. "Yeah?"
Noah said slowly, "I'm staying not because you convinced me, but because I figured it out myself."
He paused. "But thank you anyway."
With that, he strode out.
Daisy sat in her chair, looking at the closed door, and let out a muffled laugh.
She'd always disliked Vanessa, but with this Noah situation, she really had to thank Vanessa for basically delivering a talented person right to her lab.
She let out a soft breath, replaying her conversation with Noah, and couldn't help humming happily.
In the two years since leaving Vincent, she'd really changed a lot. If it were the old her, facing something like this, she would either hide or endure it, suffering alone and draining herself emotionally.
But now she could put aside personal grudges, find ways to solve problems, and turn an opponent into an ally.
When did she change? She didn't know herself. She only knew that she really liked who she was now, and really liked her current state.
During her month off, Daisy went to many places—skiing, horseback riding, trying amazing food, staying in a sky hotel that cost fifty thousand a night, enjoying meals that cost five thousand per person, and buying two handbags she didn't really like but would make people gasp when she carried them.
Basically, she lived out all the experiences she'd wanted to try in the past but couldn't for various reasons.
That evening, Daisy came back from the mall humming, carrying two big bags of cosmetics, and heard Shawn on the phone, her eyes sparkling. After hanging up, she flopped onto the couch excitedly and bounced a couple times.
"Dais! Perfect timing, you know what?"
"Hey, wait, don't tell me, let me guess." Daisy quickly went over and covered her mouth, dropped the cosmetics on the table, and said, "There's news about your Marcus?"
"Not just news—huge news!" Shawn said with a smile. "He's back with the Bennetts. He got his uncle sent to a mental hospital, and now he's the head of the Bennetts!"
"Dais, your girl has finally made it through the storm!"
Daisy was of course happy for her, but beneath that happiness, there was inevitably a shadow.
"That USB drive... did they find it?"
Shawn shook her head, a flash of disappointment crossing her face, but she quickly waved it off. "That doesn't matter. Now that the Bennetts are in Marcus's hands, things are much easier. We won't have to have bodyguards following us everywhere anymore!"
"Does this mean I can move out? Oh my god, I miss my little place so much!" Shawn sighed.
Daisy missed her little place too.
Since she'd fled in a hurry last time, she hadn't been back to clean up. She had no idea what state it was in now.
And... were they really safe now?
As long as that damn USB drive wasn't found, she couldn't rest easy.
Before bed, Daisy's phone rang. It was Simon calling.
"Dais! My project is a success!" Simon's voice came through the phone.
In all these years, this was the first time Daisy had heard Simon sound this excited.
"The first batch of products hit the market, and the feedback is amazing! Orders are already backed up until next year!"
Daisy got excited too. "Really? That fast?"
"Of course!" Simon said with a laugh. "Guess how much your share is this time?"
Daisy thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "A few million?"
Simon laughed. "A few million? You're really underestimating me. Based on your investment percentage, just this time alone you'll get a hundred million in dividends!"
"Keep an eye on your messages these next few days. I'll transfer it to you in batches."
A hundred million!
Although Daisy's current assets added up to about a hundred million, most of that was from Vincent's divorce settlement—houses and company shares. This was the first time she'd owned over a hundred million in cash!
She'd never been poor in her life. The Harts were a middle-class family, and after marrying Vincent, she'd never had to worry about money.
But even so, this was the first time she truly felt what it was like to have a hundred million actually land in her pocket.
She immediately bounced on the bed a couple times, just like Shawn had earlier.
"Simon, I knew you were the best!"
"Haha, also, I'm calling to tell you—I'm throwing a celebration party Saturday night at the usual place. You absolutely have to come. I've invited everyone I could. Let's really celebrate."
"Okay, don't worry, I'll definitely be there."
After hanging up, she immediately jumped out of bed, ran barefoot across the carpet, and knocked on Shawn's door.
"Shawn! That stylist you helped me book before—can you book them again? For this Saturday!"
...
Saturday night.
The celebration party was at a five-star hotel in the city center.
When Daisy arrived, quite a few people were already in the hall.
She wore a deep blue evening gown, her hair down, her face made up beautifully.
The hem of her dress sparkled under the crystal chandeliers, making her look like Cinderella from a fairy tale after her transformation.
Since it was her own celebration party, Daisy had brought Shawn along too.
Shawn linked arms with her and teased, "Rich ladies really are different—you're absolutely glowing."
Daisy lightly nudged her with her elbow. "What are you saying? I didn't glow before?"
Shawn covered her mouth and laughed. "You know what, you really do look more elegant now than before."
The two of them walked in, chatting and laughing.
Simon stood at the entrance greeting guests. When he saw Daisy, he let out an exaggerated "Wow!" "Let me see—which princess has graced us with her presence?"
"Oh, stop it, even you're teasing me!"
"My God, how would I dare tease you? You're my biggest shareholder!"
Daisy followed him inside. As soon as she entered, she froze.
She spotted Vincent right away.
He stood by the window in a dark gray suit, holding a glass of champagne, talking to someone next to him.
Daisy's steps faltered. She turned to Simon. "You invited him too?"
Simon had no idea about the messy accounts between Daisy and Vincent that could never be settled. He said directly, "Of course I had to invite him. Black Group helped me out big time—not only did they invest money, they also helped us open up distribution channels for free."
"Without him, this project wouldn't have been nearly as profitable."
This time Daisy was truly stunned.
Free distribution channels?
Opening up distribution channels wasn't like investing where you could see returns—it was pure networking, just throwing money away with nothing back.
She couldn't help glancing at Vincent again. He must have noticed her too, but showed no reaction, as if he hadn't seen her at all.
Daisy looked away and couldn't help laughing at herself.
Why delude herself? Vincent was a businessman who never made losing deals. If he helped Simon, it must be because there was profit in it. At the end of the day, it was for himself.
Just not for her.